Dier Makr, Hobart, Tasmania © Osborne Images
The 10 Best Modern Australian Restaurants
Australia's dining scene brings bold native flavours and Aussie charm to the table. Here are ten eateries not to be missed.
If you're after Australian flavours, head to Attica. This Melbourne restaurant offers a degustation-only menu that’s been built by chef Ben Shewry to hero native ingredients. Here, you'll be introduced to foods you've never tried – think crocodile and kangaroo or lemon myrtle and finger lime – so bring a curious attitude. While Attica seeks to avoid the 'fine dining' label, it's certainly no stranger to the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. Be sure to book well in advance.
Set against the incomparable backdrop of Sydney Harbour, Quay is a feast for your eyes and your tastebuds. The restaurant has held its position as one of Australia's best modern dining venues for over 20 years and lovingly describes itself as "an ode to the Australian landscape." Chef Peter Gilmore's menu is inspired by nature, and he works closely with an exclusive team of farmers, fishermen and other producers on each dish, making every bite absolutely perfect.
Within the 51-hectare (126-acre) Adelaide Botanic Garden, you'll find the lush Restaurant Botanic. The menu is quintessentially Australian, featuring distinctive ingredients like marron, green ants and bunya branches. Enjoy a luxuriously slow meal in this green oasis (four hours is recommended), and for the complete experience, pair your dishes with a range of specially selected alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages.
When visiting the Gold Coast, swing past Burleigh Heads for a superior coastal dining experience at Rick Shores. The pan-Asian seafood restaurant is set with the crashing waves of the Coral Sea as its backdrop, making it ideal for everything from intimate dinners to special occasions. Expect unbelievably fresh fish and shellfish from its award-winning menu and an impressive wine list that has also won its fair share of awards over the years.
Big Esso is a bar and kitchen in Melbourne on Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung country. Led by Chef Nornie Bero, the restaurant celebrates Indigenous food and culture. In the Torres Strait, Big Esso translates to "the biggest thank you," and the dining experience here focuses on warm social interactions. Sit at a communal table, enjoy some First Nations tunes and allow yourself to be guided through each exciting course.
When visiting Tasmania, visit Hobart's unpretentious but exceptional restaurant, Dier Makr. This venue focuses on organic Australian ingredients, and the seasonal menu is changed regularly to feature only what is ripe and delicious. Sit up at the kitchen counter, select the wine-pairing menu option and watch the chefs work their magic. You’ll be raving about your meal for a long time to come.
Wildflower in central Perth doesn't just follow four seasons, but the six seasons of the local Indigenous Noongar calendar. Under head chef Paul Wilson, you can expect elements like sandalwood nuts, finger lime, wattle seed and strawberry gum to be featured throughout the menu, which (naturally) is ever-changing. Your visit to Wildflower will treat you not only to incredible native flavours but also to striking views of the Swan River and Perth city, making for a pretty memorable experience.
You may recognise Firedoor from the Netflix series Chef's Table. The Sydney restaurant runs its kitchen without gas or electricity, only cooking with wood-fired ovens, grills and a wood-burning hearth. Chef and owner Lennox Hastie has built a dining experience centred on celebrating high-quality seasonal ingredients and the many forms of cooking with fire. When dining here, take a counter seat and watch the flaming action play out in front of you - with a glass of wine in hand, of course.
Led by chef Dan Hunter, Brae is an award-winning restaurant and farm near the beautiful Great Ocean Road, and is a love letter to the landscape it sits within. You'll need to travel almost two hours out of Melbourne to find this gem, but while here, you'll be treated to seasonal vegetables, fruits, nuts, olives, honey and grains that have been grown on the property's eight hectares (20 acres) of farmland. There are also six suites available at Brae – perfect for cosying up after an incredible meal.
More than a restaurant, The Agrarian Kitchen is also a garden and school for anyone seeking to learn about sustainable cooking practices. Co-founders Rodney Dunn and Séverine Demanet converted an old mental asylum just forty minutes outside of Hobart into a thriving space for creative cooking in 2015. Explore the on-site garden, which produces 90 per cent of the menu's ingredients, and stay for the restaurant's lunch menu, which heroes back-to-basics methods like ancient cheese-making, fermentation and wood-fired cooking.
