The Winners of the Metro Restaurant of the Year Awards Have Been Revealed
A boisterous shared dining restaurant takes the cake.
The top restaurants for the past year were crowned this week as part of the Metro Restaurant of the Year Awards. Now in their 13th year, the awards recognise excellence in Auckland dining with a judging panel made up of restaurant critics, food writers and people from the hospitality biz.
Despite having recently been crippled by a fire, Al Brown’s Federal St eatery Depot took out the top accolade of Restaurant of the Year. It’s not the first time the boisterous shared dining restaurant has received the award; it came in first place in 2012 and also won Best Casual Bistro in 2013. Depot also took out the Best City Bistro.
Metro magazine editor Simon Wilson said of Depot's win, “In a town where the quality of fine dining and smart dining are both getting better every year, it’s remarkable that a busy city bistro manages to match them every step of the way. The food is terrific, the service is outstanding and the atmosphere so exciting. Testament to that? Four years after it opened, Depot is still the busiest place in town.”
Five-time previous supreme award winners The French Café came in second place for Restaurant of the Year and also managed to scoop awards for Best Service, Best Chef (co-owner Simon Wright) and Best Fine Dining Restaurant.
The coveted Restaurateur of the Year Award went to duo Mark Wallbank and chef Che Barrington who operate four restaurants, The Blue Breeze Inn, Chop Chop Noodle Bar, MooChowChow and Woodpecker Hill, the latter of which picked Best New Restaurant and was a runner up in the Best Room Category, won by the City Works Depot located Odettes.
Japanese restaurant Cocoro takes out the Best Drinks Service and Best Smart Dining Restaurant awards.
See the full list of winners below.
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
Depot
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD FOR AUCKLAND’S FAVOURITE DISH
Pork buns - The Blue Breeze Inn
BEST FINE-DINING
The French Café
BEST SMART-DINING
Cocoro
BEST CITY BISTRO
Depot
BEST NEIGHBOURHOOD RESTAURANT
The Engine Room
BEST DESTINATION RESTAURANT
Poderi Crisci
RESTAURATEUR OF THE YEAR
Che Barrington & Mark Wallbank, (MooChowChow, The Blue Breeze Inn, Woodpecker Hill)
BEST CHEF
Simon Wright, The French Café
BEST SERVICE
The French Café
BEST DRINKS SERVICE
Cocoro
BEST NEW RESTAURANT
Woodpecker Hill
BEST SHARED TABLE
Ima
BEST ALL DAY RESTAURANT
Ortolana
BEST ROOM
Odettes
BEST RENEWAL
Prego
BEST VALUE FOR MONEY
Molten
- Fifteen of the Most Unique Stays You Can Book Around New Zealand
- The 14 Best Hotels In Melbourne
- Ten of the Best Airbnb Stays You Can Book Around Australia
- Sixteen of the Best Private Accommodations You Can Book in Regional Victoria
- Fifteen of the Best Places to Stay in the Blue Mountains
- The Ten Best Restaurants in Auckland