Best Restaurants in Auckland 2026: Good Food Guide, Cuisine Good Food and Local Legends on One Map

Parnell · Modern Samoan

Chef Henry Onesemo and his wife Debby run this Parnell restaurant, where tasting menus reinterpret Samoan village and roadside cooking. Henry Onesemo was named Cuisine Chef of the Year 2026 and Tala holds three hats.

Auckland CBD · Modern New Zealand

Chef Ben Bayly's Commercial Bay restaurant builds its menu around New Zealand produce, much of it from local growers and the Ahi Kitchen Garden. Cuisine gave it three hats in its 2026 guide.

Britomart · Andalusian-inspired, fire cooking

Chef Jo Pearson's Britomart restaurant serves Andalusian-inspired sharing plates with a charred, flame-led style, open from late morning to late evening. It won Cuisine's Specialist Restaurant of the Year 2026.

Karangahape Road · French bistro, wine bar

A Karangahape Road wine bar and restaurant run by Leslie Hottiaux and Mo Koski, with seasonal cooking drawn from Leslie's Toulouse upbringing. Mo Koski won Cuisine's Sommelier and Wine Experience of the Year 2026.

Auckland CBD · French and Mediterranean bistro

A European-style bistro at Hotel Indigo where executive chef Yutak Son blends French and Mediterranean influences with local produce. Cuisine named it Hotel Restaurant of the Year 2026.

Ponsonby · Contemporary Japanese

Chef Makoto Tokuyama's Japanese restaurant sits in an old brick building just off Ponsonby Road and offers dégustation menus alongside à la carte. Cuisine describes it as the benchmark for contemporary Japanese dining in New Zealand.

Ponsonby · Neapolitan pizza

A Neapolitan pizzeria group led by Enis Baçova with sites in Ponsonby, Takapuna and Mission Bay, using Italian flour, fior di latte and tomatoes. 50 Top Pizza ranked it 13th in Asia-Pacific and 77th in the world for 2026, and named it Top Pizzeria in New Zealand.

Mount Eden · Plant-forward, low waste

Chef-owner Plabita Florence runs a plant-forward Dominion Road restaurant focused on seasonality and reducing food waste. She won Cuisine's Outstanding Dessert Experience 2026 and Forest holds two hats.

Herne Bay · Fine dining dégustation

A Herne Bay fine-dining room where chef Zennon Wijlens serves six- and eight-course dégustation menus combining international technique with New Zealand produce. It holds three hats in the 2026 Cuisine guide.

Mount Eden · Brazilian-influenced, charcoal

Chef-owner Gleber Chaparro cooks from an open kitchen on Dominion Road, drawing on Brazilian roots and Spanish and Italian influences. Cuisine named Parro Metropolitan Restaurant of the Year 2026.

Ponsonby · Elevated New Zealand

Chef Matt Lambert's Ponsonby restaurant offers à la carte dining or six- and ten-course tasting menus built on New Zealand produce. It was named Cuisine's New Restaurant of the Year 2026 with two hats.

Eden Terrace · Contemporary French fine dining

Chand and Sid Sahrawat's Symonds Street restaurant has a history spanning four decades and offers à la carte, tasting and vegetarian menus. It holds two hats in the 2026 Cuisine guide.

Balmoral · Game, Persian-influenced

Rebecca Smidt and chef Dariush Lolaiy run this long-standing Dominion Road restaurant, which cooks wild and ethically sourced meat nose to tail with Persian influences. It holds two hats in the 2026 Cuisine guide.

Auckland CBD · Playful modern Kiwi

Chef-owner Kyle Street serves a bi-monthly chef's choice menu that reworks familiar New Zealand flavours with global influences. Cuisine awarded it two hats in 2026.

Auckland CBD · Kiwi sharing plates, oysters

Chef Al Brown's Federal Street eatery serves shared plates of seasonal New Zealand produce, from a raw bar of oysters to charcoal-cooked dishes. Cuisine calls it an Auckland institution and gave it one hat in 2026.

Viaduct Harbour · Modern Asian sharing

Stuart and Emma Rogan's Viaduct restaurant serves sharing plates drawing on Japanese, Korean and Chinese cooking. It holds two hats in the 2026 Cuisine guide.

Eden Terrace · French-Japanese tasting

Chef-owner Kazuya Yamauchi combines classical French technique with Japanese sensibility across five- and seven-course menus on Symonds Street. Cuisine gave it two hats in 2026.

Eden Terrace · Modern fine dining

Chef Fraser McCarthy's Khyber Pass dining room offers à la carte or a trust-the-chef menu built on seasonal New Zealand produce. It holds two hats in the 2026 Cuisine guide.

Auckland CBD · Modern Pacific

Michael Meredith's modern Pacific restaurant inside The Grand by SkyCity is built around tasting menus that reinterpret familiar Pacific flavours. It holds two hats in the 2026 Cuisine guide.

Britomart · Modern NZ, Pacific and Asian

Michael Meredith's Britomart restaurant blends New Zealand, Pacific and Asian influences on a seasonal menu built on ethical local produce. Cuisine awarded it two hats in 2026.

Parnell · Neapolitan pizza

A small Parnell pizzeria run by Naples-born pizzaiolo and owner Recco Pozzulo, serving contemporary-style pizza alongside pasta and mains. It placed 37th in 50 Top Pizza Asia-Pacific 2026.

Britomart · Refined modern classic

Chef Josh Emett's inner-city dining room pairs classic structure with modern execution and a strong focus on service. It holds two hats in the 2026 Cuisine guide.

Ponsonby · Italian

A Ponsonby Road Italian restaurant serving since 1986, known for dishes such as its risotto with roast duck. Cuisine calls it one of Auckland's most enduring restaurants and gave it two hats in 2026.

Karangahape Road · Latin American sharing

Tiffany Low and chef Fabio Bernardini serve South and Central American dishes made with New Zealand produce, designed for sharing. Cuisine awarded it two hats in 2026.

Northcote Point · European bistro

Natalia Schamroth and Carl Koppenhagen have run this bistro in a restored former post office since 2006; its twice-baked goat's cheese soufflé is a long-standing signature. Cuisine gave it two hats in 2026.