Live updates: The Age Good Food Guide Awards

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide currently lists two three-hatted restaurants: Stanmore’s modestly sized Sixpenny and Josh Niland’s voyage of fish-based discovery, Saint Peter. Provided they both retain all their hats in a fortnight at the NSW awards, and there isn’t another venue awarded our highest ranking, then, well … yes … Melbourne will have more than double the amount of three-hatted restaurants than Sydney.

Indeed, the last time Sydney had only two three-hatted restaurants, it was 1988 when Berowra Waters Inn and Claude’s topped the Good Food Guide charts.

Mind you, this is largely because two – two! – three-hatted Sydney restaurants also closed in 2026. UK-based chef Clare Smyth didn’t renew her contract at Crown and is focusing on a new London restaurant instead; and after 38 years of running Australia’s flagship fine-diner, restaurateur Leon Fink called it a day at Quay. Chef Peter Gilmore held three-hats at Quay for 23 consecutive years, which is a run that will likely never be broken (so at least Sydney has that over Melbourne), but all things come to an end, and it was time for Gilmore and Fink to move on to other projects.

Regardless, there’s no denying that people aren’t spending money on tasting menus and big-occasion restaurants like they used to in NSW. I can’t see another restaurant the size and scale of Quay opening with three-hat ambition for some time, unless it’s financed by offshore investors with play money (or Crown), but I have heard tell of some smaller, exciting projects from high-profile chefs in the works, so we’ll be equal with Melbourne – or better – soon enough.