Time Out Sydney Food & Drink Awards 2026: Best Destination Venue Nominees

In a verdant, tropical-like oasis at the foothills of the Blue Mountains, in the Hawkesbury region, you'll find Songoma Spicers Retreat – Amara restaurant is at the centre of the resort. Head chef Will Houia (who’s worked in kitchens at Michelin-starred Relæ in Copenhagen, three-hatted NZ restaurants Pasture and Roots Restaurant and Sydney’s renowned Firedoor) is big on using organic and seasonal produce from the Hawkesbury region. And we're not exaggerating when we say Amara puts the ‘special’ in the phrase ‘special occasion’.

If you’ve been to Italy, you’ve probably been to All'Antico Vinaio, the famous Florentine sandwich shop, which now has more than 30 stores dotted all over the world. Will O’Brien vividly remembers trying his first one in Florence when he and his wife were travelling around Europe for six months. During that holiday, his dream to open an Italian-style deli serving Florence-inspired panini was born. Fast forward a decade, and Will, who spent years working as a chef at top Sydney restaurants, moved up the coast with his family to Newcastle. And in 2022, Arno Deli opened up inside a building the colour of whipped butter, located on 181 King Street. Florence may have David, but Newcastle has Arno. Add it to the top of your hit list.

Order the cochinita pibil at Newcastle’s new Mexican restaurant, Papalote. Here, pork shoulder is marinated in achiote, garlic and orange before being cooked for eight hours in a traditional brick pit oven. It arrives wrapped in banana leaf – like a hunger-inducing Mayan gift – and is a brilliant rendition of this Yucatán dish. Last November, locals and long-time friends – sommelier-chef couple Stephanie Wells and Michael Portley from Hunter Street’s pasta and vino palace, Humbug, and the charismatic Eduardo Molina from easy-breezy fine diner Flotilla – teamed up to open Papalote. And we're happy they did.

About a 20-minute drive from Wollongong, in the idyllic seaside village of Coledale, is Rosie’s Fish & Chips – home to the best fish and chips in the state, we reckon (and judging by the line snaking out the door, half the South Coast might agree). The family-owned shop is run by British-born chef Ben Sinfield and his partner Tania Ho, and is named after their daughter. There are a handful of blue tables out the front, but your best bet is to waddle down the hill and enjoy your lunch on the grassy patch in front of Sharky Beach with front-row ocean views.

The mission of You Beauty is to “pay homage to the classic corner pub of a big city” from its regional location in the heart of one of the Northern Rivers’ most charming towns. Although what this place pulls off is far more refined than your typical corner drinking hole. With its dark wooden floorboards and old-school Aussie wall hangings, there’s a delightfully unpretentious vibe to the space – bifold doors connecting the pub-style dining room to a big verandah that overlooks the street, and a ’70s soundtrack flooding the space through retro speakers wired into the ceiling. The pub-style energy is matched with friendly, easy-going service, but the offering (excellent wine, well-crafted cocktails and first-rate snacks) is more akin to what you’d expect from a Melbourne wine bar. It’s the perfect holiday dinner spot.