From well-dressed watering holes to exquisite fine-diners, Australia’s most beautiful establishments have been singled out by the 2020 Eat Drink Design Awards. The illustrious program, which is organised by Architecture Media, sets its sights on venues where aesthetics is as highly regarded as the bites and beverages they serve. The awards are presented across seven categories including Best Restaurant Design, Best Cafe Design and Best Bar Design.
Selected by a jury of industry experts, the 2020 line-up of winners are linked by threads of nostalgia. A theme which makes its way into the design responses via throwbacks to old-world elegance and classic European influences.
“Pining for the days when we could visit our favourite restaurants, cafes, and bars, the jury was drawn to venues with sentimentality and tradition at their core, but executed in a contemporary way,” says Cassie Hansen, jury chair and editor of Architecture Media’s Artichoke publication. “This year’s exemplary field of winners successfully remember and celebrate the times of the past, but forge a new future – one we can’t wait to explore.”
While this year’s celebration – and the industry it honours – was faced with its share of setbacks, the announcement of the award-winners (and runners-up) comes at a time when Australians can finally revisit the designer destinations. Not to mention, raise a socially distanced glass to the best in the business.
Now, ready your reservations – here are the winners of the 2020 Eat Drink Design Awards.
Best Bar Design
Leigh Street Wine Room by Studio Gram (Adelaide, South Australia)
Best Restaurant Design (joint winner)
Poly by Anthony Gill Architects (Surry Hills, New South Wales)
Best Restaurant Design (joint winner)
Osteria Tedesca by Cox Architecture (Red Hill, Victoria)
Best Cafe Design
There Cafe by Ewert Leaf (Footscray, Victoria)
Best Identity Design
Dopa by The Colour Club (Haymarket, New South Wales)
Best Retail Design
Darling Exchange Market Hall by Anthony Gill Architects & Lendlease Design (Haymarket, New South Wales)
Best Installation Design
Orana in Residence by SJB with Orana, Promena Projects and Tracey Deep (Surry Hills, New South Wales)
Best Hotel Design
Tattersalls Hotel Armidale by Luchetti Krelle (Armidale, New South Wales)
The inductees to the 2020 Eat Drink Design Awards Hall of Fame are Skidmark Designs and Garner Davis Architects for Gin Palace (Melbourne, Victoria).