Koji Bird Awarded a Chef's Hat in the 2027 Good Food Guide
We’re delighted to announce that Koji Bird has been awarded a Chef’s Hat in the 46th The Age Good Food Guide for 2027.
We were also honoured to be named as a finalist for Regional Restaurant of the Year, and to be named in the Guide's new '100 Essential Restaurants' list. We were one of five finalists chosen from roughly 80 regional restaurants reviewed by the Guide this year, and we’re very grateful to have been among them.
A Chef's Hat is the pre-eminent award in the Australian hospitality scene and we are thrilled to have earnt our place among Australia's top restaurants.
This little hat belongs to a lot of people.
To our incredible staff, who show up every single day with unmatched energy and dedication.
To our wonderful guests, thank you for filling our tables, trusting us to feed you, and embracing our house-distilled spirits.
To the local suppliers and producers we’re lucky to work with, and to the Bright community that has supported us since we opened as a COVID-era pop-up.
And a big thank you to Good Food for this incredible recognition, and for your amazing support of our industry!
We’re keeping our feet firmly on the ground - but we did enjoy a Shochu in celebration when we found out!
What is a Chef’s Hat?
Heard the expression, “It’s a hatted restaurant”? The chefs’ hat rating system was created by the Good Food Guide more than 40 years ago to give readers a sense of what to expect in terms of food, service and experience. It has been the cornerstone of Good Food’s rating system ever since.
Only the country’s top-rated restaurants are eligible to receive between one and three hats, judged on the standard of their food, service, experience and value for money.
Each restaurant reviewed in the Guide is scored out of 20: 10 points for food, five for hospitality, three for setting and experience, and two for value. Restaurants scoring 15 or above are awarded one hat, those scoring 16 or 17 receive two hats, and those between 18 and 20 receive three hats. Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.
A hat recognises the entire dining experience, not just the food. At Koji Bird, the two of us shape the menu, the drinks list and the atmosphere, and a team that knows its craft works together to bring it to life.
Not Our First Chef's Hat in Bright
Many of you will know that our previous Bright restaurant, Tani Eat & Drink, earned a Chef’s Hat and retained it for a number of years until it closed in 2017. We’re proud to be back among the hats, and to share it with a new venue and a new team.
What the Good Food Guide Says About Koji Bird
"Good luck nailing down the KPIs of Koji Bird. A restaurant at a distillery sharing space with a daytime coffee operation, it’s the izakaya that defies definitions.
Debate them over a shochu sour featuring parent business Reed and Co’s hooch as you witness skilled chefs command the fierce-looking charcoal-fired oven.
They coax big flavours from north-east Victorian produce without sacrificing nuance.
Sweet-fleshed trout from nearby Harrietville is served with its own crisped skin and a sharp ume dashi. Charry yakitori – perhaps chicken oysters – are primed with an umami-rich koji glaze, the tasty fungus proving its worth in both the distillery’s Japanese spirits and on the plate.
Venison tataki in a ponzu puddle is an “eat the problem” revelation, while dessert, an ice-cream sandwich made with passionfruit-spiked sake lees, is built for little and big kids alike.
You can read the full review here (though it's behind a paywall).
Celebrate With Us at Koji Bird in Bright
We’re open for dinner from 5pm, Wednesday to Saturday, at 15 Wills Street, Bright. Book here.
Learn more about Koji Bird
Located at 15 Wills Street in Bright, Victoria, Koji Bird is a Japanese-inspired izakaya restaurant at Reed & Co Distillery. Known for its charcoal-fired cooking, regional Victorian produce and house-distilled shochu, Koji Bird has been awarded one Chef's Hat in The Age Good Food Guide 2027. The restaurant was also a finalist for Regional Restaurant of the Year and was included in the Guide's 100 Essential Restaurants list.
