Saint Peter is our 2025 Restaurant of the Year and NSW State winner
From casual-cool bistros that redefine regional dining to a globally renowned seafood restaurant in a Paddington backstreet, these best New South Wales restaurants are a cut above. Across all the top restaurants in the state, local produce, fresh seafood, interesting drops and stellar service are consistently at the fore.
This guide is not limited to a single style of dining, and every restaurant featured is considered gold standard and recommended by our expert critics who’ve crisscrossed the state in search of the best places to eat, drink and celebrate NSW restaurant culture. See how the guide works.
Whether you’re looking for an upscale celebratory feast, a hot new local haunt in your neighbourhood or a world-class restaurant worth travelling the distance for, it’s an exciting time to be dining out in NSW — and this restaurant guide has you covered on all fronts.
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Our expert critics
This guide to Sydney’s best restaurants has been edited by Gourmet Traveller’s expert reviewer and NSW state editor Alexandra Carlton alongside national guide editor Michael Harry. Under Carlton’s direction, our team of Sydney critics include Gourmet Traveller deputy editor Ceri David, former digital editor Cordelia Williamson, news editor Jordan Kretchmer and food editor Maxwell Adey, along with seasoned restaurant reviewers and writers Nicholas Jordan, Tristan Lutze, Tiffany Dunk, Callum McDermott and Charlotte Wishart. They have travelled far and wide to visit — and revisit — dozens of restaurants, seeking out the most exceptional meals and memorable dining experiences in New South Wales.
To earn a place in this guide, each venue must excel from welcome to farewell, with service, design, originality, consistency and atmosphere each carefully considered. But the most crucial area of excellence is always the food. Every restaurant featured in this guide should be considered gold standard. It’s an exciting snapshot of how we like to eat out in 2026 and beyond.
All of the restaurants reviewed were visited anonymously between March and July 2025 with reviewers paying their own way.
The price guide has been updated this year to convey the average cost for two people. While we’re big fans of solo dining, restaurant visits are more often a shared experience, and this adjustment reflects that.
PRICE GUIDE
Average cost for two diners, not including drinks.
$ = under $100 $$ = $100 to $175 $$$ = 175 to $250 $$$$ = $250 to $325 $$$$$ = $325+
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