Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA) announced the winners of the 2024 Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence for Sydney and Regional NSW during a gala dinner held at Doltone House Darling Island.

The industry body's Awards for Excellence program recognises hospitality dining and service excellence across a broad range of categories.

Restaurant & Catering (R&CA) CEO Suresh Manickam congratulated each of the winners on behalf of the Association, recognising their significant contribution to both the Sydney and regional NSW hospitality sectors.

“We are continually inspired by the passion, creativity, and unwavering dedication displayed by all those who contribute to the restaurant and catering industry.

"From chefs and restaurateurs to servers and suppliers, they all play a vital role in shaping the gastronomic identity of these regions and enriching the lives of their patrons.’’ Mr Manickam said.

This year’s Sydney major award winners included Quay Restaurant, which took out Restaurant of the Year and Premium Dining Restaurant.

Ripples Little Manly took home the awards for Best Casual Dining Restaurant and Café Dining. European Catering in Alexandria was awarded the Sydney Caterer of the Year and Events Caterer for under 250 guests.

In regional NSW, Arrana in Springwood was awarded the major award for Regional Restaurant of the Year and best Contemporary Australian Formal Restaurant.

Flour Bar in Moss Vale also took home two awards for Casual Dining of the Year and best Regional Café Dining.

Sprout Catering in Paterson was awarded Regional NSW Caterer of the Year and Regional NSW Events Caterer.

Destination NSW proudly sponsors two awards

Destination NSW sponsored the two NSW Tourism Award categories: Tourism Restaurant (Sydney) and Tourism Restaurant (Regional NSW).

Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham presented the awards, with Luna Lu in The Rocks taking out Tourism Restaurant (Sydney) and Potager in Carool winning Tourism Restaurant (Regional NSW).

View the full list of NSW award winners here.

NSW's vibrant culinary scene is a key ingredient in the mix of products and experiences that contribute to visitor economy growth.

In the year ended March 2024, 4.8 million domestic overnight visitors enjoyed food experiences in NSW, injecting more than $6 billion into the NSW visitor economy, while one million international visitors took part in food experiences and spent $5.5 billion during their NSW trips.