The 100 Essential Restaurants in Victoria for 2027
A curated guide to Victoria's most impactful dining destinations and culinary innovators.
1Curating Culinary Excellence
The 2027 edition of The Age Good Food Guide features 100 essential restaurants across Victoria. Editors Emma Breheny and Frank Sweet distilled this list from over 500 reviewed establishments. The selection process relies on impartial visits by 40 professional reviewers, ensuring that every featured venue offers a unique contribution to the state's vibrant dining scene.
2Diverse Global Influences
The list showcases a wide spectrum of international flavors, ranging from Thai-spiced charcoal chicken in St Kilda to Japanese cuisine in Bright. Notable mentions include a Bangalorean spot in Carnegie and a Korean soup specialist on Russell Street. These restaurants draw inspiration from Athens, Rome, Colombo, Caracas, and Biarritz, reflecting Victoria's multicultural culinary landscape.
3Amaru's Creative Ambition
Amaru in Armadale earns three hats with a 18/20 score, defying expectations with its off-Broadway location. Chef Clinton McIver presents a 15-dish set menu featuring innovative pairings like snow crab with pumpkin and sudachi. The experience is supported by a well-drilled service team and a wine list that explores highly unconventional and exciting directions.
4Anchovy's Persistent Evolution
Eleven years after opening, Anchovy continues to innovate by blending South-East Asian and Australian culinary traditions. Chefs Thi Le and Jia-Yen Li manage a complex operation, including their casual sibling venue, Ca Com. Their menu features standout items like crisp prawn mousse in betel leaves and spatchcock grilled over a charcoal fire.
5Aoi Tsuki's Omakase Precision
Located on Punt Road, Aoi Tsuki offers a unique omakase experience led by chef Tei Gim. The restaurant serves 20 courses characterized by technical precision and identity. Highlights include steamed abalone with liver sauce and A5 Kobe wagyu dusted with foie gras snow. Lunch sittings provide excellent value at $145 per person for shorter courses.
6Kensington's Retro-Chic Favorite
Scott Eddington and Lauren Chibert operate a venue that functions as both a wine bar and a restaurant. Chef Frankie Hadid focuses on Venezuelan-leaning dishes, such as mussels with aji panca chilli and goat sausage. The atmosphere is defined by an open kitchen, eclectic artwork, and a curated record collection played on two turntables.
7Askal's Filipino Fine Dining
Askal elevates traditional Filipino cuisine through fine-dining techniques and high-definition presentation. The menu features creative dishes like oxtail kare-kare folded into fried bao and dry-aged duck stuffed with longganisa sausage. The restaurant emphasizes polish and pleasure, complemented by cocktails made with calamansi, coconut sap, and ube, served alongside a flambeed leche flan.
8Aunty’s Dumpling Production
Aunty’s Dumplings in Northern Chinese style produces up to 1,600 dumplings daily in an open kitchen. The family team, including Guixia Li and her daughter Joris, prepares fresh wrappers filled with prawn, pork, or mushroom mixtures. Their guotie pot-stickers provide a signature texture, often paired with a palate-cleansing salad of carrot, beetroot, and cucumber.
9Bar Bellamy’s Bistronomy Adventure
Bar Bellamy operates with a unique constraint: each cocktail creation is limited to exactly 100 servings. The kitchen maintains a restless bistronomy approach, serving dishes like chicken parfait cannoli and wild mushrooms with Jerusalem artichoke. The venue functions as a neighborhood favorite, featuring a large communal table that serves as a central meeting point.
10Bar Carolina’s Italian Flair
Chef Karen Martini brings a maximalist touch to Bar Carolina in South Yarra, blending familiarity with luxury. The menu includes wood-fired roast chicken with rosemary jus and house-made spaghetti with prawn meat. The restaurant attracts a sophisticated crowd, often continuing their evening at the adjacent sibling bar, Tetto Di Carolina, for additional martinis.
11Bar Olo’s Italian Hospitality
Bar Olo offers a refined experience focused on Italian cuisine and attentive service. Guests can enjoy oysters with Campari vinaigrette or rabbit and leek spoja lorda in a relaxed, convivial setting. The restaurant provides complimentary aperitivo snacks between 4pm and 6pm, encouraging a social atmosphere where strangers often interact over a curated Italian wine list.
12Impact of the Guide
The 100 Essential Restaurants list serves as a vital resource for navigating Victoria's dining scene in 2027. By maintaining anonymous, independent reviews, the guide ensures credibility and highlights both legendary institutions and emerging talent. This collection acts as a roadmap for diners seeking quality, creativity, and authentic culinary experiences across the entire state.