West Coast Australia
Toodyay Bakery has been here since 1980, but recent refurbishment brings a little city-style artisan sheen to Toodyay. Excellent sourdough loaves and…
Must-see restaurants in Australia & Pacific
Limestone Coast
Go for something trad (Hawaiian, margherita, pepperoni) or something more daring (lamb souvlaki, squid and chorizo) – either way, the pizzas at this…
Limestone Coast
Perennially busy, this curiously angled corner cafe with polished-glass fragments in the floor has expanded into the next-door shopfront. Unionise your…
Hobart
Aiming for a future-Asian Bladerunner look, this good-looking good guy is a hawker-style restaurant revolving around a central bar, on the ground floor of…
Adelaide Hills
Haus brings some urban hip to the Hills. Rustic-style pizzas are laden with local smallgoods, and the wine list is gargantuan (lots of Hills drops). Also…
Launceston
The much-awarded Stillwater, inside a historic flour mill on the Tamar (parts of which date back to 1832), has long been at the top of Launceston’s dining…
Tasmania
On fine days, the windows at this retro-laminex cafe pull back and you can eyeball the Big Penguin across the road. Its quirky vibe and the tasty menu,…
Outback South Australia
Hey, a fancy new sign and logo! You didn't need to go to such lengths, John – you still run the best place to eat in town. Expect table-sized pizzas,…
Cairns & Far North Queensland
Who could resist the chance to sink a schooner at the highest pub in Queensland? This welcoming place is run by the same family that originally…
Clare Valley
The pick of Burra's several bakery/cafes, St Just zeroes-in on baguettes, toasted sandwiches, bacon-and-egg rolls, BLTs and fresh soups and salads. Sit in…
The East Coast
With a broad deck, an eclectic scatter of tables and chairs, and a crochet-clad tree out the front, this cafe on the main drag is a real gem. Sidle in for…
Mid-North Coast
A superlight and pretty space to escape the heat and eat the freshest of seafood. The menu changes regularly and might include local snapper fillet in a…
West Coast Australia
Out the front of Peoples Park, Fin's is a super-casual outdoor place with an ever-changing blackboard menu giving pride of place to local seafood. Menus…
Hawke's Bay
Halfway between Waipawa and Hastings, this retro cafe-gallery in a 100-year-old, aquamarine-coloured church serves excellent coffee, smoothies and…
Barossa Valley
One of the Barossa's landmark restaurants, Vintners emphasises simple elegance in both food and atmosphere. The dining room has an open fire, vineyard…
New Plymouth
Steaming beef pho (noodle soup), crispy Vietnamese crepes (chicken, pork or tofu) and brilliant banh mi – this fun little Vietnamese joint is one of…
Taranaki & Whanganui
Right on Oākura's black-sand beach, sharing a building with the surf club, Black Sand plates up surprisingly authentic Napoli-style pizzas – all thin…
Hobart
It's worth driving a few kilometres over the headland from Kingston to the sunny terrace of this angular cafe-bar on Blackmans Bay beach. Wood-fired…
Byron Bay & Northern NSW
The wood-fire oven here turns out the best pizza in the region. Delicious combos such as pork and fennel sausage with chilli or field mushrooms, parmesan…
Wellington
Italian? Fusion? Wine bar? Loretta is a hard gal to categorise, but she's won leagues of fans with her classy, well-proportioned offerings served in…
The East Coast
An unexpected find in a little country town, this chipper wholefoods cafe serves excellent homemade soups, burgers, pasties, vegetarian wraps, fabulous…
Wellington
Mounted trout, salty portraits, marine-blue walls and Egyptian floor tiles cast a Mediterranean spell over Ortega – a magical spot for a seafood dinner…
Byron Bay & Northern NSW
This classic boozer has a vast back porch overlooking a verdant valley with seats taken up by a slice of all Nimbin life. The Mended Drum Bistro serves…
Byron Bay & Northern NSW
The setting is sublime: a two-storey whitewashed wooden Queenslander house surrounded by gorgeous gardens and gazing at Wollumbin/Mt Warning. The country…
Cape Tribulation
Whet is regarded as Cape Trib’s most sophisticated place to eat, with a loungey cocktail-bar feel and romantic, candlelit, al-fresco dining. Tempura wild…
Hobart
This compact bakery-cafe is the kind of place every inner-city neighbourhood should have. The love child of a family farm at Hobart’s edge, its menu is…
Gold Coast
Tasca, Italian for pocket, sums up this tiny, intimate and sophisticated wine bar that not only pours from an impressive wine list but also does fantastic…
Christchurch
Overlooking the pastel-coloured New Regent St strip, this elegant restaurant showcases locally sourced seasonal ingredients. Mainstays include modern…
Mid-North Coast
Beneath one of First Ave's giant fig trees, this popular cafe turns out great coffee, delicious homemade cakes (raw and gluten-free options too) and…
New South Wales
Ruby's is a gem: a charismatic, eclectically-decorated cafe with stripped-brick walls, deft baristas and garden tables that suggest lazy brunches. The…
Hobart
Boasting big beefy burgers, a little outdoor terrace, craft beers and ciders, and a view that combines a concrete car park with the moody hues of kunanyi…
Fiordland & Southland
What's this? A beacon of gastronomic hope, beaming out good vibes along a desolate stretch of highway? This chipper, award-winning cafe grows its own…
Taranaki & Whanganui
This is as good as fish and chips gets. With a lengthy history (since the 1960s), hand-cut chips, a range of fish (including fresh catches of the day to…
Christchurch & Canterbury
This atmospheric Irish bar and restaurant is housed in Methven's lovingly restored old post office. Great food includes pizza, Irish stew and other hearty…
Palmerston North
This eternally popular cafe with a lovely 1917 shopfront zeroes in on breakfast classics, generous cabinet food, and everything from Thai chicken curry to…
Launceston
Go to the source (or the butter, in this case) in this cavernous new cafe inside a former motorcycle warehouse turned butter factory. With its black walls…
Launceston
Sweet indeed is this cafe – the best in the city centre – cooking up an interesting breakfast and brunch menu, including miso wild mushrooms, turmeric…
Taupo & the Ruapehu Region
After a day of play in the mountains, there's nothing better than these beast-sized burgers cooked on a custom-made manuka wood-fire grill. A burger’s…
Taupo & the Ruapehu Region
Bagels, innovative salads, and tasty American and Tex Mex–influenced dishes combine with the best coffee in town at this modern, white-as-snow spot on…
Outback NSW
A heart-warmingly unique offering here in Bourke: a well-priced night of bush ballads and storytelling around a campfire under the stars, with a simple,…
