The most romantic day of the year is almost upon us, and for those looking to wine and dine their better half, OpenTable, the world’s leading online restaurant reservations platform, has today unveiled its 50 most romantic restaurants in Australia for 2019.
For the second year in a row, Queensland has cemented its position as Australia’s most romantic dining region bagging 36% of the spots on OpenTable’s annual 50 most romantic restaurants list. As Australia’s culinary landscape continues to flourish, this year’s list has also seen new additions from Tasmania and Canberra join the sought-after list of dining hubs.
Modern Australian has once again proven to be Aussies’ cuisine of choice, with more than a third (38%) of restaurants featured on the list serving dishes inspired by the nation’s culinary techniques, traditions and flavours. Acting as a key indicator of emerging dining trends within Australia, this year’s list has seen a resurgence in seafood restaurants making up 16% of the spots, along with the very first entry from purely vegan and vegetarian eatery, which speaks to the growing appetite for plant-based diets.
Tim Domelow, Senior Restaurant Relations Manager from OpenTable, said: “Valentine’s Day is one of the most highly anticipated dining days of the year for both restaurateurs and diners alike around the globe. The 2019 50 most romantic restaurants list continues to demonstrate the rich culinary scene Australia has to offer and is a practical tool for diners looking to choose from a wide selection of high caliber restaurants when planning the perfect romantic occasion.”
For those looking to orchestrate a memorable dining experience, spontaneity should be reserved for another occasion as booking ahead is highly advised. Last year in Australia, OpenTable recorded a 35% increase in seated diners on Valentine’s Day compared to the year before.
As the global experts in dining, OpenTable has compared the unique habits of its diners on Valentine’s Day. Diners booking on OpenTable in Australia seem eager to make the most of the evening with 6:30pm being the most popular time to dine, compared to that of other romantic nations such as those in the UK who prefer a later seating time of 7:30pm. Additionally, OpenTable diners in Australia are more likely to dine longer on Valentine’s Day, with 2018 seeing a 21% increase in the average table turn time, totalling on average up to 2.5 hours per sitting.
With more than 4 million Aussies having realised that they were smitten with their partner whilst dining at a restaurant[1], OpenTable’s 50 most romantic restaurants list offers a rich selection of dining options to suit any romantic occasion.
The complete top 50 list may be viewed at https://www.opentable.com.au/lists/most-romantic-restaurants-in-australia-2019
Alphabetical list of Australia’s top 50 romantic restaurants 2019:
| A Touch of salt – Townsville, Queensland |
| Alibi – Sydney, New South Wales |
| Bankvale Run, Mickelham, Victoria |
| Bistro Guillaume – Sydney, New South Wales |
| Cecconi’s – Melbourne, Victoria |
| Circa 1876 at The Convent – Pokolbin – Hunter Valley, New South Wales |
| Donovans – St. Kilda, Victoria |
| Eau De Vie Melbourne – Melbourne, Victoria |
| Eightysix – Canberra, ACT |
| Elio’s Osteria – Carina Heights, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Epocha Restaurant – Melbourne, Victoria |
| Four Winds Revolving Restaurant – Surfer’s Paradise, Queensland |
| Glass Brasserie – Hilton – Sydney, New South Wales |
| Glasshouse – Timbumburi, New South Wales |
| Hemingway’s Airlie Beach – Airlie Beach, Queensland |
| Kisume – Melbourne, Victoria |
| Kneading Ruby – Wollongong, New South Wales |
| Madame Wu – Brisbane, Queensland |
| Malt Dining – Brisbane, Queensland |
| Meet – Newcastle, New South Wales |
| Mjolner – Melbourne, Victoria |
| Mjølner Sydney – Sydney, New South Wales |
| Momofuku Seiobo – The Star – Sydney, New South Wales |
| Moo Moo Restaurant – Gold Coast Highway, Broadbeach, Queensland |
| Moo Moo The Wine Bar + Grill – Brisbane, Queensland |
| Northerlies Beach Bar and Grill – Airlie Beach – Airlie Beach, Queensland |
| Nour – Sydney, New South Wales |
| Osteria di Russo and Russo – Sydney, New South Wales |
| Polpolo – Brisbane, Queensland |
| Press* Food & Wine – Adelaide, South Australia |
| Pt Leo Restaurant – Frankston, Victoria |
| Rick Shores – Burleigh Heads, Queensland |
| Rickys River Bar and Restaurant – Burleigh Heads, Queensland |
| Rogue Bistro – Newstead, Queensland |
| Rookie Eatery – Wollongong, New South Wales |
| Sails Noosa – Noosa Heads, Queensland |
| Shorehouse – Townsville, Queensland |
| Smith & Daughters – Melbourne, Victoria |
| Stokehouse Q – South Brisbane, Queensland |
| Stokehouse St Kilda – St Kilda, Victoria |
| Sydney Cove Oyster Bar – Sydney, New South Wales |
| The Courthouse – Brisbane, Queensland |
| The Fish House – Burleigh Heads, Queensland |
| The Lounge Restaurant by Frogmore Creek – Hobart, Tasmania |
| The Potting Shed – Sydney, New South Wales |
| The Rocks Mornington – Mornington, Victoria |
| The Woodhouse Restaurant – Bendigo, Victoria |
| Tinamba Hotel – Tiamba, Victoria |
| Waterfront Southgate – Melbourne, Victoria |
| Whalebone Wharf – Port Macquarie, New South Wales |
Regions
New South Wales – 15 restaurants – 30%
Victoria – 14 restaurants -28%
ACT – 1 restaurant – 2%
Tasmania: 1 restaurant – 2%
Queensland – 18 restaurants – 36%
South Australia: 1 restaurant – 2%
Cuisines:
Australian: 38%
- Modern Australian – 19
European: 20%
- European – 2
- French – 1
- Italian – 6
- Tapas – 1
Asian: 8%
- Japanese – 1
- Asian – 3
Misc: 34%
- Vegan / Vegetarian – 1
- Seafood – 8
- Steak/Grill – 6
- Brazilian – 1
- Lebanese – 1
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