A hotel restaurant that doesn’t feel like a hotel restaurant has been named one of the Viva Top 50 special category winners. Here’s why.
As well as announcing the list of Auckland’s best restaurants this week, Viva Top 50 judges Jesse Mulligan and Kelly Gibney also awarded five special category winners – places with a little something extra that really impressed.
Whether it’s where to take a date or a place where you could never be too overdressed, these five winners stood out from the crowd.
In a year when some former favourites have closed their doors, there have also been several impressive new openings across the city. Three of those new venues were recognised as special category winners, with others featuring across the Top 50. But there was one that took the crown as Auckland’s best new restaurant.
Bistro Saine opened in April, the signature restaurant for Hotel Indigo, a luxury hotel in St Patrick’s Square where the penthouse has some of the best views in Auckland.
In his review of Bistro Saine earlier this year, Jesse wrote: “Everything looks and tastes fantastic – you really can’t go wrong”.
Find out more about why the Top 50 judges awarded Bistro Saine Auckland’s Best New Restaurant – as well as their thoughts on the other special category winners – in the video and judging notes below.
Then make sure you check out the full Top 50 list and let us know if you think our judges got it right. If you have some other ideas for venues that should have been included, nominate your favourite restaurants using the hashtag #vivatop50 on social media, or email us – viva@nzherald.co.nz
Best new restaurant: Bistro Saine
Although only launched in April, Bistro Saine already delivers warm, polished service with the ease of a restaurant that has been around for many years. A classically inclined French bistro, in a very beautiful room, the menu is delivered with contemporary energy and skill. Share perfect versions of favourites such as steak tartare and chicken liver parfait over exceptionally well-made cocktails, before enjoying a must-order roast chicken or a steak frites with spectacular bearnaise sauce. Though officially a hotel restaurant (located within Hotel Indigo), Bistro Saine stands entirely on its own. – KG
Cuisine: Bistro. Address: 51 Albert St, central city. Website: Bistrosaine.co.nz
Best service: Paris Butter
It takes longer than you would think for a great restaurant to become a busy restaurant. Paris Butter launched as a more traditional French kitchen almost 10 years ago before co-owner Nick Honeyman’s girlfriend one day asked him “why aren’t you cooking the food you love?” In its second incarnation, this Herne Bay modern-dining restaurant has made slow but steady progress towards stardom: first the industry buzz, then the awards, some high-profile, international collaborations and, finally, being booked out most nights of the week. The food is spectacularly good; it’s too hard to try to absorb everything the waiter tells you about each dish so it’s better to turn your brain off and absorb it with your taste buds. Though the tasting menus, pressed table cloths and stern prices all put this at the top end, there is a warmth and kindness to the service that makes this not just a gastronomic temple but a genuinely fun place to eat. – JM
Cuisine: Fine dining. Address: 166 Jervois Rd, Herne Bay. Website: Parisbutter.co.nz
Best kept secret: Blue
Though tucked in just a few steps away from Ponsonby Rd, Blue feels a world away from what you might associate with the busy (at times, a bit soulless) Auckland strip. Helmed by a team of talented owner-operators, the small blackboard list of by-the-glass wines and larger bottle list is brilliant, adventurous and playful. Put yourself in their capable hands and try something entirely new. A small menu, with ingredients sourced with real intention, reads deceptively simple, but is full of clever hooks that make you want to order it all. – KG
Cuisine: Bar/bistro. Address: Courtyard, Unit 1/1A Franklin Rd, Ponsonby. Website: Blueonfranklin.co.nz
Best restaurant for a date: Gilt Brasserie
It takes talent and some incredible systems to make a machine this big operate at such a spectacularly consistent level. Gilt is the city restaurant Aucklanders deserve, offering a space for long, decadent lunches as well as romantic evening dining. They crank the French music and create a real bistro feel, offering mostly classics with the odd lovely surprise – their “tomato schnitzel” is back in season and one of my favourite ways to taste the New Zealand summer. Food aside, one of the best things about Gilt is the service: well-trained charmers in crisp white uniforms make you want to plan your next visit the moment you’ve paid the bill. – JM
Cuisine: Brasserie. Address: 2 Chancery St, central city. Website: Giltbrasserie.nz
Best place to dress up: Jacuzzi
On a site with a long history as a place to see and be seen, the team behind Jacuzzi, which opened earlier this year, clearly decided to take that vibe and turn it all the way up. Arrive here any night of the week (but especially weekends and sunny afternoons) and partake in, or soak up, the glamour. Cocktails and champagne in the pavement-side seats are the obvious choice, but don’t sleep on the lovely tables tucked deeper in the restaurant, or the food – their crab linguine, in particular, is a very craveable dish. – KG
Cuisine: Bistro. Address: 150 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby. Website: Jacuzzibar.co.nz
More on Viva Top 50
Read more about our Top 50 restaurants for 2025
Viva Top 50: Auckland’s Best Restaurants Revealed Jesse Mulligan and Kelly Gibney pick the city’s best... but who is crowned supreme winner?
Watch: Auckland Chef’s Reaction When Surprised With Viva Top 50 Award “Henry, I haven’t been completely honest with you,” Jesse Mulligan told him.
Inside Tala, The New Auckland Restaurant That’s A Samoan Sophisticate.At contemporary “fun dining” restaurant Tala, Henry and Debby Onesemo’s long-held vision of bringing refined Samoan food to the table is finally being realised.
Why Are You Called That? The Stories Behind The Names Of Your Favourite Restaurants. Auckland is a city rich in restaurant names that are anything but generic.