• Full list of hats
• All the award winners

It’s a year of ethics in action. Big winners from The Age Good Food Guide awards for 2024 have been acknowledged for enacting sustainable principles in uncommonly delicious menus.

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“It’s no coincidence that both our Oceania Cruises Chef of the Year, Jo Barrett, and Vittoria Coffee Restaurant of the Year, O.My, are doing significant things to reduce their environmental impact,” says the Guide’s co-editor Emma Breheny.

“Sustainability has become the new seasonality, as restaurants become acutely aware of their footprints. It’s inspiring to see them lead the way in areas like reducing plastics, composting and using the whole animal or vegetable.”

O.My grows all its own fruit, vegetables, eggs and honey at a farm 10 minutes from the restaurant in Beaconsfield, 50 kilometres south-east of Melbourne’s CBD. “Many restaurants are now taking steps towards environmental sustainability,” notes Breheny. “O.My is among a notable few who practise this in every decision, all while wearing a cheeky smile.”

“Sustainability has become the new seasonality.”

The Age Good Food Guide co-editor Emma Breheny

Jo Barrett first came to the Guide’s attention six years ago when she was awarded a hat at Oakridge in the Yarra Valley, alongside co-head chef Matt Stone. The chefs tended a vegetable garden and recycled today’s bread into tomorrow’s cracker. Barrett went on to be a key driver at Future Food System, a closed-loop home and dining room at Melbourne’s Federation Square, in 2021 and 2022.

Her new restaurant, Little Picket at the bowls club in Lorne, builds on that sustainability ethos with dishes such as feral boar dim sims and culled wallaby terrine. “Along the way, Barrett shows that ethical dining does not need to be exclusive or expensive,” says Guide co-editor Ellen Fraser.

Little Picket was also a finalist for the Regional Restaurant of the Year, an award that was ultimately taken out by Chauncy in Heathcote, a spirited slice of France in northern Victoria, helmed by chef Louis Naepels and front-of-house “goodwill sprite” Tess Murray.

“Many of this year’s winners represent the new guard of hospitality talent,” says Fraser. “There are young couples trying something totally fresh for regional Australia at Chauncy and Bar Merenda in Daylesford, our Bar of the Year. They showcase relaxed approaches to service and wine that are still of an exceptional standard.”

The Age Good Food Guide Awards, presented by Vittoria Coffee and Oceania Cruises, took place on Monday night at Collins Street’s lavish Plaza Ballroom, where more than 300 of the Victorian hospitality world’s most prominent players snacked on koji-brined cockerel breast yakitori, wagyu-wrapped sea urchin, buttermilk fried duck with kimchi hot sauce and smoked mushroom noodles. Good Food favourite Adam Liaw hosted the glamorous party.

Armadale degustation restaurant Amaru joined Birregurra fine-diner Brae and high-end Richmond sushi specialist Minamishima in the three-hat ranks, the highest accolade for restaurants in the Guide, denoting those scoring 18 or more out of a possible 20.

Vue de Monde, which was closed for renovations during much of the review period, was not scored this year.

First-time hat winners Nihao Kitchen, Babaji’s Kerala Kitchen and 1800 Lasagne demonstrate a broadening of the notion of what a hatted restaurant might mean.

“The Guide has been published since 1980,” says Breheny. “Over that 44-year period, the way Victorians eat out has changed and we’re proud to reflect that.”

The 2024 Guide also launches an unscored metric for highly recommended restaurants. “Our new Critics’ Picks are marked by a tick symbol, guiding diners to venues our reviewers love and recommend regardless of their score,” says Fraser.

“Some specialise in a single dish, others are cooking food you won’t find anywhere else or have an incredible backstory you need to know. All of them are essential, noteworthy and groundbreaking in their own ways.”

Soi 38 snared the inaugural Critics’ Pick Award. “It serves some of the city’s most exciting Thai food in a parking lot,” says The Age’s chief critic, Besha Rodell. “We love Soi’s deeply flavoured soups, its fiery larbs, its tick-box menu and its crowded dining room. The queue is always worth standing in.”

Cafe of the Year is Collingwood’s coffee-obsessed Chiaki, which also serves exciting Japanese food, and New Restaurant of the Year is Reine & La Rue. “It’s extravagant, ostentatious and was highly anticipated,” says Rodell. “It’s also really, really good.”

Jason Lui, manager of two-hatted Flower Drum, accepted the Vittoria Coffee Legend Award for outstanding long-term contribution to the hospitality industry.

“Flower Drum has been a beloved part of Melbourne – and Australia’s –culinary fabric for decades,” says Ellen Fraser. “Jason’s contribution to that is immense, with his suave service, penchant for remembering each guest and exceptional ability to read that red-carpeted room.”

The Age Good Food Guide 2024 is on sale on Tuesday at newsagents, supermarkets and thestore.com.au.