Since 1982, the Australian Good Food Guide Chef Hats have been awarded to try and help discern somewhat of an upper culinary echelon in cities like Sydney and Melbourne. Considering Australia is yet to welcome the Michelin guide, chef’s hats have been seen as the creme de la creme of location restaurant ratings so, even for those who don’t have much trust in the system, it’s always worth seeing who was awarded one, two, or three chef’s hats for the coming year.
Last night, Good Food hosted its annual award ceremony, announcing the various NSW restaurants that have retained, gained, or lost a chef’s hat as we move into 2023. Just earlier this month, The Age also did the same for Victoria, so we’ve gone and rounded up all the hatted restaurants in both states for 2023.
According to AFGF, the coveted chef’s hat rating system is based on nothing but the food alone. Wine, service and ambience are, importantly, not factored in when you see that a restaurant has one, two or three chef hats. As per the ratings guide, these awards are based on just six factors – ingredients, taste, presentation, technique, value, and consistency.
Is a Chef’s Hat as authoritative as a Michelin star? That’s really on you to decide since it’s all subjective. Regardless, here are all the Sydney and Melbourne restaurants (as well as regional NSW and VIC) that have been awarded chef’s hats for 2023.
And while you’re here to find out all the hatted restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne, check out some of our BH restaurant round-ups if you’re after some of our personal suggestions.
- Best Japanese Restaurants in Sydney
- Best Japanese Restaurants in Melbourne
- Best Italian Restaurants in Sydney
- Best Italian Restaurants in Melbourne
- Best French Restaurants in Sydney
- Best French Restaurants in Melbourne
Chef’s Hats – Victoria
One Hat
- Atlas Dining
- Auterra
- Bacash
- Bar Carolina
- Bar Lourinha
- Bar Romanee
- Bistro Gitan
- Carlton Wine Room
- Caterina’s Cucina e Bar
- Cecconi’s Flinders Lane
- Chancery Lane
- The Chef’s Table at Kisume
- Coda
- Comma Food & Wine
- Cumulus Inc.
- Di Stasio Carlton
- Donovans
- Embla
- Enter Via Laundry
- Entrecote
- Etta
- The European
- Farmer’s Daughters
- Firebird
- Freyja
- Her bar
- Hero
- Hope St Radio
- Il Bacaro
- The Independent
- James
- Jeow
- Komeyui
- La Madonna
- La Pinta
- Lagoon Dining
- Lagotto
- Lillian Brasserie
- Lona Misa
- Maha
- Manze
- Marameo
- Marble Yakiniku
- Marion
- Matilda 159 Domain
- Matteo’s
- MoVida
- Nomad
- Osteria Ilaria
- Philippe
- Pipis Kiosk
- Poodle Bar & Bistro
- Public Wine Shop
- The Recreation Bistro & Bottleshop
- Robata
- Rosetta
- Ryne
- Scopri
- Serai
- Smith & Daughters
- Smith St Bistrot
- Stokehouse
- Sunda
- Supernormal
- Taxi Kitchen
- Tipo 00
- Tonka
- Tulum
- Vex Dining
- Victor Churchill
- Audrey’s, Sorrento
- Bar Midland, Castlemaine
- Beppe, Daylesford
- Bistrot Plume, Geelong
- Brown Brothers Restaurant, Milawa
- Cape, Cape Schanck
- Doot Doot Doot, Merricks North
- Du Fermier, Trentham
- Gold Mines Hotel, Bendigo
- Heartswood, Yarra Glen
- Hogget Kitchen, Warragul
- Ipsos, Lorne
- Jayden Ong Winery & Cellar Door, Healesville
- Jones Winery Restaurant, Rutherglen
- Kuzu, Woodend
- La Cachette, Geelong
- La Cantina, Freshwater Creek
- Many Little, Red Hill South
- Masons of Bendigo, Bendigo
- Midnight Starling, Kyneton
- Moke, Flinders
- Mr Jones, Ballarat
- No. 7 Healesville, Healesville
- Oakridge Winery, Coldstream
- Paringa Estate, Red Hill South
- Polperro, Red Hill
- Port Phillip Estate, Red Hill South
- Ragazzone, Ballarat
- Rare Hare, Merricks North
- The Restaurant at Montalto, Red Hill South
- Samesyn, Torquay
- Sardine Dining, Paynesville
- The Surly Goat, Hepburn Springs
- TarraWarra Estate, Yarra Glen
- Tulip, Geelong
Two Hats
- Amaru
- Aru
- Attica
- Chae
- Cutler & Co.
- Di Stasio Citta
- Flower Drum
- Gimlet at Cavendish House
- Greasy Zoes
- Grill Americano
- Grossi Florentino
- Ides
- Ishizuka
- Kazuki’s
- Lee Ho Fook
- Lume
- Navi
- O.My
- Omnia
- Society
- Warabi
- Yugen
- Chauncy, Heathcote
- Fen, Port Fairy
- Igni, Geelong
- Kadota, Daylesford
- Lake House, Daylesford
- Moonah, Connewarre
- Provenance, Beechworth
- Stefano’s, Mildura
- Tedesca Osteria, Red Hill
- Ten Minutes by Tractor, Main Ridge
- Wickens at Royal Mail Hotel, Dunkeld
Three Hats
- Brae, Birregurra
- Minamishima
- Vue de Monde
Chef’s Hats – NSW
One Hat
- 10 William St
- a’Mare
- Abhi’s
- Alberto’s Lounge
- Alpha Restaurant
- Annata Restaurant and Wine Bar
- Ante
- The Apollo
- Arthur
- Baccomatto Osteria
- Bar Louise
- Bar Vincent
- Bastardo
- Bathers’ Pavilion Restaurant
- Bistrot 916
- Buon Ricordo
- Catalina
- Chaco Bar
- The Charles Grand Brasserie
- China Doll
- Cho Cho San
- Cirrus
- Civico 47
- Clove Lane
- Continental Deli Bar & Bistro
- Da Orazio
- Dining by James Viles
- Ele by Federico & Karl
- Esteban
- Felix
- Fontana
- Fratelli Paradiso
- Gaku Robata Grill Omakase
- The Gidley
- Glass Brasserie
- Gowings
- Haco
- Ho Jiak Town Hall
- Hotel Centennial
- Kiln
- Kindred
- Kisuke
- Kuon Omakase
- Kuro Bar & Dining
- Lana
- Lankan Filling Station
- Lilymu
- Loulou Bistro
- Luke’s Kitchen
- Marta
- Maydanoz
- Metisse
- Ms.G’s
- MuMu
- Nobu
- Nour
- Odd Culture Newtown
- One Penny Red
- Otto Ristorante
- Pellegrino 2000
- Poly
- Porcine
- Porkfat
- Queen Chow Enmore
- RAFI
- Ragazzi
- Ren Ishii
- Restaurant Hubert
- Restaurant Leo
- The Restaurant Pendolino
- Rising Sun Workshop
- Sokyo
- Soul Dining
- Sushi e
- Uccello
- Una Mas
- Viand
- Yan
- Amara, Bowen Mountain
- Ates, Blackheath
- Babyface Kitchen, Wollongong
- Bangalay Dining, Shoalhaven Heads
- Bar Rochford, Canberra
- Beach Byron Bay, Byron Bay
- Bistro Livi, Murwillumbah
- Bistro Molines, Mount View
- Charred Kitchen & Bar, Orange
- Ciao, Mate!, Bangalow
- EXP. Restaurant, Pokolbin
- Flotilla, Newcastle
- Franco Pizza Bar, Thirroul
- Frida’s Field, Byron Bay
- Italian and Sons, Braddon ACT
- Lola Dining, Ballina
- Margan Restaurant, Broke
- The Milton Hotel, Milton
- Mu Omakase, Canberra
- Muse Kitchen, Pokolbin
- Onzieme, Kingston ACT
- Osteria il Coccia, Ettalong Beach
- Paper Daisy, Cabarita Beach
- Paste Australia, Mittagong
- Pavilion Dining, Pialligo ACT
- Queen Chow Narooma, Narooma
- Raes Dining Room, Byron Bay
- Raku, Canberra
- Rebel Rebel, Acton ACT
- Restaurant Santino, Wollongong
- Roco Ramen, Brunswick Heads
- Small Town Food + Wine, Milton
- South on Albany, Berry
- The Stunned Mullet, Port Macquarie
- Terra, Canberra
- Valentina, Merimbula
- XO, Canberra
- Yellow Billy Restaurant, Pokolbin
- You Beauty, Bangalow
- The Zin House, Mudgee
Two Hats
- Aalia
- Aria
- Bennelong
- Bentley Restaurant + Bar
- Berowra Waters Inn
- Bert’s Bar & Brasserie
- Cafe Paci
- Ester
- Franca Brasserie
- Fred’s
- Gildas
- LuMi Dining
- Margaret
- Mimi’s
- Monopole
- Mr. Wong
- Nomad
- Ormeggio at The Spit
- Parlar
- Pilu at Freshwater
- Porteno
- Rockpool Bar & Grill
- Saint Peter
- Sean’s
- Shell House Dining Room & Terrace
- Spice Temple
- Sushi Oe
- Tetsuya’s
- Ursula’s
- Yellow
- Yoshii’s Omakase
- Muse Restaurant, Pokolbin
- Pilot, Ainslie ACT
- Pipit, Pottsville
Three Hats
- Firedoor
- Oncore by Clare Smyth
- Quay
- Sixpenny
