Amisfield, a fine-dining restaurant in Queenstown, has been named Restaurant of the Year at the 2025 Cuisine Good Food Awards.
The award was announced on Monday night in Auckland, where more than 300 restaurants were judged. Amisfield, which was also ranked the third-best restaurant in the world by a U.S. food magazine, earned the top spot among six restaurants that received the highest score of “three hats.”
Other top-rated restaurants included Auckland’s Ahi, Cocoro, Paris Butter, and Tala, as well as Craggy Range Restaurant in Hawke’s Bay. Casey McDonald, head chef at Craggy Range, won Chef of the Year and also saw his restaurant named Winery Restaurant of the Year. Judges praised McDonald for connecting his cooking with New Zealand’s local roots.
Tala, a new restaurant led by Samoan chef Henry Onesemo, also made headlines. Onesemo said restaurants like Amisfield help put New Zealand’s food on the world stage, and he credited his wife, Debby, as the hidden force behind Tala’s success.
In total, 95 restaurants across the country earned hat ratings.
