top of page
Search

HATS OFF TO CENTRAL COAST AND HUNTER REGION

Year upon year, a flurry of enthusiasm and excitement rings out at the announcement of the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide, and the Australian Good Food Guide’s Hatted Restaurant Winners. Defined as the highest levels of hospitality all over Australia, these two prestigious guides highlight exceptional chefs, exceptional food and exceptional dining experiences.


Australia’s equivalent of the Michelin star, a Chef Hat is an honour in the culinary world, heralded as some of the most extraordinary, outstanding venues and food you need to know about, and that WEST wants to share with you. Celebrating quality, innovation, engaging hospitality and food that lives on in the memory bank for years to come.   

 

The memory of an incredible meal is akin to striking gold, stirring up the senses and filling our bellies with the kind of warm, hearty feeling a roaring hot fire brings. A meal and dining experience so impressive, so memorable, full of pure, delicious pleasure, that it lingers long after the final course has been served. This is the epitome of a hatted restaurant meal. 

 

Earlier this year, The WEST Journal curated a list of some of the 2025 Greater Western Sydney hatted restaurants you simply had to visit and experience for yourself. In this edition, we celebrate some of the restaurants awarded a Chef Hat accolade in the Central Coast, Newcastle and Hunter Valley regions. Pairing cool, coastal living and vineyard views with refined hospitality and delicious, glorious food. Each restaurant is a roadmap to culinary excellence, inviting you to schedule in a visit and experience the best of hatted hospitality, firsthand. 


CENTRAL COAST 


Known for its beautiful beaches, relaxed coastal lifestyle and fresh local seafood, a visit to the NSW Central Coast is a destination getaway that soothes the soul. One of only two restaurants awarded a Chef Hat on the Central Coast, The Cowrie defines elegant coastal dining and is a must visit on the hatted foodie list.  


 

Perched above Terrigal with sweeping views of the Pacific, The Cowrie offers a refined dining experience celebrating fresh, local seafood and modern Australian cuisine with a strong focus on sourcing fresh produce from local suppliers and providores.  

 

The Cowrie is known for its elegant atmosphere and impeccable service, this coastal gem is perfect for romantic dinners, special occasions, or leisurely lunches with a view. Each dish is artfully crafted, highlighting the region’s finest seasonal ingredients and ocean fresh flavours. Whether you’re sipping wine at sunset or indulging in a multi course tasting menu, The Cowrie delivers a memorable culinary journey. Discover why this iconic restaurant remains a standout on the Central Coast’s dining scene. 



NEWCASTLE 

 

Once viewed as an industrial port side city, Newcastle is now home to a rich and diverse culinary scene. Often a little edgy, with hip, relaxed casual now the new refined style of eating. With six restaurants in the Newcastle region awarded 2025 Chef Hats by the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide and Australian Good Food Guide, The Flotilla and Humbug were two to receive Chef Hats from both guides, placing them high on the Newcastle restaurant hit list. 


 

The Flotilla is a small and dynamic restaurant located in Newcastle, NSW. Flotilla’s aim is to provide a relaxed yet refined dining experience that celebrates the joy of eating out. Describing themselves as a “warm and passionate restaurant serving food that is delicious and elevated without being complicated. The same goes for the killer beverage program”. 

 

Their menus are crafted around the seasons and the incredible produce from their local growers. Embracing a hyper-seasonal approach, Flotilla updates their menu every six weeks to ensure it's always fresh and aligned with what's best. Similarly, their beverage selection features a diverse array of wines and producers from Australia's vibrant cool climate regions, New South Wales, and the 'old' world. 

 

The Flotilla are proud to have been awarded their first Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Hat in 2022, and they've successfully retained this recognition in both 2023 and 2024 as well as an Australian Good Food Guide Hat in 2025. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone who has been a part of The Flotilla family over the years. 



 

 

Humbug is a neighbourhood restaurant in Newcastle owned and operated by Head Chef, Michael Portley & Maître d, Stephanie Wells. Humbug serves up snacks, pasta and wine, celebrating seasonal, produce driven cooking matched with an adventurous and ever-evolving wine list.  

 

Favourites showcased on the current winter menu are pizza fritti with porcini cream and wagyu bresaola from Branxton's Hungerford Meats, Bay lobster dumplings al forno, and agnolotti filled with caramelised pumpkin, sage and burnt butter.  

 

The wine list showcases Australian and International Mediterranean varietals with a focus on small family owned and operated wineries. Humbug love supporting family owned and operated wineries, believing they are always made with love, care and integrity. Humbug is all about genuine hospitality, good music, a welcome and inviting space and delicious bites. 



HUNTER VALLEY 

 

Known for its rich soil and warm climate perfect for a thriving wine region, the Hunter Valley is embraced throughout Australia for its culinary food scene and knockout wines to match. With over 150 wineries and a high number of hatted restaurants, the region offers a tasting experience blending history, hospitality, and delicious, standout food ready to be explored by fervent food-loving Westies.


 

Margan is a family-owned award-winning farm, winery and restaurant, established in 1996 and located in the picturesque village of Broke, Hunter Valley. Margan is a five red-star winery, three-time Cellar Door of the Year winner and the acclaimed Margan Restaurant has been consistently awarded one-hat since 2017 in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide. Additionally, it has been awarded two-hats in the Australian Good Food Guide and is an Australian & NSW Tourism winner. 

 

Margan offers acclaimed farm to table dining featuring estate-grown produce from the one-hectare Kitchen Garden and orchard, olive groves, estate-reared lambs, bees, and free-range chickens, for a hyper local and seasonal focus. The Sydney Morning Herald describes Margan Restaurant as an “Eco-savvy cellar-door restaurant with a paddock-to-plate mindset.”  

 

Margan offers a range of interactive experiences where guests can tour the garden, vineyards and winery for a behind the scenes view of the farm, from soil to sip. All Margan wines are estate grown and made as well as certified Sustainably Farmed. With both owners – Lisa and Andrew Margan – inducted as Living Legends in the 2025 Hunter Valley Legends Awards, you know you are in the hands of a venue who are passionate about what they do, how they do it, and the patrons they share it with.




 

Awarded Chef Hats from both the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide and Australian Good Food Guide, Bistro Molines owners Sally and Robert Molines live and breathe the ethos of hospitality at their core, with their love of customers, staff (or family as they like to call them) and food shining through. Bistro Molines at glorious Mount View is the pinnacle of their fifty plus years as Restauranteurs in the Hunter Valley. 

 

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide shares “Punters flock for long lunching, occasionally via helicopter, lured partly by the Provencale mise en scene but mostly by Robert Molines’ brand of polished, yet unpretentious cooking.” 

 

With stunning vineyard views, their everchanging French provincial menu and a team that are more like family, Bistro Molines love treating guests like friends and ensuring everyone feels relaxed and welcome. Their passion for providing an unforgettable experience drives the success of the restaurant and they wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for their loyal customers and friends that keep coming back and enabling Bistro Molines to do what they do! Amour!




 

Nestled in the heart of the Parish of Pokolbin at the foot of the stunning Brokenback Range, country-inspired The Gates Restaurant offers breathtaking views in Australia’s oldest wine-producing region. Guests can enjoy both an à la carte menu and a premium degustation experience, thoughtfully curated with matching Leogate Estate wines.


Showcasing regional produce and refined technique, The Gates Restaurant menu reflects a deep connection to the land, the seasons, and the rich winemaking heritage of the Hunter Valley. 




 

éRemo Restaurant at the tranquil Spicers Guesthouse is surrounded by vineyards and verdant kitchen garden in the heart of Hunter Valley wine country. The style is inviting and relaxing, with a ‘coming home to the family’ vibe, and Italian inspiration in everything they do. 

  

éRemo is about crafting memories that linger, with dining experiences that can truly touch the soul, from sitting on the lawn with a hand-spun pizza, to a diverse a la carte menu, and four-course shared dining experience from the ‘Avido’ menu (‘greedy’ in Italian), head chef Brandon Cole’s selection of dishes, served to share. 




 

Circa 1876 restaurant is set amongst the beautiful kitchen gardens and vineyards around The Convent Hunter Valley, just outside Pokolbin, where executive chef Anthony Fullerton has been building an unmissable choice for destination dining infused with its own unique personality, but inspired by Salter Brothers’ spirit of innovation. 

 

Every course of Fullerton’s succinct but diverse menu offers an excellent balance of meat, seafood and vegetarian dishes that speak of the seasons and display an expert, light touch with classic French recipes and techniques, and a warm, rustic charm that flows from a huge kitchen garden and flock of magnificent-looking and productive hens. 




 

Restaurant Botanica is a modern Australian restaurant hidden among grapevines and gum trees at Spicers Vineyards Estate, appealing to diners seeking cuisine with impeccable provenance and a superb regional wine list.  

 

Spicers' signature emphasis on locally sourced produce starts in their own kitchen garden, where a bounty of the Hunter's best produce is used with naturally sustainable practices to create award winning cuisine in a distinctive regional style.



Comments

bottom of page