Melbourne restaurant Zareh has been named Gourmet Traveller’s 2026 Restaurant of the Year, capping a remarkable night of celebrations for Australia’s dining industry and the magazine’s 60th anniversary.
The Collingwood restaurant, owned and operated by chef Tom Sarafian, took the top prize at the 46th annual Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards, held at Olympus Dining in Sydney. Zareh was praised for its exuberant approach to dining, bringing together Lebanese, Armenian and Egyptian influences in a lively restaurant where music, energetic service and a packed room are as integral to the experience as the food.
The awards event, presented in partnership with Lexus, opened with a performance by four-time ARIA winner Ben Lee, and recognised restaurant and bar operators and hospitality figures from across the country. Several winners reflected the changing nature of Australian dining with a growing emphasis on the use of local ingredients and producers.
State winners
Scholé, the intimate Hobart restaurant of chef Luke Burgess, was named Tasmania’s state winner. Housed in a former lolly shop, Scholé combines hyper-local Tasmanian ingredients with Japanese and European influences in a highly considered dining experience.
Bistro Livi, in Murwillumbah, took the New South Wales award, with the judges recognising the Northern Rivers restaurant’s close relationship with local producers and its inventive use of fermentation, pickling and preserving. In Queensland, The Woodshed at Kin Kin was named state winner, as well as taking out the national award for Best Destination Dining. Chef-owner Oscar Holgado’s restaurant, located at the historic Kin Kin Hotel, grows much of its own produce and uses open-fire cooking, pickling and curing to create an immersive expression of the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
South Australia’s winner was Esmay, housed in the heritage-listed Hackney Hotel in Adelaide. Chef Alanna Sapwell’s cooking was praised for its finesse, use of natural and locally sourced produce, and approachable hospitality. Western Australia’s state award went to De’sendent in Margaret River, where Ann Spencer and Evan Hayter have created a sophisticated restaurant focused on exceptional Western Australian produce and restrained, polished cooking.
Zareh completed the state winners, taking the Victorian title before going on to win the night’s major award.
Long-standing figures recognised
There were also major wins for some of Australia’s established institutions. Sydney’s Beppi’s received the Enduring Excellence award, voted on by Gourmet Traveller readers. The Darlinghurst restaurant has been serving classic Italian food for 70 years, having been founded by Beppi Polese in 1956 and now run by his son, Marc, who accepted the award on the night.
The award for Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality was presented to Melbourne food icon Stephanie Alexander, recognising a career spanning more than six decades as a restaurateur, author and educator. Hobart chef Christian Ryan was named Chef of the Year, acknowledged for his contribution to Tasmania’s culinary evolution through restaurants including Aloft and Restaurant Maria, as well as his work with Dark Mofo’s Winter Feast.
More Restaurant Awards
Best New Restaurant was awarded to Yiaga in Melbourne, where chef and co-owner Hugh Allen’s restrained cooking showcases Australian ingredients with precision and a strong sense of place. Also based in Melbourne, Saavni Krishnan and Aditya Suresh, the team behind Saadi, were named Best New Talent. Their cooking draws on diverse Indian influences and their experience in some of Australia’s leading kitchens.
South Australian bar Tread Lightly, in Willunga, was named Bar of the Year, for its intimate setting, focus on local producers and sustainability-led food and drinks program, and Sydney hospitality figure “Big” Sam Young took home the award for Restaurant Personality of the Year for his distinctive approach to hospitality and the irreverent, generous spirit he brings to S’more and Young’s Palace in Sydney.
The awards also formed part of Gourmet Traveller’s 60th anniversary celebrations. Launched in 1966, the magazine has spent six decades documenting and championing the people, restaurants, hotels, destinations and ideas that have shaped Australia’s food, drink and travel culture.
Read more about the 2026 Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards and our annual Restaurant Guide in the September issue of Gourmet Traveller on sale Monday 24 August.
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