30 restaurants worth the trip across Australia, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Australia guides.
Stanley Restaurant ★ 4.8 · Brisbane
howard-smith-wharves · 5 Boundary Street, Brisbane City QLD 4000
Stanley is a two-level waterfront Cantonese room at Howard Smith Wharves. Yum cha at lunch, Peking duck carved tableside, river-side tables to book.
Hellenika ★ 4.8 · Brisbane
fortitude-valley · 48 James Street, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Hellenika sits poolside on the first floor of the Calile on James Street. Owner Simon Gloftis runs Brisbane's celebrated Greek room since 2018.
Supernormal ★ 4.8 · Melbourne
cbd · 180 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000
Supernormal on Flinders Lane runs an Asian-influenced menu drawing on Tokyo, Shanghai and Seoul. One Good Food Guide hat and perpetually full since 2014.
Zareh ★ 4.8 · Melbourne
collingwood · 368 Smith Street, Collingwood VIC 3066
Zareh on Smith Street in Collingwood applies Armenian and Lebanese heritage to a wood-fired menu of roasted lamb, spiced rice and labneh; opened in 2025.
Mr Wong ★ 4.8 · Sydney
cbd · 3 Bridge Lane, Sydney NSW 2000
Merivale's 240-seat Cantonese basement on Bridge Lane in the Sydney CBD. Peking duck carved tableside, yum cha at lunch, dim sum on tea trolleys.
Porteno ★ 4.8 · Sydney
surry-hills · 50 Holt Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Argentine asado on Holt Street, Surry Hills, Sydney. Hand-cut meats over parilla and pit fire, all-night low-and-slow, long-running Cumulus alumni room.
Donna Chang ★ 4.7 · Brisbane
cbd · 171 George Street, Brisbane City QLD 4000
Donna Chang sits inside the heritage 1914 Government Savings Bank on George Street. Cantonese-Sichuan banquet, marble columns, gilded ceiling.
Hôntô ★ 4.7 · Brisbane
fortitude-valley · 23 Alden Street, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Hôntô hides through a black door on Alden Street in Fortitude Valley. Moody basement izakaya, Same Same crew project, sake list to match small plates.
Tipo 00 ★ 4.7 · Melbourne
cbd · 361 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tipo 00 on Little Bourke Street serves house-rolled pasta in a tight CBD room. The squid-ink tagliolini and wagyu mafaldine have been selling out for years.
Pho Hung Vuong 2 ★ 4.7 · Melbourne
richmond · 108 Victoria Street, Richmond VIC 3121
Pho Hung Vuong 2 on Victoria Street is Melbourne's pho standard-bearer: long-simmered broth with charred onion and ginger, piled with fresh herbs.
Lee Ho Fook ★ 4.7 · Sydney
cbd · Level 1, 203 Castlereagh Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Victor Liong's modern Chinese room in Sydney's Porter House precinct on Castlereagh Street. Crispy eggplant, glossy Peking duck and Sichuan share plates.
Aalia ★ 4.7 · Sydney
cbd · 5 Martin Place, Sydney NSW 2000
Paul Farag's two-hat modern Middle Eastern room on Martin Place, Sydney. Saj manakish on the open hearth, Iraqi masgouf and slow-roasted shoulder of lamb.
Ante ★ 4.7 · Sydney
newtown · 10 Wilson Street, Newtown NSW 2042
Japanese sake bar on Wilson Street, Newtown, Sydney. Kaiseki-style seasonal plates pair with one of the country's deepest sake-by-the-glass lists.
South End ★ 4.7 · Sydney
newtown · 286 King Street, Newtown NSW 2042
Hussein Sarhan and Alex Tong's neighbourhood bistro on King Street, Newtown, Sydney. The ex-Fred's chef runs a tight, seasonal European menu.
Greca ★ 4.6 · Brisbane
howard-smith-wharves · 5 Boundary Street, Brisbane City QLD 4000
Greca is a 210-seat Greek taverna at Howard Smith Wharves under the Story Bridge in Brisbane. Jonathan Barthelmess of The Apollo (Sydney) runs the room.
Gerard's Bistro ★ 4.6 · Brisbane
fortitude-valley · 14/15 James Street, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Gerard's Bistro is the long-running modern Middle Eastern room tucked into the James Street arcade. Sharing plates, wood-fired flatbreads, deep wine list.
Biànca ★ 4.6 · Brisbane
fortitude-valley · Shop AM5 Ada Lane, 46 James Street, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Biànca pulls modern Italian into Ada Lane off James Street. Same Same crew (Tyron Simon, Bianca Marchi, Frank Li); hand-cut pasta and wood-fired pies.
Bar Liberty ★ 4.6 · Melbourne
fitzroy · 234 Johnston Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065
Bar Liberty in Fitzroy holds one Good Food Guide hat: Melbourne's natural-wine bistro of record, with small plates, biodynamic pours and a polished kitchen.
Rita's Abbotsford ★ 4.6 · Melbourne
collingwood · 239 Johnston Street, Abbotsford VIC 3067
Rita's in Abbotsford makes what many locals rate as the city's best pizza: semolina-crusted bases with charred edges from wood and discipline, not theatre.
Spice Temple ★ 4.6 · Sydney
cbd · 10 Bligh Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Neil Perry's Spice Temple sits below the Art Deco City Mutual Building at 10 Bligh Street in the Sydney CBD. Regional Chinese, dark room, sichuan-heavy.
Fratelli Paradiso ★ 4.6 · Sydney
potts-point · 12-16 Challis Avenue, Potts Point NSW 2011
Italian institution on Challis Avenue, Potts Point, Sydney since 2001. Pasta of the day, deep Italian wine list, booking ahead recommended on weekends.
The Grill at The International ★ 4.6 · Sydney
cbd · 12-14 O'Connell Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Two-hat steakhouse and modern Australian grill on O'Connell Street, Sydney CBD. Dry-aged beef, large-format roasts, an old-school grand-dining room.
Porcine ★ 4.6 · Sydney
redfern · 11 Marian Street, Redfern NSW 2016
French bistro on Marian Street, Redfern, Sydney. Boudin noir, confit duck and a no-bookings wine bar feel; Mediterranean-leaning natural-wine list.
Same Same ★ 4.5 · Brisbane
fortitude-valley · Shop AM3 Ada Lane, 46 James Street, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Same Same opened on Ada Lane off James Street in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane in 2022. Tyron Simon and Bianca Marchi's modern Southeast Asian charcoal kitchen.
Sushi Room ★ 4.5 · Brisbane
fortitude-valley · 48 James Street, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
Yōkoso Sushi Room sits inside The Calile Hotel at 48 James Street. Head chef Shimpei Raikuni runs an a la carte sushi list plus dedicated omakase.
Roma ★ 4.5 · Melbourne
cbd · 120 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Roma on Collins Street is Melbourne's Roman trattoria, cacio e pepe tableside. Located in Cbd. Order the cacio e pepe made tableside with tonnarelli pasta.
Etta ★ 4.5 · Melbourne
brunswick-east · 60 Lygon Street, Brunswick East VIC 3057
Etta in Brunswick East is Daphne's senior sibling: a considered tasting menu format, produce-led cooking and a wine list that matches the kitchen's drive.
The Palomar ★ 4.5 · Sydney
paddington · 7 Oxford Street, Paddington NSW 2021
Soho London-via-Paddington Mediterranean room on Glenmore Road, Sydney. Octo-hummus, the kubaneh bread service and Levantine plates from the open hearth.
Pellegrino 2000 ★ 4.5 · Sydney
surry-hills · 80 Campbell Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Daniel Pepperell's modern Italian room on Crown Street, Surry Hills, Sydney. House-made pastas, classic Roman-Milanese plates, no-fuss room.
Bella Brutta ★ 4.5 · Sydney
newtown · 135 King Street, Newtown NSW 2042
Sicilian-leaning pizza on King Street, Newtown, Sydney. Long fermented dough, tinned-fish toppings, a list of negronis and aperitivos. Open Tue-Sun.