Melbourne’s Armenian-Lebanese eatery Zareh named Gourmet Traveller’s restaurant of the year
Guardian AU
•Mon, 17 Aug 2026 21:40:46 GMT
📰 What Happened
Zareh, a Melbourne restaurant serving Armenian, Egyptian and Lebanese cuisine, has been named Gourmet Traveller’s restaurant of the year at its annual industry awards. The award is notable because the category has historically been dominated by European-leaning fine-dining establishments.
🔍 The Backstory
The restaurant opened in Melbourne in August 2025 and is led by co-owners Tom Sarafian and Jinane Bou-Assi, with a menu drawing on their Armenian, Egyptian and Lebanese heritage. It is named after Sarafian’s paternal grandfather, and the owners describe it partly as a love letter to Lebanon after the Armenian genocide. Previous winners of the award include Saint Peter, Attica, Orana and Quay.
🎯 Why It Matters
The win puts casual, culturally specific cooking on an equal footing with established fine-dining names, signalling a broadening of what Australia’s restaurant industry rewards. It shines a fresh spotlight on Middle Eastern and diaspora cooking and on Melbourne as a national dining capital.
Zareh, a Melbourne restaurant serving Armenian, Egyptian and Lebanese cuisine, has been named Gourmet Traveller’s restaurant of the year at its annual industry awards. The award is notable because the category has historically been dominated by European-leaning fine-dining establishments.
The restaurant opened in Melbourne in August 2025 and is led by co-owners Tom Sarafian and Jinane Bou-Assi, with a menu drawing on their Armenian, Egyptian and Lebanese heritage. It is named after Sarafian’s paternal grandfather, and the owners describe it partly as a love letter to Lebanon after the Armenian genocide. Previous winners of the award include Saint Peter, Attica, Orana and Quay.
The win puts casual, culturally specific cooking on an equal footing with established fine-dining names, signalling a broadening of what Australia’s restaurant industry rewards. It shines a fresh spotlight on Middle Eastern and diaspora cooking and on Melbourne as a national dining capital.