Every year, Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards celebrate the best in Australian dining. The awards recognise the best new restaurants, new talent and new restaurant personality in the past year.
This year, due to ongoing restrictions, the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Award winners will be announced via a virtual event on October 24, with the awards dinner at Melbourne’s Gimlet postponed until early 2022, when a who’s who of the industry will gather to celebrate winners and champion the strength and resilience of the hospitality industry.
In the lead-up to the virtual ceremony, the magazine released a list of its finalists across five hotly contested categories including Best New Restaurant, Best Wine Bar, Best New Talent, Restaurant Personality of the Year and Best Destination Dining, which supports the tourism sector.
The coveted Restaurant of the Year award will also be announced live on October 24, along with the peer-voted Chef of the Year, recognising a single chef for their contribution to Australian dining.
In addition to announcing the finalists, this month, Gourmet Traveller has named Amy Chanta the recipient of Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality. The chef and businesswoman was instrumental in shaping Sydney’s Thai food scene, opening the first Chat Thai restaurant on Liverpool Street in Darlinghurst in 1989.
Gourmet Traveller’s October issue will pay tribute to Chanta who sadly passed away earlier this year. In tribute to Chanta, the issue will showcase a selection of her signature recipes, as shared by her daughter Palisa Anderson.
Without further ado, the finalists (and dining spots to add to your must-visit list) are…
Best New Restaurant
- A’Mare, NSW
- Aru, VIC
- Aurora, SA
- Bianca, QLD
- Corella Bar & Restaurant, ACT
- Elska, QLD
- Gimlet, VIC
- Ho Jiak Town Hall, NSW
- Porcine, NSW
- Van Bone, TAS
Best Wine Bar
- Monopole, NSW
- Mummucc, WA
- Public Wine Shop, VIC
- Sonny, TAS
- Snackman, QLD
Best New Talent
- Jung Eun Chae – CHAE, VIC
- Nathan Dunnell – Elska, QLD
- Rosheen Kaul – Etta Dining, VIC
- Daiki Shigeta – Fleet/Roco Ramen, NSW
Restaurant Personality of the Year
- Federica Andrisani & Oskar Rossi – Fico, TAS
- Cam Fairbairn – Café Paci, NSW
- Hannah Green – Etta Dining, VIC
- Carlo Grossi – Grossi Florentino, VIC
- Nick Hildebrandt – Monopole, NSW
- Jason Lui – Flower Drum, VIC
- Tania di Nicolo – Mummucc, WA
- Sharon Romeo – Fino, SA
- Tyron Simon, QLD
Best Destination Dining
- Oaks Kitchen and Garden, QLD
- Hentley Farm, SA
- Millbrook, WA
- Provenance, VIC
- Underbar, VIC
- Stillwater, TAS
The Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards are presented by Levantine Hill, with support from Visit Victoria, Longines, Waterford, Sub Zero & Wolf and PorkStar.
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