Owners Simonn Hawke and Leah Morphett were notified on Tuesday that they had kept the coveted Good Food Guide hat for the 17 year.

With 19 years on Sale Street, the fine dining establishment has been hatted in the guide all but one year, which Ms Hawke said "could've been an off night".

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While prior success made them an obvious contender, Ms Hawke said the other talent in town had made it surprising to be the only one listed.

"We've had a really tight team over the last 12 months and the way we run the restaurant is very regimented," she said. "It's the consistency, that's why we have it," she said.

Ms Hawke said a difficult market for restaurateurs has recently seen her back in the kitchen more, with staffing costs a factor in her stepping back behind the stove.

"It's exceptionally difficult at the moment," she said.

"The financial strain of the drought, people struggling with mortgage repayments, we've had to really look at our budget." Ms Hawke said despite the rising costs of produce, wages and utilities, Lolli Redini has stuck to its blue print.

"We're true to ourselves. We're not trying to compete in areas we have no expertise in," she said. "We're about just getting it right with good, honest food year after year."

On being one of few female chefs to achieve such high accolades, Ms Hawke said it makes her proud of both her and Ms Morphett.

"It's not a business you enter into for financial gain, it's sort of a lifestyle, but then you get acknowledgements like this and you think 'yeah we're doing okay'," she said.