2026 Top Italian Restaurant Awards
Celebrating 39 years of success, Gambero Rosso returned to Australia with its Top Italian Wines Roadshow on Wednesday 13th May at Watersedge Campbells Stores in Sydney. Now in its 19th year, the event was attended by more than 400 industry guests, including leading wine trade, hospitality and media. It was a day of tasting, networking and celebration, featuring 45 top Italian wineries, plus three masterclasses hosted by Giuseppe Carrus, Editor of Vini d’Italia (Italian Wines) guide. The event culminated with the Top Italian Restaurant Awards at 4.00pm, recognising the best Italian food and drink venues in Sydney. The ceremony was hosted by Giuseppe Carrus, with special guest Dr Gianluca Rubagotti, Consul General of Italy. There were a record 26 venues awarded this year, including 10 new entries. Winners were presented with a certificate of recognition and will be featured in the Top Italian Restaurants guide on the Gambero Rosso International website.
2026 WINNERS:
Tre Forchette:
LuMi
Due Forchette:
a’Mare
Civico 47 | New
Ormeggio at the Spit
Pellegrino 2000
Pilu at Freshwater
Una Forchetta:
Flaminia | New
Neptunes Grotto | New
Olio Kensington Street
Otto
Postino Osteria | New
Ragazzi | New
The Restaurant Pendolino
Tre Bottiglie:
1889 Enoteca
Due Bottiglie:
Fratelli Paradiso
Paski Vineria Popolare
10 William Street | New
Tre Spicchi:
Regina la Pizzeria | New
That’s Enrico | New
Due Spicchi:
Lucio Pizzeria
Cicerone Cucina Romana
Una Spicchia:
Al Taglio
Via Napoli
Pompei’s
Tre Cornetti:
Lode Pies & Pastries | New
Due Coni:
Freo | New
More About Top Italian Restaurants
The Top Italian Restaurants guide has been mapping out the finest Italian dining worldwide since 2018, showcasing exceptional Italian restaurants, trattorias, bars, wine lists, pizzerias, bakeries and gelaterias. Now with more than 800 venues listed, it is the only international guide dedicated exclusively to Italian gastronomy, becoming an essential reference for Italians and Italophiles seeking quality Italian cuisine, wherever they are. The guides curator Lorenzo Ruggeri has spent years in Italian kitchens and bars abroad, visiting an eye watering 300 establishments annually. Lorenzo and his team of collaborators seek out authentic Italian flavour, assessing the balance of the menu, quality and freshness, clarity and combination of flavours, respect of ingredients, overall presentation, along with unique Italian creativity and genuine service. Great attention is always paid to the wine offering, because a true Italian experience cannot exist without a fine glass of wine.
Venues are rated using the renowned Gambero Rosso iconographic system: restaurants up to 3 Forchette (Forks), pizzerias up to 3 Spicchi (Slices), wine lists and bars up to 3 Bottiglie (Bottles), bakeries up to 3 Cornetti (Croissants), gelaterias up to 3 Coni (Cones).
Forchette: "Forks" are bestowed to restaurants and trattorias, with an exceptional menu, service and ambiance, both in the more creative and more traditional cuisine.
Spicchi: "Slices" go to Italian pizzerias, whether they be Neapolitan-style, whose pies have a thick and fluffy crust, and selected ingredients of protected origin, or Roman, therefore light and crisp, or gourmet, with Italian flavour.
Bottiglie: "Bottles" go to wine bars and exceptional Italian wine collections, with great attention to the by-the-glass offering, as well as drawing brilliant and incisive wine lists, with a distinct Italian theme.
Cornetti: "Croissants" go to the top Italian bakeries and pastry shops, with authentic techniques and flavours, and true Italian flair.
Coni: "Cones" go to the best gelato and ice cream, using quality ingredients and real Italian creativity.
Curator: Lorenzo Ruggeri
Lorenzo is a Roman-born journalist with Sicilian roots from the Mount Etna area. He joined Gambero Rosso in 2008, completing the journalism masters’ program at Gambero Rosso Academy in Rome, going on to become the youngest taster on the Vini d’Italia tasting panel. He travels the world with Gambero Rosso International’s prestigious wine tours, hosting tastings and promoting Italian wine to an international audience. In 2018, he began curating the Top Italian Restaurants guide, which now features over 800 venues worldwide. In June 2024, he was appointed as the company’s Director and Chief Editor, placing him at the helm of international content. Lorenzo is curious and discerning, with an extraordinary passion for Italian wine and gastronomy. He has a precise palate and a genuine thirst for knowledge, with a natural ability for sharing the stories of the people and places behind what we all love to eat and drink.
Co-Editor: Giuseppe Carrus
Giuseppe is an Italian journalist, sommelier, restaurateur and wine marketer. Born in Sardinia, he studied communications at Cagliari university, including a thesis on the language of food guides. He completed his sommelier diploma, then the Gambero Rosso Master’s program. Today, Giuseppe is Editor of Vini d’Italia, spending half of the year critiquing wine and writing, and the other half travelling the world with Gambero Rosso’s various tours, hosting events and promoting Italian wine culture. He teaches wine and food tasting at Gambero Rosso Academy and is co-editor of the Top Italian Restaurants guide. He’s also a regular on Gambero Rosso TV, hosting wine programs since 2020. Beyond wine, Giuseppe is passionate about beer, spirits and cocktails. Whatever the setting, you’ll always find him with a glass in hand and a good story to tell.
The 2026 Top Italian Restaurants Award Winners with Giuseppe Carrus and Dr Gianluca Rubagotti - image by Jeremy Plaisance