Lunas — Restaurant in Sydney

2024: (3.5 stars) A night-time offering was always on the cards at Lunas. The former corner-store cafe by the crew behind local heroes, Sweet Belem and Fich, punched above its weight at brunch on my initial visit. What better night to return and sit before a blazing chouriço ($15) to roadtest dinner than one where the rain was cyclonic! Shaking off excess water we settled in with a basket of bread ($6) (baked at Sweet Belem), olive oil and the Domaine Naturaliste ‘Discovery’ Chardonnay ($70) plucked from a short list. I kicked myself for not asking about BYO ($5/person) because I had their flagship Chardonnay ‘Artus’ in my fridge at home.

As you’d expect from a Portuguese-owned venue, bacalhau or salt cod, is well represented on the succinct menu. We took ours as a robust house-smoked bacalhau pate ($14) smeared on seeded lavosh provided in ample proportion. Grilled Fremantle octopus ($36) felt a bit less generous over under-done chat potatoes and a drizzle of molho verde. We doubled down on the green sauce with green rice ($26), basically a soupy risotto of snow peas, asparagus, mint and spinach with slices of Spanish galmesan cheese (similar to Parmesan) laid over it. It had the right level of warm stick-to-your-ribs comfort I wanted on a miserable night!

2023: (4.5 stars) Eating more like a restaurant than a 7am–3pm cafe, Lunas is part of the slow and measured expansion of Silva's Hospitality. Kicking off with Sweet Belem Cake Boutique (everyone’s favourite Portuguese tarts) and then opening the clever seafood restaurant, Fich, Jose and Basia Silva have stayed on their home turf (Petersham) and used their heritage to inspire this Portuguese sharing menu. Snaffling Jacqueline Ektoros (ex-Three Williams) for the kitchen in this now-stylish corner store has produced a contemporary list of Portuguese-inspired breakfast and lunch options that are designed to be shared.

Across two visits timed more toward lunch, I eat my way though sardines on toast ($23) which places plump filleted fishes under a bright green drizzle of molho verde on thinly sliced corn and rye bread (broa). A prawn salad ($24) hides chouriço, avocado and fried bread under crisp green cos and plump crustaceans united with a drizzle of piri-piri. Vividly green broad beans($18) mingle with peas and mint under a 63 degree C egg. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a golden slab of swordfish ($33) perched on a savoury mix of black-eyed beans and an expertly diced brunoise of carrots, celery, capsicum and parsley to ensure you eat the full rainbow of vegetables. The only thing missing is a glass of dry white wine, which I suspect won’t be too far away along with...

Lunas cafe is a great new contemporary Portuguese diner in Petersham, an area known for its great Portuguese food.

The same crew that brought us Sweet Belem and the famous Pastel de Nata (Portuguese Tart) and seafood restaurant Fich have opened up the cafe with a brunch and lunch menu both are available all day. The menu items are decent sized and offering interesting choices with Portuguese influence. The pricing is quite high for a cafe, so we are glad we were in a group to share a few things. We appreciate there’s also a good kids menu and high chairs.

We ordered their delicious chourico eggs with sobrasada (Portuguese salami) butter, herbs and olives that was scrambled into a mixture atop a slice of thick toast. This was a really tasty dish and lovely spiced flavours coming through the eggs.

Another dining party member had the Luna smoked salmon stack with house curd, potato hash, yoghurt, avocado and caper berries, lovely and light and refreshing.

After our savoury dishes, we shared the Portuguese tart hotcakes. A thick round pancake, with cinnamon, apple, vanilla and ice cream and Portuguese custard tart on top. This sweet option is perfect to round up as dessert.

Keen to return for some of the lunch dishes like their skewers of juicy beef espetada, swordfish or octopus.

You can’t book here, so we put our name down and waited about 30 mins for an available time. Unfortunately it was raining on our day of visit so we couldn’t take advantage of the outdoor tables in the backyard.

Coffee is excellent and there’s also smoothies, bubble tea, mocktails and sodas.

Staff were really welcoming and provided...

Luna’s Café is a standout spot in Petersham, a suburb already known for its incredible Portuguese food. Opened by the same team behind Sweet Belem’s famous Pastel de Nata and the seafood restaurant Fich, this café brings a creative Portuguese twist to its all-day brunch and lunch menu. The portions are generous, the dishes are thoughtfully crafted, and while the prices are on the higher side for a café, the quality speaks for itself.

I ordered the avocado on toast, served on a thick slice of bread layered with a creamy bed of whipped feta. The avocado mix was full of bold, spiced flavors that elevated this classic dish.

We also tried the Portuguese Tart Hotcakes—a thick, fluffy pancake topped with cinnamon, apple, Portuguese custard, and a pastel de nata. Each element complemented the others perfectly, creating a dessert-like dish that was rich and indulgent without being overly sweet. We chose to skip the ice cream, which honestly wasn’t missed—the pancakes were satisfying on their own.

The café also delivers on drinks, with fantastic coffee alongside smoothies, bubble tea, mocktails, and sodas. While the menu is exciting, it could benefit from more pork-free options to cater to a wider range of dietary preferences.

The service was warm and attentive, adding to an overall excellent experience. Luna’s is definitely worth a visit for a modern twist on...