These Australian Restaurants and Hotels Have Been Named Among the Best Newcomers by Conde Nast
Venues in Sydney, Brisbane, Yamba and Melbourne just scored some international recognition on the publication's 2025 Hot List.
If you're looking for somewhere new and exceptional to eat, drink or sleep, where in the world should you head? That's the perennial question, whether you're keen to make the most of your own city, visit somewhere else around Australia or venture overseas. Here's one way to make your next pick: by working through the selections on Condé Nast Traveler's 2025 Hot List, four of which you'll find right here Down Under. Two Aussie restaurants made the list of top new eateries. Two hotels did the same on their corresponding rundown.
The 2025 Hot List features venues from all around the globe; think: eateries in Paris, São Paulo, Girona, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Kigali, St Moritz and more, and hotels everywhere from Botswana, Seychelles, Japan and Austria to Belgium, Greece, Mexico and Grenada. Among them, locations in Sydney, Brisbane, Yamba and Melbourne also carved out a spot.
Christopher Pearce
First, where to dine. Sydney's place on the restaurant list won't come as a surprise. Adding to the many accolades notched up by Josh and Julie Niland, the pair's Saint Peter at the Grand National has earned Condé Nast Traveler's attention. "This is where the who's who of Sydney are keen to dine right now," said the publication of the relocated restaurant. "With traceability at its core, straight from sea to store, Niland's whole-fish cooking remains a trailblazer worldwide, and the new outpost of Saint Peter is proof," it also notes.
Brisbanites, you also have a Condé Nast Traveler-approved eatery at home, with Supernormal Brisbane making the cut. Restaurateur Andrew McConnell brought the Melbourne-born chain to the Sunshine State in 2024, to a prime waterfront spot in the state capital's CBD. As the publication notes, though, he "doesn't do cut-and-paste jobs". It continues: "McConnell has taken one of his most beloved outlets — a neon-lit Melbourne laneway diner — and given it a tropical makeover to suit this riverside setting".
If you're eager to book in your next getaway without leaving the country, Yamba and Melbourne are your destinations. So, you have coastal town and bustling city options. With the first, the New South Wales spot's Il Delfino Seaside Inn made the list. "Perched on the cliffside and peering over the Pacific Ocean, the original 1940s wave-lashed building has been transformed into a chic seaside inn that feels snatched from the Mediterranean," Condé Nast Traveler advises.
In the Victorian capital, Melbourne Place on Russell Street nabbed a spot — and a glowing description. "This striking rust-coloured 191-room hotel built from local bricks, concrete and hardwood is a distillation of what makes this thrumming city tick," the publication notes. Also getting some love in the process: the hotel's sky-high offerings. "The rooftop, with its bar and retractable-rooftop restaurant Mid Air, is encased by a soaring brick wall and feels like a floating fortress with dramatic portholes that look like giant eyes watching over the city. It's here where everyone from guests to locals gather, casually lounging on sofas and seated at tables, with some of the best views across the city."
For more information about Condé Nast Traveler's 2025 Hot List, head to the publication's website.
Top image: Earl Carter.
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