Hugh Allen has taken two of the biggest honours at the 2027 Good Food Guide Awards, with Yiaga named Restaurant of the Year and both his Melbourne restaurants holding three hats

Hugh Allen has been named Chef of the Year at the 2027 Good Food Guide Awards, with his Fitzroy Gardens restaurant Yiaga also taking home Restaurant of the Year.

The double win, announced at The Age Good Food Guide Awards in Melbourne on Monday 12 October, marks the first time in 13 years that the same chef has claimed both honours.

The last was Ben Shewry and Attica in 2013.

Yiaga first received three hats in January 2026, just three months after opening, making Hugh the first Australian chef to simultaneously lead two three-hatted restaurants. Both Yiaga and Vue de Monde, where Hugh remains executive chef, were recognised at the same level in the 2027 Good Food Guide, announced on Monday.

The latest awards come just days before Yiaga's first anniversary and follow a series of national and international honours for the restaurant.

A double win for Yiaga

The awards were announced at The Timber Yard in Port Melbourne, recognising chefs, restaurants and hospitality professionals across Victoria.

For Yiaga, the result adds two of the Guide's major awards to a growing list of achievements since opening on 16 October 2025.

The restaurant occupies a former pavilion in Fitzroy Gardens, transformed into a 44-seat fine-dining venue after several years of planning and development.

Working with architect John Wardle, Hugh created a space built around Australian materials and craftsmanship, with an open kitchen and views across the gardens.

Good Food Guide co-editor Emma Breheny described Yiaga as a "once-in-a-generation restaurant opening", pointing to the ambition involved in developing a new fine-dining restaurant during a challenging period for hospitality.

The recognition follows Yiaga being named Best New Restaurant at Gourmet Traveller's annual Restaurant Awards in August.

Earlier this month, it also received the Visa One to Watch Award from The 50 Best Restaurants, recognising its potential to become an internationally significant dining destination.

From Rockpool and Noma to two three-hatted kitchens

Hugh began his career at 16 as an apprentice with the Rockpool Group before moving to Vue de Monde two years later.

In 2016, aged 20, he was named Gault&Millau Young Chef of the Year, an achievement that led to opportunities to stage in three-Michelin-star restaurants in Paris.

He subsequently joined Noma in Copenhagen, spending three years working across the original restaurant, its Mexico pop-up and Noma 2.0.

Returning to Melbourne in late 2018, Hugh became group executive sous chef at Vue de Monde before taking over as executive chef in 2019, aged 23.

He went on to lead Vue de Monde to three-hat recognition, before opening Yiaga as his first restaurant in 2025.

At Yiaga, Hugh works alongside head chef Michael McAulay, who also spent time at Noma and Vue de Monde.

The two restaurants offer different settings for Hugh's cooking, with Vue de Monde continuing its established fine-dining approach while Yiaga has provided the opportunity to create a restaurant around his own ideas about Australian ingredients, design and craftsmanship.

Australian produce at the centre of Yiaga

Yiaga's changing tasting menu draws on ingredients from farmers, fishers, growers and foragers across Australia, combining European and Asian techniques with locally sourced produce.

Speaking to The 50 Best Restaurants earlier this month, Hugh explained that the starting point for each dish is the ingredient and the producer supplying it.

Recent examples include retired David Blackmore wagyu served with steamed bread and green ants, and raw Queensland prawns seasoned with mountain pepper, galangal, ginger and garlic.

One dish that has remained on the menu is the restaurant's gumnut petit fours.

Inspired by eucalyptus seed pods collected by Hugh's mother, the chocolates are made using custom moulds developed in Bendigo, with fillings including strawberry gum and sheep's yoghurt, and caramelised white chocolate with wattleseed.

The same focus on Australian craftsmanship extends beyond the food, with locally made ceramics, furniture, glassware and other elements forming part of the dining experience.

Hugh has described the restaurant as an opportunity to show what contemporary Australian cooking can be, drawing on the country's ingredients and the people producing them without restricting the menu to a single culinary tradition.

Other Good Food Guide winners

Several other chefs and restaurants were recognised at Monday's awards.

Roma, the Melbourne restaurant from Con Christopoulos and chef Matt Wilkinson, was named New Restaurant of the Year, while Kimberly Tang of Ca Com received Young Chef of the Year.

Barragunda Dining on the Mornington Peninsula took Regional Restaurant of the Year, and Joseph Abboud, the chef behind Rumi, received the Legend Award.

Yiaga joins Brae, Amaru, Minamishima and Vue de Monde among Victoria's five three-hatted restaurants in the 2027 Good Food Guide.

For Hugh, the latest recognition comes at a significant point in his career. Less than a year after opening his first restaurant, he continues to oversee two three-hatted kitchens, with Yiaga now recognised as both Restaurant of the Year and the home of the Guide's Chef of the Year.