The Grill at The International

Verdict

Book The Grill at The International if you want fire-driven Australian fine dining in a setting that can hold its own against Sydney's most formal rooms. Under head chef Joel Bickford, the kitchen's oak-fired grill and dry-aged meat programme give this restaurant a clear point of difference from the city's other high-end options. The World's Leading Wine List 3-Star accreditation and Australasia Regional Winner status confirm this is not a vanity project. Book at least one to two weeks out for dinner; the room and the programme justify the effort.

The Experience

The Grill sits at 25 Martin Place, which puts it at the centre of Sydney's CBD financial district, a location that draws a confident after-work and late-dinner crowd. The room delivers: soaring ceilings, soft leather banquettes, curated art, and the kind of atmosphere that works as well at 9 PM as it does at 7. If you are looking for a late dinner option in the city that doesn't ask you to compromise on the quality of either the food or the wine list, this is a strong candidate.

The kitchen is built around an oak-fired grill, and that focus shapes everything on the plate. Bickford sources dry-aged Australian Wagyu and pasture-raised beef, including cuts from Rangers Valley Black Market, and brings them to the grill over wood and charcoal. The result is a flavour profile that is smoky, deep, and precise — not the kind of char-for-char's-sake cooking you find at casual grill houses, but a controlled application of fire to premium Australian product. Outside the meat programme, dishes such as Wagyu Tongue skewer with flatbread, heirloom vegetables with buffalo milk, and raw scallops with cultured cream show that the kitchen's range extends well beyond the centrepiece cuts.

Wine programme, overseen by sommelier Thomas Groeneveld, earned a World's Leading Wine List 3-Star accreditation and the Australasia Regional Win — credentials that place it among the most seriously assembled lists in the country. The collection spans Australian icons, European benchmarks, and natural labels. For food and wine enthusiasts, this combination of a technically serious kitchen and a genuinely decorated wine list is the main argument for choosing The International over comparable rooms in the city. If wine pairing depth matters to your decision, this list goes further than most Sydney fine dining programmes.

Service is discreet and well-paced, with a team that understands the timing requirements of a long dinner. That matters if you are planning an evening that runs late , the room does not rush you, which is exactly what you want when you are working through a wine list of this depth.

Booking

Booking difficulty is rated Easy. Aim for one to two weeks in advance for a Friday or Saturday dinner; mid-week tables are more accessible. The Martin Place location is well-served by public transport, making it practical for visitors and CBD workers alike. No booking method or specific hours are listed in our data, so check directly with the venue to confirm current reservation options and service times.

Practical Details

How It Compares

See the full comparison below.

Also Worth Knowing

If the grill-focused format is exactly what you want but you are planning a broader Sydney dining trip, 6HEAD and 20 Chapel offer alternative takes on premium Australian beef without the fine dining price point. For serious seafood in the city, Saint Peter is the reference point. If you are building a full itinerary, our full Sydney restaurants guide, Sydney bars guide, and Sydney hotels guide are the places to start. For Australian fire-driven fine dining beyond Sydney, Attica in Melbourne and Brae in Birregurra represent the benchmark produce-driven programmes in the country. Elsewhere in Australia, Bacchus in Brisbane and 2KW Bar & Restaurant in Adelaide are worth knowing if your trip extends beyond New South Wales.