Australia’s top 100 restaurants for 2016 revealed

Another year, another comprehensive list. The Australian Financial Review’s Australia’s Top Restaurants’ Top 100 list was revealed tonight during a ceremony at The Star Sydney, crowning Melbourne’s Attica as the current best in Australia. The second edition of AFR’s yearly celebration of excellence highlights the best of the best in Australia and serves as a beacon for discerning diners across the country, while also kicking off a massive dining program designed to celebrate these restaurants and give diners some exclusive experiences while allowing Chefs to showcase their talents.

“Ben Shery has built Attica into a unique and personal experience that celebrates all that Australian dining exellence is about”, offered Terry Durack, respected restaurant critic and Co-Director of the Awards. “With its passion for just-picked and wild plants, an intuitive use of native produce, and exceptionally warm, sincere service, it deserves every accolade and award it wins – especially this one”.

The number two position also goes to Victoria with Chef Dan Hunter’s Brae securing the spot, coming in just ahead of 2015’s number one, Sydney’s celebrated Sepia.

Australia’s Top Restaurants presented by Qantas is now in its second year and remains the only national restaurant awards program of its kind, dedicated entirely to a peer-voted system that sorts through a full list of 500 restaurants compiled by a nation-wide panel of Good Food Guide editors, reviewers, and industry experts. The top 100 is decided by the chefs and restaurateurs themselves.

Welcome Sydney entries in the top 10 include Chippendale’s Automata which comes in at number 9, Peter Gilmore’s buzzy Bennelong, placing at number 7, and Ester just rounding out the top 5. A total of 21 restaurants are new the top 100 list, including Fleet in Brunswick Heats and Igni in Geelong. Sam Miller’s acclaimed Silvereye (Automata’s neighbour) clocks in halfway at 50 for another new entry, while Melbourne’s Tipo 00 makes an impressive debut at number 21.

Along with the Top 100, various awards were announced throughout the night, including “Top Service Team” which went to Sepia, “Chef of the Year” which was awarded to Dan Hunter (Brae), and the 2016 “People’s Choice Award” which went to Akiba in ACT.

State-by-state awards went to highest ranking restaurant in each state:

South Australia: Africola (#47)
Western Australia: Restaurant Amusé (#49)
Queensland: Gerard’s Bistro (#64)
Tasmania: Franklin (#10)
Australian Capital Territory: Monster Kitchen and Bar (#80)
New South Wales: Sepia (#3)
Victoria: Attica (#1)
Northern Territory: Little Miss Korea

The full top 100 for 2016 is as follows:

1. Attica
2. Brae, Birregurra
3. Sepia
4. Quay
5. Ester
6. Sixpenny
7. Bennelong
8. Rockpool est. 1989
9. Automata
10. Franklin
11. Mr Wong
12. Bentley Restaurant & Bar
13. The Bridge Room
14. The Town Mouse
15. Cumulus Inc.
16. 10 William St
17. Flower Drum
18. Cutler & Co
19. LuMi Bar & Dining
20. Supernormal
21. Tipo 00
22. Tetsuya’s
23. Minamishima
24. MoVida, Melbourne
25. Fratelli Paradiso
26. Billy Kwong
27. Biota Dining, Bowral
28. Café Di Stasio
29. LP’s Quality Meats
30. Momofuku Seiōbo
31. Porteño
32. Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney
33. ACME
34. Embla
35. Vue de Monde
36. Firedoor
37. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
38. Chin Chin
39. est.
40. Marque
41. The Apollo
42. Lake House, Daylesford
43. Oscillate Wildly
44. Saint Crispin
45. Guillaume, Sydney
46. Fleet, Brunswick Heads
47. Africola
48. Orana
49. Restaurant Amusé
50. Silvereye
51. Pilu at Freshwater
52. Moon Park
53. France-Soir
54. Lee Ho Fook
55. Bar Lourinhã
56. Icebergs Dining Room & Bar
57. Ormeggio at the Spit
58. Estelle by Scott Pickett
59. Rockpool Bar & Grill, Melbourne
60. Golden Century
61. Spice Temple, Sydney
62. Sean’s Panaroma
63. Cottage Point Inn
64. Gerard’s Bistro
65. The European
66. Monopole
67. Long Chim Perth
68. ARIA
69. Provenance, Beechworth
70. Coda
71. Lalla Rookh
72. Yellow
73. Luxembourg
74. Wasabi Restaurant & Bar, Noosa Heads
75. Master
76. 4Fourteen
77. Clarke’s of North Beach
78. Esquire
79. Muse Restaurant, Pokolbin
80. Monster Kitchen and Bar
81. Grossi Florentino Upstairs
82. Cho Cho San
83. The Long Apron, Montville
84. The Press Club
85. Lucio’s
86. Ethos Eat Drink
87. Anchovy
88. Vasse Felix Restaurant, Cowaramup
89. Lume
90. Tonka
91. Mister Jennings
92. Union Dining
93. Igni, Geelong
94. Sokyo
95. Peel St
96. Hentley Farm, Seppeltsfield
97. Lau’s Family Kitchen
98. Fino, Seppeltsfield
99. Epocha
100. Il Bacaro

For more information about the dining program planned to celebrate Australia’s top restaurants click HERE.

Image: Attica

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Chris Singh

Chris Singh is an Editor-At-Large at the AU review, loves writing about travel and hospitality, and is partial to a perfectly textured octopus. You can reach him on Instagram: @chrisdsingh.