Fine dining has an image problem. Its tendency to take itself too seriously makes it ripe for parody in films like The Menu. But the era of stuffy, uptight waiters is dying a cheerless death, replaced by a much more exuberant, personable and joyful alternative. It’s one that at its best feels decidedly Australian.

Take Vue de monde, a restaurant almost synonymous with Australian fine dining. A few years ago, eating there was a nerve-racking experience that included being constantly startled by barks of “YES CHEF!” from cooks in the open kitchen, plus those same cooks marching a parade of dishes to the table and describing them with concentrated solemnity. It felt studious rather than fun.

These days, dining at Vue is more like a party, one hosted by a cast of charming characters who want to help you celebrate, no matter what the occasion. Servers and cooks arrive at your table as themselves rather than dour robots spouting facts and techniques. Wine director Dorian Guillon, restaurant manager Rajnor Soin and executive chef Hugh Allen set the tone, bringing a lighthearted, welcoming and enthusiastic presence to every interaction.

In a post-pandemic world, where connection is all the more precious, what could feel more luxurious, more special, than the true welcome of charming hosts?

It was that sense of joy I noticed at many of the highest-rated restaurants during my visits over the past year as chief restaurant critic at The Age.

At Amaru, a three-hat restaurant in Melbourne’s Armadale, staff engaged in real conversations with customers, sticking around as long as the connection lasted rather than rushing off – it was clear that this form of connection was considered part of the job, not something you might pause the job to achieve.

In a post-pandemic world, where connection is all the more precious, what could feel more luxurious, more special, than the true welcome of charming hosts?

This attitude and brand of welcome may seem effortless and spontaneous, but in most cases, it is carefully considered. I spoke to Josh Niland in the first weeks of the new iteration of Saint Peter, his (now three-hatted) Sydney restaurant, and he told me that the main question he and his team had been asking themselves was: “What does modern Australian luxury look and feel like?” And the answer was tied up in graciousness, friendliness and communion.

“A step-up in hospitality was a big part of why Saint Peter went up to three hats this year,” SMH dining critic Callan Boys tells me. “Unlike the precise – and at times, robotic – service native to three-Michelin-starred restaurants across Europe and North America, Saint Peter’s style of hospitality is much more of a conversation between the floor team and guests, without ever falling into that ‘how’s your day been?’ style of service.”

Boys gives much of the credit for this style of service to Quay, which he says has been perfecting the informed and friendly attitude in a fine-dining context for “more than two decades”.

This style of service goes hand in hand with another change that’s occurred over the past decade or so in this country, one in which the best chefs and restaurateurs look to be more pointedly Australian.

We see it on the most exciting menus: the turn towards native ingredients and local history rather than mimicking European or American tropes. We see Australian wine and spirits on the best drinks lists. And in the best service these days, I see a very Australian version of hospitality: the casual professionalism that perhaps was born in our thriving cafe culture; the friendly banter that we know from our corner pubs.

It might seem counterintuitive to think that these qualities might translate well to fine dining, but many of our most accomplished service professionals worked in cafes, bars and pubs. And isn’t that the point of a great cafe or pub, to create a sense of community and connection? When you take those qualities and marry them with true knowledge and passion, something magical happens, no matter what the venue.

Is it far-fetched to think of a mood, a tenor, as particularly Australian, especially as it relates to dining? I don’t think so. Recently, I spoke to Ambrose Chiang, manager of ACRU, a restaurant that opened this month in New York City touting itself as an Australian tasting menu restaurant.

What makes it Australian, other than its head chef (a Tassie boy)? “ACRU has Australian hospitality in its core,” Chiang told me. “That speaks louder than obvious Australian ingredients or techniques written on the menu”.

That word, “hospitality”, has become a synonym for the entire industry (particularly in Australia; “hospo” – in its abbreviated form or not – is a far more common way to describe the restaurant business here than it is elsewhere), but that vernacular has meaning.

Dining can be many things, but at its heart, it is the meeting of entertainment and communion, and at its best, it is infused with joy rather than pretension. That Australian service professionals are leading the way on these fronts is reason for great pride, and cause for celebration.

Meet the finalists for the Good Food Guide service awards

The winners of The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2025 Awards will be announced on November 11, presented by Vittoria Coffee and Oceania Cruises. The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2025 will be on sale from November 12.

The winners of The Age Good Food Guide 2025 Awards will be announced on November 18, presented by Vittoria Coffee and Oceania Cruises. The Age Good Food Guide 2025 will be on sale from November 19.