We moved to the Parramatta area from Sydney’s east in 2012; the big change was having a real sense of excitement to explore the area whenever we had time. You get so rewarded when you explore the western suburbs, from a food and a cultural perspective.
It’s a cliche to talk first about food with a culture that’s new to you, but it is an amazing gateway as it makes you think about who cooked the food and their connections with neighbouring businesses. It’s the easiest way to immerse yourself in something different to what you know.
Food
The best part about Parramatta’s food scene are the little pockets specific to a certain culture that feel so lived-in. Harris Park is nicknamed Little India; The main strip, Wigram Street, has all these heritage houses that are converted into restaurants and beautifully lit up at night.
A lot of westerners don’t know how fun Indian food can be (I certainly didn’t a decade ago). My family will go to three different spots for snacks, mains and dessert. Not many streets in Sydney allow that kind of food adventure so easily. My kids love Amaravathi for the all-you-can-eat pani puri (deep-fried besan flour puffs stuffed with potato, onion and chickpea) for $8 a person.
Chatkazz does phenomenal Mumbai street food like schezwan vada pav (spicy fried potato balls on a buttered bread roll with cheese). Jaipur Sweets is vegetarian and does a great value meal: $22 for two curries, roti bread, jalebi (a sweet, deep-fried, spiral-shaped snack), chai and a second dessert. On Tuesday nights it does a free vegetarian meal for locals who need it. Harris Park serves its community first and foremost; that’s what I love most about it.
Toongabbie is a bit west of Parramatta and has an incredible Sri Lankan food scene. Xdream Dine In And Take Away has excellent egg hoppers, curries, breads and pastries. Everything is ridiculously cheap!
Green spaces
Parramatta’s original inhabitants are the Burramattagal people, a clan of the Dharug. Burramatta/Parramatta is named after the eels that live in the river. The walking path alongside Parramatta River to Sydney Olympic Park has improved a lot since I moved here; I can run all the way along it now and the views are beautiful.
You can see red-rumped parrots around here, a unique and beautiful bird my kids love to spot. There are nesting and roosting boxes built along Parramatta River for the parrots which need tree hollows to survive.
Hardly anyone knows about the Murri-Yanna track in Bidjigal Reserve but it’s my favourite bush walk in the area. On a hot day, it’s much cooler because of the shade and proximity to water. When it hasn’t rained for a while, you can walk to the bottom of the flood-retarding basin, which is covered in graffiti and looks super cool and unexpected to find in the middle of Northmead or North Rocks. The Murri-Yanna track is more than 15km long and it takes you all the way to West Pennant Hills.
Lake Parramatta has just been reopened with a proper sandy beach. There are shaded areas, open-air showers and even lifeguards. The lake circuit walk is really fun too, it’s a 4.2km loop which has you climbing over rocks and hiking through grass. You can rent a kayak, a rowboat or one of those giant swan boats and paddle across the lake.
Nightlife
Parramatta’s nightlife needs work. There are a few Lebanese restaurants that become shisha bars at night and some spots to get a cocktail after 9pm, like pizza restaurant Fratelli Pulcinella and bar-with-a-view Nick & Nora’s. But the wine bars, music venues and craft breweries seen elsewhere in Sydney are nowhere to be found.
Parramatta does have Sydney’s best council-run late night street festival, Parramatta Lanes. It runs over four days each October – the 12th one just happened a few weeks ago – and the turn out is amazing. It’s a full entertainment and food takeover of some of Parramatta’s main streets, car parks and town squares. There’s several live music stages plus DJs, food trucks and public art. It’s a highlight of my year.
Inspiration
We’ve been told for years that Parramatta is the new centre of Sydney but, recently, it’s finally started to feel that way. Parramatta Square by the train station is coming together with some great places to eat, drink and hang out.
The library on the square, Phive, is so awesome. There’s a good cafe, the library is well spaced-out and has lots of natural light. I like taking the kids to the lounge area where they can read picture books and I can choose from a gigantic book selection across two levels. They do workshops for kids in the school holidays as well as master classes for adults.
Riverside Theatre has three theatres and holds regular kids’ concerts, contemporary dance and arthouse cinema events such as the Croatian or French film festivals. There are moments where everything comes together in Parramatta, usually around Parramatta Lanes time, when it feels really cool to be living in the middle of it.
Stay
Skye Suites (starts at $432) is an apartment-style hotel with a kitchen and so forth. It looks pretty swanky and is about five minutes from the train station and has a great pool. I’ve heard Rydges Parramatta (starts at $199) is good for families. It’s nice and central and some of the curved corner suites have floor-to-ceiling windows so you don’t feel too crowded.
Andrew Levins is a DJ, writer and professional toy collector based in Parramatta. You can find him on Instagram, Tiktok and YouTube.
