Belmore has one of the most interesting eating strips in Sydney's inner south west, and almost nobody outside the postcode knows it. Four of the best places in the suburb sit within 150 metres of each other on Burwood Road, and they cover Greek, Korean and Lebanese without you having to move your car.
This is a guide to eating in Belmore NSW, written by people who work on Canterbury Road. Real venues, real streets, what to order at each, and what a night out here actually costs.
Where to Eat in Belmore: The Short Answer
If you want the list without the reading, start here.
| Venue | What it does | Where | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yiro Yiro | Greek street food, souvlaki | 374 Burwood Rd | A fast, cheap, very good dinner |
| Tanso Korean BBQ | Charcoal table grill | 408 Burwood Rd | A group who want to cook their own |
| Belmore Awafy | Lebanese charcoal chicken | 416 Burwood Rd | Feeding a family for very little |
| Ma Po Charcoal BBQ | Korean BBQ, long standing local | 508 Burwood Rd | The Korean regulars go here |
| Belmore Lebanese Bakery | Manoush from 6:30am | 339 Burwood Rd | Breakfast for under $10 |
| Elements Brasserie | Steakhouse and all day brasserie | 721a Canterbury Rd | A booked table and a proper sit down |
Why Belmore Eats the Way It Does
The food here is not an accident, and the census explains it better than any review site can. Australian Bureau of Statistics data for Belmore records Greek as the largest ancestry in the suburb at 14.4 per cent, followed by Lebanese at 11.3 per cent and Chinese at 10.4 per cent. Greek and Arabic are the two most spoken languages at home, and 73.3 per cent of households speak a language other than English.
Walk Burwood Road and you are walking that data. Greek souvlaki, then Korean charcoal, then Lebanese charcoal, then more Korean, inside two blocks. Very few Sydney suburbs stack three distinct grilling traditions that tightly, and none of them do it this cheaply.
That density is the reason to come. It is also why a single "best restaurant in Belmore" answer is the wrong question; the right question is what you feel like grilling tonight.
The Korean BBQ Cluster
Ma Po Charcoal BBQ, 508 Burwood Road
The long running one, and still the benchmark. Real charcoal in the table rather than a gas burner, which is the difference between Korean barbecue and a hotplate. Come with four people, order across the marinated and unmarinated cuts, and let the banchan do the rest.
Tanso Korean BBQ, 408 Burwood Road
Newer, brighter and a shorter walk from the station. Same charcoal principle, a room that suits a bigger table, and it books out on Friday and Saturday nights in a way that tells you plenty. Belmore Korea House and Rib On Stone round out the cluster if both are full.
Lebanese: Charcoal Chicken and Bread
Belmore Awafy, 416 Burwood Road
Charcoal chicken, garlic toum, chips, pickles, bread. The whole point of this style of eating is that it feeds four people properly for the price of two mains almost anywhere else, and Awafy has been doing it on Burwood Road for years. Order the chicken by the half or the whole and take it home.
Belmore Lebanese Bakery, 339 Burwood Road
Open from 6:30am Monday to Saturday and 7:00am on Sunday. Manoush with za'atar or cheese, folded and handed over in about two minutes, for a few dollars. It is the best value breakfast in the suburb and it is not close.
Belmore Continental Bakery at 389 Burwood Road opens even earlier, from 5:00am, and its banh mi has a reputation well outside the postcode. All Seasons Bakehouse is the other Lebanese option locals will point you to.
Greek: Yiro Yiro, 374 Burwood Road
Greek street food done properly, in the suburb with the highest Greek ancestry of the three cuisines listed here. Souvlaki off the vertical spit, wrapped tight, with chips inside where they belong. Nostimo Charcoal Chicken covers the same territory from a different angle if you want the bird rather than the wrap.
It is counter service and it is quick. Twenty minutes, start to finish, and you have eaten better than most of the CBD manages in an hour.
For a Sit Down Dinner: Elements Brasserie
Everything above is a counter, a grill or a bakery. What Belmore has less of is somewhere you book a table, order courses and stay for three hours, which is where Elements Brasserie comes in at 721a Canterbury Road.
It is a steakhouse first. The lunch and dinner menu runs from butcher's prime cuts through pasta, seafood and a full breakfast service, with the same grill behind all of it. If you have been eating Belmore from a paper wrapper for years, this is the version with tablecloths and a wine list.
What a table actually costs
The deal nights are the reason locals come midweek, and they are genuinely priced for a neighbourhood rather than a city block.
| Night | Deal | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Monday and Sunday | Surf 'n' Turf Night | $59 per person |
| Tuesday | Beef Ribs Feast | $69, serves two |
| Wednesday | Vino and Spaghetti | $39 per person |
| Thursday and Friday | The T-Bone Experience | $99, serves two |
| Select Fridays | Greek Night, live bouzouki | $69 to $99 per person |
Greek Night deserves its own line in a Belmore guide, because it is the suburb's demographics turned into a dinner. Mezze, souvlaki, a live bouzouki player and a room that fills with people who grew up on the food. Packages only on those nights, so it needs booking well ahead.
Two conditions worth knowing: the deal nights do not run on special occasion dates, and a 15 per cent surcharge applies on public holidays. Prices are current at time of writing.
Breakfast and Coffee
The bakeries own the early morning, but Elements Espresso Bar at the front of the brasserie is the sit down option, serving breakfast 8:00am to 2:00pm with espresso coffee at $4. Lunch specials run every day from 11:00am to 2:00pm, including chicken schnitzel and chips at $19 and a 300g sirloin at $49.
For everything beyond the food, from Belmore Sports Ground to the Burwood Road shops, our guide to things to do in Belmore covers the rest of the suburb.
Getting There and Parking
Belmore station sits on the T3 line and the Burwood Road strip is a short walk from the platform, which makes this one of the few good eating suburbs in Sydney you can reach without a car and without a fight for a park.
If you do drive, street parking on Burwood Road and the surrounding side streets is far easier than anything in Newtown, Marrickville or Surry Hills. Canterbury Road has its own parking near the brasserie end.
Belmore Restaurants: Common Questions
What is Belmore known for, food wise?
Charcoal, in three traditions. Korean barbecue, Lebanese charcoal chicken and Greek souvlaki all sit within a couple of blocks of each other on Burwood Road. The suburb's largest ancestries are Greek, Lebanese and Chinese, and the eating strip reflects that almost exactly.
What is the best restaurant in Belmore?
It depends on the night rather than the ranking. For a group cooking at the table, the Korean barbecue rooms on Burwood Road. For feeding a family cheaply, Lebanese charcoal chicken. For a quick, very good dinner, Greek souvlaki. For a booked table with courses and a wine list, Elements Brasserie on Canterbury Road is the sit down option in the suburb.
Is Belmore cheaper than eating in the inner west?
Considerably, and not by a small margin. A charcoal chicken feed for four, a souvlaki dinner, or a manoush breakfast all come in well under what the same food costs in Newtown or Marrickville. Even the steakhouse deal nights sit between $39 and $59 per person, which is a suburban price rather than a city one.
Where can you eat in Belmore on a Sunday?
Most of the Burwood Road strip trades seven days, and the bakeries open early. Elements Brasserie runs Surf 'n' Turf Night on Sundays as well as Mondays, and the espresso bar opens from 10:00am on Sunday rather than 8:00am.
Where should you eat near Belmore if everything is booked?
Campsie is five minutes west and carries a much larger Korean and Chinese strip along Beamish Street. Canterbury sits a similar distance the other way. Both are close enough that a booked out Friday in Belmore is an inconvenience rather than a problem.
Do Belmore restaurants cater for dietary requirements?
Many do, and the variety of cuisines helps. Vegetarian options are strong across the Lebanese and Greek venues in particular. Requirements vary venue by venue, so ring ahead or ask at the counter rather than assuming; at Elements Brasserie, mention any dietary requirements when you book so the kitchen can plan around them.
Book a Table at Elements Brasserie
Elements Brasserie sits at 721a Canterbury Road in Belmore, minutes from Campsie, Canterbury and Roselands, with dog friendly outdoor seating and easy parking. Breakfast and coffee from the morning, steak from the grill at night, and Greek Night on select Fridays.
Book through the booking page or call 1300 ELEMENTS (1300 353 636). Give the team your numbers when you book, because the deal nights and Greek Night fill first.
