South-East Asian venue Moon & Mountain and Italian spot Ragazone, both located in Mair Street and a veritable stone's throw from each other, have been ranked in online review site OpenTable's Top 50 restaurants of 2021.

The rankings stemmed from an analysis of more than 280,000 restaurant reviews from diners around the country. The restaurants have been praised for their creative dishes, unparalleled hospitality, and one-of-a-kind dining experiences.

According to Praytell vice-president of global strategy Zoe Watson, Ballarat is hitting above its proverbial weight.

"Only 10 regional restaurants took out a top 50 spot, five in Victoria, putting Ragazzone, which was named one of the best overall for Victoria, and Moon & Mountain, not to mention the Ballarat food scene, firmly on the map," Ms Watson said.

Ms Watson acknowledges the performance of Victorian restaurants, dominating 42 per cent of the top spots, was enormously strong given the extensive lockdowns over the past two years.

"Neighbourhood and regional restaurants performed exceptionally well with diners out in force to support local after a turbulent few years," Ms Watson said.

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Moon & Mountain is a modern eatery based on hawker dining bars of South-East Asia.

"Moon & Mountain was specifically lauded for some of the best handcrafted cocktails in Victoria and for being one of the most booked restaurants in Ballarat," Ms Watson said.

Glowing reviews of Moon & Mountain are featured on the OpenTable's website.

"The banquet was lovely... something different, very, very tasty appearing on our table every 10 minutes or so!! Can't ask for much better than that!!" one reviewer said.

Ragazone is intent on bringing a new wave of modern Italian cuisine to Ballarat. There is a focus on celebrating local produce. A wide range of local and international wines to complement the dining experience and crafted cocktails are also on offer.

"Ragazone, Ballarat's modern Italian favourite, was not just loved for its exceptional food and flavour, but also for best service for Victoria," Ms Watson said.

OpenTable reviews for this location are also glowing.

"As always, Ragazonne delivered fantastic original dishes and wines in a relaxed professional manner. Definitely one of Ballarat's top restaurants," a customer declared.

The two Ballarat establishments are in fine company, listed alongside highly-regarded restaurants across Australia, including in venues in Brisbane, South Yarra, Carlton, St Kilda, Canberra, and Noosa.

Renowned chef Shannon Bennett's Vue de monde and Sydney's Restaurant Hubert were also in the top 50.

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