The Cottage Balmain

The Cottage sits in a late-nineteenth-century sandstone cottage near the middle of Balmain and has traded as a restaurant-bar since 2012. Chris Cornforth, Rob Teitzel and Os Misirlizade took the lease in early 2015. Head chef Oscar Vargas runs the kitchen. The menu runs modern Australian through a Mediterranean lens — oven-fired pizzas, share plates of Australian salami and cheese, seafood, riverine meats, and a curated wine and cocktail list. The dining rooms pull a farmhouse aesthetic together with mismatched vintage furniture, cosy nooks and a garden path winding from the kerb.

Dogs are welcome in the front courtyard — a leafy, heritage-framed bit of urban garden that's the most sought-after seating on the property anyway. Indoor bookings are not dog-friendly, which the venue is upfront about on its own site. One of Balmain's few restaurant-grade options for taking the dog to lunch.