Big news for our local food scene! The Australian Good Food Guide Chef Hat Awards 2026 have landed, and four Central Coast restaurants have officially earned their hats. That’s right! The Central Coast is officially home to four hatted restaurants.
This is a huge moment for our region, and a proper nod to just how strong our dining scene has become.
Hats off to these Central Coast Restaurants
Massive congratulations are in order for these hatted Terrigal restaurants:
• The Cowrie (13)
• L’isle de France (12) **Closed May 2026
• Little Miss (12)
• Meribella (12)
Different styles, different moods, but all four deliver where it matters.
And they’re doing it alongside an incredible line-up of Australian venues recognised this year, placing Terrigal firmly in the mix with some of Australia’s most talked-about dining rooms. These are the kinds of meals people remember, the unforgettable ones that keep getting brought up long after the meal is over.
RELATED: Here’s 50 Central Coast Restaurants You Need to Visit
How does a restaurant earn a Chef Hat?
Worth knowing: Chef Hats are awarded for the food alone. Not the fit-out. Not the location. Not who you know.
Restaurants are assessed by anonymous inspectors (keeps the process honest) using a 20-point scoring system with a clear set of criteria, including ingredients, taste, presentation, technique, value and consistency. 12/20 is the entry point for a Chef Hat – and the most commonly awarded score – and no venue has ever achieved a perfect 20/20 in the guide’s almost 50-year history.
A higher score signals a step up in complexity or execution, but earning a hat at any level is a significant achievement. It’s designed to reward kitchens that get it right, again and again. Which makes four hatted restaurants in one Central Coast suburb even more impressive, and a result worth celebrating.
Food lovers love the Central Coast
Locals have known this for years – the Central Coast knows how to eat well. What we’re seeing now is national recognition finally catching up.
Terrigal, in particular, has become a place people travel to for serious dining cred. Sure, the ocean views are spectacular, but what’s coming out of these kitchens more than holds its own. These Chef Hats aren’t a fluke. They reflect an emerging food scene that’s confident, consistent and not trying to be anything other than itself.
Book a table at a hatted restaurant
If you’ve already eaten at one (or all) of these hatted Central Coast restaurants, you’ll know exactly why they’ve been recognised. If you haven’t, consider this your nudge to make that booking.
Huge congrats again to the teams behind The Cowrie, L’isle de France, Little Miss and Meribella – and cheers to the Central Coast for holding its own on the national dining stage.
Have you ticked any of them off yet? Or got one at the top of your hit list?
Check out each of our hatted restaurants:
The Cowrie, thecowrie.com.au
Meribella, meribella.com.au
L’isle de France Terrigal, lisledefranceterrigal.com.au **Closed May 2026
Little Miss, little-miss.com.au
WHILE YOU’RE IN THE AREA: The Terrigal Shopping Edit
