Sydney’s fine-dining scene proudly stands shoulder to shoulder with the world’s greatest culinary capitals. The city is saturated with headline-making chefs, impossibly beautiful dining rooms and a constant churn of new openings. Yet the only Australian restaurant to catch the eye of global media brand Forbes this year wasn’t a splashy newcomer – it was a quietly brilliant, 10-year-old Japanese-Italian restaurant tucked into Pyrmont.

LuMi Dining, long considered the unsung hero of Sydney’s fine-dining landscape, has finally stepped into the international spotlight. For years, those in the know have recognised its worth, but Forbes has now cemented its status with glowing critical acclaim, naming it as one of the ‘Coolest Restaurants for 2026’.

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Forbes’ Brask Thomsen writes, “Federico Zanellato cooks a very driven, refined and umami-overloaded menu in an upbeat open-kitchen dining room that feels as much like a floating veranda as it does a fine restaurant.”

Thomsen describes Zanellato as a chef shaped by some of the world’s best kitchens – he has worked in the hallowed kitchens of La Pergola in Rome, Noma in Copenhagen and Tokyo’s RyuGin – all three-Michelin-star heavyweights. The result, Thomsen says, is “one deliciousness after another”.

And this is what LuMi has stood for all along, Zanellato says. 

“The restaurant was born from a desire to create something intimate and expressive, with a culinary language that blends my Italian roots with techniques and sensibilities drawn from Japan,” he tells delicious. “Our team has grown around that philosophy, and this acknowledgement from Forbes feels like a validation of that identity – not only for me, but for every chef, sommelier and front-of-house member who has shaped our evolution.”

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The team’s commitment to excellence shows in every detail. Diners choose between two tasting menus: the 13-course signature or the even more decadent omakase, bedazzled with truffle and caviar. The progression is elegant and precise – petite tartlets, immaculate sashimi, delicately grilled marron, hand-folded agnolotti, perfect quail pie. Desserts, from exquisite pastries to creamy gelato, show the same steady hand and quiet restraint.

Since 2014, LuMi has been Sydney’s quiet achiever. Now, with global recognition finally catching up, it may no longer be the city’s best-kept secret – just one of its coolest.

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