Winners of The Age Good Food Guide 2024 - a list of all the awardees!

Complete list of awards

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR - VITTORIA COFFEE

This restaurant sets standards in food and service, promotes the development of the hospitality industry, and supports Australian producers.

O.My, Beaconsfield

The O.My menus look a bit different each month compared to most restaurants: there’s no supplier of fruits and vegetables to pay. From day one, the Bertoncello brothers (chef Blaine and sommelier Chase) have been running a farm near their restaurant on the outskirts of Melbourne, and today they build their menu primarily based on what they can grow. Years of planning come to life in every dish, whether it’s nectarines, greens, honey, eggs, or chicory. It’s no surprise that vegetables take center stage here. Meat and seafood are sourced responsibly, often brought in as whole animals and used sparingly. However, nothing about the changing tastings at O.My, served in an elegant setting, feels stingy. The pride of the team is evident in every bite they serve and in every drink they pour, but the service never feels preachy. Chase’s laughter echoes throughout the restaurant with a certain regularity, bringing a spark to every table. The restaurant has survived three relocations, endured a fire, and weathered the pandemic, but the team remains true to its principle of sustainable eating. In 2019, a cocktail bar was added to the O.My universe, becoming a more relaxed spot for locals. It now also serves bottled products, selling wine from the cellar. Many restaurants are now taking steps towards environmental sustainability. O.My is one of the few that practices this in every decision, all done with a smile on their faces.

Jo Barrett, Little Picket

Describing Jo Barrett as a chef means withholding important information. She is also a hunter, farmer, fisherman, baker, cheesemaker, crossbow enthusiast, and, above all, a pioneer in sustainability. At Little Picket in Lorne, Barrett quietly creates a blueprint for the future of restaurant dining, developing a low-waste, ultra-local ethical approach that she championed at Oakridge, practiced full-time at the self-sufficient home of Future Food Systems' Joost Bakker, and shares with home cooks in her new book "Sustain." At Little Picket, the menu may feature ethically sourced wild game products, such as dim sims made from wild boar or terrine from culled kangaroos. Cheese is made on-site, fruits and vegetables are sourced from a nearby organic farm, supplemented by produce that locals trade for a few beers, and the kitchen minimizes plastic use, favoring pickling and fermentation. But the genius of Little Picket lies in its accessibility. It is a globally significant yet distinctly Australian place, a restaurant you won't find anywhere else. The cooking here is smart and confident, and the restaurant serves as a gathering spot for the Lorne community, already familiar with the roster of Kiev and venison pie, as well as for the influx of tourists.

Reine & La Rue, Melbourne

The best new addition to our restaurant landscape isn't always the loudest, most ambitious, or most talked-about opening of the past few months. But this year, we bow to the gods of advertising. Reine is not just all of that - extravagant, ostentatious, with high expectations - but it is also truly, truly good. The room in the former Melbourne Stock Exchange is simply stunning. It is magnificent and skillfully utilizes the majestic 19th-century architecture of the building, and what you will eat and drink lives up to the promise of the space (and the attached price). Chef Jacqueline Challinor prepares French dishes luxuriously and lavishly, and she does it exceptionally well. There is lobster, there is wagyu, there is foie gras. The cooking is precise, the service is charming, and the wine list is full of bottles worth spending money on. This place shows that sometimes the advertising machine is right.

Louis Naepels and Tess Murray, owners of Chauncy, Hitcot

Sitting in the sunny hall of the Chauncy restaurant, you can almost feel like you're in the French countryside. Instead, you're in Hitcote, enjoying the exquisite cuisine of Louis Napel. Napel is French, and much of the menu here is closely tied to the traditions on which Michelin based its famous guide - so many of the best restaurants in France were hidden in the beautiful rooms of small towns.

Kin, Wahgunyah

Kin impresses for many reasons. As part of the multimillion-dollar renovation at All Saints Estate, it breathes new life into one of the state's most historic wineries. It is modern and fresh, yet comfortably situated on the slope of a 19th-century castle by the Murray River. And it serves as a platform for the remarkable cuisine of Jack Cassidy, a young chef with great talent. Cassidy's cooking is smart, sophisticated, and showcases the region's produce, from the vineyard and beyond. He creates truly exceptional dishes with local ingredients, especially using local herbs: where else will you find green curry broth made almost entirely from local herbs? It's amazing to see that cooking and hospitality at such a level are so far from Melbourne, proving that our regional dining scene is stronger and better than ever.

Hannah Green, Etta

“Helloooo!” - Hannah Green greets you with the same enthusiasm, whether it’s your first visit to Etta or your fifteenth. Regulars are remembered, and their favorite wine style is quickly discussed. All this invigorating energy should not be mistaken for a lack of seriousness. Etta is a smooth operation, overseen by Green, its owner and a trained sommelier, who keeps a watchful blue eye on ensuring full glasses, matching garnishes to the rest of your order, and coordinating the kitchen’s pace with yours. Her service is so intuitive that you barely notice the dozens of little gestures that make you comfortable. Amid all this, the staff is allowed to be themselves, just like Green, making Etta a wonderful and unique place.

Cameron Tay-Yap, Amaru, and Lily McGrath, MoVida

As a problem, it's not such a bad problem: two rising stars, both undeniably talented, but pursuing completely different career paths. And here they are, two winners. After working in the best luxury restaurants, Tay-Yap brings imagination and hard work to his role as head chef at Amaru. Serving innovative tastings under the guidance of executive chef Clinton McIver, Tay-Yap considers sustainability—both for products and for people—to be important. "When people enjoy what they do and are not exhausted, it's beneficial not only for the business but also for the guests," he says. McGrath proves that a chef doesn't need to travel the world or change roles to work at a high level. In her eight years at MoVida Group, she has introduced her own charcuterie and clever ideas about minimal waste, such as rabbit bone jam, which are a testament to her persistence and creativity. Providing the mentorship she so desperately needed at the beginning of her career is a priority. "I've never met another trans chef. I think it's nice to see other people like you succeeding."

Jason Lui, Flower Drum

Jason Louie grew up in Flower Drum, a restaurant founded by Gilbert Lau in 1975. His father, head chef Anthony Louie, bought the restaurant from Lau in 2003. Jason then joined the business full-time, working his way up from a busboy to general manager, becoming a familiar face for visitors and a guardian of the establishment, which is known worldwide. "He takes such pride in representing Flower Drum, showcasing his own Chinese heritage, and continuing the family tradition and legacy of impeccable service that Gilbert created," says author and chef Tony Tan. Devoted, calm, and generous, Jason also possesses remarkable knowledge of the food and wine at Flower Drum. But what’s most impressive is his ability to simultaneously see everything happening in his dining room, making you feel...