Places to Eat and Drink in Sydney New South Wales – Top 5 BYO Restaurants

Oh to be cheap. All throughout the world university students, travellers, anyone in their twenties, anyone at all really, has the desire for enjoyment at the smallest price possible. You could be on a date in the fresh laundry you did at your mums house to save pennies, you could have spent the entire day forgetting to eat because of a download torrent spree and realise you have $15 and a hankering for some exquisite cuisine, or you could just be good at trying out new flavours. We’ve been there, done it, and spilled it down our t-shirt, so take a look at our top BYO restaurants in Sydney.

Newtown Thai
Anywhere on King St, Newtown

Pretty much any Thai restaurant in Newtown is going to be cheap, cheerful and BYO. Grab a six-pack and a friend, or a cleanskin and a date (or a six pack and a date if you’ve bagged a winner) and pick a place. Newtown Thai 1 or 2, or Thai La-Ong all on King Street are great for a quick, fresh, and inexpensive meal. Our personal favourite however is the neon orange sign of Five Star Thaitanic; their grill style of food adds a great flavour to all of the food, there is 30% off the menu until 6pm, and if you don’t BYO the beers are about $5. All you need to do in Newtown though is take a stroll down King Street, pick any of the restaurants available on any block and have a great eat with your own alcohol.

Dumpling and Noodle House
1/165 Victoria St, Potts Point

This is the absolute hole in the wall secret of all Kings Cross dwellers. The restaurant is tiny, the menu is set to exactly what it sounds like, but for $10 you can get 10 dumplings steamed, fried or boiled, noodles, vegetables and you can drink whatever you want in there for no cost. We have legitimately witnessed two men sitting with a bottle of Jack Daniels chowing and drinking their bourbon neat out of plastic cups. The food is absolutely delicious regardless of the BYO rule, you may have to wait for a seat but the turnover is pretty quick and it is worth the wait if you have a bunch of friends willing to dumpling themselves out before a night on the town.

Bar Reggio
135 Crown Street, Darlinghurst

Both Crown and Stanley Street are beautiful hotspots for cheap Italian eateries, favourites include Bill and Tony’s simple and cheap filling pastas and No Name’s secret upstairs chicken parma and pasta specials, but the most popular by far is Bar Reggio. For a big group of people this is really affordable with a great atmosphere, and the fact that you can bring as much wine as you want helps. The outside courtyard is lovely to sit out in, or for a cosier, louder atmosphere the tightly packed interior is perfect. You can share really good pizzas, fresh pastas and salads or go all out and get the most expensive item on the menu; a lush steak for $22 no extra charge for sides and sauces.

Don Dons
80 Oxford st, Darlinghurst

The least guilty guilty pleasure on Oxford Street, Don Don’s Japanese is a local hotspot that hasn’t changed a bit since they opened eons ago. BYO anything to match with fantastic fresh and authentic Japanese cuisine for around $10 per dish, and a serving size which can only be described as pants popping generous. You usually have to write your name on a piece of paper at the door and wait outside for a couple of minutes because it is a small and very popular place. The service can be a little patchy but my goodness it is delicious, wholesome and so easy to sit and chat with whoever you’re with due to the unpretentious atmosphere of the place.

Sultans Table
179 Enmore Rd, Enmore

If you like the spice of life then book yourself in for some mezze plates and belly dancing spectaculars. Popular for birthdays this BYO joint has fantastic energy, a loud crowd and a menu fit for a feast, but not too complicated which between any more than 3 people is as cheap as chips. During the day it is an extremely busy take away shop where the kebabs are big, meaty and full of goodness. The courtyard is the best spot to sit and smoke a shisha with coffee after a filling spread and laugh with the waiters.