Who are New Zealand's hottest contenders for a Michelin star?

Restaurateurs across Aotearoa have stars in their eyes at the news that judges for a prestigious hospitality guide and rating system are coming here for the first time in 125 years.

The Michelin guide will include restaurants from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown in an inaugural New Zealand edition which will be released in 2026.

The question on everyone's mind is whether or not the Michelin inspectors will be significantly enough impressed to award any Michelin stars while they're here.

A Michelin star is widely recognised - by restaurateurs and diners alike - as a badge of honour. Restaurants can be awarded up to three stars, which are valid for a year.

There are currently no Michelin-starred restaurants in New Zealand, but we've taken a highly unscientific stab at who the contenders could be.

Amisfield has just about won more awards than you've had hot dinners. In August, the Arrowtown winery restaurant was named New Zealand's restaurant of the year in the Cuisine Good Food Awards (it also won this award in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023). Earlier this year it was named third best restaurant in the world by influential US culinary magazine Food & Wine, and became the first New Zealand restaurant to make it onto a prestigious list of the 'World's Best Restaurants'.

In 2023, Amisfield's executive chef Vaughan Mabee was the only New Zealand chef named as one of the World’s Top 100 Chefs.

According to its website, Amisfield's culinary philosophy "celebrates the craftsmanship of a select group of fishermen, hunters, gatherers, and farmers". A lunch tasting menu starts from $395 per person.

Eating at Ahi, in downtown Auckland's Commercial Bay, is a chance to "experience New Zealand's food at its best," says the Ahi website. Less biased judges seem to agree - Ahi was named Restaurant of the Year in the 2024 Cuisine Good Food Awards, winning three hats and scoring a near-perfect 19/20. Ahi is also a fixture on the Iconic Auckland Eats list, having been featured every year since 2020.

Head chef Ben Bayly, who TV watchers will recognise from My Kitchen Rules, The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes and A New Zealand Food Story, has also worked in Michelin-starred restaurants. He leads the restaurant, which uses organic vegetables grown at Ahi's kitchen garden in south Auckland (among other ingredients) to produce "authentic New Zealand food".

A 'New Zealand Food Story' at Ahi - four courses and four snacks - is $180 per person.

This Otautahi fine dining favourite is another multi-award winner, scooping up two hats in the 2025 Cuisine Good Food Awards (repeating previous successes in 2021 and 2022), along with multiple Canterbury Hospitality Awards in recent years.

Chef Simon Levy, a former head chef for Michelin-starred English chef Gordon Ramsay, opened Inati with his wife and co-owner Lisa Levy in 2017.

Inati means 'to share' in te reo Māori and the restaurant features a long 'chef's table' where diners can get up close to the kitchen action.

A six-plate 'trust the chef' menu starts at $139 per person.

When I reviewed the then newly-opened Rita for Cuisine magazine back in 2017 I told the editor I was struggling to make the piece "less gushy". In the end I concluded that this 30-seater restaurant, tucked into a colonial cottage on Wellington's Aro St, was "practically perfect in every way".

Rita is the brainchild of Paul Schrader and Kelda Haines, who previously delighted everyone whoever ate at Nikau, the restaurant they ran out of the City Gallery. Don't be fooled by its diminutive size, this place packs a punch. There's a different set menu every day, with a focus on seasonal ingredients and imaginative wine pairings.

Rita was awarded two hats (out of three) in the 2025 Cuisine Good Food Awards, with judges commenting that "we can guarantee you an unforgettable, unpretentious dining experience". Michelin inspectors, take note.

A three-course set menu is $105 per person.

Imagine you're a Michelin Guide inspector, your palate jaded by too many heavy meals and laboured sauces. What could be more refreshing and enlivening than a vegetarian menu that makes heroes of uniquely New Zealand ingredients, like the feijoa?

Forest scored two hats at the 2025 Cuisine Good Food Awards, as well as the Innovation Award for owner and head chef Plabita Florence. It follows the restaurant winning a slew of trophies at the 2024 Metro magazine Restaurant of the Year awards, including Best Restaurant, Best Smart Dining, Best Dessert, and runner-up Best Chef.

Florence and her team have made it their mission to champion and celebrate local and seasonal fruit and vegetables - their homage to the feijoa has made them world famous in New Zealand among feijoa fans. A sharing plate of caper-glazed purple kūmara, with Marmite cream, rosemary greens and paprika will set you back $35.