Babylon Rooftop & Garden Bar

Babylon Rooftop & Garden Bar brings modern Middle Eastern dining and rooftop drinks to Sydney CBD, above Westfield Sydney in Pitt Street Mall. The venue opened in mid-2019 as part of the rooftop development and takes its name and visual cues from the Hanging Gardens of Ancient Babylon. That idea comes through in the layered setting: indoor dining areas, open-air terraces, garden spaces and bars arranged across the rooftop like a series of connected rooms.

Food is built around sharing, with Levantine flavours expressed through abundant meze, colourful plates and dishes inspired by the land and sea. Many are cooked over wood fire and charcoal on the venue’s custom-built three-metre Mangal grill. The menu has included borek filled with house-made basturma, roasted mushroom and mozzarella; oysters with a squid-ink cracker; and slow-braised lamb neck served with manti, yoghurt, mint and chilli butter. There is also a soup inspired by a traditional Turkish wedding dish, giving the menu a broader regional perspective than a standard bar offering.

The rooftop combines cascading greenery with Sydney skyline views, while warm timber, rich colours and lively dining spaces create a more immersive setting than a straightforward city restaurant. Drinks are a major part of the experience, with cocktails and shareable rooftop-bar dishes intended to work together. The venue also promotes live music and a changing programme of lunches, happy hour and rooftop brunch events, so the atmosphere can shift from a daytime meal to a more energetic evening gathering.

Babylon suits groups looking to share food, friends meeting for drinks, celebrations and corporate functions. Its event spaces can be arranged for seated or cocktail occasions, with the website noting capacity for gatherings from 20 to 400 guests. For a more casual visit, the combination of greenery, open-air seating, Levantine cooking and city views makes it a useful option when the setting matters as much as the meal. It is best approached as a social venue: somewhere to settle in over several dishes, rather than a quick, quiet dining room.