Midnight snacks are an evil that is almost impossible to ingnore. It's hard to find places in Sydney that satisfy these cravings, so we scoped out the most delicious snacks in the city after midnight. From glorious dumplings and Asian street food to upperclass takeaway burgers, fries and kebabs galore, these top ten picks are guaranteed to satisfy the inevitable late night munchies.
Something good can now happen after 2am as Melbourne's award-winning hot chips fast food restaurant has landed in Sydney. Wave goodbye to maccas because Lord of the Fries has opened on George Street. They use Cottonseed oil to fry their Mr potato head friends, a technique borrowed from gourmet chef Heston Blumenthal at the world famous Fat Duck restaurant and have a dozen gourmet sauces to go with the fries, burgers, onion rings, nuggets and hot dogs. It’s also Vegetarian, Kosher and Halal friendly with Vegan and Gluten free options.
Opened earlier this month on George St, Sydney. The Melbourne one is open until 4am on Friday and Saturdays.
Because breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Pancakes... has been around since 1975 and is still, apart from the 7 Eleven, one of the only places that will satisfy a food craving at any time of the day or night. There are a few of them scattered around Sydney now including one that recently opened in Bexley.
4 Hickson Rd, The Rocks and 227 and 229-230 Harbourside Shopping Centre, Darling Harbour. Open 24/7.
3. East Ocean
Dumplings. Do we need to go on? Chinese food doesn’t get much better than Yum Cha. Stuff yourself silly with Tiger Prawn dumplings at the heart of Chinatown until 2am every night of the week.
421-429 Sussex Street, Haymarket. Open Mon-Fri 10-2am, Sat-Sun 9-2am.
Serving up Gourmet pie n peas, chili hot dogs and a feeling that the ‘60s never left. Harry’s is a golden oldie that was first opened by Harry Edwards during WWII, attracting the likes of sailors, soldiers, cabbies, starlets and coppers to the Sydney nightlife. Harry's has just opened a new store in Broadway.
Shop 1, 849 George Street, Sydney. Fri-Sat open until 3am.
Gourmet seafood is a long-time Sydney Chinatown favourite and you could almost be in the middle of bustling China because this place gets packed out into the wee hours of the morning. Anyone will tell you though, it's worth it. Giant lobster tanks line the walls and the place is renowned for its live seafood menu and authentic Cantonese cuisine.
393-399 Sussex St, Haymarket. Open until 4am everynight.
6. Super Meal
There's nothing fancy about Super Meal as you can probably gather from its name. Relatively cheap (for Sydney) honest-to-goodness Chinese street food that will more than satisy a greasy noodle craving. In typical Chinatown style the place is busy but the food comes out quickly, and late at night that is an extremely important factor.
39 Goulburn St, Haymarket. Open until 2am everynight.
7. Mamak
After passing the lady boys, walking down the main street of KL you’ll find a diverse mix of Chinese, Thai and Indian indulgences - which is what Mamak encompasses. Mamak brings to Sydney an interpretation of the Malaysian hawker street food experience. Often bought from a street cart Mamaks signature roti is served with a selection of curries and sauces to choose from.
15 Goulburn Street, Haymarket. Open 7 days dinner 5.30-10pm, Fri-Sat supper til 2am.
Ah, the kebab. The perfect finale to any night out – the combination of salt, meat and sauce is a gloriously satisfying. Any corner turkish kebab and pide shop will do the job, but if you’re looking for a seat in kebab heaven after Sutan's Table has closed, Istanbul on King is the go to place.
159 King St, Newtown. Sun-Tues 10am-1am, Wed-Thur 10am-2am, Sat-Sun 10am-4am.
9. El Loco
The Mexican food trend is still coursing through Sydney with burrito and taco stores popping up all over the place, some of them far below average. But El Loco does a good job with their $5 fish/pork/chicken tacos and proper Cholula hot sauce to add on top - it goes extremely well with one of the richest Mexican lagers, Negra Modela (the oddly shaped short brown bottle with a shiny golden label).
Excelsior Hotel/64 Foveaux St, Surry Hills. Thur-Sat open until 3am.
10. Fatima's Lebanese Restaurant
This small, unassuming family-owned restaurant has the goods. Falafel rolls are fried to order with homemade tabouleh, hummus and tahini sauce. Huge pieces of fresh mouthwatering baklava also line the counter begging you to indulge in a cheeky desert.
294/296 Cleveland St, Surry Hills. Open until 3am every night of the week.
- Lauren Della Marta
