This inner-Sydney pocket covers all dining bases, from fire-licked fare to upmarket pub grub and a hot new eatery perched high above the city. Not sure which restaurant to book? Here's our pick of the best places to eat in Surry Hills.

Image credit: Nikki To

Best share plates: Kiln

1/17

If you’ve been wondering where gun chef Mitch Orr has been hiding since closing ACME, wonder no more. Head to level 18 at Ace Hotel Sydney to find Kiln, where Australiana (smoked butter and anchovy on Jatz) meets Italianese (tuna tartare topped with radish and turnip kimchi). Designed by Melbourne-based Fiona Lynch Office, the dining room meshes the grandeur of city views with an interior that almost feels like the inside of a porcelain vase. Kiln by name, kiln by nature.

53 Foy Lane

Image credit: Nikki To

Best elemental cooking: Firedoor

2/17

Book a seat at the kitchen bench to experience the magic of chef Lennox Hastie: you’ll see him dance with danger, expertly moving hot coals from one part of the kitchen to another. The menu changes as often as the limited-edition produce Hastie uses. That means the Ramarro Farm barletta onions, grilled whole over the fire, or the John Dory with a Duckfoot Farm carrot and ginger reduction may not make an appearance – but surprise is part of the draw.

23-33 Mary Street; (02) 8204 0800.

Image credit: James Horan; Destination NSW

Best asado: Porteño

3/17

Get set for high-definition flavour, Aussie- Argentinian-style, where whole beasts are cooked over the asado (a well-contained fire) and parilla (a badass grill). Housemade chorizo is served on almond romesco sauce, ready to be scooped up with a side of Humble bakery sourdough. Vegetarians are also catered for, with the likes of woodfired forest mushrooms and a beautiful chickpea pancake with Holy Goat cheese and spring vegetables.

50 Holt Street; (02) 8399 1440.

Image credit: Daniel Boud

Best date night: Alberto's Lounge

4/17

A dimly lit laneway oasis filled with ephemera, where the fans push the air lazily overhead and the staff buzz from table to table (or bar stool to bar stool) pouring amaro, delivering cocktails and laying down veggie-heavy pasta e fagioli. The menu from chef Elizabeth Mitchell straddles new-wave and old-school Italian cooking – sausage and lentils on one hand, burrata sitting on a tangle of raw fennel and dried fruit on the other.

7-19 Alberta Street

Image credit: Nikki To

Best modern Korean: Sáng by Mabasa

5/17

Ever been keen to try a lightly preserved, marinated raw blue swimmer crab? This is the place to do it. There’s also less-challenging fare, such as chargrilled rib eye served on a bed of winter cabbage kimchi, glazed fried Korean chicken wings and bibimbap that comes to the table sizzling. Not to mention the raw beef dish freshened up with crunchy green things (raw pear, perilla leaves, mung bean). And to drink? Plenty of natural wines and Korean beers.

98 Fitzroy Street; (02) 9331 5175

Image credit: Kitti Gould

Best long lunch: Nomad

6/17

Chef Jacqui Challinor delivers a menu of smart, modern Middle Eastern dishes designed to share in a sun-drenched room made for kicking back. Much of the food comes from the wood fire: puffy charred bread with wattleseed za’atar or blackened Roman beans, which work nicely alongside a dry-aged pork cutlet with spiced prunes and toasted pepitas. The olive oil ice-cream sandwich with halva is essential.

16 Foster Street; (02) 9280 3395

Best pub: The Dolphin Hotel

7/17

Love a good old-fashioned afternoon at the pub but need to cater to the culinary whims of your bougie friends? There’s the wine bar off to the side. There’s the main dining room for Roman-style pizza (why yes, that is a truffled cacio e pepe pizza) and share plates of silky San Danielle prosciutto, polenta chips and salmon crudo. And there’s also the upstairs bar where, if you’re really not into sharing, you can order a cheeseburger and a beer and be done with it.

412 Crown Street; (02) 9331 4800

Image credit: Nikki To

Best bar food: Gildas

8/17

Finally, a Sydney bar where you can order a dirty Martini in the same breath as a soft-serve ice-cream sundae. This newish addition to the neighbourhood is from the team behind Firedoor and pairs Basque-style bar snacks with an impressive drinks menu. The Gilda (a San Sebastien pintxo comprising a guindilla pepper, an olive and an anchovy) features heavily, with three versions on offer. Team them with crisp school prawns and a glass of sherry. And that soft serve? It’s made from buffalo milk and drizzled with dulce de leche.

46-48 Albion Street; (02) 8275 8285

Best coffee: Artificer

9/17

This specialty café from Dan Yee (ex-Salvage) and Shoji Sasa (ex-Mecca and Single O) is your go-to for batch brew, fresh beans and equipment. Popular with passing cyclists, creatives and Surry Hillbillies, there is no food served. Coffee is their church and all who worship at its altar are welcome.

547 Bourke Street

Image credit: Christopher Pearce

Best charcoal chicken: Henrietta

10/17

For a casual bite mid-way through a Crown Street crawl, a charcoal chicken wrap laden with garlic sauce (toum) and stuffed with hot chips could be just the ticket. Keen to take a load off and enjoy a leisurely lunch? You can do that here, too. Order a whole chook, the skin crisp and delicately seasoned and served with toum and a side. Or order the sujuk tacos – Middle Eastern sausage peppered with sumac-dusted onion and dressed with tahini sauce. A side of chips is a must, if only for dipping.

Shop 1, 500 Crown Street, Surry Hills; (02) 9380 7247

Best cerveceria: Tio's

11/17

Inspired by owners Alex Dowd and Jeremy Blackmore’s travels through Mexico, this is Sydney’s first and best cerveceria (that’s a beer hall, gringos y gringas). Margaritas are the go here, with five versions on offer but a Tommy’s, made with two types of mescal, agave syrup and fresh lime, is the order of the day, perhaps with a small beer on the side. When this place first opened, the only snack on offer was the complimentary spiced popcorn but these days, there’s Tex-Mex-style roast pork nachos with all the cheesy trimmings or guac and chips for something a little greener.

4-14 Foster Street, Surry Hills

Best brunch: Paramount Coffee Project

12/17

An all-day menu means you’ll never miss out on breakfast or brunch. Perhaps it’ll be a BKE roll – garlicky scrambled eggs, crisp bacon and barbecue sauce – all on a squishy milk bun. Or fried chicken waffles. Trying to keep a lid on things? Consider a green breakfast salad and a filter coffee.

80 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills; (02) 9211 1122

Best Italo-Argentine: Bastardo

13/17

Another one from the Porteño crew but this time it’s a carb party. Start with the two-bite delight that is the pizza fritta (a puck of puffy fried dough topped with tomato sauce and an anchovy) then move onto the agnolotti – little pasta parcels doused in a sweet corn and brown butter sauce.

50 Holt Street, Surry Hills; (02) 9435 0800

Image credit: Luisa Brimble

Best farm-to-table: The Blue Door

14/17

Chef Dylan Cashman’s fine-diner combines his devotion to local produce and his partner, sommelier Angelica Nohra’s love of local wine. The by-the-glass list is devoted to NSW drops and the menu is a love letter to Australia’s rock star producers such as Chris Bolton, Tathra Place and Near River Produce.

Shop 8, 38 Waterloo Street, Surry Hills; 0417 909 635

Best healthy lunch: Four Ate Five

15/17

A classic Sydney café experience combining a welcoming vibe and a hearty menu. There’s always a big selection of fresh juices and the 485 salad bowl (sweet spiced carrot, chickpeas, Israeli-style salad, tahini) can be amped up with grilled halloumi and crunchy falafel. Excellent, wholesome, all-day fuel.

485 Crown Street, Surry Hills; (02) 9698 6485

Best pies: Lode Pies & Pastries

16/17

From hatted LuMi chef Federico Zanaletto, these pies are a far cry from your classic meat and gravy from the corner bakery. A pithivier is filled with minced pork from Rozelle butcher to the stars, Emilio’s, along with shiitake mushroom. And the classic meat pie? Wagyu from David Blackmore, naturally.

487 Crown Street, Surry Hills