The Sutherland Shire in Sydney’s South, more affectionately known as ‘The Shire’, is a beautiful slice of coastal life.
With beaches and national parks carrying the outdoorsy lifestyle here, The Shire gives all the coastal town vibes but on a much bigger scale. It’s one of the biggest areas of Sydney and just 25km from the city. Best of both worlds.
Local Guides are brought to you by your friendly concierge, Worktones. We’ve got the plug on the best restaurants, cafes, bars and other gems in the neighbourhood by those who know a thing or two about serving up good times in the area.
As far as where to eat and drink, The Shire is full of local gems, many of which Sydney-siders might be hard-pressed to find, much less travellers from further afield.
So, we tapped the shoulders of the people at FIOR to give us some recommendations. Fior is an Italian restaurant in Gymea, a suburb about a 10-minute drive from the more commonly known Cronulla.
Despite its suburban location, FIOR is by the same hands as inner city restaurants Jane and Arthur. This background info comes with good authority - both Surry Hills’ restaurants have been topping lists and earning accolades for years.
While dining at FIOR is a must when taking a trip to The Shire, here’s some other spots to keep on the radar.
The FIOR team helping us put together this guide to The Shire:
- Joe - Chef and Culinary Communicator
- Hayley - Assistant Restaurant Manager
- Elijah - FOH Waiter
- Bec - Owner
What's your go-to when you knock off?
- Joe - The Snug, best Guinness south of Sydney and it's one of those venues that's charming and cosy when it's quiet and a tonne of fun when it's packed.
- Hayley - If I have the energy at that time of night, The Vinyl Room for a boogie - otherwise straight to bed haha.
- Elijah - Blind Bear, an institution of a bar in Cronulla. Iconic.
- Bec - I don't work in-venue so no late night drinks for me, but if I could I would be going to Sista Gin. Nothing quite like a rooftop bar.
Where are you eating on a day/night off?
- Joe - The Greek Islands Taverna in Sutherland is one of Sydney's great hospitality institutions. It's existed (in some form) for decades. Father and Son, Kon and John, have been honing their skills on classic Greek fare their whole lives, and the food is everything you want—generous, fresh, delicious. They also serve the coldest Mythos and big jugs of wine at affordable prices.
- Hayley - Either Queen Margherita (best pizza in the shire) or Alphabet Street (best roti and bao buns).
- Elijah - Pilgrims Cafe.
- Bec - Breakfast will be a grab and go from FLOUR because kids don't make it easy to relax at that time of day, lunch would be Pippis and dinner is going to be Pinos. Too many options! But we'd need a day off for that to happen.
It's staff party time... where would you take the whole team?
- Joe - Mia's Beer Hall in Cronulla. Huge plates. Bigger beers. All the terrible schnapps flavours that inevitably get ordered and gulped. And great service with all the conviviality of Oktoberfest in a narrow room that fills up fast.
- Hayley - Next Door, great location (beach views) and a wonderful team.
- Elijah - Sealevel, my favourite bartender Johnny makes the best margaritas in the shire.
- Bec - We love the idea of the grassy greens and wide open space at Hazel. Beautifully designed and great cocktails! Service is impeccable too.
You have a 15 minute lunch break... where are you grabbing a quick bite?
- Joe - Right next to Fior, Vietnamese Delicious Café and Rolls' Banh Mi is without question in the top five Banh Mi in Sydney (maybe Australia?). There's almost always a queue that moves fast while the servers frantically turn out delicious, fresh, crusty rolls of fatty pork belly and crackling all day long.
- Hayley - The Portuguese Bakery, great coffee and pastries.
- Bec - The Vietnamese next to FIOR is my top pick. Their grilled chicken or pork vermicelli bowl. Harry's Schnitzel also gets my vote.
Gotta kill time... where are you going window shopping?
- Joe - The Meat Store in Caringbah is a great spot if you're wanting to cook larger format cuts at home, get the cuts you can't get at most supermarkets, or want to stock up on rubs and spices etc. They also do a killer pork and fennel sausage roll, and have every chilli sauce under the sun available to purchase.
- Hayley - Cronulla Mall, a quick coffee from Ham then down the strip to peruse Academy Brand, We Are Mindful, Dutchee Dutchee, and Inbetween Tangerine.
- Elijah - I'll be window shopping the beautiful ocean views between South Cronulla and Oak Park Beach.
- Bec - My type of window shopping is food shopping. Fred's Providore, Farmgate to Plate Burraneer, Panetta Mercato. Grab a snack I've never tried before, or go for the classics. You're covered with both.
The team at FIOR wear Worktones’ Mo aprons.
