Attica

Attica is a destination restaurant in Ripponlea, an inner-suburban area of Melbourne, Australia. The restaurant operates from a converted bank building on Glen Eira Road and is associated primarily with chef and owner Ben Shewry. Its contemporary tasting menu emphasizes Australian ingredients, including bunya nuts, finger limes, native herbs and other products gathered or sourced locally. The cooking is intended to express a distinctive sense of place rather than reproduce established European fine-dining conventions. The business was founded in 2003 by emergency physician David Maccora and his wife, Helen Maccora. After the restaurant struggled to build a sufficient customer base under two earlier chefs, the Maccoras appointed Ben Shewry as head chef in 2005. Shewry had previously worked at Circa in St Kilda and was given broad creative control over Attica's food. His appointment became the central turning point in the restaurant's development. In January 2015, the Maccoras sold Attica to Shewry, making him its sole owner and operator. Attica's identity is built around native Australian produce, local ecology, personal memory and Australian Indigenous knowledge. Some ingredients are sourced from or connected with the neighboring Rippon Lea Estate. Shewry has said that the restaurant seeks to provide an experience that could not be replicated elsewhere. Indigenous stories and knowledge are approached with an emphasis on cultural permission, while the menu may also draw on Shewry's personal experiences and local histories. The restaurant describes its model as ambitious dining rather than conventional fine dining, pairing technically demanding cooking with a deliberately warm and informal style of service. International recognition grew substantially after Attica appeared in the first season of Netflix's Chef's Table in 2015. It has appeared on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list every year since 2010, reaching a peak position of twentieth in 2018 and generally ranking as Australia's highest-placed restaurant on that list. It has also received major Australian dining awards, including Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year in 2015 and 2019 and The Age Good Food Guide Restaurant of the Year in 2022. Its Australian Good Food Guide rating was three hats from 2008, while the restaurant was listed with two hats in the 2025 guide. Attica became a certified B Corporation in February 2024, reflecting stated commitments to environmental sustainability, workplace practices and social responsibility. In the same period, Shewry published the memoir Uses for Obsession, which examines professional-kitchen culture and criticizes harmful aspects of restaurant awards and ranking systems. In 2025, marking twenty years since his appointment as head chef, Shewry announced that Attica would no longer consent to reviews by food critics. The decision was presented as a response to concerns about the effect of review and awards culture on hospitality workers and restaurants. Attica remains an active, chef-led Australian restaurant brand whose influence extends beyond its dining room into discussions about native cuisine, sustainability, labor culture and the meaning of restaurant prestige.

Attica opened in 2003 in a converted suburban bank building on Glen Eira Road in Ripponlea, Melbourne. It was established by David Maccora, an emergency physician, and his wife Helen. The initial restaurant struggled to attract enough patronage, and two chefs served in the kitchen before the owners appointed Ben Shewry as head chef in 2005. Shewry, who had previously worked at Circa in St Kilda, received substantial creative control and gradually reshaped the restaurant around a distinctly Australian culinary identity. Under Shewry, Attica developed a multicourse tasting format focused on native Australian ingredients and an interpretation of place. Bunya nuts, finger limes, native herbs and other local products became part of a menu that connected food with Australian landscapes, personal experiences and local narratives. Some ingredients were sourced from the area around Rippon Lea Estate. Shewry also sought to engage with Indigenous knowledge and stories responsibly, emphasizing the importance of cultural permission when incorporating Indigenous material. The restaurant's public profile expanded through national awards and international rankings. Attica first appeared on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2010 and has remained on it in every subsequent year covered by the published record. Its highest position was twentieth in 2018. It has generally been the highest-ranked Australian restaurant on that list. Domestically, it earned a three-hat rating from the Australian Good Food Guide from 2008 and won Restaurant of the Year from Gourmet Traveller in 2015 and 2019, as well as The Age Good Food Guide Restaurant of the Year in 2022. It also received the 2020 Wine List of the Year award from Gourmet Traveller Wine. Attica's international audience broadened when the restaurant and Shewry appeared in the inaugural season of Netflix's Chef's Table in 2015. The program presented Shewry's background and cooking philosophy to viewers outside Australia, reinforcing Attica's reputation as a leading example of modern Australian cuisine. In January 2015, the Maccoras sold the restaurant to Shewry, who became its sole owner and operator. This change formalized the chef-led structure that had already defined Attica for a decade. In February 2024, the restaurant became a certified B Corporation, documenting commitments related to sustainability, working conditions and social responsibility. Shewry's 2024 memoir, Uses for Obsession, further examined the pressures and culture of professional kitchens and questioned the effects of restaurant rankings and awards. In 2025, Attica marked two decades since Shewry became head chef. During that period, Shewry publicly stated that Attica would no longer consent to critic reviews. He associated the decision with concerns about the wellbeing of hospitality workers and the incentives created by the review and awards ecosystem. The restaurant continues to operate as an independent, chef-owned destination in Melbourne, with its identity based on Australian ingredients, technical cooking, informal hospitality and a strong connection to place.

• 2025

  Attica marks twenty years under Shewry's kitchen leadership

  [9]Ben Shewry, National Press Clubnpc.org.au

  The restaurant marks two decades since Shewry was appointed head chef.

• 2024

  Attica receives B Corp certification

  [4]Attica is a B Corpattica.com.au

  The restaurant becomes a certified B Corporation.

• 2022

  The Age Good Food Guide names Attica Restaurant of the Year

  [8]Attica and the 2022 Good Food Guide awardhospitalitydirectory.com.au

  Attica receives the Restaurant of the Year award from The Age Good Food Guide.

• 2018

  Attica reaches its peak international ranking

  [3]Attica named on The World's 50 Best Restaurants listbroadsheet.com.au

  Attica reaches twentieth place on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list.

• 2015

  Shewry becomes sole owner

  [1]Attica (restaurant)en.wikipedia.org

  The Maccoras sell Attica to Ben Shewry in January, making him the sole owner and operator.

• 2015

  Attica appears on Chef's Table

  [6]Chef's Tablenetflix.com

  The restaurant is featured in the first season of Netflix's Chef's Table.

• 2010

  First appearance on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list

  [2]The World's 50 Best Restaurants: Atticatheworlds50best.com

  Attica begins its continuing appearance on the international restaurant ranking.

• 2008

  Attica receives a three-hat Good Food Guide rating

  [1]Attica (restaurant)en.wikipedia.org

  The restaurant begins a long period of recognition from the Australian Good Food Guide.

• 2005

  Ben Shewry becomes head chef

  [1]Attica (restaurant)en.wikipedia.org

  Shewry joins after working at Circa in St Kilda and receives creative control of the menu.

• 2003

  Attica opens in Ripponlea

  [1]Attica (restaurant)en.wikipedia.org

  David and Helen Maccora open Attica in a converted bank building on Glen Eira Road.

Chef-led ambitious dining that presents native Australian ingredients, local stories and Indigenous-informed perspectives through a technically precise but informal hospitality experience.

• Restaurant tasting menu · 2005

  Attica tasting menu

  Attica's principal offering is a multicourse, chef-led tasting menu. Its dishes use native Australian ingredients and combine technical precision with references to local ecology, Indigenous knowledge, personal memory and Australian stories. The menu changes over time and is designed as a complete restaurant experience rather than a conventional selection of individual main courses.

• Contemporary Australian food · 2005

  Native Australian cuisine

  This culinary line is the central expression of Attica's identity. Ingredients such as bunya nuts, finger limes and native herbs are used to create dishes associated with the Australian landscape. The approach seeks to offer flavors and narratives that are specific to Australia while treating Indigenous cultural material with attention to permission and context.

• Beverage program

  Wine and beverage service

  Attica's dining experience includes a curated wine and beverage program intended to accompany the tasting menu. The program has received industry recognition, including Wine List of the Year from Gourmet Traveller Wine in 2020.

• 2025

  Withdrawal from critic reviewsStrategy

  Background

  Ben Shewry expressed concerns about the effects of restaurant reviews, rankings and awards on hospitality businesses and worker wellbeing.

  Action taken

  Attica announced that it would no longer consent to reviews by food critics.

  Aftermath

  The decision challenged a central mechanism through which restaurants are evaluated and promoted, while making industry culture and hospitality-worker wellbeing part of Attica's public positioning.

  Source

• 2024

  B Corp certificationStrategy

  Background

  Attica sought formal recognition for its environmental, workplace and social-responsibility practices.

  Action taken

  The restaurant obtained certification as a B Corporation in February 2024.

  Aftermath

  The certification positioned Attica within a relatively small group of food and restaurant businesses using the B Corp framework to communicate responsible business practices.

  Source

• 2015

  Sale of Attica to Ben ShewryM&A

  Background

  The restaurant had been founded and operated by David and Helen Maccora, while Shewry had led its kitchen since 2005.

  Action taken

  The Maccoras sold Attica to Shewry in January 2015, transferring ownership and operational control to the chef.

  Aftermath

  Attica became a solely chef-owned and chef-operated restaurant, reinforcing the Shewry-led creative model.

  Source

1. 1Attica (restaurant)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2The World's 50 Best Restaurants: Atticatheworlds50best.com
3. 3Attica named on The World's 50 Best Restaurants listbroadsheet.com.au
4. 4Attica is a B Corpattica.com.au
5. 5Ben Shewry memoir and restaurant-review policytheguardian.com
6. 6Chef's Tablenetflix.com
7. 7Uses for Obsessionmurdochbooks.com.au
8. 8Attica and the 2022 Good Food Guide awardhospitalitydirectory.com.au
9. 9Ben Shewry, National Press Clubnpc.org.au