It’s the very first time these not likely Western Sydney suburban areas racked up a Good Food Guide hat

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide introduced its 40th version on Monday evening, granting hats to a host of dining establishments throughout NSW and the ACT.

The Guide was produced to educate the general public regarding Australia’s finest dining establishments, bars, clubs and coffee shops, and the cooks’ hat ranking system– the keystone of the Guide for 4 years– was produced to provide restaurants a feeling of what to anticipate in regards to food, solution and experience.

Among the 151 hatted dining establishments in the 2025 Guide, a fad has actually arised: the location of Sydney’s hats is starting to change.

Closer to the CBD there were hats in Hurstville and Brighton-Le-Sands, however it was Sydney’s west that damaged brand-new ground. Gursha Ethiopian in Blacktown secured the Critics’ Pick honor, while there was one hat each for Sinclair’s in Penrith and Cricca in Windsor.

“I’ve scanned the index and map pages of every Good Food Guide back to 1984, and can confidently say that this is the first time a hat has ever been awarded to a restaurant in either suburb,” claims Good Food Guide editorCallan Boys

“Penrith has had a few restaurants featured in the Guide over the years – Tamleni Indian, The Union and Osso, back when it was on Lawson Street – but nothing at a hat level. At Windsor on the Hawkesbury River, a half-hour drive north-east, it’s a similar story.

“The Western Sydney maps in many editions of the Good Food Guide actually tend to trail off after Parramatta. That will no longer be the case, especially with the launch of our new Good Food app, which can be filled with thousands of restaurants across Sydney. The Guide is no longer limited by pesky word space and page numbers.”

Sinclair’s, a steakhouse atop the rebuilt 1820s Log Cabin resort, racked up 15 out of a feasible 20 in the Guide. It uses raised standards with sights of the Nepean River: sirloin is crusted over ironbark and talked to olive oil, a specials board provides the similarity corned-beef croquettes, while the cook’s table food selection could include smoked oysters or suckling pig.

Sinclair’s cook Scott Mills, that started his occupation in Hervey Bay at the age of 14
prior to holding functions in the Whitsundays and Kirribilli, claims the award is the fulfilment of a long-lasting desire.

“It’s definitely ticked an item off my bucket list. It’s an absolute privilege to be a part of the story of elevating Penrith’s dining scene, coming out here and just giving it all we’ve got.”

Penrith need to tempt cooks, he claims, as a result of the distance to a variety of manufacturers, much of whom Sinclair’s preserves straight connection with; the food selection could detail Grima Bros celeriac or Schofields Orchard citrus, as an example, both within 30 kilometres of the dining establishment.

It’s not almost hats either, with current openings consisting of Long’s House and the informal offerings at the brand-new Manufactor precinct including structure to Penrith’s eating scene.

As for whether Mills believes Sinclair’s can be a version for various other residents fantasizing large? “One hundred per cent, and I hope to see a little bit more,” he claims. “I hope to see that people can now see that it’s a viable option, and that you don’t need to travel all the way to the city to have a good night.”

It’s a comparable tale in Windsor, where Cricca has actually ended up being the community’s very first hatted
place, racking up 15 out of 20. For Alessio Nogarotto, that runs the intimate wood-fired “Italian-ish” dining establishment with cook Giles Gabutina, it’s not just agent of Western Sydney’s expanding allure for young drivers, it’s individual.

“I was raised in Italy, but Western Sydney is my home. It means a lot to us, for
Windsor and our community,” he claims. “I really hope this shines a light on not only people seeing Windsor as a dining destination, but for restaurateurs to see potential here.”

Ultimately, however, Nogarotto wishes the hat can aid turn around the trend of residents
avoiding community for unique events, and motivate even more restaurants from internal Sydney to head west.

“Windsor is a Macquarie town. It’s beautiful. The buildings are heritage. We have gas lamps. I feel like there’s so much potential for Windsor to be a hub for food, for travel, for getaways,” he claims. “Maybe we can flip that, get some city diners to come out, have a farm stay for the weekend and explore something new that they haven’t explored before.”

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2025, including greater than 450 testimonials, gets on sale for $14.95 from newsagents, grocery stores and atthestore.com.au

The brand-new Good Food application, including Good Food Guide testimonials, dishes and food information, is offered to download and install. It’s offered as a standalone membership and as component of our Premium Digital plans for clients. Premium Digital clients can download and install the Good Food application from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store currently.