Everywhere Good to Eat in Parramatta

Helmed by Icebergs’ legend Maurice Terzini, and with a sister osteria in Bondi, it’s safe to say you can dine at CicciaBella with high expectations and a whetted appetite. Handmade pasta sits as the star of the show here, and the menu is a toast to authentic Italian food and the simplicity of good ingredients with masterful skill.

There’s antipasto, mains, and desserts here and you can get pizza ordered by the slice or slab from flavours like the diavola pizza with hot pepperoni and capsicum, and cime di rapa with salsiccia and fior de latte. Other dishes here are the stunningly tender pork cotoletta with a parmigiana crumb, and their delectable tiramisu to finish.

Say hello to the $14 burrata with crispy capers whilst you’re there.

Set in the Westfield Centre, Chef’s Gallery Parramatta is one of the multiple locations spread across Sydney – a true testament to the popularity of this place for Asian dishes, and how good each dish really is.

There’s a glass-walled kitchen here where you can watch as chefs fold dumplings and pull noodles with a steady hand. The menu is largely extensive and ranges from Chinese-style tapas with mini fairy floss burgers, to handmade noodle dishes and xiao long bao. A standout favourite is their Peking duck rolled in flaky Chinese roti that’s so good, you’ll just have to try it.

Kanzo is a no-frills casual Jap eatery that is THE place to go when you’re craving a sushi hit in Parramatta. On any given day you might find a queue snaking from the door front of this contemporary compact joint, and a crowd of happy diners digging into bento boxes.

A local favourite for high-quality sushi, grab their grilled salmon rolls and nigiri sushi if you’re in the mood for fish. Hot food-wise, there’s a ton of options at Kanzo from bento boxes to Japanese curry katsu on rice, unagi don and ramen bowls.

The fact that the executive chef here is Brendan Fong (the name behind iconic Mr.Wong) should be reason enough for you to pay a visit. Lilymu serves up a repertoire of truly fascinating Chinese and South-East Asian dishes, and you’ll find some familiar favourites alongside some fresh faces.

If you’re feeling in the mood for something as new as it is delicious, their tom yum prawn dumplings are an umami bomb of spicy, tangy flavour and the black garlic mie goreng with egg yolk is a texture and flavour celebration of special fried noodles with black garlic sauce that’s pretty much unmissable whenever you pay a visit.

Almost every inch of this open-plan resto is Instagrammable, even their iconic neon-lit staircase (and apparently plenty of influencers think so too).

While it could be easy to cruise by on aesthetics and serve up mediocre food, Alex & Co takes the high road with dishes that are addictively delicious.

The menu is filled with dishes that are innovative takes on beloved classics. Think braised wagyu tomato ragout, Mediterranean chicken & halloumi salad, beef ribs, and a meat salami wood-fired pizza and you’ve pretty much got the gist of the offerings here. Oh and the eye-catching $29 organic potato gnocchi with truffle cream is simply devine!

Easily some of the best burgers in Parramatta, Milky Lane is renowned for monster burgers that taste just as good as they look. Thickshakes are almost equally as popular here, and it would be remiss to grab a burger without downing one of the sinfully delicious shakes.

Burgers here come loaded with smashed patties or southern fried chicken, and topped with the likes of smoked beef brisket, maple smoked bacon, and even mozzarella patties. With juicy, tender meat and buns soft as a cloud, these mad concoctions take burgers to the next level – and we’re so here for it. Plus, did we mention the fit-out is old school diner-esque and totally retro?

We recommend the $18 Milky Lane to sink your teeth into!

When in doubt, Malaysian-Singaporean food will never fail. The space is casual and relaxed with bright yellow walls and a mix of rectangular and round tables with lazy susans.

The menu at Temasek is fusion Malaysian and Singaporean, and some of their most popular dishes include the Hainanese chicken rice that some regulars swear by, the laksa that’s amongst Sydney’s best, and the Singaporean chill crab that requires 2 day pre-order and that every table will pretty much have. If all of this sounds enticing to you, trust us, you’re in for a flavoursome treat with a mix of spicy and non, but all entirely delicious.