Ten years after opening Saint Peter in Sydney, Josh and Julie Niland have secured a place among the world's top 50 restaurants, with the restaurant also named Best Restaurant in Oceania for 2026
Josh and Julie Niland's Saint Peter has been ranked 50th in The 50 Best Restaurants 2026, becoming the first Australian restaurant to appear in the top 50 for eight years.
The results were announced in Lima, Peru, on 4 November, with the Sydney restaurant also receiving the award for Best Restaurant in Oceania.
Saint Peter's inclusion marks another step in its international recognition, having entered the extended rankings at number 98 in 2024 before climbing to 66 last year.
The result comes during the restaurant's tenth anniversary year, following a period of significant change for the business, including its relocation to the Grand National Hotel and the development of its wider kitchen and hospitality teams.
A decade of rethinking seafood
Josh and Julie opened Saint Peter on Oxford Street in Paddington in 2016, establishing a restaurant built around Australian seafood and an approach to fish that challenged conventional kitchen practices.
Rather than treating the fillet as the primary product, Josh developed methods of butchery, dry-ageing and preservation that allowed the kitchen to work with more of each fish.
Ingredients including skin, bones, collars and offal became central to the cooking, alongside more familiar seafood preparations.
The approach has continued to develop, with fish assessed and prepared according to species, condition and the ageing process.
Recent menus have included preparations such as noodles made using fish bones, illustrating how the kitchen continues to find different applications for ingredients that might otherwise be discarded.
Josh's work has also extended beyond the restaurant through Fish Butchery and a series of cookbooks, including The Whole Fish Cookbook, Take One Fish and Fish Butchery.
His latest book, Saint Peter: Chapter & Verse, was published in September to mark the restaurant's tenth anniversary, documenting its development through essays and more than 100 recipes.
Josh and Julie's next chapter at the Grand National
In August 2024, the couple relocated Saint Peter to the restored Grand National Hotel in Paddington.
The move introduced a larger restaurant, a separate bar and private dining facilities, with boutique accommodation opening above the venue.
It was a significant expansion from the original restaurant, extending the business beyond a single dining room.
While Josh has been the public face of Saint Peter's cooking, Julie has played a central role in building the wider operation.
Her responsibilities have included finances, business administration, marketing and commercial development, as well as helping guide the expansion into the Grand National.
Together, the pair have developed a business that now combines the restaurant's established approach to seafood with a broader hospitality offering.
The changes have also brought greater attention to the guest experience beyond the food.
In recent interviews, Josh has discussed the importance of developing the restaurant's service standards and ensuring its success reflects the work of the entire team.
Recognition for the whole team
Head chef Joe Greenwood plays an important role in maintaining the kitchen's approach across daily service.
In a July interview with The Staff Canteen Australia, Joe explained how the team assesses incoming fish, monitors the ageing process and adjusts menus according to the ingredients available.
The work requires an understanding of seafood handling and butchery, alongside the ability to manage a kitchen where the menu can change according to the condition of the product.
Read our interview with Joe Greenwood on leading the kitchen at Saint Peter.
Recognition has also extended to the restaurant's front-of-house and drinks teams.
At the 2027 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards in October, Saint Peter retained its three hats and received the Drinks List of the Year award.
Restaurant manager Monique Guest was also recognised with the Service Excellence Award.
Those results add another dimension to Saint Peter's recent achievements, highlighting the development of its restaurant service alongside the cooking that originally established its reputation.
Australia returns to the world's top 50
Saint Peter's inclusion is the first for an Australian restaurant since Ben Shewry's Attica appeared in the top 50 in 2018.
The 2026 list was topped by Asador Etxebarri in Spain, followed by Gaggan in Bangkok and Alchemist in Copenhagen.
Australia received further recognition through Hugh Allen's Melbourne restaurant Yiaga, which was awarded the Visa One to Watch Award.
Read The Staff Canteen's full coverage of The 50 Best Restaurants 2026, including the complete rankings and international award winners.
For Josh and Julie, Saint Peter's entry into the top 50 follows a decade of developing both the food and the business around it.
What began as a small seafood restaurant in Paddington has grown into an internationally recognised operation, with its latest achievement reflecting the work of the chefs, front-of-house team and wider business behind Saint Peter.
