Aotearoa New Zealand has officially joined the global MICHELIN Guide map, marking the Guide’s first-ever expansion into Oceania. The MICHELIN Guide New Zealand 2026 recognises 110 restaurants across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown, celebrating their quality, creativity and strong sense of place.
After months of anonymous inspections, the MICHELIN Guide has awarded one restaurant in Queenstown, Essence, Two MICHELIN Stars. Fourteen restaurants have received One MICHELIN Star, 35 have been recognised with a Bib Gourmand for offering good food at great value, and a further 60 are included in the official MICHELIN Guide selection.
Essence awarded two michelin stars: excellent cooking that’s worth a detour
The sole recipient of Two MICHELIN Stars is Essence in Queenstown led by Executive Chef Paul Froggatt. Perched on a hillside above Lake Wakatipu, the understated dining room ensures the focus remains on the cuisine. Two tasting menus showcase premium seasonal New Zealand produce, combining refined technique with creativity and a modern sensibility. Each dish expresses clarity and balance, while the wine list offers a strong selection, particularly for Pinot Noir enthusiasts.
14 restaurants receive one michelin star for their high-quality cooking, worth a stop
From Auckland, Inspectors awarded One MICHELIN Star to the following restaurants:
Ahi.: Ahi means ‘fire’ in Māori and the food revolves around the wood-fired hearth. Traditional New Zealand flavours are reinterpreted with modern techniques, emphasising cultural heritage and traceable ingredients. Seasonal menus highlight a strong farm-to-table ethos.
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.
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.
Tala: Tala offers a multi-course experience inspired by Samoan cuisine and culture. Traditional flavours are reinterpreted in creative ways, delivering a deeply personal and immersive dining journey.
The 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.
From Welington:
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 flavours 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.
From Christchurch:
Inati: Designed as a shared dining experience, Inati reimagines European classics using high-quality New Zealand produce, creating bold and flavourful 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.
From 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 flavours 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.
35 restaurants awarded bib gourmand for good quality cooking at a great value
The award highlight places where diners can enjoy high-quality, thoughtful cooking at approachable prices which include each region:
Auckland: Apéro Food & Wine, Atelier, Bianca, Bistro Saine, Boda, Cazador, Gemmayze Street, Goat, Milenta, Osteria Uno, Parro, Pasta & Cuore, and Tempero
Wellington: 1154 Pastaria, Cicio Cacio, Hummingbird, and Indian Alley
Christchurch: A'mano, Earl, Fire And Slice, Gatherings, Londo, Odeon, Roca, Soul Quarter, The Athens Yacht Club, and The Monday Room
Queenstown: Aosta, Bombay Palace (Wānaka), Francesca, Muttonbird, Paloma Taqueria, Sundays, The Cow (Queenstown), and Treehouse
60 restaurants included in the michelin guide selected, celebrating culinary excellence
The broader inclusion of restaurants whose cuisine impressed the Inspectors making up the main selection includes restaurants across all regions:
Auckland: 1947 Eatery, Ada, Advieh, Alma, Baduzzi, Bar Magda, Bossi, Cassia, East, Esther, Gilt, Hello Beasty, Jervois Steak House, Ki Māha, Kingi, Kol, Lillius, Metita, Morell, Mr Morris, One Tree Grill, Onslow, Origine, Otto, Ragtag, Rodd & Gunn The Lodge, Sails, and The French Café
Wellington: 50-50, Boulcott Street Bistro, Charley Noble, Damascus, Floriditas, Graze, Highwater, Kisa, Koji, Margot, Napoli, Ombra, Rita, Rosella, and Shed 5
Christchurch: Bessie, Cellar Door, Hugo, and Miro
Queenstown: Arc, Bianca by Giovi, Billy’s, Botswana Butchery, Jervois Steak House, Millhouse, Nest, Rodd & Gunn The Lodge, Soda, The Dining Room, The Woolshed, Toast & Oak, and True South Dining Room
3 MICHELIN Guide special awards
In addition to the restaurant selection, the MICHELIN Guide presents Special Awards honouring the exceptional talent, passion and craft behind restaurant experiences that stay with guests long after the final course. Inspectors commended:
MICHELIN Guide Young Chef Award
Awarded to a rising talent demonstrating exceptional skill, creativity, and leadership in the kitchen, the Young Chef Award is given to Chef Robert Fairs from Londo, a Bib Gourmand restaurant in Christchurch. After beginning his career in Christchurch, he worked in restaurants across Dubai and Copenhagen before returning to New Zealand to open Londo: a small, relaxed restaurant built around seasonal, carefully sourced produce. His cooking reflects British roots, international experience and a strong sense of place, combining technical precision with a clear, personal style. At the counter, Fairs is confident and understated, engaging warmly with guests throughout service.
MICHELIN Guide Service Award
Recognizing excellence in hospitality, attentiveness, and the art of creating memorable guest experiences, the Service Award goes to Stina Persen from Graze, a MICHELIN Selected restaurant in Wellington. Born and raised in Wellington, Stina brings warmth, ease and genuine care to the dining room. Her hospitality is attentive without being intrusive, making guests feel welcomed as friends rather than customers. With a natural ability to read the room, she adds depth to the experience through thoughtful details and local stories that connect the restaurant to its city. In a compact capital built on community and connection, Stina’s Kiwi warmth - simple, sincere and generous, makes every table feel special.
MICHELIN Guide Sommelier Award
Highlighting the skills, knowledge, and passion of talented sommeliers in the industry, this year's Sommelier Award is bestowed to Matthew Aitchison, General Manager and Sommelier of The French Café, a MICHELIN Selected restaurant in Auckland. Matthew leads the service team with a calm, relaxed and approachable style, underpinned by strong organisation and deep wine knowledge. His passion for hospitality is reflected in carefully curated wine experiences and precise food pairings that elevate the meal. He has built one of the city’s most impressive wine lists: broad in scope, thoughtfully composed and especially strong by the glass.
The full MICHELIN Guide New Zealand 2026 Restaurant Selection is available on the MICHELIN Guide website and on the free MICHELIN Guide app, where users can research restaurants via their locations, cuisine types or additional features.
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The First Edition of the MICHELIN Guide New Zealand 2026 at a Glance:
1 Two MICHELIN Stars
14 One MICHELIN Star
35 Bib Gourmand
60 MICHELIN Selected
Mindful Voices
For the first time in New Zealand, the Mindful Voices platform brings together inspirational voices from across the hospitality industry – an editorial space where chefs, hoteliers and winemakers can share their stories and pioneering practices, both with one another and the rest of the world.
Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guide, says, “Mindful Voices will give a platform to all those who are rewriting the rules in their respective fields. This new framework draws directly from what our inspection teams witness firsthand: encounters and experiences that are transforming how things are done and that deserve to be shared. Staying true to its identity and values, the MICHELIN Guide will amplify and give full resonance to these voices from the worlds of gastronomy, hospitality and wine so that they can be heard, wherever they may be.”
The chef invited on stage as a Mindful Voice at the MICHELIN Guide Restaurant Ceremony New Zealand 2026 is Benjamin Bayly of Ahi., a One MICHELIN Star restaurant in Auckland. At Ahi., Benjamin Bayly champions a deep connection between cuisine, land and community. The restaurant operates its own kitchen garden in South Auckland, supplying seasonal produce while composting kitchen waste back into the soil, creating a closed-loop approach. This philosophy extends to sourcing ingredients from local producers and to the dining environment itself, where reclaimed native timber is widely used. Beyond the restaurant, Bayly actively documents and shares the stories of New Zealand’s producers through the restaurant’s website, reinforcing a broader commitment to celebrating people, place and provenance. Through this holistic vision, Ahi. reflects a forward-looking approach that encourages thoughtful evolution across the industry.
Learn more about the new Mindful Voices initiative here.
Hotels
The New Zealand restaurant selection is complemented by the MICHELIN Guide selection of hotels, showcasing some of the most inspiring and distinctive places to stay across the country. Each hotel is chosen for its unique character, design, service, and personality – with options to suit a range of travel styles – and all can be booked through the MICHELIN Guide.
The selection highlights exceptional properties across the four regions, including The Hotel Britomart in Auckland, a contemporary urban retreat celebrated for its sustainable design and connection to the city’s vibrant waterfront; Wharekauhau in the Wairarapa near Wellington, a luxurious countryside lodge set on a working sheep station with sweeping coastal views; Ōtahuna Lodge in Christchurch, a grand historic estate blending heritage architecture with refined hospitality; and Blanket Bay in Queenstown, an exclusive alpine lodge offering dramatic scenery and a deeply immersive wilderness experience.
The MICHELIN Guide Worldwide app for iOS and Android devices.
About Michelin
Michelin is building a world-leading manufacturer of life-changing composites and experiences. Pioneering engineered materials for more than 130 years, Michelin is uniquely positioned to make decisive contributions to human progress and to a more sustainable world.
Drawing on its deep know-how in polymer composites, Michelin is constantly innovating to manufacture high-quality tires and components for critical applications in demanding fields as varied as mobility, construction, aeronautics, low-carbon energies, and healthcare.
The care placed in its products and deep customer knowledge inspire Michelin to offer the finest experiences. This spans from providing data- and AI-based connected solutions for professional fleets to recommending outstanding restaurants and hotels curated by the MICHELIN Guide.
Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 175 countries and employs 129,800 people.