From one hat to three, the essential list of every hat-winning restaurant from the 42nd edition of The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide.

October 26, 2026

Home of the hats

Heard the expression, “It’s a hatted restaurant”? The chefs’ hat rating system was created by the Good Food Guide more than 40 years ago to give readers a sense of what to expect in terms of food, service and experience. It has been the cornerstone of Good Food’s rating system ever since.

Each restaurant reviewed in the Guide is scored out of 20: 10 points for food, five for hospitality, three for setting and experience, and two for value. Restaurants scoring 15 or above are awarded one hat, those scoring 16 or 17 receive two hats, and those between 18 and 20 receive three hats.

The main goal of our reviewers isn’t to tell you whether we like a restaurant. It’s to paint a picture of the experience so you can decide whether you might like it, and to explain how it sits within Australia’s dining landscape.

Note: NEW denotes a venue that has opened in last 12 months or first time appearing in the Guide.

Still home to the most incredible tandoor-roasted lamb cutlets after 36 years.

Any conversation regarding “best wine-bar snacks of the century” needs to include the bacon and comte custard tart.

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Yes, the Museum of Contemporary Art restaurant is actually quite good!

Our former Restaurant of the Year winner pays delicious homage to its Hungarian legacy.

It’s been another big year for fancy potato scallops, and nobody does them better than this waterside all-rounder.

Sure, everyone misses the old digs on Sussex Street, but those XO pipis – and the steamed parrot fish and live abalone and wok-fried snow crab – are forever.

Best jacket potato in Sydney, maybe the country.

The premier spot for date-night tagliolini or a three-martini lunch.

Chef Mitch Orr has left the building, but the team at this UK-import continues to wood-fire calamari and flathead with panache.

Book a table for the new American-Australian barbecue lunch menu immediately.

Sydney’s first Filipino restaurant to be awarded a Good Food Guide hat also does cracking cocktails.

Sydney’s first Filipino restaurant to be awarded a Good Food Guide hat also does cracking cocktails.

It’s not a proper long weekend in the Hunter Valley without lunch at this staunchly French icon.

Big flavours from the Central West’s smallest kitchen.

Indeed, some of the most balanced, memorable Thai food in NSW can be found on the Old Hume Highway.

There’s more to Tenterfield these days than Peter Allen nostalgia and museums about trains. You can also drink grower champagne and eat a tart loaded with locally grown vegetables at this all-occasion wine bar.

When someone asks “Where’s the best place for steak in the city?“, this is the answer (or Rockpool Bar and Grill).

Another beautifully designed spot for sharing plus-sized rib-eyes and pristine seafood.

If you only order one Peking duck a year, this is the place to do it.

Ground zero for chou farci and reduced French sauces.

Photo: Good Food

The winners of the 42nd Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards, presented by Oceania Cruises and T2 Tea, were announced on Monday, October 26.

The 42nd Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide reviews are available via the Good Food app, which is free for premium subscribers of The Sydney Morning Herald and also available as a standalone subscription. You can download the Good Food app here. Click here for more Good Food Guide stories.

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Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

At a glance

Topic
World
Country
🇦🇺 AU
Publisher language
EN
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