The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2025 has launched, featuring the best restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs across NSW and ACT.

Saint Peter was named Restaurant of the Year at a chef-studded awards ceremony held at the Sydney Opera House on 10 November 2024.

The annual Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide has been recognising the best chefs and restaurants since 1984, and this year’s edition is a compilation of 500 independent reviews visited by a team of critics over the past eight months.

Good Food is considered Australia’s most respected food and beverage title, and its coveted hats – from one to the pinnacle of three hats – are recognised as the industry gold standard.

Paul Farag from Alalia took out the coveted Chef of the Year award for his innovative and next-level approach to Middle Eastern food.

This year’s guide includes 152 restaurants awarded one or more hats: four restaurants received three hats, 36 restaurants received two hats and 113 restaurants received one hat.

The three hat winners were Oncore by Clare Smyth, Sixpenny, Quay and, for the first time, Saint Peter.

With the industry undergoing a cultural change, a new award was introduced this year for Cultural Change Champion. Awarded to Women and Revolution, the inaugural award recognises the movement for fostering a positive, safe and empowering work environment for women in hospitality.

Australian chef Bill Granger was posthumously awarded the Coffee Legend Award. The globally-renowned chef passed away nearly 12 months ago.

A new award named in Granger’s honour was also announced, recognising a person, team or business approaching things from their own perspective and pushing Australian food forward. The Bill Granger Trailblazer Award was handed to Baba’s Place in Marrickville.

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Editor Callan Boys said: “Baba’s Place is a celebration of the suburban Sydney experience, grounded in the stories of immigrant families and their shared experiences of food and cooking.

"Like Bill Granger’s cafes embodied a particular sense of Australia, Baba’s Place does the same, proudly drawing on the Lebanese, Macedonian and Greek heritages of its co-owners.

“Plus they do a great taramasalata on toast, which looks a bit like an Iced VoVo.”

Firepop in Enmore took out New Restaurant of the Year, while You Beauty in Bangalow was named Regional Restaurant of the Year.

The Critics’ Pick Of The Year was awarded to Blacktown restaurant Gursha Ethiopian. The restaurant is a regular meeting place for East African families, with the critics saying "there is laughter, there is music, and the air is heavy with incense and potent coffee".

Luke Bourke, who works as sous chef at Rockpool Bar & Grill, was awarded Young Chef of the Year.

The Service Excellence Award was given to Maureen Er from The White Horse, in Surry Hills, while Stonefruit restaurant and wine bar in Tenterfield, in the NSW New England region, was awarded Drinks List of the Year.

Cafe of the Year went to Ona Coffee in Marrickville; Double Deuce Lounge took out Best Bar; Sommelier of the Year was awarded to Caitlin Baker from Such and Such in Canberra; and the Food for Good award was handed to Rice Fund, Soul of Chinatown.

Edited by Callan Boys and David Matthews, The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2025 reviews were undertaken by a team of esteemed critics including Boys, Terry Durack, Jill Dupleix and Sarah Norris, all of whom review independently and anonymously.

“While the Good Food Guide is the home of the hats, it continues to evolve across various price points, cuisines, styles and suburbs, offering an annual snapshot of the most exciting, outstanding venues you need to know about,” said Sarah Norris, Head of Food for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times and WAToday.

“With money tighter than ever for most diners, people want to know where they should spend their money, and be able to trust those recommendations."

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2025 magazine is available from newsagents, supermarkets and thestore.com.au for $14.95.

The winners

  • Restaurant of the Year: Saint Peter
  • Chef of the Year: Paul Farag (Alalia)
  • New Restaurant of the Year.: Firepop
  • Regional Restaurant of the Year: You Beauty, Bangalow
  • Service Excellence Award: Maureen Er (White Horse)
    Young Chef of the Year, presented by Smeg: Luke Bourke (Rockpool Bar & Grill)
  • Sommelier of the Year: Caitlin Baker (Such and Such, Canberra)
  • Drinks List of the Year: Stonefruit in Tenterfield
  • Coffee Legend Award: Bill Granger
  • Cafe of the Year: Ona Coffee, Marrickville
  • Bar of the Year: Double Deuce Lounge
  • Cultural Change Champion: Women and Revolution
  • Critic’s Pick Award: Gursha Ethiopian, Blacktown
  • Bill Granger Trailblazer Award: Baba’s Place
  • Food for Good: Rice Fund, Soul of Chinatown