Sydney's best takeouts
06 Jun 2020
Hooray! Restrictions in Australia are starting to ease, restaurants are reopening to limited numbers of dine in customers, and some sense of normality is finally returning to what is a fun-loving society of Sydney, Australia. This is great news and a much-needed relief for many restaurants and cafes that have been forced to shut over the past two months. While we should all do our part to support these restaurant owners, by popping into your local joint, some of us may still feel more comfortable dining at home for the time being. This is completely understandable, especially if you have friends and family who may fall into the medically higher risk categories, it may be safer to order some tasty takeout to enjoy from the comfort of your own home.
We list some of our favourite Sydney institutions that are now offering their stunning food for takeaway. From cheap eats for your everyday meal, to fancier takeaway meals for that special occasion, we’ve got you covered.
Chat Thai (Haymarket) $
Probably Sydney’s best Thai food. Chat Thai (various outlets across Sydney) is a well known casual restaurant where you get authentic Thai food – pad see ew, basil chicken, mango sticky rice, thai ice tea, the list goes on. Normally there is a long wait to secure a table, but the beauty of its takeaway service is you can now order ahead via the Chat Thai app and organise to pick up at your desired time or alternatively put through a delivery order via one of their delivery partners like Menulog. The best thing about Chat Thai is its prices are incredibly reasonable and won’t leave a hole in your wallet.
Ayam Goreng 99 (Kingsford) $
Missing authentic Indonesian food, or feeling homesick? This place has been around for the past 30 years, with their best seller being ayam bakar and ayam goreng. Get some vegetables on the side – cah kangkung, capcay, or even pepes jamur. Other menu items include bakmi, bakso, and nasi goreng. Complete your meal with the refreshing es cendol. Just avoid going there on Monday and Tuesday as they are closed. Hot tip: don’t forget to ask for their famous chilli to eat with your meal and call ahead to order to avoid waiting in line.
Ho Jiak (Haymarket) $$
This restaurant located just off the main Chinatown drag takes Malaysian food to the next level. We are talking beautiful rendang made with wagyu beef, nasi goreng with succulent king prawns and a huge menu of authentic dishes you may not find elsewhere. Tasty and reasonably priced, you will keep coming back for more. Ho Jiak offers takeaway, delivery and even pre-cooked frozen and ready-to-eat meals for your convenience.
Bella Burtta (Newtown) $$
Did anyone say clams on a pizza? That may sound odd, but not at this joint. Bella Burtta’s signature pizza is its clam pizza with fermented chilli, sprinkles of parsley, fresh lemon juice and aromatic toasted garlic oil. Its to die for! Clams not your thing? Not to worry, there are many other wood-fired traditional Italian pizzas to choose from including classics like margherita, mariana, pepperoni, mortadella. Oder online for delivery or pick up.
Chaco Ramen (Darlinghurst) $$
Japanese ramen done to perfection. This is a tiny restaurant that knows ramen well – in fact so well that there are only a handful of ramens on the menu to chose from. Long lines from hungry ramen fans is typically, but worth the wait for a warm umami-filled bowl of goodness. Chaco Ramen is now offering takeaway from their Darlinghurst restaurant, look up the menu and order ahead. What is more impressive is that they are also offering customers the opportunity to purchase frozen uncooked meals like ramens and goyza that you can bring home and cook at your convenience.
Porteno (Surry Hills) $$$
If you haven’t tried an Argentinian barbeque, you are missing out one of life’s biggest wonders. Porteno is a all about flame-grilled and charcoal-roasted meats – chimichurri porchetta, beef rib eye, chorizo, lamb shoulders, slow roasted chicken. This is the place was built for the meat lover in mind and their generous sized takeaway dinner packs will not disappoint. You can order online and swing by and pick up your dinner, or alternatively you can also organise for your food to be delivered to you if you live close by. Check out the mouth-watering meats on offer here.
Musou Yakiniku (Sydney) $$$
There are plenty of grill-it-yourself BBQ restaurants across Sydney. The most memorable part of these meals tend to be the sizzling meats, smoky atmosphere and have a great time with close friends. By taking out such foods, the fun and atmosphere is lost. Muso Yakiniku has found a great solution, they offer fresh uncooked BBQ meat packs and provide all the required equipment such as a gas grill so that you can recreate the BBQ experience at home with friends and family. All you do is buy some beer and Soju and the party is on! Check it out here.
Golden Century (Chinatown) $$$
Top quality establishment that has been offering Sydney the finest Cantonese food for decades. This place is a must visit at least once for all those living in Sydney. They are now offering some of their signature dishes like XO Pippes with fired vermicelli, live mud crabs, steam barramundi, peking duck and many more for takeaway. Prices are reasonable for the quality of produce and all takeaway orders are nicely packaged and at 15% discount to dine in prices. That’s a deal worth considering. Check out their website.