Melbourne restaurant Yiaga, led by chef-owner Hugh Allen, has been named the recipient of the Visa One to Watch Award 2026, part of The 50 Best Restaurants. The award recognises an emerging restaurant identified by The 50 Best as having the potential to become a leading name in global gastronomy.
Founded in 2025, Yiaga is located within Melbourne’s historic Fitzroy Gardens on Wurundjeri Country. The restaurant is built largely from Australian materials and places local producers, makers, artists, and other creative collaborators at the centre of its dining experience.
Australian Ingredients at the Centre
Yiaga’s menu focuses on Australian produce, with Allen and his team working closely with producers across the country. Ingredients including green ants, Dorrigo pepper, pepperberry, desert lime, and wattleseed feature in the cooking, alongside other produce selected for its quality and connection to Australia.
The menu evolves regularly, while the restaurant maintains a close relationship between its dining room and kitchen. Allen’s approach combines precise and creative cooking with an emphasis on allowing the ingredients to remain central to each dish.
The restaurant’s setting is also closely tied to its identity, with the dining room positioned beneath the century-old trees of Fitzroy Gardens. Its design incorporates Australian materials and craftsmanship, reflecting the restaurant’s broader focus on local creative work.
Hugh Allen’s Culinary Background
Yiaga is Allen’s first independent restaurant in his hometown of Melbourne. He began his apprenticeship with the Rockpool Group at 16 before joining Vue de Monde two years later. He subsequently worked in the United States and France before moving to Copenhagen, where he spent several years working in kitchens known for their innovative approaches to cooking.
Allen later returned to Vue de Monde as Executive Chef at 23, before opening Yiaga in 2025.
Beyond the restaurant’s menu, Allen is developing Yiaga as a place for training and exchange. Its plans include a structured apprenticeship programme for hospitality talent, as well as Yiaga Sessions, a programme of conversations and workshops involving local and international experts.
Allen said the award came during Yiaga’s first year and credited the restaurant’s team for the recognition.
“We certainly never anticipated this in our first year. I’ve been extremely lucky to have a team beside me who are, in my opinion, some of the best hospitality professionals in the world, and it means a lot to see the wider industry feel the same way,” said Allen. “We are only a year open, so there’s still so much planned and dreamed about for Yiaga’s future. For now, we will keep pushing, keep progressing, making the experience here as fun, innovative and delicious as possible.”
Rachael Hogg, Senior Content Editor for The 50 Best Restaurants, described Yiaga as a new chapter for Australian dining, highlighting its cooking, hospitality, setting, and connection to Australia’s natural produce.
The Visa One to Watch Award is among the awards being announced ahead of The 50 Best Restaurants 2026 awards ceremony, which will take place in Lima, Peru, on November 4. The programme will also include The 50 Best Talks, collaborative dining events under The 50 Signature Sessions, and a Chefs’ Feast showcasing regional ingredients and cooking techniques.
The 50 Group works with Deloitte as its official independent adjudication partner for the voting process behind The 50 Best Restaurants 2026.
Yiaga
Fitzroy Gardens, East Melbourne VIC 3002, Australia
