Metro Top 50 Restaurants of the Year 2022

Metro is excited to announce the top 50 Auckland restaurants that have been chosen to be a part of Metro Restaurant of the Year 2022, in partnership with Estrella Damm.

These restaurants represent the best of Auckland’s dining scene, from the casual neighbourhood joints that you can pop into on a weekday and be greeted like locals, to the special occasion fine diners that deliver technically excellent food with equally excellent service.

This year, the top 50 restaurants reflect an industry that has weathered a pandemic over the last two years, with fewer new openings from the previous list. While this means less changes from the list of 2021, it also signals something positive for the industry — most notably, the resilience of our operators, with only two restaurants from 2021’s top 50 having closed in the last year. This is a celebration of the restaurants that have made it; a long-overdue party and acknowledgement of the people who contribute so much to making Auckland a great city to live in. It’s the first year Metro Restaurant of the Year will be able to have an awards night since 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s awards are made possible by Estrella Damm as well as Campari, Sanpellegrino, Esk Valley, Pernod Ricard, The Produce Company, Pacific Linen, The Great Catering Co and Ninety Nine Reasons.

Behind the top 50 list is a panel of 10 judges, made up of food writers, critics and hospitality experts, and led by the Metro team, who visit restaurants anonymously and pay for their own meals. The panel is refreshed year-on-year, and includes a mix of diverse perspectives, expertise and experiences.

All 50 restaurants are now in the running for the Estrella Damm Supreme Award, which is given to the best restaurant in Auckland as decided by our panel, as well as other categories such as Best Dish, The Produce Company Best Chef, Campari Best Bartender and more.

These awards will be announced on the event night on Monday 19 September at the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira. Tickets are available to the public and can be purchased at subscribe.metromagazine.co.nz.

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