Big winners in The Age Good Food Guide awards for 2025 suggest new ways forward for hospitality, with tiny, owner-operator venues with unique dining models scooping the two most coveted gongs.

Oceania Cruises Chef of the Year is Jung Eun Chae, who runs six-seat Korean restaurant CHAE in her home in the forested hills of Cockatoo. The house is also a workshop for creating slow-fermented condiments such as soy sauce and persimmon vinegar, the foundations for Korean-Australian dishes eaten to a soundtrack of kookaburras and currawongs.

“CHAE is truly unique,” co-editor of the Guide Ellen Fraser says. “Many chefs at this level have the help of a kitchen team and marketing support. But Chae is a singular force, doing her own thing with an incredible sense of conviction.”

The award is not only a recognition but also a signal. “CHAE is an antidote to the stereotypical hot-headed, male-dominated, fast-paced kitchen,” Fraser says. “It’s exciting to think about how she might inspire future chefs and leaders.”

The awards for The Age Good Food Guide 2025 presented by Vittoria Coffee and Oceania Cruises took place at the Plaza Ballroom with media personality and author Yumi Stynes hosting a crowd of 500 glammed-up food professionals.

The most emotional moment of the night was the Vittoria Coffee Legend Award, for groundbreaking Middle Eastern chef Greg Malouf, who died in September.

Vittoria Coffee Restaurant of the Year is Moonah, a 12-seat restaurant down a gravel road near Torquay.

In a peaceful weatherboard house overlooking a billabong, chef and owner Tobin Kent serves local cuisine, much of it grown in his own market-garden, foraged nearby or sourced from the ocean over yonder.

“Tobin Kent is creating a regional Victorian coastal cuisine that tastes of the landscape. Food is often delicious and fun but Moonah is so singular. I think he’s doing something really different,” says Besha Rodell, The Age’s chief restaurant critic.

The awards come at the back end of a “wild and unpredictable year for the hospitality industry”, says Fraser. Inflation has crunched restaurants from every side and costs are ever-increasing, while custom and spend has declined, which has caused some beloved venues to close.

Putting a spotlight on toxic workplace culture has spurred a deep reckoning for many businesses. “We’ve looked at the Good Food Guide’s role in shaping the restaurant landscape through the venues we cover,” Fraser says.

A focus on workplace culture has driven a new award for Cultural Change Champion. Former hospitality worker and activist Jamie Bucirde was recognised for her initiatives Not So Hospitable, which gathered data on sexual assault, sexual harassment and bullying in hospitality, and On The Cusp, which offers aligned workplace consulting and training.

There are two other new awards in this year’s Guide, which is available in print and for the first time, the collection of restaurant, bar and cafe reviews will be available digitally via the new Good Food app.

The inaugural Pub of the Year is the Punters Club in Fitzroy. “The Punters is everything we want from a pub,” Fraser says.

“At a time when so many pub renovations compromise the soul of the place, the owners have breathed new life into a venue that was so critical to the Fitzroy music community. The gigs are free, the food is outstanding. We love it, and we hope to see others following in these footsteps.”

As well as acknowledging the excellence of the reopened Fitzroy institution, the award raises a frosty cold one to the overall importance of pubs to Melbourne’s culture.

“Pubs are the workhorses that give our neighbourhoods a sense of community,” Rodell says. “We want to formally recognise that. It’s exciting to see young publicans giving us what we want, not pokies or a slick bistro, but a proper pub.”

The launch award for Young Service Talent goes to Nicole Sharrad, manager at Alta Trattoria.

“This award has been spearheaded by Hannah Green from Etta, and Bronwyn Kabboord from Du Fermier in honour of the late restaurateur Katie McCormack,” Fraser says.

“It recognises the crucial contribution front-of-house roles have in creating a world-class restaurant experience, and gives young service professionals something to aspire to. The judges were blown away by [Sharrad’s] warmth, composure and calming presence.”

The Oceania Cruises Service Excellence award goes to Rajnor Soin, the restaurant manager at Vue de monde.

“What really impressed us about Raj is that it’s not just one person that delivers a great service at Vue de monde,” says Guide co-editor Emma Breheny.

“It’s a whole team that is completely in sync and working at their peak to deliver an exceptional dining experience that is never stuffy.”

Soin’s award comes alongside Vue de monde’s return to the Guide with three hats and a score of 18 out of 20, alongside other three-hatted restaurants, Amaru, Brae and Minamishima.

“When we went to print last year, Vue de Monde was closed for renovation, so they weren’t included,” Breheny says. “After reopening, they now offer a single sitting each night which makes for a much more relaxed degustation. Vue is back at the top of the restaurant tree.”

A meal at Vue de Monde costs $360 per person, but the Guide recommends more restaurants across all price points than ever before, with 500 reviews and over 60 cuisines.

“For diners this year, money is very much top of mind, we’ve been conscious of directing people to experiences that are worth their time and money whether they are spending $50 or $500,” Breheny says. “It’s always about whether you’re getting value for money and the experience matching up with the price tag.”

The Guide also acknowledges venues that are responding to economic headwinds with creativity, flair and fun.

“Our New Restaurant of the Year presented by Aurum Poultry Co. is emblematic of a trend where established restaurants are opening casual spinoffs,” says Breheny of Bar Olo, the more-than-a-bar from the team behind Scopri in Carlton.

“The Scopri team needed a place to look after guests before or after reservations, but along the way they came up with an Italian wine bar that gets all the details right: the staff are engaging, the drinks are excellent, the food is flexible. It’s a place that really meets the moment of what we are looking for in Melbourne.”

This is the second year the guide has chosen a Critics’ Pick award for a restaurant that is beloved by reviewers.

Danny’s Kopitiam in Glen Waverley was recognised for its consistently pleasing Malaysian hawker food served in a warm and simple setting by Danny Koh, who is thought to have served Melbourne’s first curry laksa.

“I’m excited that the Critics’ Picks are getting pride of place,” Rodell says. “We love the grand CBD openings but what Melbourne does best and what makes it so special is the very specific personality-driven places in the neighbourhoods. They are the places that make me feel most positive and excited about Melbourne.”

The Age Good Food Guide 2025, featuring more than 500 reviews, is on sale for $14.95 from newsagents, supermarkets and at thestore.com.au.

The new Good Food app, featuring Good Food Guide reviews, recipes and food news, is now available to download. It’s available as a standalone subscription and as part of our Premium Digital packages for subscribers. Premium Digital subscribers can download the Good Food app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store now.