Here are the hottest restaurants to open outside Sydney city limits in the past 12 months, as featured in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2023. Start planning your summer road trips today.

Ain't Nonna's, Wollongong

Psst! Wollongong's food scene is blossoming. Metamorphosing from its pop-up location, young and hip Ain't Nonna's recently found a new home near the central business hub for its modern Italian menu and short, easy-drinking wine list is complemented by artisan. Order big on burrata, caponata, prosciutto and focaccia with 'nduja butter, and don't miss the delicately dressed oysters and perfectly salted arancini either. aintnonnas.com.au

Belongil Beach Italian, Byron Bay

Before Maurice Terzini relaunched Icebergs Dining Room and Bar in December, he opened this slick surfside trattoria. The site is a mix of brutalist chic and holiday-park patio – all concrete, tiles, long tables and paperbark trees, punctuated by plush pinks and energetic art – where attractive locals breeze in for a quick natural wine sundowner and snacks. Prawn fritti with finger-lime aioli, say, or grilled scampi perfect with just olive oil and lemon. Exactly what you want after a dip in the ocean. bbif.com.au

Bistro Livi, Murwillumbah

The Northern Rivers' best new restaurant is a place engineered with locals in mind – a spot you can pop into for a solo martini, nice anchovies and chargrilled quail, plump and juicy in a sweet-sour sauce of pomegranate molasses, raisins and pine nuts. But, it's still best to book as a group and order as much of the Spanish-influenced menu as possible. A dining room of stained timber and soft lighting invites a sin prisa ("no rush") approach to eating, helped by the country mountain music of Neil Young. bistrolivi.com

Capiche, East Ballina

By day, you can watch lifesavers zipping about in rescue boats through floor-to-ceiling glass windows at this new smart-casual finer-diner at Lighthouse Beach. At night the space becomes more of a party with flickering candles, dance music on the playlist and big comfy booths for large groups and families. Crowd-pleasing Italian is the pitch with plenty of house-made pastas, and blistered-crust pizzas cooked in a wood-fired oven behind the bar. capicherestaurant.com.au

Humbug, Newcastle

Young couple Mike Portley and Stephanie Wells opened this breezy, bright space in January and helped revive a part of Hunter Street Mall that was previously a hotbed of tumbleweeds. Long tables and banquettes are engineered for opening a second bottle, and Portley leads the kitchen while Wells runs the floor, making sure glasses are never empty and suggesting wines from a natural-leaning list. Something with skin-contact to drink with slip-off-the-bone pork ribs, perhaps, covered in a culture clash of Thai basil, oyster sauce and Calabrian chilli paste. humbugnewcastle.com.au

Ramox Cafe, Illaroo

Immersing yourself in art is hungry work. After viewing Arthur Boyd's work at the Bundanon Art Museum, nestled in its own hushed green Shoalhaven valley, carve out some time for lunch onsite at Ramox. Chef Douglas Innes-Will, last seen cooking at Brisbane's GOMA gallery restaurant, has returned to his South Coast roots to produce a more edible kind of art. The order-at-the-counter menu is short but sweet, from a fresh and simple mortadella and pickle toastie, to a vibrant salad of roast pumpkin, baby beetroot, burrata and pomegranate. bundanon.com.au

Osteria Fiume, Bellingen

A big verandah for kicking back with mixed olives. Welcoming staff to guide you through a short menu of Italian favourites. Lambrusco on the pour and Kurt Vile in the background – dreamy music for a sleepy town. Bellingen's food and booze credentials are on the rise (see also Charlie's at Church and Bruno's Mediterranean Kitchen), but Fiume is our pick of the lunch spots for its take-a-load-off vibes, handsome fit-out and a vitello tonnato full of flavour. osteriafiume.com.au

Queen Chow, Narooma

The Sapphire Coast is home to some of the finest seafood in Australia, so it makes sense this outpost of Merivale hospitality group's Queen Chow brand leans a little more toward the ocean than its Sydney-based cousins. Local pippies and tuna play a starring role, joining classics such as sweet-and-sour pork and a rich fried rice laced with char siu and juicy prawns. You can leave happy and full with Wagonga oysters and assorted (excellent) dim sum. But it's also hard to turn down Narooma rock lobster, steamed with white soy, ginger and shallots, or wok-fried with garlic butter. merivale.com/venues/queen-chow-narooma

You Beauty, Bangalow

Brought to you from the team behind neighbouring nuovo-pizzeria Ciao, Mate! and the Eltham Hotel, You Beauty has taken more than a little inspiration from dinky-di pubs and outback pool rooms. However, with brass trims, wild flowers and smooth timber interiors, the intimate venue feels more like an inner-city wine bar (albeit one with an eclectic community noticeboard and rocking soundtrack). Sustainably-focused chef Matt Stone showcases local farm produce with a hyper-seasonal menu, and a kangaroo skewer with fermented honey and turnip kraut is particularly excellent. youbeauty2479.com

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2023 magazine is available for $9.95 from newsagents, supermarkets and at thestore.com.au.