Opera Bar and Sydney Harbour 2026

We had an unexpected few days in Sydney recently thanks to the war in Iran.  It stopped my sister being able to fly out from Dublin so we took the flights she and her son had planned to use and stayed in the holiday apartment where she had intended to spend time with my parents.  It was not the easiest of reasons to go on holiday and we had less than a week's notice but it was delightful to be in Sydney with family.  

I have a few posts to share about Sydney (as you will see at the end of this post) but decided to start with the Harbour which is always magnificent to see.  No matter how many times I visit Sydney, I still have a moment of breathless awe each time I see the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.  This time we dined at the very busy Opera Bar on the edge of the Harbour.  Great food with a view.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge, fondly known as the Coathanger, is iconic and easily recognisable.  Yet it is so huge when you see it in real life.  What an amazing achievement in the 1930s when it was built.  On my first visit my mum told us that they are always painting the bridge because by the time they finish they have to start again.  (See this article on Painting the Sydney Harbour Bridge). When I was at high school, if one of my friends thought I was being fanciful, she would say "yeah, and there's a bridge in Sydney I can sell to you",

Less pleasing is the cruise ships that dock in Sydney Harbour.  They are ridiculously huge and block the views of the bridge from Circular Quay and of the Harbour from the Rocks.  While I was there with my dad on our first evening, we were happy to see this ship leave.  The next day when we got there another huge cruise ship had already docked.  

As an aside, this photo is taken from the Circular Quay train platform nearest the Harbour where you get a great view.

 

We all had places we wanted to go in Sydney on this trip, some as a group and sometimes we split up.  My mum was keen to go to the iconic Opera Bar and who could resist the lure of a meal on the edge of the Harbour by the Opera House.  It is walk-ins only - no bookings.  Sounds easy when you see how big it is in the above photo but my mum said she has been before and not been able to find a seat.

I went ahead to find a seat.  The day had been 29 C and at 5pm it was still warm so I was looking for seating in the shade of the umbrellas.   It was already busy .  I walked and walked and finally reached the end of the shaded seats without finding a free table.  It was only once I doubled back that I spotted a table where we could sit.  The above photo was taken after out meal when it was even busier with more people in the seats not in the shade..

 

While you could order from a QR code, we were pleased with our friendly table service and started with drinks.  The non-alcoholic offerings were impressive.  I had a glass of NV Zero Hour Non-Alc Prosecco <0.5% ($11).  It was nice though not quite as bubbly as I had hoped.  Everyone else had the mocktails.  They were $17 each and very pleasingly refreshing.

• My mum had the "Sydneysider Spritz": Sammy Piquant Jetsetter, Verjus, Lemon Myrtle, Fizz, 
• My dad had "Tropic Project": Sammy Piquant South Pacific, Pineapple, Lime, Almond, Coconut, Mint
• Sylvia had the "Nah-garita": Sammy Piquant Oaxacan, Lime, Agave 
  
  

The menu was very inclusive with something to suit everyone.  Snacks with lots of finger food and a sharing platter to start followed by substantial salads, burgers, pizzas, mains and sides.  While there was lots of seafood and meat, there were options for the vegan among us and gluten free diets were also catered for.  

We had already had a really big brunch so we were happy to eat lightly for the rest of the day.  My dad had the spring rolls, my mum had a raw tuna special with a lemony tahini sauce and they shared calamari.

 

I ordered the Golden Cauliflower with hummus, pickled chilli, mint, parsley, dill, sunflower romesco & lemon ($25).  It was just what I needed; lots of veg with lots of great flavours.  I also had a piece or two of Sylvia's excellent vegan Margherita pizza ($28).  

It was such a lovely place to eat that this is a place where you have to share with the crowds.  I loved the view of the Harbour Bridget from our seats between the umbrellas.  When we left to stroll along the promenade, we had a great view of the Harbour looking back towards Circular Quay and the skyscrapers of the city centre of Sydney.

We walked past the Opera House.  It is so often depicted like the crest of a cockatoo, but up close when seen from all angles, it can look quite different.  I love this view up the steps that reminds us that there is activity going on inside the iconic sails.  The darkened windows loom above us like the gaze of an authoritarian government in a sci fi movie, but if we would have ventured inside we would have seen the crowds in a whole range of outfits flocking to see the Madame Butterfly opera.

We took a look in a souvenir shop but this is such a major tourist precinct that the shops are as expensive as the rents.  Sylvia disappeared briefly when she was checking out the vegan options in one of the ice cream shops.  She was very pleased to have a mango and raspberry sorbet.

It was very pleasant to be out with so many others enjoying the balmy evening at the water's edge.  But the sun was setting behind the Museum of Contemporary Art, on the opposite side of the Harbour by the Rocks,.  We had been on our feet a lot during the day so we were happy to go back to our holiday apartment close to Circular Quay and rest.

As we walked back by Circular Quay I enjoyed reading some of the plaques on the Sydney Writers Walk.  It is surprising to see Mark Twain  included.  He visited Australia in 1895 and wrote of it: "Australian history is almost always picturesque, indeed it is so curious and strange, that it is itself the chiefest novelty the country has to offer. It does not read like history but like the most beautiful lies. And all of a fresh sort, not mouldy old stale ones. It is full of surprises, and adventures and incongruities, and incredibilities, but they are all true, they all happened."

However the 60 writers given plaques by the Harbour are mostly Australia like Clive James who wrote: "n Sydney Harbour ... the yachts will be racing on the crushed diamond water under a sky the texture of powdered sapphires. It would be churlish not to concede that the same abundance of natural blessings which gave us the energy to leave has every right to call us back."  Not all are about Sydney Harbour but they give a wonderful overview of the canon of Australian literature.  If you aren't lucky enough to travel to Sydney Harbour, you can peruse the quotations on the Sydney Writers Walk wikipedia page.

Of course Sydney Harbor is also immortalised in art.  I leave you with a lovely piece of street art by the Bridge Stairs which playfully paints a picture of the north of the Harbour on the west side of Bridge with Luna Park.  It is a reminder that Sydney Harbour is so much bigger than the small but very scenic part that the tourists flock to by Circular Quay.  I am familiar with this small body of water but there is so much more I wish I had time to explore in Sydney Harbour.

More Green Gourmet Giraffe posts about our March 2026 trip to Sydney:

• Sydney Street Art 2026

Coming soon:

• QVB, Duke of Clarence, Uchilounge (City centre)
• Miss Sina, Oh My Days, Sappho Books (Glebe and Marrickville)
• Bills, Bourke St Bakery, Shift Eatery (Surry Hills), the Rocks, Airports
• Sydney University, Camperdown