Sixteen Kiwi bars and restaurants have been featured on the 50 Best Discovery list, an extension of the prestigious 50 Best Restaurants list, which since 2002 has reflected the diversity of the world’s culinary landscape.
Thanks to its panel of 1,080 culinary experts, as well as its structured and audited voting procedure, the annual list of the world's finest restaurants provides a snapshot of some of the best destinations for unique culinary experiences, in addition to being a barometer for global gastronomic trends.
Geranium in Copenhagen, Denmark was named the number one restaurant in the world earlier this year.
No New Zealand restaurant has ever featured on the Best Restaurant list, however, our Kiwi culinary scene fared better on the 50 Best Discovery list.
Caretaker
Introduced in 2019, the 50 Best Discovery list comprises restaurants and bars that were well-liked by the 50 Best list’s 1080 judges but did not achieve sufficient votes to crack the top 50.
The New Zealand entries include some of the usual suspects of our dining scene, including Cuisine Good Food Awards 2022 Restaurant of the Year, Amisfield in Central Otago, Auckland fine-diner Pasture and Monique Fiso’s multi-award-winning Wellington restaurant Hiakai, as well as some more casual spots.
Al Brown’s Sky City oyster joint Depot, which was dropped from Metro magazine’s Top 50 Auckland Restaurants list this year, makes the Discovery list, as do Wellington stalwarts Ortega Fish Shack and Noble Rot, and North Shore bistro The Engine Room.
Ben Bayly’s Commercial Bay venture Ahi, Ponsonby’s stylish Japanese spot Cocoro and Wanaka tapas bar Kika round out the Kiwi restaurants.
New Zealand bars on the list are, in Auckland, Caretaker, Clipper and Deadshot, Hawthorn Lounge and Crumpet in the capital and Christchurch’s The Last Word.
