The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide launched its 40th edition on Monday night, awarding hats to a host of restaurants throughout NSW and the ACT.

The Guide was created to inform the public about Australia’s best restaurants, bars, pubs and cafes, and the chefs’ hat rating system – the cornerstone of the Guide for four decades – was created to give diners a sense of what to expect in terms of food, service and experience.

Among the 151 hatted restaurants in the 2025 Guide, a trend has emerged: the geography of Sydney’s hats is beginning to shift.

Closer to the CBD there were hats in Hurstville and Brighton-Le-Sands, but it was Sydney’s west that broke new ground. Gursha Ethiopian in Blacktown took out the Critics’ Pick award, while there was one hat each for Sinclair’s in Penrith and Cricca in Windsor.

“I’ve scanned the index and map pages of every Good Food Guide back to 1984, and can confidently say that this is the first time a hat has ever been awarded to a restaurant in either suburb,” says Good Food Guide editor Callan Boys.

“Penrith has had a few restaurants featured in the Guide over the years – Tamleni Indian, The Union and Osso, back when it was on Lawson Street – but nothing at a hat level. At Windsor on the Hawkesbury River, a half-hour drive north-east, it’s a similar story.

“The Western Sydney maps in many editions of the Good Food Guide actually tend to trail off after Parramatta. That will no longer be the case, especially with the launch of our new Good Food app, which can be filled with thousands of restaurants across Sydney. The Guide is no longer limited by pesky word space and page numbers.”

Sinclair’s, a steakhouse atop the rebuilt 1820s Log Cabin hotel, scored 15 out of a possible 20 in the Guide. It offers elevated classics with views of the Nepean River: sirloin is crusted over ironbark and checked with olive oil, a specials board lists the likes of corned-beef croquettes, while the chef’s table menu might feature grilled oysters or suckling pig.

Sinclair’s chef Scott Mills, who began his career in Hervey Bay at the age of 14
before holding roles in the Whitsundays and Kirribilli, says the accolade is the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.

“It’s definitely ticked an item off my bucket list. It’s an absolute privilege to be a part of the story of elevating Penrith’s dining scene, coming out here and just giving it all we’ve got.”

Penrith should entice chefs, he says, due to the proximity to a range of producers, many of whom Sinclair’s maintains direct relationship with; the menu might list Grima Bros celeriac or Schofields Orchard citrus, for example, both within 30 kilometres of the restaurant.

It’s not just about hats either, with recent openings including Long’s House and the casual offerings at the new Manufactor precinct adding texture to Penrith’s dining scene.

As for whether Mills thinks Sinclair’s can be a model for other locals dreaming big? “One hundred per cent, and I hope to see a little bit more,” he says. “I hope to see that people can now see that it’s a viable option, and that you don’t need to travel all the way to the city to have a good night.”

It’s a similar story in Windsor, where Cricca has become the town’s first hatted
venue, scoring 15 out of 20. For Alessio Nogarotto, who runs the intimate wood-fired “Italian-ish” restaurant with chef Giles Gabutina, it’s not only representative of Western Sydney’s growing appeal for young operators, it’s personal.

“I was raised in Italy, but Western Sydney is my home. It means a lot to us, for
Windsor and our community,” he says. “I really hope this shines a light on not only people seeing Windsor as a dining destination, but for restaurateurs to see potential here.”

Ultimately, though, Nogarotto hopes the hat can help reverse the tide of locals
skipping town for special occasions, and encourage more diners from inner Sydney to head west.

“Windsor is a Macquarie town. It’s beautiful. The buildings are heritage. We have gas lamps. I feel like there’s so much potential for Windsor to be a hub for food, for travel, for getaways,” he says. “Maybe we can flip that, get some city diners to come out, have a farm stay for the weekend and explore something new that they haven’t explored before.”

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2025, featuring more than 450 reviews, is on sale for $14.95 from newsagents, supermarkets and at thestore.com.au.

The new Good Food app, featuring Good Food Guide reviews, recipes and food news, is available to download. It’s available as a standalone subscription and as part of our Premium Digital packages for subscribers. Premium Digital subscribers can download the Good Food app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store now.