Our story

Our team at Annata is passionate about providing our guests with the best dining experiences north of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is our purpose and has been so since Annata was established in 2016. We are located in Crows Nest on the lower North Shore of Sydney. We like to engage with our guests and share our knowledge of food and wine while not being too intrusive. We avoid the formality and the stiffness of typical fine-dining experiences.

Annata has an urban chic look and feel; stylish but not pretentious. We like to play an important role for the lower North shore community by providing a place for locals and colleagues to enjoy friendships or discuss business in a stylish relaxed environment. We encourage local artists to display their work on our walls while offering their works for sale without commission. With leather lounges, warm lighting and cosy nooks on our mezzanine level, bar-side casual dining and a sunny alfresco garden lounge setting outside, Annata has a variety of choices to suit all occasions. Outside dining is pet friendly and comes equipped with heaters for the cooler months.

Annata received a SMH Good Food Guide Hat Award in both 2023 and 2024 publications. Executive Chef Jordon Garcia has his own unique and vibrant style. His menu is best described as Modern European Bistro; with a delicious and exciting edge to it.  You can choose a range of fabulous menus including our  Abbondante A ‘La Carte Menu, our four and five course Set Menus, our Vegetarian/Vegan Menus or our Kids menus. Chef can also cater for all your special dietary needs, including gluten free, dairy free and special religious requirements.  Just let us know your needs when you are booking or when you meet your waiter. 

Our wine list consists of more than 250 unique and beautiful wines from the best Australian and International winemakers. More than forty of these luscious wines are available by the glass or the half bottle. They can all be tasted before you buy so you can enjoy a wide variety of wine styles and tastes without risk of choosing incorrectly. An incredibly special and highly valued Annata treat is to ask your waiter to match your wines for your chosen Set Menu. Matching Wines is an attractively priced service with a bias towards wines that you may not have tried. Your waiter will bring two different and noteworthy wines to the table for you to taste before you select the the one you prefer for each course. What a wonderful way to experience new wines and gain new knowledge without fuss and stress!

On the last Wednesday and Thursday of every month Annata celebrates special wines from exceptional wine regions or top wine makers and viticulturalists at our hosted Wine Degustation Events. The format is a stunning five-course menu inspired by the wine region served with ten perfectly matched wines served in two flights at each course.

Annata has a Wine Lovers membership which offers wine tasting afternoons and wine education programs for our guests. All of Annata’s superb restaurant wines are also available for purchase at competitive retail prices though Annata Cellars on our website.

Our mission is supported by respect for each other, teamwork and commitment to the goals that will sustain us. Our goals are:

 1.    To be consistently acknowledged by our guests as the best Sydney Dining Experience north of the Harbour Bridge.

 2.    To be sought out by hospitality industry employees because we are a great place to work.

 3.    To be sustainable and responsible environmentally and financially.

John Bligh
Owner, General Manager & Head Sommelier

John purchased Annata and took ownership of Annata on 1 December, 2020. After a long career in the Technology Industry, John decided he wanted a career change, so at the age of sixty eight, he decided to buy Annata because he was so impressed with the quality of the cuisine when he dined one night in September 2020. This was all before Covid shutdowns hit Sydney, just a few weeks after he became the owner.

John has since studied wine and was accredited as a Sommelier following his success completion of extensive WSET Level 3 exams in 2023.

Jordon Garcia

Executive Chef

Jordon joined Annata in 2018 after 11 years working in reputable restaurants across Melbourne, Canberra and North America where he gained insight into different ingredients, techniques and cuisines.

Jordon now leads the kitchen focused on championing great local ingredients and highlighting them with simple and innovative techniques. Jordon's cooking is built upon classic foundations and seasonality while using subtleties to surprise and excite the guests.

When he's not in the kitchen you can find him enjoying some Asahi Black's at Tachinomi YP with his team.