Last week, Condé Nast Traveller revealed their 2026 Hot List for The Best New Restaurants in the World. 34 venues featured on the list, spanning cities like New York, Paris, Singapore and Tokyo. Australia did us proud, with restaurants named in Brisbane, Byron Bay, and yes, Melbourne. Chef Hugh Allen’s first restaurant, Yiaga, was featured on the list, and if you’re keen to check it out, you’ll definitely need to make a reservation. Described as a place for “Australia’s who’s who”, reservations for August will be released on May 1 at 10am.
Yiaga named as one of the world’s best new restaurants
Located in the beautiful Fitzroy Gardens, Yiaga opened in Melbourne in October last year. Co-owned by Hugh Allen, who is also the executive chef at Vue de Monde, this high-end venue is set inside a refurbished pavilion, which was originally built as tearooms in 1908. Now, the space has an open dining and kitchen area, with stunning views of new landscaping and the surrounding gardens.
The refreshed space was described by Condé Nast as “an irrepressible ode to craftmanship”. Outside, the terracotta tiles are textural, and reminiscent of the nearby elm trees. Inside, you’ll find a continuous wall made up of over 13,000 individually handmade tiles, a Tasmanian blackwood timber cellar, custom dining chairs and a private dining room table made from a cypress branch from the Royal Botanic Gardens.
As for the food, look forward to an evolving degustation menu that celebrates Australia’s farmers, fishers, growers, makers, artists and creatives. Think Blackmore wagyu, dive-foraged wakame, coral trout from Queensland and more. Condé Nast described the coconut tofu with roasted macadamia oil, caviar and makrut lime as a “standout”.
There are two alcoholic beverage pairings to choose from. The first is an all-Australian option that champions boutique producers and special collaborations. The second is a more classical wine pairing. There’s is also a non-alcoholic pairing. Made daily by the chefs and designed for certain dishes on the menu, this option features seasonal juices, rare teas and house-made infusions.
Yiaga seats 44 guests, including an 8-seat semi-private dining space. It is open from Thursday to Saturday for dinner, and Friday to Sunday for lunch. The degustation is currently $320 per person. To learn more about it, click here.
Meanwhile, Feu in Byron Bay and Golden Avenue in Brisbane were also named on the Hot List. To see the full list, click here.