Top restaurants in contention for Cuisine NZ Good Food Awards announced

The top 83 restaurants in the running to be named New Zealand’s best have been announced today in the lead-up to the Cuisine New Zealand Good Food Awards, Cuisine magazine’s annual restaurant awards.

In their 12th year, the Cuisine NZ Good Food Awards remain the only national restaurant awards, proudly presented by Vittoria Coffee.

More than 40 of New Zealand’s most talented and dedicated food and drink experts have anonymously assessed restaurants from all over the country. The top 83 contenders are being whittled down to just 12 category winners, including the Restaurant of the Year.

Cuisine magazine’s new editor, Kelli Brett, is impressed with the calibre of talent and innovation.

“It’s great we get to bring together the people responsible for New Zealand’s vibrant and evolving dining-out culture. Being relatively new to New Zealand’s food culture, I’m blown away by the level of skill, creativity and innovation the chefs and restaurateurs show. Narrowing down the top 83 is going to be incredibly difficult."

Restaurants are judged using the Hat System, acknowledged as the benchmark of quality in the New Zealand and Australian hospitality industry. The highest score is three hats, last year achieved by Auckland’s Kazuya, Sidart, The French Café and The Grove. A selection of category winners are also announced each year, with the coveted Restaurant of the Year title awarded to Lyttelton-based Roots in 2015.

This year a new award category has been added – Opawa Wine Best Drinks List – and the Best New Restaurant award has been divided into regional and metropolitan categories: Neighbourly Best New Regional Restaurant and Neat Meat Best New Metropolitan Restaurant. The other categories areSanpellegrino Best Metropolitan Restaurant, Negociants New Zealand Best Wine Experience, Stuff.co.nz Best Regional Restaurant, Monteith’s Best Specialist Restaurant, Whitestone Cheese Best Winery Restaurant, KenwoodRestaurant Personality of the Year, Ora King Salmon Innovation Award, Vittoria Coffee Chef of the Year and Restaurant of the Year.

Winners will be announced on 8 August 2016 at an awards gala dinner at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. The Cuisine New Zealand Good Food Guide includes all 83 contenders and will be available in the September issue ofCuisine magazine.

For an exclusive opportunity to attend the 2016 Cuisine New Zealand Good Food Awards, purchase tickets by visiting cuisinegoodfoodawards.co.nz. Limited tickets are available.

Contenders for Cuisine Good Food Awards 2016:

Northland:
● Duke of Marlborough

Auckland:
● Apero
● Artwok
● Baduzzi
● Beirut
● Bracu
● Cassia
● Cazador
● Cibo
● Clooney
● Coco's Cantina
● Cocoro
● Depot
● Ebisu
● EURO
● Farina
● Gusto at the Grand
● Ima
● Kazuya
● Masu
● Merediths
● Non Solo Pizza
● Orphans Kitchen
● Phil's Kitchen
● Ponsonby Road Bistro
● Sidart
● Soul Bar & Bistro
● The Engine Room
● The French Cafe
● The Grill by Sean Connolly
● The Grove
● The Sugar Club
● The Tasting Shed

Waiheke Island:
● Poderi Crisci
● The Shed at Te Motu
● Te Whau

Waikato:
● Alpino
● Chim Choo Ree
● Ember
● Gothenburg
● Palate Restaurant
● Victoria Street Bistro

Tauranga:
● Macau

Hawke’s Bay
● Bistronomy
● Elephant Hill
● Mister D
● Pacifica
● Te Awa Winery Restaurant
● Terroir at Craggy Range
● Ten Twenty Four

Taupo:
● The Bistro

Palmerston North
● Nero

Wellington:
● Capitol
● Charley Noble
● Field and Green
● Floriditas Cafe and Restaurant
● Havana Bar
● Hippopotamus
● Jano Bistro
● Logan Brown
● Ortega Fish Shack
● The Larder
● WBC
● Whitebait

Nelson
● Urban Oyster Bar & Eatery

Marlborough:
● Herzog

Christchurch:
● Black Estate
● Chillingworth Road
● Freeman's Dining Room
● Harlequin Public House
● King of Snake
● Pegasus Bay
● Pescatore
● Roots
● Town Tonic

Central Otago:
● Amisfield
● Bistro Gentil
● Botswana Butchery
● Fishbone
● Madam Woo
● Rata

Dunedin:
● Bracken
● No 7 Balmac

Ends