20 Best Places to Eat in Australia: The Ultimate Culinary & Dining Guide

Australia's food scene is defined by ultra-fresh seafood, world-class grass-fed meats, diverse multicultural fusion influences, and a global reputation for coffee culture and modern Australian fine dining.

Must-Try Traditional Dishes

Make sure to taste these iconic Australian culinary favorites during your journey:

Chicken Parmigiana ("Parmi"): A classic pub staple featuring breaded chicken schnitzel topped with rich tomato napoli sauce, ham, and melted mozzarella cheese.
Fresh Barramundi & Moretons Bay Bugs: Premium local seafood, including delicate native Barramundi fish and sweet Moreton Bay bug crustaceans.
Meat Pie with Tomato Sauce: Hand-held flaky pastry pie stuffed with slow-cooked minced or chunky beef gravy.
Pavlova: A beloved crisp meringue dessert topped with whipped cream and fresh tropical fruits like passionfruit, kiwi, and berries.
Flat White Coffee: Australia's gift to global coffee culture—smooth espresso topped with micro-foamed steamed milk.

20 Best Places to Eat in Australia

1. Quay Restaurant

Cuisine: Fine Dining Modern Australian
Location: Overseas Passenger Terminal, Sydney
Must-Try Dish: Chef Peter Gilmore's Snow Egg or White Coral Dessert
About the Place: Offering panoramic views of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, Quay is one of Australia's most celebrated fine dining restaurants, renowned for innovative culinary art.
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2. Attica

Cuisine: Avant-Garde Indigenous & Modern Australian
Location: Ripponlea, Melbourne
Must-Try Dish: Multi-Course Tasting Menu featuring Native Botanical Ingredients
About the Place: Led by visionary chef Ben Shewry, Attica is world-famous for celebrating native Australian ingredients like finger lime, saltbush, marron, and wattleseed in an intimate dining space.
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3. Rockpool Bar & Grill

Cuisine: Steakhouse & Wood-Fired Grill
Location: Sydney & Melbourne
Must-Try Dish: Dry-Aged David Blackmore Full Blood Wagyu Steak
About the Place: Set in grand art deco buildings, Rockpool is Australia's premier luxury steakhouse, serving dry-aged beef, fresh seafood, and an extensive global wine list.
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4. Bennelong

Cuisine: Contemporary Australian Fine Dining
Location: Sydney Opera House, Sydney
Must-Try Dish: Red Claw Yabby or Bennelong Lamington
About the Place: Set directly inside the soaring sails of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Sydney Opera House, Bennelong showcases fine Australian produce in a magnificent venue.
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5. Sydney Fish Market Eateries

Cuisine: Fresh Seafood Market
Location: Pyrmont, Sydney
Must-Try Dish: Freshly Shucked Sydney Rock Oysters and Grilled Lobster Tail
About the Place: The Sydney Fish Market is the southern hemisphere's largest fish market. Visitors feast on fresh oysters, sashimi, fish and chips, and lobster platters right along the boardwalk.
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6. Gimlet at Cavendish House

Cuisine: Classic European & Modern Bistro
Location: Central Melbourne
Must-Try Dish: Wood-Roasted Whole Rock Lobster and Gimlet Cocktails
About the Place: Located in a restored 1920s landmark building, Gimlet brings timeless European glamour, plush booth seating, seafood bars, and exceptional cocktails to Melbourne.
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7. Chin Chin

Cuisine: Modern Southeast Asian Fusion
Location: Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Must-Try Dish: Crispy Barramundi with Green Apple Salad & "Feed Me" Menu
About the Place: Chin Chin is a bustling, high-energy dining hot spot in Melbourne's dining precinct, famous for bold Asian fusion flavors, pop art decor, and long queues.
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8. Restaurant Botanic

Cuisine: Botanical Fine Dining
Location: Adelaide Botanic Garden, South Australia
Must-Try Dish: Multi-Course Seasonal Botanical Tasting Menu
About the Place: Set inside the lush Adelaide Botanic Gardens, this award-winning venue serves multi-course tasting menus featuring micro-foraged botanicals and regional South Australian produce.
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9. Starward & Higher Ground Cafe Culture

Cuisine: Modern Australian Breakfast & Specialty Coffee
Location: Little Bourke Street, Melbourne
Must-Try Dish: Ricotta Hotcakes and Specialty Flat White Coffee
About the Place: Housed inside a converted heritage power station with 15-meter brick ceilings, Higher Ground represents the pinnacle of Melbourne's world-famous cafe and coffee culture.
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10. The Star of Greece

Cuisine: Coastal Mediterranean & Fresh Seafood
Location: Port Willunga, South Australia
Must-Try Dish: Salt and Pepper Squid & Catch of the Day
About the Place: Perched on a cliff overlooking Gulf St Vincent near McLaren Vale wine region, this coastal shed restaurant pairs sea views with fresh local seafood.
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11. Icebergs Dining Room and Bar

Cuisine: Modern Italian & Seafood
Location: Bondi Beach, Sydney
Must-Try Dish: Hand-cut Tagliolini with Crab and Bottarga
About the Place: Overlooking the historic ocean pool at the southern end of Bondi Beach, Icebergs offers swept-back Italian coastal dining with uninterrupted views of the Pacific Ocean.
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12. Fervor (Pop-Up Dining)

Cuisine: Pop-Up Native Bush Food Dining
Location: Various Outdoor Locations across Western Australia
Must-Try Dish: Foraged Native Bush Ingredient Tasting Menu
About the Place: Fervor offers unique pop-up outdoor dining experiences in remote natural settings across Western Australia, preparing multi-course meals using native bush produce.
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13. Rick Shores

Cuisine: Pan-Asian Beachside Dining
Location: Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast, Queensland
Must-Try Dish: Famous Rick's Fried Bug Roll (Moreton Bay Bug)
About the Place: Positioned steps from Burleigh Heads ocean waves, Rick Shores is famous for its crispy fried Moreton Bay bug rolls paired with pan-Asian dishes and sea views.
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14. Otto Ristorante

Cuisine: Modern Italian
Location: Woolloomooloo Wharf, Sydney & South Bank, Brisbane
Must-Try Dish: Spaghettini with Moreton Bay Bug Meat
About the Place: Located along Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf in Sydney, Otto offers waterfront Italian dining, fresh pastas, and fine wines.
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15. Lee Ho Fook

Cuisine: Modern Chinese
Location: Duckboard Place, Melbourne
Must-Try Dish: Crispy Eggplant with Spiced Red Vinegar
About the Place: Tucked down a quiet brick laneway, Lee Ho Fook delivers creative, modern twists on traditional Chinese cuisine in a sleek interior space.
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16. Stillwater

Cuisine: Tasmanian Regional Produce Fine Dining
Location: Launceston, Tasmania
Must-Try Dish: Tasmanian Cape Grim Beef Tenderloin & Wallaby Tartare
About the Place: Housed inside a restored 1830s flour mill along the Tamar River, Stillwater is one of Tasmania's top restaurants, celebrating local seafood and game.
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17. D'Arenberg Cube (Singapore Circus)

Cuisine: Pan-Asian Fusion & Fine Wine
Location: McLaren Vale, South Australia
Must-Try Dish: Duck Curry matched with d'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz
About the Place: Set inside an avant-garde five-story architectural glass cube surrounded by vineyards, this dining spot combines wine tastings with fine dining.
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18. Beach Byron Bay

Cuisine: Coastal Australian & Seafood
Location: Clarkes Beach, Byron Bay
Must-Try Dish: Charcoal-Roasted Whole Snapper
About the Place: As the only restaurant positioned on the dunes overlooking Clarkes Beach in Byron Bay, this open-air venue serves fresh regional seafood with ocean views.
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19. Voyager Estate Restaurant

Cuisine: Vineyard Farm-to-Table Fine Dining
Location: Margaret River, Western Australia
Must-Try Dish: 7-Course Wine Pairing Discovery Menu
About the Place: Set inside Cape Dutch-style manicured gardens in Margaret River, Voyager Estate offers seasonal tasting menus where every dish is designed around estate wines.
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20. Salamanca Place Seafood Shacks

Cuisine: Fresh Seafood & Fish Chips
Location: Hobart Waterfront, Tasmania
Must-Try Dish: Tasmanian Scallop Pie & Fresh Fish and Chips
About the Place: Docked floating fish punts and waterfront historic shacks along Hobart Harbour serve fresh Tasmanian scallop pies, fish and chips, and shucked oysters.
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Modern Australian Fine Dining