AUSTRALIAN GOOD FOOD GUIDE - Home of the Chef Hat Awards

About ARIA Sydney

In what has been described as Sydney’s prime position you’ll find ARIA Restaurant in East Circular Quay. The classy spacious setting bestows diners with maximum views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House as they choose from private or the main dining room to partake in Matt Moran’s Modern Australian menu. T

Location & Map

1 Macquarie Street, Circular Quay 2000 NSW - See Map

Features & Facilities

Payments Accepted: Visa, Mastercard, Diners, Amex, Eftpos

Seats: 100   Chef: Thomas Gorringe   Sommelier: Alex Kirkwood

   

Opening Hours

Mon  Closed
Tue  5:30:PM - 9:30:PM
Wed  12:00:PM - 1:30:PM
Wed  5:30:PM - 9:30:PM
Thu  12:00:PM - 1:30:PM
Thu  5:30:PM - 9:30:PM
Fri  12:00:PM - 1:30:PM
Fri  5:00:PM - 9:30:PM
Sat  12:00:PM - 1:30:PM
Sat  5:00:PM - 9:30:PM
Sun  Closed

Groups & Functions

  • Up to 100 Guests
  • Birthday Party
  • Dinner Party

Leave a Review

Member Reviews (21)

j34201

Spectacular view, spectacular service, spectacular food. 100% recommend.

jessica242125

janetwyvill

Part 2 of my review (sorry didn't realize there was a word limit) - this continues from my review "Stunning Night at Aria Sydney" The Pork Belly was one of those orgasmic moment where you find yourself exclaiming out loud “Oh my …….” And you can’t stop smiling!!! We thought this can’t get any better, and wow it did with the mains! The duck was beautifully presented on the plate as a simple breast with skin so crispy that other chefs only dream of getting it like this. The lamb was presented as a sliced loin and sweetbread sausage. The sausage was more a terrine shape than the traditional sausage shape. As you would expect both the duck and the lamb were perfectly cooked. Before dessert came we were treated to a palate cleanser of a shiraz granita with apricot foam and freeze dried berries (which I think were balck berries) This was an unexpected elegant and sophisticated treat that took the whole meal to another level. More restaurants should bring back the palate cleansers! We then moved onto dessert – my partner had the Raspberries with Chantilly cream and vanilla meringue and I chose the one I couldn’t imagine what it was going to look like? The menu described it as Banana with peanuts and caramel. With the knowledge that Matt Moran and Ben Turner (Head chef) would do something out of the ordinary we were excited to see what arrived. Again we were very impressed – the Raspberries were crisp and clean with a balance from the tartness of raspberries and the sweet cream and meringue. The Banana came 3 ways – banana ice cream (like no ordinary ice cream), banana cream inside a paper thin chocolate cigar and banana which I think was pan seared with sugar or honey all served on toasted super crunchy peanuts and thick gooey amazing caramel. WOW!!!! I recommend Aria to everyone – it is one of our best. But don’t wait for a special occasion, meals like this should be enjoyed often just for the sake of the meal and total dining experience. Tuesday night di

janetwyvill

Stunning Evening at Aria Sydney
Tuesday night, often known for leftovers or home delivery - not this Tuesday!! We went to Aria (Sydney) We arrived early at Aria for our dinner, and were met by the wonderful Front Manager. He gave us the option of drinks at the bar or go to our table, as our table was already available for us. We chose the table with the amazing view of both Opera house and Harbour Bridge. The menu is a new format from last year with the option of 2, 3 or 4 courses to choose from. With so many incredible sounding things on the menu we were struggling to choose from each section. Should we choose, the salmon, quail, marron, pork belly or even the asparagus (only Aria could make asparagus sound delicious) and this was only the first course!!! The wait staff were very attentive but not overcrowding and every single staff member could answer any question about the menu, such a rare thing in most restaurants today. With some brief explanations of items, my partner and I choose the following.... One: Saikou Salmon with apple cucumber, lemon and earl grey Kurabuta Pork belly with sweetcorn and palm sugar dressing (photo) Two: Lamb Loin with sweetbread sausage, peas and charred globe artichoke Roasted Holmbrae duck breast with golden beetroot, elderflower and chamomile We then let the sommelier, Matt, choose glasses of wine for each course. I highly recommend that you leave it in his expert hands for your wines, whether you go by the glass or want a full bottle. We had wines by the glass and some I would have never tried if left to me - but were perfect for each dish. This is a real skill that is very impressive and quite exciting. We were treated to a complimentary amuse bouche of an almond gaspatcho and created the intended purpose and set our taste buds ready for what was to come. With the bread basket came two butters, a seaweed butter and a salted butter and as my partner said - "even the butter is incredible!" The salmon was so delicate it just melted away in your

FoodismyPassion

mandar34172

Aria was our first experience of fine dining. And what an experience it was, from splendid views, to brilliant food to great personalized service. It was our anniversary and we were treated with special desert.

n7of9

the Winter Warmers lunch menu makes going to work worth it...i hope they do Summer Sizzlers

Rosalind

Excellent food & presentation .Loved it!

chloe_svendsen

My husband & I celebrate our anniversary at ARIA with the Seasonal Tasting Menu accompanied with matching wines.
A restaurant at this high caliber, you usually expect high prices, however we found ARIA’s prices to be extremely reasonable for the quality of their menu.
ARIA appreciates & acquaint with nothing but excellences & elegance in their services & presentations.
Husband & I have been to many “Award Winning Chef Hat Restaurants Of Australia”, but we find ARIA to be one of the “BEST” & highly recommend this to all.

mantadesigns

Outstanding location and food. Service was not bad

streamer

I was taken here for my birthday which was a surprise. We had a table looking out to the quay. From the moment the front door was opened we had nothing but spectacular service, we never had to ask for more drinks, they were already there when you thought you would ask. The food was amazing and spaced perfectly. I loved every mouthful and so did my very fussy boyfriend. A wonderful night, perfect company and a magical surprise.

baronofdenny

An iconic restaurant in every respect, and utterly worthy of it's stellar reputation. I dine there at least once a fortnight, among other fine Sydney restaurants, and I must say - the setting is superb. I am highly fond of it's understated/minimalist design, obviously with the intention of illuminating the stunning Harbour views it boasts. The food - a unique blend of culinary artistry and simplistic flavours that seem to satisfy even the most refined palette. The wine list is extensive and insightful. In short, ARIA is highly recommended. J.L.V 3rd Baron of Denny

charmane84

Amazing food and the service was impeccable! Will return.

arlz78

Whenever in Sydney we always put Aria on the 'must do' list. The food is nothing short of superb and the view of the Opera House and Sydney Harbour is spectacular! It's worth every penny but for the budget conscious you can't go wrong with the pre-theatre menu, 3 courses for around $90pp. Divine!!

mnichol3

paulandamy

In a word perfect. We had the seasonal degustation, and loved every moment from stepping in the door, until the moment we left. Thanks for a great night

lessmorales

Billy

Made to feel like we were the only people in the restaurant. Great food, great service, great......well all in all great

e_anj

Great food as expected but the service was really snoby and not friendly enough. It is hard to really enjoy te diner when our table had no view and we felt that it was too noisy to enjoy a conversation!

danewarren

Great food, great view and terrible service.

yeowns

Set in a location with unhindered views of the Harbour Bridge and the Oprah House, ARIA has a beautiful setting worthy of its reputation. Ambience and decor is modern and warm, but can be hard to have a normal conversation at times when it is very busy.

Service is prompt and friendly as you would expect. Sommelier delivers a reasonable commentry on the wines with the degustation menu but for someone who loves to taste wine that accompany the food, I would have liked a more detailed review.

Food was very nice, with simple flavours brought out with its freshness and simplicity and yet very nicely presented. The mix of flavours truly a compliment to the chef's artistry. The wines that accompany the degustation menu was very well picked and complimented with a wide selection.

Overall the experience was good. I left with the feel good feeling knowing I had my value's worth of good food, good ambience and a good time with friends to share the experience with. Recommended.