What do you do on a Saturday morning? I go swimming with a group of friends, after which we head off to brunch. It's nearly always the same cafe, and I nearly always order the same thing (haloumi stack with poached egg and three-quarter skim latte, thanks for asking).
Good Weekend sits alongside brunch as a big part of many people's Saturday mornings. This, combined with our changing dining habits – many prefer going out for a lighter mid-morning meal than a big dinner these days – and brunch's evolution beyond eggs and smashed avo means that an issue celebrating our 52 Best Brunches had a certain inevitability to it. For this, our inaugural listing, Jill Dupleix and Dani Valent have nominated their go-to brunch venues, primarily across Sydney and Melbourne, but also further afield. Guided by their wealth of experience as professional food critics, their lists had the entire office salivating. -Katrina Strickland Good Weekend Editor

Illustration: The Project Twins/illusrationroom.com.au
Brunch can be a million different things. Spicy baked shashuka in a leafy courtyard; vegan dumplings in the park; a sea-urchin muffin in a two-hatted restaurant; or an egg-and-bacon roll with a mouthwatering twist.
Welcome to our inaugural guide to the best on offer, designed with one thing in mind – to turn your good weekend into a great one.
■ Sydney's top 15 brunches

Three Williams' truffle French toast with truffle ice-cream in Sydney. Photo: Kimberley Low
■ Melbourne's top 15 brunches

Nachos for breakfast at Hotel Jesus in Melbourne's Collingwood. Photo: Tara Moore
■ Elsewhere in Australia

Laneway Specialty Coffee's take on smashed avocado in Darwin. Photo: Supplied
■ Five of the best in regional Victoria

Kombucha overnight oats with coconut yoghurt at Bendigo Wholefoods Kitchen. Photo: Supplied
■ Five of the best in regional NSW

Bar Botanica's ploughman's lunch (and goat's milk gelato from Mr Goaty) in Erina, NSW. Photo: Supplied
To read more from Good Weekend magazine's food issue, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald or The Age.