• The SMH Good Food Guide Awards 2023: NSW's best restaurants and cooking talent celebrated
• All the winners at The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards

So much for COVID being the death knell of fine dining. The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2023, released today, includes reviews of 156 restaurants in NSW and the ACT awarded at least one hat.

That's 63 more than three years ago when the Guide last scored restaurants, in a time before the pandemic and lockdowns. While a few old favourites have gone up the ranks to earn a hat for the first time in many years (pioneering Strathfield Indian restaurant Abhi's, say, and Berowra Waters Inn), the vast majority of new hatted entries are new venues.

Mimi's at Coogee Pavilion, arguably Sydney's most popular restaurant since it opened with a long lunch-friendly menu in 2019, makes its scored Guide debut with two hats. Other new restaurants to battle through takeaway pivots and forced closures to be awarded a hat include Ho Jiak Town Hall in the CBD and Bastardo, Surry Hills.

In the past 12 months however, openings have skyrocketed as launch plans are put back on track, more workers enter the hospitality industry (although staff shortage is still front of mind for most restaurants) and Sydneysiders seem more keen than ever to get out of the house and try something new. These are the hottest new restaurants featured in the Good Food Guide 2023.

Aalia

One of the CBD's most ambitious new restaurants where Ibby Moubadder and Jorge Farah, the team behind Nour and Lilymu, have turned our perceptions of Middle Eastern dining upside down. So has chef Paul Farag, as he plays with ideas from Lebanon, Egypt and beyond, building in detail, acidity and beautifully puffy breads. But you're really here for the soft, smoky, slow-roasted lamb neck shawarma resting on folds of tear-apart flatbread, with tarator and pickles.

Shops 7 and 8, 25 Martin Place, Sydney, aaliarestaurant.com

Ante

Ante is a leading example of the new style of bar-and-restaurant taking over Sydney – places where booze and food are considered with equal respect. Come to the sleek grey-on-charcoal room for Matt Young's excellent jazz records and junmai sake recommendations; stay for Jemma Whiteman's Japanese-inspired cooking full of concentrated flavour.

146 King Street, Newtown, ante.bar

Bar Louise

This is a new Spanish tapas bar from the Porteno team. It's an instant party in the downstairs bar and upstairs dining room, as trays of sangria, platters of freshly sliced jamon and skewers of gildas (olive, anchovy and wrinkly guindilla pepper) are ferried to tables. Head chef Marcelo Munoz takes all your tapas favourites and ramps up the flavour.

135 Enmore Road, Enmore, barlouise.com.au

Fontana

Former Don Peppino's chefs Daniel Johnston and Harry Levy are joined by co-owner Ivey Wawn at this highly spirited newcomer. It's a sparsely decorated joint, but what Fontana lacks in fit-out it makes up for in excitement on the plate (and brilliant left-field Australian and Italian wines).

133A Redfern Street, Redfern, clubfontana.com​

Gildas

Serious money has been spent on the details at the new wine bar from Firedoor's Lennox Hastie and the Fink restaurant group. Bottom line: this is as good as Spanish-style cooking gets. Highlights include spanner-crab-stuff ed churros, charred leeks draped with luscious lardo, and charred Roman beans with primal- tasting razor clams.

46-48 Albion Street, Surry Hills, gildas.com.au

Kiln

Perched on the rooftop of the cleverly realised Ace Hotel, Kiln attracts a lively arty, crafty crowd who are just plain happy to be there. Every dish on chef Mitch Orr's tight menu is touched by smoke, ash or fire, aligned with a contemporary focus on seafood and vegetables.

47-53 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills, acehotel.com/sydney

MuMu

This is Merivale's hottest opening of the year. Dishes created by chefs Dan Hong and Oliver Hua are fundamentally South-East Asian with global ingredients borrowed here and there for the sake of deliciousness. The wine list includes lots of beaut bottles across all price points, but we reckon the best food and booze match is cold lager and a pipi jungle curry pulsing with green peppercorns, holy basil and ginger-like krachai.

330 George Street, Sydney, merivale.com/venues/mumu

Parlar

This is tapas to suit an intimate, plush dining room from restaurateur Andrew Becher, who also operates Franca brasserie next door. Chef Jose Saulog's menu is made so you can breeze in for a quick morcilla sandwich or settle in for a proper innings. A smart, considered package from opening salt-cod croquette to closing crema Catalana.

Shop 1, 81 Macleay Street, Potts Point, parlar.com.au

Porkfat

​Owner-chef Narin "Jack" Kulasai grew up in Central Thailand and uses pork fat where other kitchens use commercial cooking oil, creating a delicious foundation to layer clean, fresh flavours. This modest, family-run restaurant on the border of Chinatown and Ultimo has a short menu compared to other Thai restaurants in Sydney, but every dish is a firecracker of uncompromising flavour.

Shop 2, 79 Quay Street, Haymarket, porkfat.com.au

Pellegrino 2000

This is smart, punk-rock cooking from chefs Dan Pepperell and Michael Clift, with wine gun Andy Tyson on the floor (the trio also runs Potts Point's Bistrot 916). A streetside bar is made for negronis before white beans flecked with lemon zest and shaved bottarga, or scallops and squid served fritto misto-style and punched up with dashi salt.

80 Campbell Street, Surry Hills, pellegrino2000.com

The Good Food Guide 2023 magazine is on sale for $9.95 at newsagents, supermarkets and thestore.com.au