1. Chef Mark Best standing at a window at sunset
    Photograph: Supplied - Jason Loucas
  2. Dumplings in a yellow broth
    Photograph: Alice Ellis for Time Out
  3. Duck on a plate with sorrel leaves
    Photograph: Alice Ellis for Time Out
  4. Chefs standing in front of a window
    Photograph: Supplied - Jason Loucas | Left to right: Shashank Achuta, Mark Best, Tony Panetta and Jen Kwok Lee
  5. A view of Sydney from a restaurant up high
    Photograph: Alice Ellis for Time Out
  6. Food on a plate
    Photograph: Supplied - Jason Loucas
  7. An entree on a curved plate
    Photograph: Supplied - Jason Loucas | Blue fin tuna
  8. Infinity at Sydney Tower
    Photographer: Supplied/Trippas White
  9. A cocktail with a yellow love heart made from lemon rind
    Photograph: Alice Ellis for Time Out
  10. Alice Ellis at Infinity by Mark Best
    Photograph: Remy Ellis for Time Out
  11. Blood lemon curd topped with sherbert
    Photograph: Alice Ellis for Time Out

Review

Infinity by Mark Best

5 out of 5 stars
Tasting the food of iconic Australian chef Mark Best 81 levels above ground is a quintessential Sydney experience you should have at least once in your life
  • Restaurants
  • Sydney
  • Recommended
Alice Ellis
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Time Out says

✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more, here. 

Let’s start with the obvious: the views from Infinity by Mark Best are outrageous. This newish restaurant is on the 81st floor of Sydney’s tallest tower, so the panorama from about 300 metres up is not just spectacular but constantly shifting – literally revolving. There’s no such thing as a bad seat. Over the course of our meal, the city unfurls beneath us: the points and coves of the harbour, Hyde Park and St Mary’s Cathedral, the Victorian elegance of the QVB – and, on a clear day, you can see all the way to the eastern beaches and the distant Blue Mountains. The views alone justify the visit, but pairing them with food from Michelin-trained Australian chef Mark Best (with head chef Jen Kwok Lee, named Good Food Guide's 2026 Young Chef of the Year) is the cherry on top. Together, they deliver a quintessential Sydney experience you should have at least once in your life.

The vibe

The décor of this Sydney Tower restaurant is pared-back and modernist (it’s giving Mad Men), a neat match for the building’s architectural bones. Stylish wooden chairs with black leather padding line black tables. They’re set directly against the glass walls, which are framed by gleaming gold-toned beams, so diners sit right at the window. If you’re scared of heights, don’t look down, or request one of the upper-level booth seats instead. And yes, the room really does rotate – a full revolution takes about 70 minutes. The ever-changing view gives you plenty to talk about, so this is a great place to go with someone you’re worried about sustaining convo with (awkward business lunch, come at us). It’s also a great spot for a special occasion, romantic dinner, or for out-of-town visitors keen to see Sydney at its best.

The food

Don’t expect the usual steak frites or grilled seafood you’ll find at many Sydney fine diners – Mark Best has long been celebrated for his creativity. His seminal restaurant Marque (1999-2016) spent three consecutive years on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Drawing inspiration from Sydney’s constantly evolving, multicultural food scene, wherever he goes he takes a “no rules” approach to modern Australian cuisine, crafting plates that are inventive, bold, and distinctly his own.

We start with the pork wontons ($38). Three silky casings are expertly cinched around a pork filling that tastes familiar, comforting, like the classic Chinese wonton. What sets the dish apart is the neon-yellow clarified pumpkin dashi, studded with peas and lovage leaves. The dashi has the herbaceous sharpness of early-harvest olive oil, sweetness from the pumpkin and peas, and a bright, peppery lift from the lovage. It’s like no dish I’ve had before and, clearly, that’s the point.

We also order the blue fin tuna with brioche, “faux” gras and pork crackling ($46). Sashimi tuna is wrapped around a rich yet light chicken liver parfait (as opposed to actual foie gras). Our cutlery guides through each creamy layer effortlessly. The crackling is crumbled over the dish so you get crunch without having to chomp through it. The result? Decadent –like the dessert of the starter menu.

For mains, we order the dry-aged duck ($64), roasted to perfection, with charred skin and tender, rosy flesh. It sits atop a punchy smoked plum sauce, but the surprise is the generous handful of whole shiso leaves on top. Shiso, a fragrant herb somewhere between mint and basil, is common in East Asian cuisine. It gives the dish an unexpected Asian twist, which Aussie-fies an otherwise classic French-style preparation.

Our other main: the steamed Murray cod ($58), served with a “fish milk” cream sauce and fresh sorrel. The cod is perfectly cooked, tender and delicate, but the thing that really makes the dish sing is the fermented potatoes, something I’d never tried before. The fermentation has given them umami flavour, and a denser, cakier texture. The potatoes transform a fairly mellow dish into something bright, intriguing and memorable.

I’m not a big dessert person, but my dish of the day is the frozen blood orange curd and sherbet ($18). Unlike the familiar texture of blood orange gelato, the curd is luxuriously creamy, a nice balance for the tart flavour. It’s topped with generous heaps of pale-pink sherbet that sparks on the tongue. If we weren’t at the end of a three-course meal, I’d order another serve. (The prices here may sound steep, but the portion sizes are generous – and I’ll add that the combination of food, service and views makes it feel like money well spent; an experience.)

The drinks

Perhaps my very favourite thing about Infinity is the 100 per cent Australian wine and spirits list. Best’s food is Australia on a plate, and the drinks list – designed by award-winning sommelier Polly Mackarel (ex-Bentley Group) – is Aus in a glass. I like sours, so our waiter recommends the Paper Plane cocktail ($27). It’s St Agnes brandy, Beetlejuice amaro (an aperitif of rhubarb, citrus and flower flavours), Poor Tom’s Imbroglio, lemon, and it comes garnished with a delicate heart crafted from lemon rind. It’s as tasty as it is pretty. As a bubbles lover, I follow that with a glass of the Pooles Rock Premiere Blanc de Blancs 2019 sparkling ($27) from Orange: clean, a little citrusy, very drinkable.

Time Out tip

To get to level 81, you head up to level 4 of Westfield Sydney. Give yourself a little time because you have to get a lift pass from the desk and then take the ear-popping elevator ride up to the (near) top of Sydney Tower. If you’re early for your reservation, you could swing by Bar 83 (on level 83) for a pre-drink – or go there for afters. 

Bonus tip: the three-course à la carte menu starts at $160 (incl. bread with cultured butter, and a "seasonal side"). If you don't want to tie yourself into three courses, go for lunch on a weekday.

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Details

Address
108
Market St
Sydney
2000
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