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The wait is finally over! After a spectacular awards ceremony at Machine Hall on Monday, March 24, the winners of Time Out Sydney's Food & Drink Awards 2025 (in partnership with Tyro) have been revealed.
For more than 15 years, Time Out has been running awards that celebrate Australia's hospo industry with ceremonies in both Sydney and Melbourne. Our local editors and writers have been eating their way around both cities to give readers the recommendations they’re searching for, while also working to spotlight amazing business owners, chefs, bartenders, sommeliers, front-of-house and back-of-house professionals who work hard to deliver special dining experiences.
“Time Out is all about getting people off the couch and out experiencing the best of their cities, so the Time Out Food & Drink Awards are a great chance to celebrate those businesses serving up something truly special," says Time Out APAC Managing Director, Kaylie Smith.
“The pace of new venue openings hasn’t slowed since our last Sydney and Melbourne Food & Drink Awards, so our editors and writers have been checking new spots out, as well as revisiting long-standing restaurants and bars. Our main focus with reviewing, and deciding on winners, is diversity. We aim to fill our readers in on a diverse range of venues – diverse when it comes to price point, cuisines, locations, length of service and vibes.”
The Awards are sponsored by payment solutions company Tyro, which is all about supporting hospitality and other business types so they can deliver excellent experiences to customers.
Tyro’s Chief Growth Officer Dee Bannatyne says, “Our hospitality scene in Australia is recognised globally for punching above its weight, with Sydney and Melbourne home to some of the world’s most celebrated restaurants and bars. We are so proud to support the Time Out Food & Drink Awards for another year at Tyro, and look forward to spotlighting the newest talent taking Australia’s iconic drinking and dining experiences to new heights.”
In 2025, winners were awarded across 11 Editors’ Choice categories (based on independent, anonymous reviews of a diverse range of restaurants and bars), as well as four People’s Choice categories. Here's the full list of winners:
Editors' Choice Awards
Restaurant of the Year: Neptune’s Grotto
Bar of the Year: Pleasure Club
Legend Award: Spice Temple
Impact Award: Kyiv Social
Best Special Occasion Restaurant: Sean’s
Best Relaxed Dining: Neptune’s Grotto
Best Destination Venue: Hey Rosey
Best Cheap Eat: Mami’s Casa Latina
Best Cocktail Bar: Centro 86
Best Wine Bar: Deux Frères
Best Casual Drinking Venue: Bat & Ball Hotel
Note: Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more here.
People's Choice Awards
The People's Choice Awards offer a chance for our readers to share their thoughts on New South Wales's culinary scene and vote for their favourite restaurant, café, bar and pub. Thousands of you had your say in the 2025 awards – and here are the results:
Best Restaurant: 20 Chapel
Best Café: Circa Espresso
Best Bar: Uncanny Newtown
Best Pub: The Dolphin
To visit the Sydney winners hub and read all the reviews, head over here.
To see all the Melbourne winners, click here.
Time Out would like to thank our sponsor, Tyro, for making the Food & Drink Awards 2025 possible.