Armenian-Lebanese eatery Zareh has been named Gourmet Traveller’s restaurant of the year at a ceremony in Sydney on Monday night, taking a category of the annual industry awards that has historically been dominated by European-leaning cuisine and fine-dining establishments, The Guardian reports. Winners across the categories referenced Australia’s migrant history.
Zareh, which opened in Melbourne in August 2025, is named after Sarafian’s paternal grandfather. Referencing the Armenian Genocide, Sarafian said the restaurant was “a love letter from us to Lebanon, who opened their arms and their country to Armenia and went so beautifully to let us in … It’s a cross-cultural celebration.”
The restaurant’s menu pulls from the Armenian, Egyptian and Lebanese backgrounds of co-owners Tom Sarafian and Jinane Bou-Assi: aish baladi (Egyptian flatbread) is made with flour milled in the Mornington Peninsula; kafta nayyah comprises raw minced lamb from Tasmania and Victoria; hummus is crowned with spanner crab.
“I guess it’s imposter syndrome because it’s not fine dining, but we may be part of the new sort of scene that handles food [just] as well … but a bit more casual in their approach,” said Sarafian, adding “there’s a lot of really fantastic Arab restaurants in Australia.”
Writing on social media, Sarafian said: “We are still a bit shocked that this happened last night. Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year is not something we’d ever imagined, especially in our first year. We’re so proud that Lebanese, Arab and Armenian food and culture have been recognised. It’s a real honour, privilege and responsibility to do what we do everyday.
“This really is a huge testament to our incredible team who’ve worked so hard and care so deeply about Zareh. We feel so proud, inspired and excited for the future of Zareh. This is only the beginning.”
Previous winners of the restaurant of the year award have included Saint Peter, Attica, Orana by the late Jock Zonfrillo, and Quay.
The ceremony also marked the 60th year of Gourmet Traveller, which first went to press in 1966 as the Australian Gourmet Magazine.
