You could break a sweat trying to keep up with Victoria’s new cafes, bars, restaurants and other eateries – have you seen how many bakeries opened this year?

For someone who reviews restaurants for a living, that’s a good thing. But for the average diner, it can be hard to know which new and hyped spots are worth your money. On the flip side, how do you know which restaurants continue to deliver impeccable service and food that’s worthy of a special occasion?

That’s where The Age Good Food Guide comes in. Our team of 40-plus reviewers fanned out across Victoria, hunting out not just the new but the noteworthy.

This year’s finalists for Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year and New Restaurant of the Year are a snapshot of the very best of our state. And they’re not all flashy fine diners (although if that’s your jam, there are some exceptional ones in this list).

The confident and femme Carnation Canteen serves food that never goes out of style. Chae offers a groundbreaking Korean-chef’s-table experience. And there are warm and rollicking rooms where you’ll be encouraged to eat with your hands, order another bottle, or tell the babysitter you’ll be late.

Importantly, each one is a restaurant you’ll be happy to have ticked off your bucket list.

Vittoria Coffee Restaurant of the Year

Chauncy, Heathcote

This is a heaven-sent destination restaurant. Yes, there’s commitment involved in driving to and staying in Heathcote, but the charms of Chauncy make it all worthwhile. Crisp linen and heavy silverware suit the refined French cooking of chef Louis Naepels, and his partner Tess Murray keeps every table’s glasses full of something delicious, which she’ll describe with such enthusiasm you’ll want to take a case of it home.

178 High Street, Heathcote, chauncy.com.au

Kazuki’s, Carlton

Unexpected might be the word that best sums up this Japanese restaurant in Melbourne’s Little Italy. Dishes confound expectations, whether it’s a snack of kangaroo jerky, salmon roe on bugak (the Korean seaweed crisp), or a harmonious combination of hapuka, winter melon and octopus. This is dining on the edge, but with Kazuki’s softly spoken staff and serene interiors, it’s nothing but inviting.

121 Lygon Street, Carlton, kazukis.com.au

Moonah, Connewarre

A charming old farmhouse looks out over a wide billabong outside Torquay. Lunch starts on the deck and then moves into the light-filled dining room, where chefs work at a long table, plating and serving each dish. Everything speaks of place, and does so in quietly thrilling ways. Sustainability is also valued, with bycatch from local fishermen and wild venison among the ingredients sourced from no more than 200 kilometres away.

95 Minya Lane, Connewarre, moonahrestaurant.com.au

Navi, Yarraville

Julian Hills, the Good Food Guide’s chef of the year in 2023, creates harmony where others could unleash chaos. Pumpkin partners wonderfully with gurnard, bunya nut miso enriches mud crab, and salted grapes and celeriac are united with rock lobster. The adjoining cocktail bar delivers the same magic in snack form (and for a fraction of the price), which only adds to the charm of this back-street fine diner.

83b Gamon Street, Yarraville, restaurantnavi.com.au

Vue de Monde, Melbourne

Melbourne’s best-known fine diner feels like it’s truly soaring after an overhaul last year. From its perch high above the city, the restaurant sets a high bar for genuinely warm service that only enhances the cooking. Caramelised macadamia with kelp oil and caviar is equal parts umami, ocean and magic, while teeny avocado tarts with borage flowers and finger lime are part of an exciting bracket of snacks to start.

Level 55, Rialto Towers, 525 Collins Street, Melbourne, vuedemonde.com.au

Oceania Cruises Chef of the Year finalists

Tobin Kent, Moonah

Few chefs have the talent, ambition and ability to do what Tobin Kent does. He dives for, forages and grows much of what guests eat at Moonah, and works with nearby producers for everything else. Seawater is used in the bread he bakes and in a lime cordial that tastes like an excellent margarita. Other dishes, such as John Dory tiled with truffle and set in a mushroom broth, evoke the Otway forests nearby. Kent’s cooking is so connected to place that it warrants its own genre: coastal Victorian food.

95 Minya Lane, Connewarre, moonahrestaurant.com.au

Jung Eun Chae, Chae

Jung Eun Chae devotes years to each Korean ferment that she builds her nourishing menus around, whether it’s soy sauce, doenjang or gochujang. Her unflinching commitment to the artisanal methods of her homeland are a counterpoint to the speed and efficiency in so much of our lives. Head up to her mountain-side property, sit at her kitchen bench with just five other diners, and taste the gloriousness of slowing down.

33 Mountain Road, Cockatoo, chae.com.au

Hugh Allen, Vue de Monde

Steering one of Melbourne’s best-known fine diners through its most significant overhaul since it moved to the Rialto Towers, Hugh Allen has remained composed and clear-eyed. Diner enjoyment is now front and centre at Vue de Monde, with a single sitting for its menu of 16-ish courses and playful, joyous service from every person who comes to your table, including Allen and his brigade of chefs. Dishes are pretty, proudly Australian and at times ethereal.

Level 55, Rialto Towers, 525 Collins Street, Melbourne, vuedemonde.com.au

Brigitte Hafner, Tedesca Osteria

A biodynamic kitchen garden underpins the day’s handwritten menu by chef Brigitte Hafner. Most dishes are cooked on a monumental hearth in a weatherboard farmhouse that Hafner has filled with antiques, fresh-cut flowers and gorgeous tchotchkes. There are no decisions to make, apart from what you’d like from the well-stocked cellar. This might just be the gold standard of leisurely country dining.

1175 Mornington-Flinders Road, Red Hill, tedesca.com.au

Philippa Sibley, Pinotta

This beloved spot frequented by Fitzroy North locals shone a little brighter this year. The extra sparkle comes in large part from the talents of Philippa Sibley, who is cooking with the restraint and classicism that her fans know well. Duck confit is judiciously salted. Pumpkin for arancini is roasted twice to concentrate its sweetness. And long squid ink pasta is tumbled with nettle butter and prawns. It’s everyday food, made sublime.

32 Best Street, Fitzroy North, pinotta.com

Aurum Poultry New Restaurant of the Year finalists

Askal, Melbourne

A marvellous mash-up of modern and heritage, Askal riffs on Filipino ingredients across a menu full of hits. Portions are big, all the better to serve the large groups who flock here, and flavours don’t hold back either. Sinuglaw, a jumble of cured tuna and pork belly, is made with lap cheong for sweetness and chew. But there are also moments of lightness, such as guava aguachile dressing the raw tuna that headlines the kinilaw.

167 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, askalmelbourne.com

Bar Olo, Carlton

This little sibling to longstanding Scopri is swimming with good energy (unsurprising, given the ownership). It’s the type of place where the staff, the wine selection and the short, snack-heavy menu can keep you engaged for hours. Or you might just stop in for a barolo sour, an Italian take on the pisco sour served long, and some antipasti. The beauty of Olo is that it’s whatever you want to make it.

165 Nicholson Street, Carlton, barolocarlton.com.au

Carnation Canteen, Fitzroy

Every detail of this glowing beacon in a former corner store has been considered, from the patina of plaster to the marble bar of the kitchen. Service is considerate and sparkling, and everything on the scrawled menu is impeccable. A marriage of white and dark anchovies is tickled with lemon zest. Grilled whiting is adorned with olive oil and citrus. Carnation is radical in its simplicity, refreshing in its consideration.

165 Gore Street, Fitzroy, carnationcanteen.com

Hopper Joint, Prahran

The aromas of mint, pepper and chilli hit you as soon as you walk through the door. The room is just as delightful, all rattan-backed chairs and luxe chandeliers. As the name suggests, you’re here for (unlimited) hoppers, Sri Lanka’s bowl-shaped fermented rice pancakes, to dip and scoop one of the many curries. But don’t skip sensational snacks and whimsical cocktails, such as a clarified margarita that tastes of the beach.

157 Greville Street, Prahran, hopperjointmelbourne.com.au

Lucia, South Melbourne

Spacious, luxurious and anything but rowdy, Lucia harks back to a different era of dining. Servers are charming and well trained, able to talk breezily through the armagnac offering. A remarkable dessert of mousse-like chocolate and meringue is finished at the table with a bourbon-coffee mixture, creating a mesmerising pool at the bottom of the bowl. This isn’t a place to see and be seen, but if you’re after serious cooking and exceptional service, you’re in for a treat.

11 Eastern Road, South Melbourne, luciamelbourne.com

Reed House, Melbourne

It’s special when a restaurant opens that feels totally in tune with the city. Reed House, inside a former church minister’s residence, is that place. Co-owner Rebecca Baker opens the door of the bluestone building when you arrive – and again when you leave. Her partner, Mark Hannell, cooks pleasurable dishes with a subtle British skew. Welsh rarebit crumpets, Scotch eggs and roast chicken with bread sauce contain just enough tricks to keep things exciting.

130 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, reedhousemelbourne.com

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. Follow live Age Good Food Guide Award updates from 6pm on Monday night via our blog on theage.com.au and on Instagram and Facebook @goodfoodau.