ROCKPOOL

Rockpool Bar & Grill Sydney - Heritage, Flame and Precision

Housed in the grand art deco surroundings of the historic City Mutual Building, Rockpool Bar & Grill in Sydney has long been a cornerstone of Australia’s fine dining scene. In 2025, under the talented leadership of Executive Chef Santiago Aristizábal, the restaurant continues to redefine what a modern steak restaurant can be - elegant, ingredient-driven and quietly daring.

With its cathedral-high ceilings, marble columns and leather-clad banquettes, Rockpool offers one of the most iconic dining rooms in the Southern Hemisphere. But it is not the setting alone that earns its place among the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants - it’s what emerges from the kitchen and more specifically, the wood-fired grill.

Chef Aristizábal brings a rare combination of technical precision and culinary soul. Trained across some of the most demanding kitchens in Australia, his stewardship has ushered in a renewed focus on provenance, dry-aging and cooking methods that honour the inherent character of each cut. The result is a menu that celebrates both Australian Wagyu and grass-fed beef, with each steak grilled over ironbark charcoal to achieve a perfect, caramelised crust and a deep, complex interior.

But Rockpool is no one-trick pony. The kitchen shines across the board—from signature raw seafood starters like Hiramasa kingfish with citrus and herbs, to handmade pasta and vegetable side dishes that showcase peak-season produce with understated finesse. Yet it’s always the steak - be it a Cape Grim rib-eye or a David Blackmore Wagyu striploin—that draws the most reverent silence when it lands at the table.

The wine list is one of the most lauded in the country, with thousands of bottles covering the world’s major regions and a strong emphasis on benchmark Australian estates. The in-house sommeliers are more guides than gatekeepers, making expert pairings accessible to all levels of wine knowledge.

What elevates Rockpool Bar & Grill beyond the expected is its seamless blend of grandeur and groundedness. Service is crisp but never stiff; the atmosphere vibrant yet intimate.