Kensington St

Always great visiting ... now with more venues to choose from. I need to head back soon!

Kensington Street is delightful. The former worker cottages turned restaurants are a lovely piece of preserved history. There are so many places to eat for table service restaurants to the casual eateries of Spice Alley. String lights create a magical atmosphere at nighttime. Day time and pre lunch is a great time to visit to avoid crowds. Most places open from 11am. Cafes open earlier. Street parking is super limited and difficult to find, but sometimes you get lucky.

Kensington Street is a must-visit if you're visiting Sydney. It's a commercial strip perfect for foodies who like flavorful dishes. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from, and they also have a spot where you can try delicious Asian dishes (it's called Spice Alley, be sure to check this out).

Great variety of food and bars 🍸 relaxed atmosphere worth checking out, also has spice ally within Kensington St specialising in Asian food 😀 after eating you can go shopping at Central Park shopping centre which is right next door, it was raining 🌧 today and I got up early so I was able to take photos 📸 and videos of spice ally.Kensington Street in Chippendale is no longer the "forgotten laneway" of Sydney’s industrial past. Once a gritty collection of 1840s workers' cottages and disused brewery sheds, it has been meticulously transformed into one of the city’s most vibrant lifestyle and dining precincts. ​Whether you are looking for a $15 hawker-style lunch or a sophisticated multi-course degustation, this street manages to balance "cool" with "accessible" in a way few other Sydney pockets do. ​The Atmosphere: Heritage Meets Hawker ​The first thing you notice is the visual contrast. On one side, you have the sleek, modern architecture of the Central Park development; on the other, a row of heritage-listed terraces that are among the oldest in Sydney. ​The street is a "shared zone," meaning pedestrians rule the cobblestones while cars crawl through. The air is permanently scented with wood-fired ovens and Szechuan peppers, especially as you approach the glowing yellow lanterns of Spice Alley. ​Where to Eat: Top Picks ​The street is essentially a curated food gallery. Here are the standouts: ​Spice Alley (The Crowd Favourite): Tucked away in a "laneway within a laneway," this is a hawker-style hub. It is almost mandatory to try the Singaporean Laksa from Alex Lee Kitchen or the dumplings from Shanghai Dumpling Bar. It’s buzzy, crowded, and perfect for a quick, affordable meal. ​Olio Kensington Street: Located in the restored Old Rum Store, Olio serves high-end Sicilian cuisine. The exposed brick and loft-style windows provide a "New York warehouse" vibe that is perfect for date nights. ​KOI Dessert Bar: Founded by the Poernomo brothers (of MasterChef fame), this is where you go for edible art. Their desserts are technically stunning and often look too good to eat. ​The Old Clare Hotel: Anchoring the Broadway end of the street, this boutique hotel houses The Clare Bar, a great spot for a refined cocktail in a space that feels like a moody mid-century film set. ​Why It Works ​Variety of Price Points: You can spend $12 on a plate of Hainanese Chicken Rice or $150 on a fine-dining experience at places like Ester (just around the corner) or Automata. ​Architecture: The adaptive reuse of the old Carlton & United Brewery buildings is world-class. It feels authentic, not manufactured. ​The "Hidden" Factor: Despite its popularity, entering Spice Alley still feels like discovering a secret shortcut to Singapore. ​Things to Consider ​The Crowds: On Friday and Saturday nights, the street is packed. If you’re heading to Spice Alley, finding a seat in the communal courtyards can be a competitive sport. ​Cashless Spice Alley: Most vendors in Spice Alley are cashless or use a "Kensington Street gift card" system, so keep your tap-and-pay ready. ​The Verdict ​Kensington Street is a 10/10 destination for a "Sydney Day Out." It’s a rare spot where the history of the city feels alive rather than tucked away in a museum. It’s the perfect place to take out-of-towners who want to see the "new" Sydney. Usually spice ally is full of people eating enjoying themselves making it very hard to take photos 📸 and videos. It's a short walk away from George Street and central station

Interesting zone. You can find LOT of restaurants around and all them with good prices and generous portions

So many places to be explore on this street. From street food to cafe to casual dining, savory and sweet, and also coffee off course.

The best places to eat with a wide range of cuisine to choose from, all in one place! 10/10

Sunday lunch French style at Gavrochee. Authentic and charming

Nice setting/ambiance, very attentive staff, and scrumptious food! Definitely can recommend.

The pepperoni pizza needs a lot of work. There are no real flavors and the pepperoni is way too salty. Not worth your money.

Went here 2 nights while in Sydney. Very happy with food, ambiance and service. First night had a group of 4 and all of us were happy with our choices (gnocchi with bolognese sauce was really delish!). Even though the host said they were busy and short-handed (it was a holiday), we were well taken care of! On the 2nd night-just 2 of us-we wanted to try the pizza which tasted as good as it looked the night before-loved the crust!!!! One of the hosts recommended a very good Primativo wine by the glass to go with it. If you are American and prefer to have your salad before your entree, just ask for it to come first, otherwise you'll get it after the entree-the Italian way! Both nights we were seated right away, but we tend to eat early-by the time we left, it was busy!

The best Italian food I've ever had. I would eat here for every meal if I could. Vodka pasta and spaghetti are amazing. Great service.

Delicious food, ample portions and had good options for GF diet. We had wood fired olives, mussels, and risotto. Helpful, friendly, and accommodating service

Overpriced, the pasta was undercooked, sauce tasteless. The only thing that was worse than the food was the service. There are better places by far.

I ordered the minestrone and it tasted like ketchup. It had almost no beans but lots of crudely chopped carrots floating in it. Bad taste and bad texture, the worst of both worlds.

Poor service and relatively bad food. Severally over priced. Spend your money elsewhere.

TERRIBLE SERVICE!!! Showed waiter the order on the menu and still took down the wrong order. The chicken pesto came out dry, oily covered pasta. Lastly my friends birthday and left us with no knife or plates the very least a decent looking restaurant can do!

"This pizza is average to bad." As uni students nearby, we have gone to Andiamo a number of times for their $10 student pizza deal. We always would get the meat lovers and it would never fail us. However, today we decided to be adventurous and try something new--the chicken pesto pizza. "It failed us beyond our wildest dreams." The chicken was extremely dry as was the entire pizza as a whole. They describe the pizza as having a cream sauce but from the looks and tastes of it, they either forgot to put it on or put nowhere near enough. Additionally, the pizza was actually $15 and not $10 since it was one of the "gourmet" pizzas. Yet, there was nothing gourmet about it. The only salvation to this atrocity was the half empty jar of carbonara sauce my friend had in her fridge. By dunking the pizza in the carbonara sauce and adding a little sweet chilli sauce to spice it up, we were able to eat a few slices before chugging yet another glass of water. We are extremely disappointed in the quality and execution of this pizza, but will give Andiamo one last chance due to the satisfaction we have had from their meat lovers pizza. Please heed our advice and never order this Sahara Desert of a pizza. Please do not let our one bad experience scare you away. We are only here to protect our fellow uni mates from spending the extra 5 dollars on the chicken pesto only to be tragically let down. As the great writer and philosopher, George Santayana, once said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Please learn from our mistake and order anything but the Chicken Pesto.

We had a great meal for 2 adults and 2 kids. The staff were very friendly. The meals we had were delicious, couldn't fault them. Great family restaurant and affordable menu.

This is such a delicious restaurant. With great service and great food, it really deserves 5 stars. We had the House Special pizza, the pumpkin ravioli and the Tortellini bascaiola. The pastas were very creamy, packed with flavour. The pizza was also very delicious! Would definitely recommend!