Josh Niland’s Saint Peter Paddington has claimed the coveted title of Restaurant of the Year in Gourmet Traveller‘s 2025 Annual Restaurant Guide — a landmark recognition for one of the suburb’s most celebrated dining destinations. The award cements the restaurant’s place not just at the top of Sydney’s dining scene, but among the most remarkable seafood restaurants anywhere in the country.
Saint Peter now operates out of the heritage-listed Grand National Hotel at 161 Underwood Street, Paddington, after relocating there in 2024 from its original Oxford Street premises. The move, a long-anticipated project led by Josh and Julie Niland, transformed the long-vacant pub into a multi-faceted hospitality venue complete with a 40-seat fine-dining restaurant, a separate bar, private dining, and 14 boutique hotel rooms.
The Gourmet Traveller review praised the restaurant’s continued commitment to Niland’s signature scale-to-tail philosophy, in which every part of the fish — including secondary cuts rarely seen on Australian menus — is given careful and inventive treatment. Diners might begin with an Oyster Shell Martini before following a single species of fish across multiple preparations: a yellowfin tuna, for instance, could appear as a tartare served on a fermented rice cake, then re-emerge encased in pastry as a Wellington, and finish as a petit four made from bone marrow fudge. Other highlights noted in the review include a John Dory liver pâté with a sweet port and Madeira jelly, and the restaurant’s signature salt and vinegar mackerel — a dish that has become something of a calling card for Niland’s approach to the craft.
The dining room itself is described as artistically considered, featuring works by artist Sophie Cape within a eucalypt-toned interior. Service across the experience is noted as seamless.
Niland is a James Beard Award winner and multiple chef of the year recipient across Australia’s most prestigious food publications. The restaurant holds two hats with the Good Food Guide and has been nominated or named restaurant of the year across Time Out, Gourmet Traveller, and the Good Food Guide in various years.
For those after a more relaxed outing, the Saint Peter Bar offers its own separate menu — think tuna and swordfish belly bacon cheeseburgers and curried cod pies — making the venue accessible for a casual drop-in as much as a special occasion. The restaurant is open for lunch Thursday to Sunday and dinner daily, with bookings considered essential. The venue is also wheelchair accessible.
Those wanting to make a full night of it can book a room upstairs at The Grand National Hotel by Saint Peter, with rates starting from $600 per night, inclusive of a non-alcoholic minibar and breakfast — served, naturally, by the Saint Peter kitchen.
Saint Peter is located at 161 Underwood Street, Paddington. Bookings can be made at saintpeter.com.au or by calling (02) 9167 3703.
Published 27-April-2026
