Best Australian Restaurants to Explore
If you have not experienced the culinary delights that Australia has to offer, then you have not explored the spirit of the country to the bottom. There is a huge range of rich, palatable and tantalizing flavours in Australia to savour your taste buds. Be it dazzling Queensland, exquisite Brisbane, mesmeric Perth, bewitching Melbourne or the mesmerizing city of Sydney, Australia is home to the best gastronomies in the world from aboriginal tangs to the outlandish palate. Here, we have compiled a list of top-rated Australian restaurants that you must explore if you are planning a visit to the country.
1. Watergate Restaurant & Lounge Bar
Whether you choose to sit indoors or in the open, you will never cease to cherish your dining experience at Watergate Restaurant & Lounge Bar. Situated within the heart of Port Douglas, at the bend of Grant and Macrossan Street just behind the Rotary Park in Queensland, the restaurant offers the best contemporary Australian cuisine to savour your Aussie palate. After you walk down the Macrossan Street and enter this place, you find yourself amidst the warmth and radiance emanating from the flame lit interior. The splendour décor combined with delectable cuisine makes a sensational dining experience. The cuisine that truly reflects Australian culinary is made from fresh local seasonal produce be it the vegetarian dishes or the meaty ones. Not only this, the restaurant’s well-appointed wine and cocktail bar is ideal for a pre-dinner drink or late-night shots.
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2. Muse Restaurant
Troy and Megan Rhoades-Brown, husband and wife twosome, opened this restaurant back in 2009. Lodged in the iconic Hungerford Hill Winery at the premises of Pokolbin, Muse Restaurant offers tempting, lip-smacking and tantalizing seasonal cuisines. A deluxe place for foodies, this restaurant has gradually earned a reputation as “gourmet delight in Hunter Valley”. Restaurant’s open kitchen interior, professional and amicable crew, contemporary top-quality menu and fresh seasonal produce are what allure the gastronomes to the place. What is more intriguing is the range of menus to cater to your dietary needs. Among other items, its coconut dessert is heavenly. So mark this restaurant on your bucket list and be ready for a divine experience at the Muse Restaurant.
3. The Paddington
If you are a chicken lover, you will find Paddington the best place for dining. Pub cum restaurant cum cocktail bar, this rotisserie is the genius idea of Chef Ben Greeno who installed customized rotisseries to offer best-grilled menus to his customers. At the restaurant, you will find roasted lamb chops, barbequed birds, and even veggies taking their place on the brochettes. Be it the day or late-night meaty cravings, drop into the place for a treat with friends or family and you will have an unforgettable experience. The place is equally amazing for birthday parties amid music, dancing, disco balls, tantalizing food and cheering crew.
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4. 1889 Enoteca
Inspired by the Enoteche of Rome, this award-winning restaurant is best known for Brisbane’s Italian cuisine. Nestled in the heart of Woolloongabba’s antique and café quarter in Taylor Heaslop building (circa 1889), 1889 Enoteca’s exquisite and sophisticated interior will make your dining experience all the more memorable. You will love the wide range of unique natural wines complementing the flavoursome traditional Roman cuisine. The place also houses a cellar for private dining and wine store. You will thoroughly enjoy the service, the food and the passion with which their staff guide you through your menu selection. If you drop in there, don’t forget to try their heavenly gnocchi!
5. Maha
Maha is more than just pampering your gluttony; it is a place where you will have an experience for the senses. The restaurant will take you aboard on the journey to the land of the Middle East, allowing you to adore the splendour, passion and exquisiteness of the region while sitting right in Melbourne. The head chef, Shane Delia, curates Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine in a progressive style. Among others, their 12-hour roasted lamb shoulder, smoked ocean trout, chemen cured hiramasa kingfish and lamb kibbeh neya are a must-try. So, next time you visit Bond Street, just enter Maha for an exotic journey!
6. Spirit House
For taste buds craving for Asian food, Spirit House is just the right place to gratify your senses. It’s like entering into a wonderland, from luxuriant tropical gardens, tranquil pond, bubbling waterfalls to jingling wind chimes, the place is simply breathtaking. When it comes to food, Spirit House has got perfect Asian recipes for a memorable dining experience. The restaurant’s top picks are coconut soup of smoked salmon, whole crispy fish, braised beef short rib, and coconut cake.
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7. Momofuku Seiobo
The author of the best-selling cookbook “Lucky Peach”, David Chang materialized his passion for cooking and his love for food by founding Momofuku – a chain of restaurants in New York City, Toronto and Sydney. The restaurants are best known for innovative recipes concocted from local and fresh produce. The Australian outpost of the chain is inspired by an assortment of Australian ingredients and the diversity of Paul Carmichael’s culinary team adding a twist to the world of flavours.
8. Friends Restaurant
Celebrated as the benchmark of fine dining in Perth, Friends Restaurant offers exquisite and divine cuisine complemented by an award-winning wine list and combined with the lavish ambience of fine art and music. The place allows you to experience delectable flavours while relishing the magnificent view of Perth and breathtaking Swan River. Clyde and Lesley Bevan are excellent restaurateurs who ensure that the customers have a lovely experience from the moment they enter the place to the time they leave. From their parsnip purée, slow-cooked Bremer Bay abalone, grass-fed Harvey beef, confit potatoes to truffle marshmallow, apple crumble soufflé, crunchy hazelnut and puffed rice, every item on the list exceeds beyond expectations when it comes to taste. The restaurant’s contemporary Australian gastronomies will give you an imaginative, traditional yet authentic experience.
9. Automata
Inspired by his diverse working experience at Europe’s and Australia’s dining places, Clayton Wells opened Automata to please the Australian taste buds with authentic indigenous flavours. The restaurant, located along Kensington Street in Chippendale, offers regularly changing menus that meet customer’s dietary requirements. Concocted with passion and love, poached cuttlefish, steamed dory, brick pastry tube, roasted lettuce and coconut sorbet are the must-try item on their list. The restaurant’s contemporary industrial style interior design is the icing on the cake. If you are heading to Australia, pin down this restaurant on your list!
10. Pipit Restaurant
Ben Devlin and Yen Trinh came up with an innovative open-plan style restaurant inspired by wood-fired cooking and Northern Rivers’ coastal lifestyle. The place is designed around a central charcoal pit and you will have a completely exotic experience when it comes to taste and interior. Ben knows how to play with the ingredients that are drawn from the waters, collected from the shore or farmed from the coast. The changing menus according to available seasonal produce will add life and colour to your plate. You can choose either from a set menu or for a spin go crazy and order from their à la carte menu.
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Conclusion
While relishing the wonders and exploring the grandeur of Australia, you must tantalise your taste buds at these top-rated restaurants and explore the amazing gastronomic Australian delights.
Fun Fact
What is the national dish of Australia?
Roast lamb has been declared Australia’s national dish in a major poll that shows we’re still a country of meat eaters at heart. The poll, held on News Ltd websites across all mainland capitals, attracted more than 24,000 votes.
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