OpenTable may be best known as the website where hungry diners can book coveted spots at popular bars and restaurants, but it's also become a compelling tool for insights into users' dining trends and habits. So each year, the platform leverages its findings from hundreds and thousands of venue reviews, plus reservation and search metrics, to come up with an intriguing set of reports.
The most recent? A definitive list of the top 50 restaurants in Australia for 2025, based on data from around 195,000 diner reviews. And what a stellar result for Victoria! This year, we've taken the crown as the state with the highest amount of restaurants on the list at 17, while Queensland had 14 and New South Wales came in third with 12. Sorry not sorry, Sydney!
Let's take a look at the restaurants Victorians seem to be loving right now – at least if five-star reviews and repeat bookings are anything to go by.
In the CBD, long-standing Italian favourites like Cecconi's on Flinders Lane, Il Solito Posto, The Moat and Trattoria Emilia are still proving popular as ever, as well as fine dining icon Vue de Monde. Inner-city spots Bellota Wine Bar, Geppetto Trattoria, Lagoon Dining and Yeongga Korean BBQ also edged onto the list, while regional gems hailed from towns like Port Fairy (Merrijig Kitchen), Belgrave (Cognoscenti Food and Wine) and Bright (Sir Loins).
See below for the full list of Victorian restaurants:
- Attica – Ripponlea
- Bansho – Armadale
- Bellota Wine Bar – South Melbourne
- Bistra – Carlton
- Cecconi's Flinders Lane – Melbourne
- Cognoscenti Food and Wine – Belgrave
- Geppetto Trattoria – East Melbourne
- Grazia Restaurant – Glen Iris
- Holy Basil Thai – Croydon
- Il Solito Posto – Melbourne
- Lagoon Dining – Carlton
- Merrijig Kitchen – Port Fairy
- Paris Go – Carlton
- Shelanous – Port Melbourne
- Sir Loins – Bright
- The Moat – Melbourne
- Trattoria Emilia – Melbourne
- Vue de Monde – Melbourne
- Yeonga Korean BBQ – North Melbourne
Perhaps this is a sign to go out and try somewhere new, though further OpenTable research reveals that 38 per cent of diners have a restaurant or bar where they feel like a regular – meaning when we find a place we love, we typically tend to return again and again.
Looking for more dining inspo? Visit the website to read the entire Top 50 Restaurants in Australia report. Or if you're planning a hot date (after all, V-Day is just around the corner), be sure to check out OpenTable's extra report on the Top 50 Romantic Restaurants in Australia.
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