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It has nearly 500 bar, pub, cafe and restaurant reviews, and a new list of the 123 essential spots that define dining in the state right now.
Against all odds – including a global pandemic and a major flood – restaurateur Caterina Borsato is celebrating 30 years in the Queen Street basement that has long been one of Melbourne’s most reliable destinations for a business lunch.
The three-decade milestone (reached just this past weekend) was capped by a major achievement earlier this year when, for the first time, Caterina’s was awarded a second chef’s hat by The Age. It is expected Borsato will retain that second hat at this afternoon’s 2026 Age Good Food Guide launch.
“While sometimes scores can change in the months from when a full review is published in The Age until the time the Guide is launched, I think it’s safe to say Caterina’s has nothing to worry about,” says Emma Breheny, who co-edited the Guide alongside Frank Sweet.
Borsato will be joined by more than 500 industry leaders at the launch of the 45th edition of the Guide at Timber Yard in Port Melbourne, along with Jason Lui, general manager of another Melbourne stalwart, Flower Drum; the team from city newcomer Kolkata Cricket Club; and the chef couple who run Korean restaurant Sogumm in Cremorne.
The chef-studded ceremony will see awards including Restaurant of the Year, Chef of the Year, New Restaurant of the Year and Cafe of the Year announced alongside the Good Food hats – from one to the pinnacle of three.
The 2026 Guide features nearly 500 independent reviews of restaurants, bars, pubs and cafes in Victoria and Melbourne across various price points, cuisines, styles and suburbs, making it one of the largest Age Guides published.
For the first time, the Guide – presented by Oceania Cruises and T2 Tea – will include a list of 120 or so essential restaurants that define dining out in Victoria right now.
This Critics’ Picks collection will be published in a free 80-page liftout in Tuesday’s newspaper, and is also available in the Good Food app. Since launching last year, the app is considered the home of the Good Food Guide and is where readers can search the full A-Z list of reviews using map and filtering functionality.
Diversity of cuisine, offering, geography and price point were considered when creating the Critics’ Picks list, which includes some hatted venues.
“When putting together this list, we asked ourselves who is charting a new course, what places consistently deliver, and which venues meet our current moment?” says Breheny.
“There are hats aplenty in the 120-odd Critics’ Picks, but we also cast the net wider to reflect the way diners are eating now.”
Sweet says the list of essential restaurants responds to the changing needs of Australian diners by recommending everything from fine-dining restaurants to food court favourites.
“A takeaway shawarma joint mightn’t conjure the same ambience as a country fine diner. But if the conversation is about deliciousness, shouldn’t that shawarma shop be part of that conversation?
“We think yes, and that’s what dictated our approach as editors this year,” he says.
The Guide will also include comprehensive regional dining round-ups, stretching from Beechworth to Daylesford. They contain tips on where to get everything including a coffee, an excellent baked good, a beer or a full-blown meal. There’s also a spotlight on cuisines that have been a big part of Melbourne’s past 12 months, including Indian, Indonesian and Greek.
All reviews go live on the Good Food app on Monday night following the conclusion of the ceremony. Breheny says the digitised Guide means readers can more easily explore reviews on their phone with the bonus of up-to-date opening hours and a location-based “nearby” function to locate recommended restaurants in their area – much like a personalised Google map.
They can also filter for cuisine types and dietary requirements, and search via signature collections including one-hat, two-hat and three-hat recommendations.
“It comes in handy when you’re travelling and in, say, Torquay and want to know where the best sandwich is without having to wade through Google,” she says.
The Age Good Food Guide 2026 Awards ceremony will be live-blogged via The Age from 3pm, and the 2026 edition of the Guide will be available on the Good Food app from 8pm. A free 80-page Good Food Guide magazine will be inserted in The Age tomorrow.
The Good Food app is free for premium subscribers of The Age and also available as a standalone subscription. You can download the Good Food app here.
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