Saint Peter
Australia
Saint Peter asks diners to look at fish differently. Josh and Julie Niland’s restaurant has become closely associated with using the whole animal, applying careful butchery, ageing and inventive preparation to parts that many kitchens overlook. The resulting meal is an exploration of flavour and texture, with Australian seafood providing the subject rather than a predictable succession of fillets. The restaurant’s home at Paddington’s Grand National Hotel gives that work a suitably considered setting. Dinner follows a tasting-menu format, while lunch and the bar offer different ways to engage with the kitchen. Across those options, the underlying interest remains the same: what becomes possible when fish receives the same detailed attention routinely devoted to other premium ingredients. Gourmet Traveller named Saint Peter its Restaurant of the Year for 2025, recognition that reflects the project’s wider influence. It leads this Sydney selection because its ideas are both distinctive and tangible on the plate. For international visitors, it offers a compelling encounter with Australian produce and a restaurant actively expanding the possibilities of its chosen field.