Where to eat in Melbourne, Sydney and Tasmania: Top tables in Australia’s foodie cities

What’s not to like about a getaway to Australia? The laid-back country down under is beloved for its friendly locals, endless beaches and very cute and cuddly marsupials.

Plus, more than cafe culture or good old steak and fries, there is also a whole wave of chefs and restaurants that are pushing the envelope in the dining scene. Drawing on the country’s multi-cultural heritage and its abundance of excellent local produce, you can expect a diverse array of nosh options to satisfy even the pickiest epicureans.

And even though the Michelin Guide has not made it down under yet and there is currently just one Australian restaurant on the World’s 50 Best 2024 list (that’s Josh Niland’s Saint Peter in Sydney at #98 on the long list), it has its own Chef Hat Awards for those who are inclined to take a cue from such guides.

Better yet, read on to uncover tried and tested dining highlights in three foodie cities – Melbourne, Sydney and Tasmania.

MELBOURNE

Start a gourmand exploration of Melbourne at three-hat fine-dining institution Vue de Monde, where 29-year-old executive chef Hugh Allen turns out inventive yet refined plates of modern Australian cuisine. A unanimous favourite is the flavourful macadamia cream topped with spring greens and caviar in a pool of umami kelp oil – utterly delicious to the last lick. Meanwhile, red kangaroo dipped in a mushroom broth highlights the clean taste of this lean game meat.

Atria, located at The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne, focuses on local and hyper-seasonal produce from small-scale growers and artisan producers. Some ingredients, like the duck from the Macedon Ranges, are sourced so close by that the server can even point out the region from the restaurant’s panoramic windows before placing the perfectly dry-aged duck on the table.

Speaking of farm-to-table, it is well worth the two-hour sojourn by car to the three-hat Brae, which features a 20-acre organic farm where much of the produce makes its way to the dining table. Helmed by Dan Hunter, the menu is ever-changing, depending on what the day’s harvest and catch looks like. For instance, we were treated to a garden salad made with over 40 fruits, vegetables and flowers harvested at their prime.

The restaurant also uses meat sparingly and to maximum effect. The main dish is a hunk of wild-caught venison (fallow deer are considered pests in the countryside) slow roasted in the residual heat of the bread oven for maximum succulence. Best of all, the property also has six luxury carbon-neutral guest suites so there is no need to drive back to town post-dinner.

Back in the city, chew on what has been dubbed the world’s best croissant at Lune Croissanterie where founder and former Formula 1 engineer Kate Reid reverse engineered the recipe to perfection. Today, seasonal creations such as the Tim Tam croissant are sold alongside creations that riff on Aussie favourites like the cheese and Vegemite escargot. There are also Lune Lab meals that include guest chef collaborations, for even more experimental takes on the croissant. (Tip: Its outlet in Melbourne’s CBD draws long lines but the Fitzroy outlet is considerably less crowded.)

For a quintessential Melbourne dining experience, head to Gimlet, with its handsome leather booths and chic high tables for perfectly executed international fare like its moreish anchovy-dressed beef tartare, prepared tableside with great flourish. Pair with – what else but a perfect gimlet, or leave it to head sommelier Anthony Pieri to unearth an interesting bottle of Aussie vino.

At all-day kitchen Big Esso, Torres Strait Islander chef Nornie Bero whips up contemporary Indigenous cuisine that incorporates native and hyperseasonal ingredients. Think crocodile tongue skewers with tea grass red curry and kangaroo tartare garnished with citrusy green ants. Cast aside preconceived notions about these “adventurous” ingredients because there’s no more delicious way to learn a little more about local culture.

And if you are lucky enough to score a reservation at the buzzy Serai Kitchen, the recipient of the Good Food Guide 2023 New Restaurant of the Year, go hungry. Chef Ross Magnaye riffs on robust Filipino flavours for his infinitely delicious creations like the wood roasted pig’s head “sisig” tacos and scallops drizzled in crab fat sauce.

Stay: The luxe The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne is conveniently located smack in the middle of Melbourne’s central business district, within walking distance of its myriad laneways where plenty of food discoveries await.

Or at the recently renovated The Lyall Hotel in the heart of the upscale South Yarra neighbourhood, home to fashionable boutiques and interesting restaurants, which offers chic residential-style digs, with rooms kitted out with a kitchenette, dining and living area.

HOBART

Widely regarded as Australia’s next travel hotspot, the island of Tasmania certainly has plenty to showcase on the dining front, especially since its unique terroir gives rise to excellent hyperlocal ingredients.

The purest expression of Tassie cuisine might just come from the two-hat Agrarian Kitchen, a multi-faceted food destination founded by husband and wife pair Rodney Dunn and Severine Demanet, that comprises a restaurant, cafe and cooking school. A meal here starts with a walk through the on-site garden, greenhouse and pantry stocked with ferments and pickles of all sorts.

Following an amuse bouche of pickles and dips within the greenhouse, get seated at the restaurant proper where the team showcases a wide range of kitchen crafts including cheese-making, whole animal butchery, wood-fired cooking and charcuterie to offer a true sense of place with every bite.

Within capital city Hobart’s centre, more international flavours come into play. A highlight is the two-hat Fico which serves inventive European cuisine made with Tasmanian game, seafood and produce. Like many of Australia’s other top tables, there is no fixed menu, just a line-up of what’s in season, like a delicate octopus and chickpea tart and a zesty hand cut egg tagliolini al limone with bass strait scallops doused in brown butter.

Alternatively, Restaurant Maria, one of Hobart’s newest – and trendiest – restaurants, features a Mediterranean-inspired menu, which makes total sense considering the abundance of quality seafood in Tasmania. Expect tasty crowd pleasers like oysters dressed in a wild fennel pollen mignonette and Campari-cured crudo.

It is a must to visit the provocative Mona – Museum of Old and New Art – one of the catalysts in transforming Tassie into a travel destination. Faro, one of several on-site F&B establishments, features an experimental menu that lives up to the museum’s provocateur reputation. For giggles, order  F*** Art, Let’s Eat, a trio of starter-sized bites that includes a savoury carrot and caraway cream Lamington (a classic Aussie dessert) and comes with a “spoon” shaped like founder David Walsh’s finger.

Stay: The Tasman, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Hobart, at #49 on The World’s 50 Best Hotels list, is arguably the most luxurious hotel in Hobart.

Or for enviable waterfront views, check into the quirkily charming luxury boutique MACq01 Hotel. The spacious, well-appointed rooms come with indulgences like heated bathroom floors and fun in-room amenities like Jenga and pick-up sticks.

SYDNEY

One of the most coveted tables in Sydney is Josh Niland’s newly reopened Saint Peter – and rightfully so. Local foodies might be familiar with his restaurant Fysh at The Singapore Edition and his three-hat Australian flagship restaurant takes his philosophy of seafood butchery and whole fish cooking even further.

The fascinating fish charcuterie dish elevates secondary cuts into gastronomic delights such as John Dory liver pate and yellowfin tuna chorizo. And our table was in raptures over the inventive “pasta” dish made with fettuccine-sized calamari strips – its al dente texture achieved by painstakingly removing the membranes from the squid – and paired with a rich bolognese-inspired tuna nduja.

For ultra-fresh seasonal catch, veteran chef Neil Perry’s Margaret is the address to note. Over the years, he has cultivated close ties with trusted suppliers to deliver their best. Case in point – the King George whiting fillet from a long-term supplier, elegantly pan seared and dressed in lemon and extra virgin olive oil, is perfect in its simplicity.

Asian cuisine continues to make its mark on Sydney’s dining scene, with a growing emphasis on inventive reinterpretations of classic flavours. Popular new kid on the block King Clarence features a contemporary Asian menu inspired by executive chef Khanh Nguyen’s travels. Do not miss the viral Fish Finger Bao, a cross between McDonald’s fillet-o-fish and a xiao long bao (soup dumpling) featuring a crispy panko breadcrumb coated fish patty that is filled with soupy dashi stock.

At the iconic Chat Thai, second generation restaurateur Palisa Anderson pays homage to her mother’s Thai recipes while elevating the experience with produce sourced directly from her own organic farm. And for punchy Thai flavours derived from treasured family recipes like green curry of grilled pork jowl and lychee, the newly minted one-hat Porkfat is a gem of a find.

Stay: Ace Hotel Sydney in the heart of stylish Surry Hills, brings its signature cool to the city’s vibrant creative precinct with an industrial-chic design that is a nod to the building’s history as a former brick factory. Bonus – the minibar is stocked with artisanal snacks.

Josh Niland’s latest venture, the soon-to-open 14-room Grand National Hotel located on the same premises as Saint Peter, is one to look out for.