Many other restaurants and chefs in regions not included in the Michelin Guide were also recognised.
Craggy Range Restaurant in Havelock North gained three hats, and Connor Mertens of the nearby Elephant Hill winery picked up the Arcfox Innovation and Design Award. Auckland’s highly acclaimed Japanese restaurant Cocoro also gained three hats.
Cuisine magazine owner and editor Kelli Brett says that as international attention turns toward New Zealand dining, a national perspective is more important than ever.
“Michelin’s arrival has shone a welcome spotlight on restaurants in four of our cities, but Aotearoa’s food story stretches much, much further than that.”
In 2025, as well as being Viva’s Supreme Winner, Onesemo also became the first Samoan chef to receive the “One Knife – Excellent” distinction at the Best Chef Awards in Milan.
Lisa Levy of the one Michelin Star Inati in Christchurch won Restaurant Personality of the Year, and Pier Italiano of Toast & Oak in Queenstown was named this year’s Rising Talent.
Food and drink writer and hospitality expert Kerry Tyack, who led the Cuisine national assessment team, says New Zealand was “incredibly well served on all levels” and that one of the most exciting observations was that Kiwi chefs and restaurants were not standing still.
“They continue to build on their recognition, seek new directions, constantly look to improve and take our dining options to the highest level.”
Tyack said the range of awarded restaurants reflected an “abundance of ethnic food representing the cuisine of the world,” as well as a range of “small, unpretentious suburban dining rooms” and “sumptuous, brilliantly orchestrated menus delivered by highly trained professionals in designer-led restaurants”.
The awards also recognised contributions beyond the restaurant industry, including Kiwis who made their mark overseas and on the world stage.
Expat Toby Archibald, who runs Quarter Acre restaurant in Dallas, Texas, was named the Ōra King New Zealand Global Champion 2026. Quarter Acre is described by US critics as “a neighbourhood joint with a New Zealand twist”.
Tony Stewart, of Shared Table and Fair Food in Auckland, won the Haku Kingfish Champion for Change 2026 award. Stewart’s initiative turned rescued food into innovative, high-quality dishes.
Cuisine Guide 2026 Category Award Winners
American Express Restaurant of the Year 2026
Essence, Roki Collection, Queenstown
Tātaki Auckland Unlimited Chef of the Year 2026
Henry Onesemo, Tala, Auckland
Greenstone Creek Metropolitan Restaurant of the Year 2026
Parro, Auckland
Yellow Brick Road Regional Restaurant of the Year 2026
Arc, Wānaka
Specialist Restaurant of the Year 2026
Alma, Auckland
Sawmill Brewery Casual Restaurant of the Year 2026
Margot, Wellington
Hotel Restaurant of the Year 2026
Bistro Saine, Hotel Indigo, Auckland
Restaurant Personality of the Year 2026
Lisa Levy, Inati, Christchurch
Arcfox Innovation & Design Award 2026
Conor Mertens, Elephant Hill, Hawke’s Bay
Villa Maria Sommelier & Wine Experience of the Year 2026
Mo Koski, Apéro, Auckland
The Reid Drinks List of the Year 2026
Bar Magda, Auckland
Long-Term Player 2026
Ortega Fish Shack, Wellington
Outstanding Dessert Experience 2026
Plabita Florence, Forest, Auckland
Sturgeon Valley Luxury Lodge Chef of the Year 2026
Taylor Cullen, Sugarloaf at Flockhill, Canterbury
New Restaurant of the Year 2026
Return, Auckland
Rising Talent 2026
Pier Italiano, Toast & Oak, Queenstown
Haku Kingfish Champion for Change 2026
Tony Stewart, Shared Table, Fair Food, Auckland
Ōra King New Zealand Global Champion 2026
Toby Archibald, Quarter Acre, Dallas, Texas, USA
Pead Legend Award 2026
