Cream of the crop: Australia’s 20 best restaurants in 2022
Looking for the best dining experiences in the country? We’ve curated the most exciting restaurants for you to sink your teeth into in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
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If you’re a serious foodie, trying out the best dining experiences our capital cities have to offer will no doubt be high on your agenda on any trip interstate, be it for business or pleasure.
The 20 eateries below, curated from our list of the top 100 restaurants in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney are the best of the best, the cream of the crop.
Helmed by some of the country’s most talented and exciting chefs, these restaurants have been deemed by our reviewers to be a cut above the rest because they have mastered the art of simplicity, because they celebrate local ingredients, combine flavours in ways you never thought possible or offer a dining experience dreams are made of.
ADELAIDE
1. RESTAURANT BOTANIC
Adelaide Botanic Gardens, off Plane Tree Dr, Adelaide
Cuisine: Contemporary
The starting point is a bowl of lemon aspen jelly with finely diced kohlrabi and halves of twice-shelled green peas looking like lily pads on the surface of a pond. The finish is a toffee-topped semi-frozen cream and matching syrup, flavoured with the spiky fallen branches of a bunya pine tree. As stunning as both are, the remarkable part about lunch at the re-imagined Restaurant Botanic is that every one of the nine courses between are their equal. As a collection, it is the culinary equivalent of listening to a Beatles album.
2. ARKHE
127 The Parade, Norwood | 8330 3300 | arkhe.com.au
Cuisine: Contemporary
When the world seems weary, cynical, distracted, you can walk into Arkhe and the planets start to realign. First, there’s a primal response to the flames and glowing embers wrangled with such dexterity in the kitchen, then an appreciation for the craftsmanship of the stonework and timber cabinetry used to such great effect across the room. The welcome is warm and genuine, the mood upbeat, the sense of a large team working with common purpose strangely reassuring.
3. FUGAZZI
27 Leigh St, city
Cuisine: Italian
Cancel all meetings. Turn Out of Office on and the mobile off. The long lunch is back. In Fugazzi, the CBD once again has a restaurant with the sense of occasion to encourage wanton misbehaviour. How fitting it is that this relative newcomer should have taken over the site where Rigoni’s was, in its heyday, renowned for lunches attended by the state’s heavyweights who could be seen at window-side tables by passers-by. Fugazzi is more discreet. It all adds to the impact of walking into a dining room that, from the curved joinery to the rows of Fornasetti wall plates, is all drop-dead gorgeous. Throw in black-aproned waiters and a big-band soundtrack and this is not Rome or Milan, but New York in full glamour mode.
4. PRESS FOOD AND WINE
40 Waymouth St, city
Cuisine: Contemporary
Remember when profiteroles were a thing? Well, they’re back - but forget all that spun toffee and patisserie cream. The signature snack at the reborn Press Food and Wine is a different creature. Tom Tilbury’s choux pastry is wrapped in a layer of crisp biscuit “craquelin” and filled with a chicken liver parfait smoother than a Barry White love song. If the chef was looking to announce his move to the city, these seductive savoury soft-centres are his secret weapon. The recruitment of Tilbury, best known for his chart-topping time at Coriole winery, is a coup for Press, but only part of the transformation of one of the CBD’s marquee restaurants.
5. MAGILL ESTATE RESTAURANT
78 Penfold Rd, Magill
Cuisine: Contemporary
Snacks. That’s it. A single syllable at the top of the menu. What inadequate preparation it proves to be for Magill Estate’s opening salvo. For a deboned chicken wing stuffed with lobster and scallop meat. For a heavenly honey-brushed crumpet loaded with smoked trout butter and fluorescent pearls of roe. And, above all, for the timber spoon holding a single mussel pouch filled with a wagyu tartare and surrounded by white koji butter. That single mouthful - its sensual textural interplay, the silly surprise of it all – won’t be quickly forgotten. That’s what dining at this level is all about. Memorable moments.
BRISBANE
1. RESTAURANT DAN ARNOLD
959 Ann St, Fortitude Valley
Cuisine: French
When Dan Arnold returned after seven years in France working in Michelin-star restaurants to open his own venture in Fortitude Valley, the concept of no-choice set menus was a little out there. But Covid changed all that and now he can fill his 45-seat dining room on a weeknight with guests simply choosing from three ($100) or five ($150) course menus or a chef’s selection ($200). Word has spread of his exemplary classical, technique-driven, flavour-first line-up of dishes and there’s nothing else like it around.
2. AGNES
22 Agnes St, Fortitude Valley
Cuisine: Modern Australian
On a cold night, with the orange flicker of flames along the back wall of the kitchen, wood-fired restaurant Agnes feels like the ultimate dimly lit burrow in which to settle in. The restaurant, which opened to acclaim in 2020, is still one of the most difficult in the city at which to grab a dinner reservation, with waits of weeks for eager diners. The menu continues to evolve though, with starters such as charred cucumbers with peanuts, green garlic and bright pops of finger lime.
3. SAME SAME
Shop AM3 Ada Lane, 46 James St, Fortitude Valley
Cuisine: Thai
Chefs working in the open kitchen, diners scraping plates and bowls clean and a pumping playlist form the cacophonous soundtrack at this hugely popular Thai restaurant inside an arched, ultra sleek Richards and Spence-designed temple. Echoing the dramatically styled dining room is the food – a modern, share-style menu by Jason Margaritis elevated by clever technique and the best of local ingredients.
4. DONNA CHANG
171 George St, Brisbane City
Cuisine: Chinese
Named for a character in long-running US comedy show Seinfeld, Donna Chang looks destined to boast at least a decent nod to the same longevity and popularity. After opening in 2018 and shrugging off the ravages of Covid, the inner-city, modern Chinese eatery has settled into a sweet spot with an appealing, broad menu at reasonable prices, adept service, a massive drinks list and a room that still rocks an appealing vibe of pastel-coloured chairs and banquettes and plants that soften its heritage-listed marble, dark wood and high ceiling surrounds.
5. BIANCA
Shop AM5, 46 James St, Fortitude Valley
Cuisine: Italian
Honest, genuine, passionate service may just be the secret recipe to Bianca’s success. In the glamorous Calile Hotel precinct, this cosy, modern trattoria brings together the sleek, sophisticated style for which Italy is known with the charm and hospitality it is synonymous with. The menu is designed to be shared: antipasti to be teamed with the standout puffy, wood-fired bread; a clutch of pastas and a quartet of oversized mains.
MELBOURNE
1. GIMLET AT CAVENDISH HOUSE
33 Russell St, Melbourne
Cuisine: European
When news broke that Melbourne super chef Andrew McConnell was opening a new CBD venue, it was easy to assume another textbook Trader House venue was on the way. Classic Euro fare inside the grand 1920s-era Cavendish House? Tick. World-class pours and old-world hospo charm? Double tick. But when you think you’ve figured Gimlet out, it goes off script. Wine by the glass? Try a splash of Mexican or Japanese vino. Beef tartare? It’s prepared tableside with all the drama. Not that hungry? Here’s a half serve.
2. VUE DE MONDE
Rialto Towers, 525 Collins St, Melbourne
Cuisine: Contemporary Australian
Things aren’t always as they seem at Vue de monde. Gumnuts tangled in an eucalyptus wreath turn out to be wattleseed choccies and that outback ‘roo-shi’ isn’t from Japan. And when things start as slam-the-table-good as the macadamia and smoked-eel tofu, you know you’re in serious danger of falling head over heels for Melbourne’s bucketlist diner in the clouds.
3. TULUM
217 Carlisle St, Balaclava
Cuisine: Modern Turkish
As soon as the first plate lands at Coskun Uysal’s modern Turkish fine diner Tulum, you know you’re in for something special.
With eight years and a 2019 Delicious 100 title to its name, Balaclava’s beloved eatery is even better with age. Uysal’s Turkish cuisine is elevated, hug in a bowl, soul-warming stuff that’ll have your happy hormones humming.
4. ATTICA
74 Glen Eira Rd, Ripponlea
Cuisine: Modern Australian
World-class chef. Summer camp leader. Soup king. Cheesecake baker. Lockdown meal-maker. Attica’s Ben Shewry has worn many hats in two years, but now the star chef is back doing what he does best at his Ripponlea restaurant that started it all.
The casual-cool space is still dialled-down relaxed, with Aerosmith on the radio and living room-comfy seats, you’ll forget you’re paying an eye-watering $360 for dinner.
Shewry’s playful take on bush tucker hasn’t changed either, still approachable, delicious and quirky as ever – but his dish-inspo has.
5. AMARU
5/1121 High Street, Armadale
Cuisine: Contemporary
Caramel made from leftover sourdough scraps. Freeze-dried sheep’s milk soil that looks dry but eats yoghurty. A perfect coral trout fillet that’s actually made like ‘salami from the sea’. Nothing at Armadale’s small neighbourhood diner, Amaru, is an afterthought. If anything, executive chef Clinton McIver does the opposite for a meaningful, memorable and marvellously delicious experience for all.
SYDNEY
1. PELLEGRINO 2000
80 Campbell St, Surry Hills
Cuisine: Italian
Having already conquered the French bistro, hospo trio Dan Pepperell, Michael Clift and Andy Tyson have turned their attention to the tratt. Their latest locale, Pellegrino 2000, is our number one spot for fresh pasta, focaccia, fritto misto and more. Located in a two-storey former terrace, you’ll want to book well in advance if you’re to score a spot in the retro-inspired dining room, or better yet, the candlelit dine-in wine cellar downstairs. But surprisingly, some of the best seats are out on the street. A dedicated wine window is the perfect place to stop for a sangiovese and snack.
2. SAINT PETER
362 Oxford Street, Paddington
Cuisine: Contemporary seafood
Six years on, Saint Peter has more disciples than ever. Josh Niland’s world-leading seafood restaurant continues to deliver a sustainably driven fin-to-scale feast that every foodie needs to experience at least once. Since the start of the pandemic, the restaurant has undergone a significant renovation. The old dining room has been gutted, the tables and chairs replaced by a 12-metre Carrara marble counter where oysters are shucked and offcuts such as eyes, scales, bladder and roe are miraculously transformed into moreish dishes.
3. QUAY
Upper Level, Overseas Passenger Terminal
Cuisine: Contemporary
Waiting for a special occasion so you can book a table at Quay? You’re in luck: the restaurant turns 21 this year. However, Peter Gilmore’s flagship fine diner has never looked or felt fresher. The dining room has had a facelift – spotted gum tables have been brought in, along with custom-made leather chairs and a royal blue carpet that stretches endlessly out to sea. The showpiece remains the Sydney Opera House, whose glowing white sails can be admired from all angles. When it comes to the ten-course tasting menu, Gilmore is at the top of his game.
4. ONCORE BY CLARE SMYTH
Oncore by Clare Smyth
Level 26, 1 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo
Cuisine: Contemporary
Within the gleaming tower that is Crown Sydney is the plush and hushed surrounds of a serious fine-diner: and an international one, at that. The new Australian outpost of Michelin-starred London chef Clare Smyth, Oncore has harbour views everywhere and a pointy-end menu to match. Whether opting for the seven-course tasting menu or a three-course selection, you’re instantly elevated to the excitement of ‘The Beginning’, teensy tastes delivered on sea-fronds, pebbles, gilt skewers and mossy logs.
5. MARGARET
30-36 Bay St, Double Bay
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Three generations of the Perry family have come together to pull off this unmissable dining experience that takes its name from Neil Perry’s mother, Margaret. And judging by the stunning $5 million dining room, it’s clear she was a woman of taste. The 170-seat corner restaurant has been given a sleek fit-out that blends blush banquettes with taupe tiles and neutral floors and walls. Lozenge-shaped light sconces cast a soft and subdued glow, or could that just be the aura of Neil Perry? The star chef can be spotted most nights presiding over the pass or working the room, flanked by floor manager (and daughter) Josephine Perry Clift.
Originally published as Cream of the crop: Australia’s 20 best restaurants in 2022
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