Find out which local restaurants received hats in this year's SMH Good Food Guide Awards
The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards 2026 were announced on Monday, October 13 at Sydney's Carriageworks in what was a spectacular evening, and where the who's who of NSW and ACT's hospitality industry gathered.
Newcastle and the Hunter Valley once again had a strong showing amongst the hatted restaurant list, and one of the Hunter Valley's most exceptional restaurant even took home one of the major awards.
Owner and Chef of EXP - Frank Fawkner
In the Newcastle region, Humbug and Flotilla were again awarded one hat, and new to the list was Bistro Penny, reaffirming the huge leaps Newcastle's dining scene has made in recent years.
Pokolbin's Muse Restaurant held their two hats for the 12th year in a row, and Bistro Molines retained their 1 hat.
Earlier this year EXP. Restaurant made the leap from 1 hat to 2 hats, an incredible achievement for Frank and Emma Fawkner.
The incredible dining experience Frank and the team have created was further recognised this year with EXP being awarded the Regional Restaurant of the Year.
We also had our fingers crossed for Bistro Penny, who were named as one of the five finalists for Regional Restaurant of the Year, however this year wasn't meant to be, but an outstanding achievement to be nominated amongst such a stellar lineup of restaurants.
Outside of the hats, the Good Food Guide awards also recognise those businesses who are delivering something unique, and this year that list looked like this:
Critics' Pick
Burgers by HMC
Yellow Billy Restaurant
Good Food Guide Featured Restaurants
Jana Restaurant & Bar
Rick Stein at Bannisters
Thermidor Oyster Bar & Brasserie
Margan Restaurant
We would also like to mention that, whilst he may not be a local anymore, Josh Niland of Saint Peter, originally from East Maitland, retained his 3 hat status placing the restaurant amongst Australia's best. We had the pleasure of interviewing Josh at his former Paddington-based location back in 2017.
An incredible talent, the fish-based fine dining format continues to push the hospitality experience forward in Australia.
Congratulations to all the restaurants reviewed – to view the full list of winners head to the SMH Good Food Guide Awards 2026.
