With the 2nd annual SXSW Sydney just weeks away, the mega festival’s complicated and extensive program is starting to take shape as attendees dial in their “must-see” events. And you’ll need a lot of fuel to keep going across the festival’s six-day run.
While SXSW Sydney will have food trucks and pop-up stalls down at Tumbalong Park from October – 14-20), numerous Sydney restaurants are getting involved in the festival by offering various discounts, deals and even specially curated menus to keep locals and visitors fed for less.
Badges to SXSW can cost more than $1000, so having a dedicated restaurant deals program like this is essential. Last year, many of these restaurants—some unsung heroes from the Darling Harbour area—saw a massive surge in foot traffic from the many international delegates and visitors who set upon Sydney to experience the first time a SXSW has ever been held outside its traditional home in SXSW Texas.
The SXSW deals and discounts page is buried in the convoluted SXSW Sydney app. But it’s still worth downloading as each of the below offers will be fleshed out in further detail. Note that you will have to be a SXSW Sydney attendee to get access to all the discounts. Take note of the below if you’re looking to save money and eat well during the festival, from fine dining icons like Quay and Bennelong to casual favourites like Ho Jiak and the great Boon Cafe.
Restaurant deals and discounts during SXSW Sydney
The following venues will be taking part in the SXSW Sydney deals program. More detailed information as to what each restaurants is offering can be found in the festival’s official app.
We’ve also ordered them based on the restaurants we think you should be checking out first to experience Sydney’s impressive food scene
Fine dining
- Quay
- Bennelong
Bars
- Bancho Bar
- Aster Rooftop Bar at Intercontinental Hotel Sydney
- Cafe Del Mar Sydney
- Cargo
- Gin Lane
- Harper Rooftop Bar
- Nomu Bar
- The Clare Bar at The Old Clare Hotel
- Dry Martini
- The Sneaky Possum
Casual favourites
- Boon Cafe
- Chat Thai
- Ho Jiak Haymarket
- Dopa Donburi (Darling Quarter and Darling Square)
- The Dollar Shop Hot Pot
- Gumshara Ramen
- Bornga Korean BBQ
- Spice Alley
- Eastside Bar & Grill
- Gavroche Chippendale
Under-the-radar spots
- 15chenchi Japanese Cheesecake
- Adria Bar & Retaurant
- Baia the Italian
- Blackbird Cafe
- Bornga Korean BBQ
- Braza Churrascaria
- Cardea Sydney
- Dan Dan
- Fugetsu
- Holy Duck!
- Kafe Kook
- Kuki
- Kurtosh Darling Quarter
- Little Indo Town
- Lumiere on Thirty Five
- Mecca Bah Sydney
- Planar Restaurant
- ROUGE SYDNEY
- Seri Bar
- Slaps
- Spice Alley
- Sunny Seafood Restaurant Central Park
- Sushia
- Toastie Smith Darling Square
- Wingboy
Activities
- Dynasty Karaoke
- Fortress Sydney
Read More
- Check out all the free things to do at SXSW Sydney
- Support local while you’re in town. These are some of the best First Nations businesses you can support in Sydney
- These are the best shows in Sydney this October
