The best restaurants in Ballarat right now

Ballarat's restaurant scene has been shaped by two forces: the Melbourne migrants who've brought urban food expectations to a city 100 kilometres from the capital, and the regional Victorian produce — the Pyrenees wine region, the Ballarat pastoral farms, and the cool-climate vegetables — that gives the kitchen something worth showcasing.

The Provincial Hotel

The grandly restored Provincial Hotel on Lydiard Street delivers Ballarat fine dining in a setting that matches the city's Victorian grandeur — the banquet rooms, the wine cellar, and the cooking that draws on the Pyrenees wine country and the Grampians and Goldfields produce create an experience of real quality in a room of real history.

Underbar

The underground cocktail bar and small plates restaurant beneath Lydiard Street is Ballarat's most exciting addition to the dining scene — the creative cocktail program, the small plates that take their cue from Spanish and Japanese bar food traditions, and the intimate underground room that has immediately become a community gathering point for the city's creative class.

Catfish

The Vietnamese restaurant on Doveton Street has developed a reputation across regional Victoria for pho and banh mi that respect the Vietnamese source material — the bone broth that simmers for 24 hours, the herb basket that arrives with the soup, and the bread rolls that are baked in-house create the kind of authenticity that Vietnamese diners in Melbourne have told the owner meets the standard they grew up with.

Craig's Royal Hotel

The Craig's Royal Hotel on Lydiard Street is Ballarat's most historic hospitality venue and the dining room's return to its Victorian-era quality has made it relevant again for the city's dining community. The heritage Sunday roast, the afternoon tea, and the weekend breakfast service make it a destination across the day.

Hazel

The neighbourhood restaurant on Sturt Street delivers the modern Australian bistro experience at a quality that its Ballarat regulars have been requesting for years — the seasonal menu, the wine list that covers Victorian producers seriously, and the warm room that manages intimacy and energy simultaneously make it the weekly restaurant for those fortunate enough to live nearby.

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