As daylight hours shorten and Sydney shifts into cooler autumn evenings, Western Sydney restaurant IFTAR Merrylands is officially extending into the night, confirming its after-dark dining experience will continue following overwhelming demand from diners seeking late-night options that feel worth leaving the house for.
Initially introduced as a limited evening offering, the after-dark sittings quickly booked out, with diners gravitating towards the long-table, share-style format designed for groups and families.
Founder Jeremy Agha says the response revealed a clear gap in the local dining landscape. “We were fully booked every night, and there were a lot of people disappointed they couldn’t get in,” he says.
“As the nights get longer and people start going out a bit later again, it made sense to keep it going. There’s a real appetite for something relaxed, social and genuinely good at night in Western Sydney.”
With IFTAR now cementing itself as both a daytime café and an evening dining destination, the venue has also introduced a series of new menu additions, expanding the offering for after-dark diners.
New additions include:
- Mansaf rice: Slow-braised lamb shoulder served over fragrant spiced rice, finished with toasted almonds and walnuts. Served with a minty garlic cucumber yoghurt.
- Burning cheese: A molten slab of halloumi cheese and bubbling honey served with caramelised figs and dates, designed for tearing into at the table. Think of your favourite greek saganaki — only better.
- Sambousek cigars: Golden, crisp pastry cigars filled with spiced sumac lamb and pomegranate molasses, perfect for sharing.
- Fried fish sando: A stacked sandwich of panko crumbed whiting, crunchy onion and coriander tahini wrapped in a toasted brioche bun.
- Cheese and sojuk manoush: Fresh-baked flatbread topped with melted cheese and spicy sojuk sausage.
- Batata harra: Cubed potatoes, fried in tallow and tossed in a chilli coriander paste.
IFTAR takes its name from the Arabic word traditionally associated with gathering and sharing food, a sentiment that continues to shape the venue’s communal dining approach.
With evening service now a permanent fixture and new dishes rolling out, the venue is evolving beyond its original daytime offering into a go-to after-dark dining spot for Western Sydney.
