"Personality" comes to mind when I think about Sydney's. While Tempe Marketplace has its share of ho-hum chain restaurants, there are very few indie, non-sterile places to head to. That's where Sydney's quite unexpectedly enters the picture.
Honestly, you could take Sydney's and put it as a stand-alone in downtown Phoenix, Scottsdale, Dublin, Auckland, etc. and it would fit right in.
And the empanadas! So good! I had the Samosa to start (think of an incredibly tasty cannoli-like pastry). It was so good that I followed that up with the Patio Chicken, which turned out to be even better than the veggie Samosa.
And get this...the owner (Sydney) spends time there...and actually talks and befriends her patrons. And she's genuine!
Sydney's is right next to B&N. Highly recommended. I'm going back today, in fact.