One thing Australia’s 10 most popular restaurants have in common

The Covid-19 pandemic sucked the air out of Australia’s hospitality sector but a new campaign celebrating Australian restaurants aims to encourage diners to continue eating out.

Booking platform TheFork, which offers discounts on certain restaurants and the ability to earn points, has released its rundown of the 2020 dining scene and named the country’s top 100 sought-after restaurants.

It said the list, 2020 Dished Up, recognises the resilience of Australian hospitality businesses during one of the toughest years and celebrates the most popular restaurants.

One thing in common in top 10 restaurants

TheFork’s 100 most popular restaurants are spread out across Australia, however the top 10 are all in one state: NSW.

Here’s the full list:

1- Vizio Caffe e Cucina, Woolloomooloo (NSW)

2- Contact Bar & Kitchen, Woolloomooloo (NSW)

3- The Meat & Wine Co, Barangaroo (NSW)

4- Ripples at Chowder Bay, Mosman (NSW)

5- Aqua Dining, Milsons Point (NSW)

6- Balcon By Tapavino, Sydney (NSW)

7- Eastside Bar + Grill, Chippendale (NSW)

8- Gavroche, Chippendale (NSW)

9- Butcher and the Farmer, Forest Lodge (NSW)

10- Via Alta North, Willoughby (NSW)

11- Capriccio Osteria, Leichhardt (NSW)

12- Pretty Boy Italian Steakhouse, Melbourne (VIC)

13- Hunter & Barrel – Raine Square, Perth (WA)

14- The Meat & Wine Co, Perth (WA)

15- DeVine, Sydney (NSW)

16- The Grill, Port Macquarie (NSW)

17- Rk San Contemporary Japanese Restaurant, Surry Hills (NSW)

18- The Meat & Wine Co, South Yarra (VIC)

19- The Walnut Restaurant & Lounge Bar, Brisbane (QLD)

20- Moda Restaurant, Brisbane (QLD)

21- Cafe Del Mar, Sydney (NSW)

22- Jackalberry, Sydney (NSW)

23- Sokyo, Pyrmont (NSW)

24- The Meat & Wine Co, Hawthorn East (VIC)

25- Miss Songs, Townsville (QLD)

26- Regatta, Toowong (QLD)

27- Vamos, Fitzroy (VIC)

28- Above Par, Sydney (NSW)

29- Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, Bondi Beach (NSW)

30- Eliza Food & Wine, Darlinghurst (NSW)

31- Lola Cocina Spanish Restaurant, Crows Nest (NSW)

32- Habitue, North Fremantle (WA)

33- Pascale Bar & Grill, Melbourne (VIC)

34- Tulum Restaurant, Balaclava (VIC)

35- Pompei’s, Bondi Beach (NSW)

36- Anason, Barangaroo (NSW)

37- Mister Walker, South Perth (WA)

38- Bambini Trust Restaurant & Wine Room, Sydney (NSW)

39- Lezzet, Elwood (VIC)

40- Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney (NSW)

41- Ripples Milsons Point, Milsons Point (NSW)

42- Machiavelli CBD, Sydney (NSW)

43- Spice Temple, Sydney (NSW)

44- Teta’s Authentic Lebanese, Roseville Chase (NSW)

45- Italy 1, Camberwell (VIC)

46- Berowra Waters Inn, Berowra Waters (NSW)

47- Steer Dining Room, South Yarra (VIC)

48- River Café, North Adelaide (SA)

49- Petite Mort, Shenton Park (WA)

50- 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar, South Yarra (VIC)

51- 48h Pizza e Gnocchi Bar, Elsternwick (VIC)

52- The Bavarian Eagle Street Pier, Brisbane (QLD)

53- Mazi Brunswick, (VIC)

54- Fitzys Waterford, (QLD)

55- Haig Rd Bistro, Auchenflower (QLD)

56- Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne, Southbank (VIC)

57- Mecca Bah Gold Coast, Broadbeach (QLD)

58- Harrisons by Spencer Patrick, Port Douglas (QLD)

59- Blackbird, Perth (WA)

60- The Balfour Kitchen & Bar, New Farm (QLD)

61- Di Stasio Citta, Melbourne (VIC)

62- Terraces Restaurant, Main Beach (QLD)

63- Copper Spoon Thai Restaurant, Golden Beach

64- Sun Kitchen, Albert Park (VIC)

65- Il Verde, Bowen Hills (QLD)

66- Mecca Bah Brisbane, Newstead

67- Osteria 20, Hawthorn (VIC)

68- Black Fire, Brisbane (QLD)

69- Gin Long Canteen, North Adelaide (SA)

70- Sake Restaurant & Bar Hamer Hall, Melbourne (VIC)

71- Spoonbill Restaurant and Bar, South Yarra (VIC)

72- Santini Grill, Perth (WA)

73- The Railway Club Hotel, Port Melbourne (VIC)

74- The Meat & Wine Co, Southbank (VIC)

75- Il Vento, Mooloolaba (QLD)

76- Sono Japanese Portside, Hamilton (QLD)

77- The Tamarind, Maleny (QLD)

78- Frederic, Cremorne (VIC)

79- Squires Loft, Subiaco (WA)

80- Vaporetto Bar & Eatery, Hawthorn (VIC)

81- Thyme2 Restaurant, Brisbane (QLD)

82- Cumbia Bar – Kitchen, Adelaide (SA)

83- Seasons Provedore, Carlton (VIC)

84- 3 Sheets on the Harbour, Hillarys (WA)

85- +39, Toorak (VIC)

86- Glass Dining & Lounge Bar, Main Beach (QLD)

87- La Camera Southgate, Southbank (VIC)

88- Counting House Bar & Grill, Mornington (VIC)

89- Inka Indian Restaurant & Bar, Hawthorn (VIC)

90- Ginza Miyako Japanese Restaurant, Adelaide (SA)

91- Flower Drum, Melbourne (VIC)

92- Caffe E Cucina, South Yarra (VIC)

93- La Poêle, Windsor (VIC)

94- Garum, Perth (WA)

95- Nagomi Japanese Kitchen, Adelaide (SA)

96- Cork and Cleaver, Glenunga (SA)

97- The Wharf, Glenelg (SA)

98- Coal Cellar + Grill, Adelaide (SA)

99- S2 on Flinders, Adelaide (SA)

100- Zaep Tastes of Thailand, North Adelaide (SA)

Outside of NSW, Pretty Boy Italian Steakhouse was Victoria’s most popular restaurant, while The Walnut Restaurant and Lounge Bar in Brisbane, Queensland was that state’s most popular.

Hunter & Barrel - Raine Square in Perth was Western Australians’ favourite and 400 Gradi Adelaide got top marks in Norwood South Australia.

Best cheap eats

While fine dining is good fun, it’s not always accessible. Here are TheFork’s best cheap eats by state. These restaurants score the title by having average bills of less than $25.

Top 10 - NSW

1- Colors of India New South Wales

2- Club House Bistro New South Wales

3- The Wooden Whisk New South Wales

4- Courthouse Hotel New South Wales

5- Zeus Street Greek- Surry Hills New South Wales

6- The Fox Hole New South Wales

7- Customs House Bar New South Wales

8- The Ettamogah New South Wales

9- Suzie Q Coffee & Records New South Wales

10- The Ranch New South Wales

Top 10 - VIC

1- Lolo & Wren Victoria

2- Bay City Burrito Hawthorn Victoria

3- Bay City Burrito St Kilda Victoria

4- The Sands Hotel Victoria

5- Grange Road Egg Shop Victoria

6- Tipsy Village Victoria

7- PB's Bar & Eatery Victoria

8- Avrah Victoria

9- Two birds one stone cafe Victoria

10- NewBay Hotel Victoria

Top 10 - QLD

1- Harajuku Gyoza South Bank Queensland

2- Runcorn Tavern Queensland

3- Harajuku Gyoza - Brisbane CBD Queensland

4- Petrie Hotel Queensland

5- Kawana Waters Hotel Queensland

6- The Vale Hotel Queensland

7- Dog and Parrot Tavern Queensland

8- Mount Gravatt Hotel Queensland

9- The Brunswick Hotel Queensland

10- Papas Corner Cafe Queensland

Top 10 - SA

1- Condesa South Australia

2- Indii Flavours South Australia

3- New Oriental House Glenunga Restaurant South Australia

4- Mr. Bulgogi St Morris South Australia

5- The Seacliff Beach Hotel South Australia

6- Riverside Restaurant South Australia

7- Shamora South Australia

8- Village Tavern Hotel South Australia

9- The Esplanade Hotel - Bistro South Australia

10- Cafe Brunelli South Australia

Top 10 - WA

1 James St Bar & Kitchen Western Australia

2 Khanna Indian Restaurant Western Australia

3 Bull Creek Tavern Western Australia

4 Belmont Tavern Western Australia

5 The Carine Glades Tavern Western Australia

6 Leisure Inn - Swinging Pig Western Australia

7 Brando's Pizzeria Western Australia

8 Herdsman Lake Tavern Western Australia

9 The Saint George Hotel Western Australia

10 Peel Alehouse Western Australia

Save the restaurant sector

As the pandemic shut restaurant doors across the country for weeks on end, TheFork said diners could support businesses by purchasing vouchers to use at a later date.

It launched Save Our Restaurants in a bid to help diners support their favourite restaurants, most of which soon came back online once restrictions lifted.

“We know that restaurants are really suffering, revenue has stopped and hard-working teams have been stood down. We encourage all restaurants in Australia to register on the platform to accept prepaid vouchers,” TheFork Australia country manager Gary Burrows said at the time.

“We’ll then ask diners to dig deep and help our restaurants survive the crisis. We want to see the industry that we all love bounce back quickly when this is over.”

However, TheFork revealed on Tuesday, 94 per cent of its restaurant partners resumed operations after lockdown, while 23 per cent of Australians dined out within the first month of restrictions easing.

“We hope that 2020 Dished Up shows restaurants what an important part of Australian culture they are, and encourages diners to continue to make a booking, show up and celebrate over the summer,” Burrows said.

TheFork’s list comes as NSW introduces $100 vouchers designed to get diners into restaurants. The vouchers, which will be given to around 6.5 million Sydney-siders in the pilot, will be split into four $25 vouchers that can be spent on dining and entertainment, but not alcohol, retail or gambling.

"We want to encourage people to open up their wallets and contribute to the stimulus effect," Treasurer Dominic Perrottet told The ABC.

"The dining and entertainment industries were among the hardest hit by the pandemic and I would encourage people to utilise this scheme once it is up and running and to make sure they spend a bit extra on the way through, too."

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