The Good Food Guide Awards have brought Melbourne’s hospitality industry together at The Timber Yard in Port Melbourne, with the 2026 ceremony set to reveal the Chef of the Year, the best new opening and which restaurants will gain a hat.
The mid-afternoon event, presented by Oceania Cruises and T2 Tea, is being attended by about 500 guests from across Victorian hospitality. Chefs and restaurant staff have traded their usual workwear for cocktail attire as the ceremony moves into the early evening.
This year’s Melbourne celebration is taking place before the corresponding Sydney event, which will be held in a fortnight. Organisers have again opted for an earlier start after last year’s daytime ceremony proved successful.
Good Food Guide editor Emma Breheny is due to welcome guests at the Port Melbourne venue, where the programme will include the announcement of the major awards and the latest hat recipients.
The event has also featured spritzes and tallow-fried hot chips, while reporters Eleanor Campbell, Andrea McGinniss, Emily Holgate, Erina Starkey and CBD columnist Fiona Byrne provide updates and observations from the gathering.
