Drumroll, please – it's the moment you've all been waiting for! After a fabulous awards ceremony at the QT Rooftop on Monday, March 17, the winners of Time Out Melbourne's Food & Drink Awards 2025 (in partnership with Tyro) have been revealed.
Time Out has been running awards that celebrate Melbourne's hospo industry for more than 15 years now. Our local editors and writers have been eating their way around the state to give readers the recommendations they’re searching for, while also working to spotlight amazing business owners, chefs, bartenders, sommeliers, front-of-house and back-of-house professionals that are working hard to deliver special dining experiences.
Winners were awarded across 11 Critics’ Choice categories (based on independent, anonymous reviews of a diverse range of restaurants and bars), as well as four People’s Choice categories. Read on for the full list of winners.
Critics' Choice Awards
Restaurant of the Year: Greasy Zoe’s
Bar of the Year: Caretaker's Cottage
Legend Award: Brae
Impact Award: Free to Feed
Best Fine Dining: Navi
Best Relaxed Dining: Eat Pierogi Make Love
Best Cheap Eat: Wazzup Falafel
Best Destination Venue: Chauncy, Heathcote
Best Cocktail Bar: Bar Bellamy
Best Wine Bar: Bar Olo
Best Casual Drinking Venue: Young Hearts
Time Out Melbourne never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more here.
People's Choice Awards
The People's Choice Awards are an opportunity for our readers to share their thoughts on Victoria's culinary scene and select their favourite restaurant, café, bar and pub. Well, you've had your say and thousands of votes have been tallied. These are the results:
Best Restaurant: Deep End Pizza
Best Café: Black Gold
Best Bar: St Luja
Best Pub: Punters Club
To visit the winners hub and read all the reviews, head here.
Time Out would like to thank our sponsor, Tyro, for making the Food & Drink Awards 2025 possible. As a payment solutions company, Tyro is all about supporting hospitality and other business types so they can deliver excellent experiences to customers.