Phoenix Hotel

Set a couple of blocks back from Centennial Park in Sydney’s Woollahra, the Phoenix Hotel is a treasure waiting to be discovered if you’re on the hunt for a unique Mediterranean menu with a modern Australian ethos and crash-hot cocktails and craft beers, all set in a ingeniously refurbished building at number one Moncur Street. A favourite among local foodies, Phoenix Hotel is a must-visit restaurant for fans of fresh, bold cuisine.

Greek-Australian and Mediterranean cuisine is the mandate in the kitchen at Woollahra Phoenix Hotel, whose reputation is soaring as a sought-after restaurant and bar slap-bang equidistant between Sydney’s CBD and the Eastern Suburbs. The proprietors have done an admirable job with their sensitive refurb of a classic venue, balancing the original’s charm with a modern sensibility that sums to something special in what’s a crowded scene. Decor aside, it’s The Phoenix’s food and drink that count the most, and it’s at these essentials that this modern restaurant and bar excels.

The Phoenix Hotel’s Mediterranean cuisine is deeply informed by the founding brothers’ understanding of Greek island culinary culture, meeting modern Australian cuisine head on in a superb menu that runs the gamut from small and satisfying plates through to appetite-extinguishing portions, salads, sides and sweets. Keftedes with paprika passata, and halloumi with fig, Greek ouzo and black pepper give way to generously apportioned dishes like crabmeat angel hair, gyros chicken and the fresh fish of the day. Wash it down with a signature cocktail like the Fluffy Phoenix, local Sydney craft beers in bottles and on tap, and a fine selection of wine. With The Phoenix well and truly rising, reservations for this Moncur Street address on a quiet block in Woollahra are strongly recommended.