Australia's Top 100 restaurants for 2017 revealed

Brae was named number one restaurant in Australia at The Australian Financial Review Australia’s Top Restaurants, presented by Qantas, on 19 June. Chef/owner Dan Hunter received further accolades, also taking out the ‘Australia’s Top Chef’ award.

“As a chef, Dan is an intelligent perfectionist, and as a business owner, he’s re-writing the rulebook for regional restaurants across Australia” said Terry Durack, co-director of the awards. “By digging down and being part of the landscape, Brae is carving out a very special place for itself where you can have a uniquely Victorian experience”.

In second place on the list was fellow World’s 50 Best restaurant Attica, with Ester, Sixpenny, Sepia, Franklin, Tipo 00, Embla, Automata and Hubert, rounding out the top 10.

“The new top 100 shows that diversity is the great strength of Australian dining. It makes dining out so much more interesting when every experience is different rather than the same,” said Durack.

The 2017 list also sees more appreciation for regional restaurants across the board, with a total of fourteen restaurants in the top 100 located outside capital cities. Notable among them is the 14-seater Fleet in Brunswick Heads, just north of Byron Bay, where Josh Lewis, Astrid McCormack and Rob Mudge make up Australia’s smallest restaurant service team. Despite having a team of just three – including the chef – Fleet was voted the Qantas Top Service Team by the chefs and restaurateurs of Australia.

“As always, the magic is in the mix, especially in that amazing top ten. With everything from vineyard restaurants to laneway diners, it makes the top 100 a real bucket list in terms of what’s good where, right now,” said Jill Dupleix, co-director and leading food writer.

Notable restaurants new to the top 100 list include Sydney’s new retro-European venue, the Swillhouse Group’s Restaurant Hubert (at number 10), which also took out top newcomer, Josh Niland’s Saint Peter in Paddington (11), Danielle Alvarez’s wood-fired, farm-to-table Fred’s, also in Paddington (23), Bar Liberty in Melbourne’s Fitzroy (49), former Attica chef Peter Gunn’s Ides in Melbourne (59), and from Perth, Jedd Gerrard’s Wildflower (60).

The 2017 Top 100 restaurants were revealed at a Gala Awards ceremony held at The Star Sydney, featuring food from some of its best restaurants, including Balla, Black, Momofuku Seiobo, and Sokyo. Now in its third year, The Australian Financial Review Australia’s Top Restaurants is the only national restaurant awards program of its kind decided by the votes of the chefs and restaurateurs themselves.

The Australian Financial Review Australia’s Top Restaurants was launched in 2015. The overall list of Australia’s top 500 restaurants is first compiled by directors Durack and Dupleix in conjunction with an Australia-wide panel of Good Food Guide editors, reviewers and industry experts. These restaurants form an academy of voters, with each restaurant asked to nominate their top ten restaurants from the list of 500. It’s these votes that decide Australia’s Top 100 Restaurants, as well as Australia’s Top Chef and the Qantas Top Service Team.

Australia’s Top 100 Restaurants for 2017:

1              Brae, Birregurra VIC
2              Attica, VIC
3              Ester, NSW
4              Sixpenny, NSW
5              Sepia, NSW
6              Franklin, TAS
7              Tipo00, VIC
8              Embla, VIC
9              Automata, NSW
10           Restaurant Hubert, NSW
11           Saint Peter, NSW
12           Igni, Geelong, VIC
13           Momofuku Seiobo, NSW
14           Bennelong, NSW
15           Flower Drum, VIC
16           Supernormal. VIC
17           Fleet, Brunswick Heads, NSW
18           Mr Wong, NSW
19           The Bridge Room, NSW
20           Quay, NSW
21           Firedoor, NSW
22           LuMi Bar & Dining, NSW
23           Fred’s, NSW
24           Tetsuya’s, NSW
25           Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, VIC
26           Bentley Restaurant & Bar, NSW
27           Billy Kwong, NSW
28           Cutler & Co, VIC
29           Africola, SA
30           Cumulus Inc., VIC
31           Orana, SA
32           Vue de Monde, VIC
33           Fratelli Paradiso, NSW
34           Biota Dining, Bowral, NSW
35           MoVida, VIC
36           est., NSW
37           The Apollo, NSW
38           Lee Ho Fook, VIC
39           Ormeggio at the Spit, NSW
40           Oscillate Wildly, NSW
41           The Town Mouse, VIC
42           10 William St, NSW
43           Minamishima, VIC
44           Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, NSW
45           France-Soir, VIC
46           ACME, NSW
47           Cafe Di Stasio, VIC
48           Wasabi Restaurant & Bar, Noosa Sound, QLD
49           Bar Liberty, VIC
50           Anchovy, VIC
51           Chin Chin, VIC
52           Magill Estate Restaurant, Magill, SA
53           LP’s Quality Meats, NSW
54           Lume, VIC
55           Estelle by Scott Pickett, VIC
56           Pilu at Freshwater, NSW
57           Bar Lourinha, VIC
58           Gerard’s Bistro, QLD
59           Ides, VIC
60           Wildflower, WA
61           Golden Century, NSW
62           Provenance, Beechworth, VIC
63           Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney, NSW
64           Bar Brose, NSW
65           Lake House, Daylesford, VIC
66           Templo, TAS
67           Sean’s Panaroma, NSW
68           Cirrus Dining, NSW
69           Paper Daisy, Cabarita Beach, NSW
70           Hentley Farm, Seppeltsfield, SA
71           Fino at Seppeltsfield, Seppeltsfield, SA
72           Porteno, NSW
73           Ezard, VIC
74           Lulu La Delizia, WA
75           Long Chim, Sydney, NSW
76           Tonka, VIC
77           Pope Joan, VIC
78           Il Bacaro, VIC
79           Tulum, VIC
80           Botanic Gardens Restaurant, SA
81           Marion, VIC
82           Vasse Felix Restaurant, Margaret River, WA
83           Long Chim, Perth, WA
84           esquire, QLD
85           Bread in Common, Fremantle, WA
86           Stokehouse, Melbourne, VIC
87           French Saloon, VIC
88           Amaru, VIC
89           Aubergine, ACT
90           Monster Kitchen & Bar, ACT
91           Aria, Sydney, NSW
92           Spice Temple, Sydney, NSW
93           Muse Restaurant, Pokolbin, NSW
94           Continental Deli Bar Bistro, NSW
95           Saint Crispin, VIC
96           Grossi Florentino Upstairs, VIC
97           Stanbuli, NSW
98           Lucio’s, NSW
99           Dainty Sichuan, South Yarra, VIC
100         Nu Nu, Palm Cove, QLD