Restaurant Guide

It could be one of the darkest dining rooms in town, but nine years in the ideas on the plate and in the glass at Monopole are brighter and sharper than ever.

Can anything be less Spanish than 6pm dinner? The popularity of this tapas bar means that may be the only sitting you get unless you're a forward-planning booker.

It’s a winery restaurant with all the trappings: vineyard views, a tasting room with spittoons, that “escaped the city” feeling.

REVIEW Six years into his exploration of native ingredients within a fine-dining prism, Jock Zonfrillokeeps devising innovative combinations at a furious pace. His confidence lifts Orana’s modest dining room to showcase a maverick Australia-first philosophy that feeds all the senses, from lemon myrtle-scented hand towels to Aboriginal artworks and comfortable Australian hardwood furniture, backed by […]

A meathouse that's a vegetarian's paradise? Tell your plant-based friends.

Rockpool Bar & Grill delivers the glamour via its thrilling Deco-era dining room, all soaring pillars, mood lighting and lofty ceilings.

Lunch at Sean's couldn't be more Bondi if a surf lifesaver popped in to say hi to her mates mid-service.

The discreet entry belies the popularity of this Suzie Wong inspired-China diner, which continues to attract a suited CBD lunching clientele.

The bubblegum-pink shopfront of the former Marie-Louise salon is the unlikely façade of this smart two-storey Turkish eatery.

When the bi-fold doors are retracted at this smartly appointed riverside restaurant, there isn't a more picturesque place in Brisbane to enjoy lunch.

Part of Andrew McConnell's empire, this is the younger, buzzier, carefree sibling to the grown-up Cumulus Inc further up Flinders Lane.

Set between the CBD and university, Temporada bridges culinary and social divides.

There's nothing else like Tetsuya's in Sydney. It's an oasis of hush in a Japanese-styled building hidden in a gated compound right in the CBD.

Yes, The Agrarian Kitchen cooking school has a restaurant spin-off - and you can find it in the Instagram-friendly surrounds of the former New Norfolk asylum.

There's not a share plate in sight at this unassuming neighbourhood-style eatery. But you still may need to fend off forks when entrées land.

The appeal's partly due to its hidden laneway address, ex-nightclub digs and the picture windows over plane trees and the MCG.

Vue de Monde impresses not just with the views that come with its lofty 55th-floor perch, but for holding its position in Melbourne's premier restaurant league for so long.

The food is only part of the appeal; the lively crush of bodies yelling for picks from one of the edgiest wine lists in town gives the place permanent buzz.

Visiting Wasabi – which is cantilevered over the Noosa River – is almost like entering the mythical Japanese floating world of Ukiyo.

Welcome to the high temple of the vegetable – roots, shoots, leaves, crumbs and dust conjured to artful, textural and sustaining creations.

REVIEW Laura is a complete restaurant experience. The location is incredible, at one end of a sweeping arc of a building overlooking Pt. Leo Estate’s sculpture park, tucked beyond the establishment’s cellar door and casual dining room. It’s a cosseted enclave that is both elevated and comfortable, and the set menu showcases Phil Wood’s questing […]

This large gorgeous restaurant atop the former Newport Arms owes more than a dash of its sunny elegance and Med-luxe vibe to Merivale's Paddington flagship.

A joyous place where a diner feels blessed to be part of the dance rather than a mere spectator.

Whimsy dances with humour in inventive dishes that are consistently delicious.

REVIEW Want to test if a chef’s paying attention? Order something unforgiving like tripe or chicken. At Carlton Wine Room, chef and co-owner John Paul Twomey comes through with flying colours on both counts with a gorgeously textured tripe and cuttlefish gratin, and half a roasted chicken that’s a juicy, flavour-filled standard bearer for the […]

The dining revolution will not be televised. Mindful eaters need to drive down an unsealed road in Margaret River scrub to see (and taste) it for themselves.

It's the professionalism of the service, honed over a lifetime, and the opulent setting of 85-year-old murals and chandeliers, that makes Florentino something special.

With dishes just as colourful as decor, Arc Dining is an experience for the senses.

What’s not to love about a place where you can swim in the ocean as an apéritif? A liberal attitude towards sandy feet and wet bathers is just one reason why Perth has fallen hard for this beachside address styled on the neighbourhood bars of Europe. While personable floor staff and a focus on new-wave […]

There's a lot to love about the the culinary arm of the Maxwell Winery, located in the heart of the SA's McLaren Vale.

You don't have to venture far from Adelaide's CBD to experience chef Will Doak's lively menu.

The neighbourhood hangout that’s open seven days a week, serving hangover-busting breakfasts, killer cocktails and a casual dinner menu.

A mighty tasty mash-up of Sydney’s obsession with café culture and authentic Thai eats.

You'll find no burgers underground, but you will find a menu built on those same principles.

Local vegetables and seafood play a starring role at this Northern Rivers built, quite literally, by hand by chef-owner Ben Devlin.

Fresh on the Bondi scene, this Mediterranean-style restaurant features a menu driven by wood fire, Italian snacks, retro classics and fun times.

REVIEW There are two types of late-night snacking. There’s the kerbside gobbling you’ll regret the next day, and there’s the Arlechin model, where classy ballast is served till 3am. Owned by the Grossi family, Arlechin inhabits the walk-in cellar for Florentino, which backs onto the other side of the lane. It’s been decked out like […]

With retro style and riffs on classics, Capitano, from the team behind Bar Liberty, isn’t your typical red-sauce joint.

It’s a global cult as much as it is a restaurant. Proselytising the power of pita, Israeli chef Eyal Shani has installed his pulpit in Hardware Lane, where a two-tiered dining room with stadium-style bleacher seating is serving up an addictive recipe for good times and great food. Take heed: Miznon means “kiosk” in Hebrew. […]

Every neighbourhood might deserve a place like Napier Quarter, but few are lucky enough to boast the likes of this back-street bluestone that makes Fitzroy feel like Melbourne’s sixth arrondissement. The recent arrival of chef Eileen Horsnell has pushed this stayer to new heights of cult favouritism among the crowds grabbing a kerbside table on […]

REVIEW Whether you’re a guest at adjacent Jackalope Hotel or a Mornington Peninsula wine-tripper doing the rounds, Rare Hare is a fine place to seek sustenance. The timber-and brick dining room is generally abuzz: views over vine-threaded hills anchor the wine-country story and long shared tables promote conviviality. The food is robust: unfussy, built for […]