The 2026 Time Out Food & Drink Award winners have been announced, revealing the favourite bars and pubs across Australia.
Now in its 16th year, the awards celebrate the top bars and pubs, as voted for by readers, in addition to the top choices of Time Out’s expert panel of editors.
Time Out Australia Editor in Chief Alice Ellis said: “Hospitality is a challenging business, made no less challenging by the fact that the field in both Sydney and Melbourne is strong and competitive – so narrowing down the final list was a tough task.
“When selecting winners, our team looked at factors including excellent value, unique selling points, diversity and wow factor.”
The Editor’s Choice for Sydney’s Best Bar or Pub was The Dry Dock, Balmain. The judges said: “This historic, heritage-listed venue (it’sthe oldest licenced pub in Balmain!) underwent a huge renovation before reopening
in 2023 and is now a local haven, with spaces for all tastes.”
The Editor’s Choice for Melbourne’s Best Bar or Pub was Suze, Fitzroy North (pictured main). The judges said: “A stylish yet welcoming wine bar with an ever-evolving menu and interesting vino list.”
Time Out’s People’s Choice awards were decided based on more than 10,000 votes, from every state and territory, making it Time Out’s biggest public vote for the awards to date. And the winners were …
People’s Choice Awards: Favourite Bar
ACT: Bar Beirut, Canberra
NSW: Cardea, Sydney
NT: Bar Kokomo, Darwin
QLD: Bar Miette, Brisbane
VIC: St Luja, Melbourne
SA: Latteria, Adelaide
TAS: Bar Wa Izakaya, Hobart
WA: Little Creatures Brewery, Fremantle
People’s Choice Awards: Favourite Pub
ACT: Old Canberra Inn
NSW: Bat & Ball Hotel, Sydney
NT: Hotel Darwin
QLD: Peregian Beach Hotel
The full list of winners is available at timeout.com/australia
Time Out releases 2026 Dining Trends Report
The results arrive alongside Time Out’s 2026 Dining Trends Report, which offers further insight into the themes and tastes defining the Sydney and Melbourne dining scenes.
The report highlights several overarching trends for this year, including a shift toward ‘specific authenticity’ over broad menus, high-concept affordable eats and a rise in hyper-specialised drinks.
The key trends identified for 2026 include:
Hyper-specialised beverages
Specificity is also a characteristic of the bar industry – the success of bars as specific as “sherry focused” (at Melbourne’s Three Horses) suggests Australian drinkers are seeking “knowledge-based” consumption. Paradise in Sydney is a specialist in
orange wine; Moondrop in Melbourne specialises in East Asian flavour profiles, utilising ingredients like lapsang souchong tea, ube and MSG brine in its culturally specific cocktails.
The rise of ‘specific authenticity’
The report highlights a shift in the hospitality scene away from broad offerings and towards “specific authenticity”. For example, many venues are now focused on highly localised regional cuisines. Think Peloponnesian Greek at Olympic Meats, Hungarian at Corner 75, Padang Indonesian at Temu Kangen, and Otakoi which is recognised as Melbourne’s first and only Ukrainian restaurant.
High-concept affordable eats
Affordable venues have evolved from simple takeaways to a sophisticated segment offering hyper-specific product lines, made by applying rigorous techniques to low-cost formats. Examples include Sydney’s Eat Ozzo (which makes a
pizza-sandwich hybrid), Newcastle’s Arno Deli (where an award-winning chef makes Florentine panini), and Melbourne’s Suupaa, which serves elevated takes on Japanese convenience store classics.
Sydney’s ‘heritage preservation’ project
The Sydney hospitality industry in particular, is increasingly seeing itself as a platform for cultural preservation and education. A notable example of this is Randwick’s Corner 75, which represents the preservation of “migrant culture”. Similarly, when it comes to spaces, there’s a renewed interest in heritage, with historic buildings – including the Eleven Barrack space – being transformed into modern dining icons.
Melbourne’s trend towards intimacy
The report also identifies a smaller, more intimate dining experience as a distinctly Melbourne trend. Twelve-seater Japanese fine-diner Matsu in Footscray is known for its “clockwork-like” ceremony, illustrating that Melbourne’s diners are leaning into “exclusive intimacy” – experiences that feel rare and curated, even as they become
more accessible.
As part of the report, Time Out compiled data from its food-and-drink-obsessed readers, noting the following key trends:
- Aussies are still chasing new dining experiences, but only when they feel it’s worth it
- The number one motivator when choosing where to eat or drink is the desire to try something new (21%), but this sits alongside a strong value mindset, with 35% prioritising affordability
- Value is the new fine dining: over a third of diners are choosing affordability first
- More than 1/3 of diners (35%) are choosing cheap eats or value for money, compared to just 9% actively seeking a ‘treat’ experience
- While local venues are gaining traction, only 13% of diners actively prioritise neighbourhood spots, meaning nearly 9 in 10 are still open to CBD dining.
The Time Out 2026 Dining Trends Report is available here.