Delicious 100: Top Melbourne and Victoria restaurants revealed
The state’s best restaurants list isn’t just filled with out-of-reach dining experiences. This year’s delicious.100 ranked guide is packed with suburban gems, that give some high-end eateries a run for their money. SEE THE LIST, READ EVERY REVIEW
delicious.100
Don't miss out on the headlines from delicious.100. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A team of experienced reviewers travelled more than 11,000km and ate hundreds of dishes across the state to bring you the list of the best restaurants Victoria has to offer.
And what a list it is.
More than a third of this year’s delicious. 100 list, available exclusively to subscribers today, is found in regional Victoria with four restaurants in the top 10 — but where did last year’s No. 1, Pt Leo Estate on the Mornington Peninsula, rank this year?
Suburban superstars, such as Greasy Zoes in Hurstbridge and Navi in Yarraville, are putting their postcodes on the dining map, but Melbourne’s CBD is still a dining hot spot, with almost a third of the list found within the city’s limits.
With 21 new entries, competition for inclusion on this year’s list was fierce.
Some restaurants made big strides, including Collingwood wine bar Congress and Tarrawarra in the Yarra Valley.
The fourth annual delicious. 100 was compiled by a team of reviewers — led by Herald Sun food writer Dan Stock — to bring you the best food in our state right now.
Each restaurant was judged on its food, drinks and service, as well as value for money, fun factor and the all-important “would you recommend it to a friend” test.
Leonardo’s Pizza Palace in Carlton, Annie Smithers’ much-loved Trentham restaurant Du Fermier and Midnight Starling in nearby Kyneton were winners of categories such as Best Sunday lunch, Best for Families and Best for Vegetarians.
The delicious. 100 not only celebrates the best premium experiences but those that offer bang for buck and are perfect for less formal occasions.
Kerrie McCallum, delicious. editor-in-chief, said the list was designed to help diners eat out well every week, and for every occasion.
“It’s got a fresh point of view, with categories that focus on what readers are really looking for when they book a restaurant,” she said.
“We want this lift-out to be savoured with restaurants circled and well-thumbed pages turned over in anticipation for a year of great eating to come.”
THE FULL LIST REVEALED
So, who’s the best of the best? Our expert food reviewers have ranked Victoria’s best restaurants from 1 to 100.
Click the link below to search the list, find restaurants based on location, cuisine, price and the vibe of the venue, save your favourites and switch to a map view on your phone to see what’s near you.
The delicious. 100 list is available exclusively to our digital subscribers as part of our commitment to offer extra value to loyal members.
Not a subscriber? Follow the link below to become a subscriber.
WHAT DEFINES DELICIOUS-NESS?
Well, technically, you do.
What do you want when you book a restaurant in 2020? Where will you have a wonderful time? Where is the service fast but informed and intuitive? Where does the sommelier or drinks list offer the right combination of challenge meets comfort?
Where is the food damn delicious but not pretentious; produce-driven; perhaps intriguing; moreish, and the outfit spot on? Where do we recommend people go?
The delicious. 100 has to be something you can use every day, not just for special occasions. It is for dining out well, week to week.
It is a massive undertaking, but equally a privilege to source the 100 most delicious restaurants in this state, with each visit unannounced and paid for via an independent, trusted reviewer.
Some of the highlights for Victoria this year include the rise of great modern-Italian restaurants and the return of the owner-operator.
As beef and lamb prices skyrocket, chefs are using kangaroo, emu and other wild game in increasingly creative ways — when they’re even using meat at all, for veg-focused cooking has never been more exciting.
The year hasn’t been without big challenges for restaurants, and the drought has devastated many suppliers, so we encourage you to support these delicious restaurants and people who are doing it right.
The delicious. 100 is brought to you in partnership with Yalumba, Australia’s oldest family-owned winery, so you’ll find BYOs tagged inside.
We hope you enjoy this list for the year to come, and look forward to another year of living deliciously.
— Kerrie McCallum, editor-in-chief, delicious