Watermans: Sydney Travel Guide

A Levantine table on the western harbour

Barangaroo has a new reason to linger. Watermans brings Middle Eastern cooking to the precinct, a Levantine-leaning menu of plates meant for the middle of the table. The name matches Watermans Cove, the inlet on Barangaroo’s southern edge. It’s a fitting reference for a kitchen whose headline dish is a fish served whole.

Behind it is the Bentley Restaurant Group. Sydney diners know the group for wine-led, chef-driven rooms in the inner city. This one is a looser idea. Chef Darryl Martin runs the kitchen, and early word has Watermans down as one of the summer’s big openings.

What to put on the table

The dish to plan around is the whole roasted John Dory. John Dory is a flat, firm-fleshed fish from Australian waters, prized for clean white meat that lifts off the bone in neat fillets. Served whole, it’s a centrepiece for a group rather than a solo main.

Levantine cooking covers the eastern Mediterranean: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine. On a menu built on that tradition, you can usually expect:

• Dips and spreads to tear bread into
• Grilled and roasted proteins, fish included
• Salads sharp with herbs, lemon and sumac
• Plates sized for sharing

This guide won’t list exact dishes or prices, because a new kitchen changes its menu quickly. Read the current menu on the restaurant’s own channels before you choose your night.

Getting to Barangaroo

The simplest way in is Barangaroo Station on the Sydney Metro, which opened in 2024 and sits beneath the precinct. Coming from the city grid, walk from Wynyard Station along Wynyard Walk. It’s a covered pedestrian link that takes you straight down to the Barangaroo waterfront in a few minutes.

Ferries stop at Barangaroo Wharf. That’s handy if you’re crossing from the North Shore or coming from Circular Quay. Make an evening of it:

• Before dinner: walk north along the foreshore to Barangaroo Reserve, the sandstone headland park, for harbour light around sunset.
• After dinner: head south along the water to Darling Harbour.
• For a drink nearby: go up to The Rocks, over the ridge to the north-east.

Booking a buzzy new opening

New Bentley-group openings fill quickly, especially through summer. Book ahead rather than turning up hoping for a table, and check whether the online system releases dates in batches. Hours at new restaurants often shift in the first months, so confirm opening times on the day you plan to go.

Come with at least three or four people if you want the whole fish. A group can order widely and pass plates around, which is how this food is meant to be eaten. Two people can still manage it by keeping the smaller plates to a minimum.

Paying works like anywhere in Sydney. Tap-to-pay cards and phones are standard. Tipping isn’t expected in Australia, though rounding up for good service is welcome. Many Sydney restaurants add a surcharge on Sundays and public holidays, so look for a note at the bottom of the menu before the bill arrives.