Restaurant in Sydney, Australia
Below-Street Sourcing Precision
Apollonia is a basement-level Sydney CBD venue on Young Street — easy to book and well-positioned for a mid-week city dinner. Counter seating is the call if available. It sits a tier below Sydney's destination-dining circuit but offers more accessible entry than harder-to-book peers like Rockpool or Saint Peter.
Apollonia sits in the basement of 5-7 Young Street in the Sydney CBD, which means seating is finite and the room fills on its own schedule. If you are planning a visit, the practical reality is that basement dining rooms in this precinct book out faster than their street-level counterparts — arrive with a reservation or risk the door. For a first-timer, this is a considered choice; for anyone returning, the question is what to prioritise on the next visit.
Basement level venues in Sydney's CBD tend toward one of two formats: low-ceilinged and loud, or deliberately intimate. Apollonia's Young Street address puts it in a pocket of the city that sits between the financial district and the Circular Quay end of town — a location that draws a weekday professional crowd at lunch and a more considered dining set in the evenings. The spatial experience of a basement room like this is defined by proximity: tables are closer, the room is contained, and the acoustics reward earlier sittings over peak-hour arrivals. If you are returning and want the leading version of the room, aim for an early evening booking on a weekday rather than peak Friday or Saturday service.
Counter or bar seating in a room this size changes the experience in a meaningful way. A counter position gives you a direct line to the kitchen or bar operation, which in a basement venue translates to more interaction and a faster read on what is working that night. If Apollonia offers counter seats, request one , it is the better vantage point and typically the easiest position to secure on shorter notice. For a second visit especially, the counter reframes the room in a way that a standard table does not.
Booking difficulty is rated easy for Apollonia, which is useful information. It means you do not need to plan weeks ahead, and a same-week reservation is likely achievable. That said, easy booking does not mean walk-in reliable , a quick reservation protects your preferred time. The CBD location makes this a practical option for a working lunch or a post-work dinner without the cross-suburb commitment that venues like Saint Peter or Rockpool require. For broader Sydney dining context, see our full Sydney restaurants guide.
Against the wider Sydney dining field, Apollonia occupies a different register to the destination-dining tier. Rockpool and Bennelong are both harder to book and carry more established reputations; Saint Peter in Paddington is the go-to for serious seafood but requires planning. Apollonia's ease of access makes it the more practical call for a mid-week booking in the city. If you want to benchmark Sydney dining more broadly, Brae in Birregurra and Attica in Melbourne set the reference point for what destination Australian restaurants can deliver at their ceiling.
Quick reference: Basement CBD venue, Young Street Sydney. Easy to book. Counter seating recommended where available. Leading visited early evening on a weekday.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apollonia | — | ||
| Rockpool | World's 50 Best | — | |
| Saint Peter | World's 50 Best | — | |
| BENTLEY Restaurant & Bar | — | ||
| Bennelong | — | ||
| 20 Chapel | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
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