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Celebrating New Zealand’s First MICHELIN Guide Restaurant Selection

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We have marked a proud milestone for New Zealand hospitality with the release of the inaugural MICHELIN Guide.

The first Guide has recognised 110 restaurants across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown, including 15 restaurants awarded MICHELIN Stars. It is a significant moment not only for those recognised, but for our hospitality industry as a whole.

For years, New Zealand’s chefs, restaurateurs, producers and hospitality teams have been quietly building an extraordinary food story. Today’s announcement shines an international spotlight on that achievement and reinforces our place as a world-class food destination.

We want to take a moment to congratulate every restaurant, chef and team recognised in this inaugural Guide. Your passion, creativity and commitment to exceptional hospitality continue to raise the bar for our industry and inspire us all.

New Zealand’s MICHELIN Star Restaurants

⭐⭐ Two MICHELIN Stars

⭐ One MICHELIN Star

Auckland:

  • Tantalus Estate: Located within a vineyard estate, The Estate combines French techniques with New Zealand produce. Classic dishes sit alongside local specialties, offering a balanced and polished dining experience.
  • Tala: Tala offers a multi-course experience inspired by Samoan cuisine and culture. Traditional flavors are reinterpreted in creative ways, delivering a deeply personal and immersive dining journey.
  • Paris Butter: Set in an understated space with an elegant interior, Paris Butter presents a season-driven tasting menu featuring peak New Zealand produce. European techniques are combined with subtle Asian influences for a refined and modern dining experience.
  • Mudbrick: Housed in a converted barn within a vineyard, Mudbrick offers sweeping views and a cuisine that blends European, Japanese and Indian influences. Dishes are layered and expressive, with wine pairings enhancing the overall experience.
  • Ahi.: Ahi means ‘fire’ in Māori and the food revolves around the wood-fired hearth. Traditional New Zealand flavors are reinterpreted with modern techniques, emphasizing cultural heritage and traceable ingredients. Seasonal menus highlight a strong farm-to-table ethos.

Wellington:

  • Jano Bistro: Set in a historic cottage, Jano Bistro offers French cuisine crafted with local ingredients, including herbs and edible flowers from its garden. Menus evolve regularly with the seasons.
  • Logan Brown: Located in a grand former bank building, Logan Brown delivers contemporary dishes with layered flavors and precise execution in a striking architectural setting.
  • Ortega: With a nautical ambiance, Ortega focuses on seafood prepared in diverse styles. The menu draws from global influences to highlight the natural qualities of fresh ingredients.

Christchurch

  • Inati: Designed as a shared dining experience, Inati reimagines European classics using high-quality New Zealand produce, creating bold and flavorful dishes.
  • Tussock Hill: Set within a boutique vineyard, Tussock Hill offers a lunch-only menu of seasonal sharing plates designed to complement its wines, reflecting a strong connection between food and terroir.

Queenstown:

  • Amisfield: Set beside its own vineyard, Amisfield offers bold and creative dishes using seasonal ingredients from Central Otago, paired with wines from its estate.
  • Kika: A modern New Zealand restaurant with global influences, Kika focuses on bold flavors and premium local produce in a sharing-style format.
  • Rātā: Named after a native tree, Rātā showcases modern New Zealand cuisine using ingredients sourced locally from Central Otago, reflecting a strong connection to the land.
  • Sherwood: Overlooking Lake Wakatipu, Sherwood follows a “garden-to-table” philosophy, with most ingredients sourced from its own garden or foraged locally, resulting in a hyper-seasonal and expressive menu.

Beyond the Stars, the Guide also recognises restaurants through its Bib Gourmand and MICHELIN Selected categories. These categories celebrate the diversity and quality of New Zealand’s dining scene.

You can view the full MICHELIN Guide New Zealand restaurant selection here.

The arrival of the MICHELIN Guide is about much more than one awards ceremony. It creates an opportunity to showcase New Zealand hospitality to the world, attract high-value culinary visitors and continue building on the reputation our industry has worked so hard to establish.

For the Restaurant Association, this is just the beginning. We look forward to continuing to support our members and the wider industry as we build on this momentum, helping New Zealand hospitality continue to grow, evolve and tell its story on the global stage.

Once again, congratulations to everyone recognised in the inaugural MICHELIN Guide New Zealand.

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