The 150 most influential and delicious restaurants in the SMH Good Food Guide

From a tiny Korean soup specialist through to big-ticket fine diners, this is the Critics’ Picks list of where and what to eat in NSW and Canberra right now.

November 5, 2025

What is a Critics’ Pick?

The 2026 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide has more than 600 reviews, making it the largest Guide ever produced. Of those reviews, there are almost 150 with a Good Food hat – one, two, or the highest pinnacle of three hats – for venues ranging from a tiny Korean soup specialist through to big-ticket fine diners.

Across the board, they represent places reaching a level of excellence that sets them apart from the rest, where you can have a good time, every time. But the more we talk about it, the more we find that although they represent a level of excellence, hats can’t paint the whole picture.

That’s why this year we’ve expanded our Critics’ Picks (marked by a tick) to include every kind of restaurant. Hatted or not, they’re the places our editors urge you to visit, either to discover something new, to be reminded of how our cities, towns and suburbs have evolved (and are still evolving), or to luxuriate in the pleasure of dining somewhere at its peak.

These are those venues.

Pizzetta at Cibaria in Manly, one of the Good Food Guide’s 150 Critics’ Picks.

Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.

The best place to experience the Good Food Guide is via the Good Food app, with more than 600 reviews including 150 Critics’ Picks. Within the app, you can filter and search reviews and venues via the map. The app is free for premium subscribers of the SMH and also available as a standalone subscription. You can download the Good Food app here.