Stakes were high at The Age Good Food Guide 2025 Awards on Monday night as some trailblazing restaurants were celebrated while others – including some of the city’s enduring favourites – took a tumble, losing their coveted chef hats. After going in the Guide unscored last year, amid a $3 million refurb , the sky-high Vue de Monde has rejoined the three-hat hall of fame, reclaiming its place on Melbourne’s dining leaderboard with food as good as ever, but an experience a little less buttoned-up. “Vue de Monde is absolutely back with a bang,” says Guide editor Ellen Fraser.
“This is high-calibre fine dining unlike anything else in the world – and it is astonishingly delicious. The floor team strikes that magic balance of fine-tuned and laid-back. And the refreshed room is even more worthy of the incredible outlook.
” The arc was similar for Torquay’s Samesyn , re-emerging from an overhaul with a thrilling zero-waste philosophy (and no bin!) that elevated it from one hat to two. On the flip side are several high-profile demotions. Rinaldo Di Stasio’s eponymous CBD restaurant Di Stasio Citta fell from two hats to one – as did Stephen Nairn’s Chapel Street bistro Omnia .
Sibling venue Yugen Dining lost its hat, as did Shannon Martinez’s mark-making vegan diner, following a recent transition to the more casual Smith & Daughters Social Club . Other losses included Bistro Gitan, Il Bacaro and Tonka. “The decision to remove a hat is never made lightly, par.