Whether you’ve worked up an appetite wandering around between all the Vivid Sydney displays, or are simply looking for a cosy winter dining option, with dozens of tempting stalls to choose from Vivid’s Fire Kitchen hits every spot.
Back in Barangaroo for 2026, we’re going to call this as the best Fire Kitchen set up yet. This year, it’s set up on the Stargazer Lawn in Barangaroo Reserve, offering great views of the Bridge and displays a bit lower down in the reserve. It’s got a pretty large lawn area to set up on, offering plenty of space for picnic tables, fire pits and even a marquee in case of bad weather.
But, let’s face it. It’s about more than just the ambience here. Vivid’s Fire Kitchen is all about the food. In 2026 there are 17 vendors selling everything from slow-cooked briskets and Filipino-style barbecue skewers to s’mores-inspired gelatos and flame-torched creme brûlée (which we’re still kicking ourselves for not trying!).
In the middle of it all is the Vivid Fire Pit, a stage with a seemingly non-stop rotisserie that’s dripping in juicy meats, which are served from a window at the back of the stage. There’s regular talks and demonstrations from celebrity chefs, too. They’re completely free to watch and the schedule is listed on the Vivid website. While you may not recognise all the chefs’ names, you’ll probably have heard of the restaurants they cook in.
In the first few days of Vivid, we’ve so-far made it to the Vivid Fire Kitchen twice so we could try as much as possible. We ordered from four different stalls across two nights, along with grabbing a few drinks from the bars scattered around the lawn.
Here’s everything we ate at the Vivid Fire Kitchen in 2026
Vivid Fire Kitchen stage
What’s served here does change up each night, so these options may not be available all the time. But, if they were, we’d certainly get some of them again
Pickled tongue wagyu tacos with tomatillo salsa
Price: $22 for two
Would we order again? Maybe, if the tortillas were fresher.
Cooked on the Cypriot Grill by Mark Best, these tacos were topped with pickled onions and what we’re pretty sure is cotija cheese. (They also came with coriander, but we’re not fans so asked them to hold it).
While they were really tasty, the corn tortillas did taste a touch stale.
Grilled skewered pork belly with macadamia thecha butter and lime
Price: $21
Would we order again? Yes. However, while it was tasty, we preferred the pork belly from Burn City Smokers.
Cooked on the Cypriot Grill by Ahana Dutt, the pork belly was seasoned pretty differently to any pork belly we’d had in the past, which we really appreciated. The spices mixed with macadamia nuts blended together well.
Flame-grilled lamb shawarma halbai on flatbread with toum, salad and shankish cheese
Price: $22
Would we order again? Yes.
Surprisingly one of the few middle eastern options at the Vivid Fire kitchen, this lamb shawarma was cooked on the Fire Dome by Sharon Salloum. We love grilled, Middle Eastern-style meats so we couldn’t pass this one up. And we’re glad we didn’t.
Spießraten spiced pork on a kaiser roll with caramelised onions
Price: $20
Would we order again? No.
Although currently cooking at an Italian restaurant in Newtown, chef Janina Allende was manning the Cypriot Grill to cook up spießraten, a German roast pork dish served up on a kaiser. While it wasn’t bad, it didn’t stand out nearby as much as some of the other things we ate at Vivid Fire Kitchen this year.
Burn City Smokers
Whisky and apple pork belly
Price: $18
Would we order again? Yes.
Incredibly juicy and perfectly sweet (without being over the top), Burn City Smokers’ pork belly was easily the best we had at Vivid Fire Kitchen (and looking back, we did have pork belly three times…).
While this is all we ordered at the stall, our friends did also get the brisket-loaded fries and the pear and mustard pickle slaw and were very happy with their dish, too.
Brazilian Flame
Barbecue roll with pork and beef
Price: $24
Would we order again? Yes.
A popular stall and one of the first visitors come by when walking into the Vivid Kitchen from the south end of the park, Brazilian Flame sells out quick. A few of the options were unfortunately sold out when we arrived, but were still pretty happy with our sandwich. The single-meat options were sold out, so we opted for a roll with a choice of two meats and took the staff’s recommendation on the combo. The beef was a touch chewy, which made eating it from a soft roll a bit tricky, but the pork was perfectly cooked.
Hoy Pinoy
Chicken skewers with a soy glaze
Price: $18 for two
Would we order again? No.
While the skewers had a great flavour, they were a touch dry and chewy. But we imagine this is a losing combo of having to cook a lot of them at once, and carry them in the cold. We’re not opposed to trying them again in future, but found the pork ones were much better.
Pork skewers with banana ketchup
Price: $19 for two
Would we order again? Yes
We’re suckers for sweet meats, and the Hoy Pinoy team served it up in the most perfect Philippine fashion. A popular local sauce that’s similar to ketchup but made with bananas, the banana ketchup went perfectly with the barbecued pork belly.
Chargrilled corn with coconut
Price: $11
Would we order again? Yes
Giving Mexican street corn, this Filipino version ticked all the boxes and them some. Swapping the cotija for coconut sounds odd but truly does work. We promise!
About Vivid Fire Kitchen
It started in the Cutaway in 2023 before moving to the Goods Line over in Ultimo. As much as as love the Goods Line, it really wasn’t an ideal space for the Fire Kitchen. It was narrow, awkward and a bit too far from the art displays.
Things to consider when you go
- Serving sizes tend to be on the smaller side, which is great for being able to try new things, but not always great for your budget.
- Expect to spend $30-$40 per person, not including drinks, on food to make it a full meal.
- Food is often cooked in bulk, so isn’t always super-fresh. We found this was the case with the Vivid Fire Pit dishes especially.
- Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to stand and eat as seating can be a bit limited if it’s busy
- Be prepared to wait in long lines, but they should move pretty fast
Tips for getting the best Vivid Fire Kitchen experience
We went to the Vivid Fire Kitchen twice so far, once mid-week and once on the weekend. Our experiences were pretty different. So here’s a few tips we have to share.
- Go mid-week to avoid super-long lines and so you can easily find seating
- Embrace the rain because most people won’t, and you’ll be rewarded with short lines. Marquee seating means you won’t need to dine at a wet table.
- Sit inside the NSW wine bar, it was pretty quiet in there both nights and we had no trouble getting a table. It’s also got a great vibe inside and delicious mulled wine.
