Cafe Sopra - Waterloo

The great outdoors: This private, sun-dappled courtyard jutting off the side of the main part of one of Sydney's best cafés has to be hired in advance but it's well worth it - you get the whole table all day for only $50 a head and the food just keeps coming out. You'd never guess that it was there from the outside, in industrial Waterloo. It's upstairs from boutique fruit and vegetorium Fratelli Fresh - house of tiny pickling onions, single varietal apple juices (our favourite's  Granny Smith) and the biggest, juiciest oxheart tomatoes you ever did see. It's the cheapest chefs' table in town, and a lot more fun.
 

What to order: For the full Italian experience, order carafes of wine and keep them coming while your table fills up with huge platters of chef Andy Bunn's amazing Italian fare such as osso bucco, pasta, whole roast snapper, roast chook, seasonal fruit salad and pretty much anything Bunn feels like cooking up - it's all dependent on what's fresh downstairs. 

Inside knowledge: Book ahead by calling Fratelli Fresh. The courtyard is incredibly popular, especially during the warmer months, so you may want to be flexible with your dates and plan a few weeks ahead.