Eight New Zealand restaurants have made the competitive, La Liste ranking of the top 1000 eateries worldwide, with Sid at The French Cafe in Auckland listing with 94.50 points.
Second highest Kiwi restaurant on the list is Queenstown’s Amisfield, with 88.00 points, followed by Paris Butter in Auckland with 87.00.
La Liste is a worldwide restaurant review aggregator, which compiles scores, based on online reviews from casual diners and influencers, magazine and newspaper ratings, and scores from domestic and international guides and review sites.
Phillipe Faure, CEO and founder of La Liste says the annual Top 1000 World’s Best Restaurants, published since 2015, is essential for food lovers. The list has nothing in common with ‘pay to play’ organisations in which restaurants pay an entry fee.
ECSTATIC
Listed just five points below the top seven restaurants, Sid at the French Cafe has improved its previous ranking.
“Our wonderful staff were ecstatic! It’s been a long winter, and they were really stoked to have their efforts recognised,” owner and Head Chef, Sid Sahrawat said.
“We are also proud to have increased our overall scores by four points from last year.
“It’s been a tough time for New Zealand’s hospitality scene, particularly those in the fine-dining space as the cost of living continues to bite discretionary spending.
“We haven’t seen anything quite like it since 2009 when we experienced the recession. Business slowed down after Easter and is only just picking up now post-election and maybe because it’s the festive season,” Sahrawat said.
“There is real anxiety about next year as our customers’ disposable incomes are tight, given high interest rates, and eating out is seen as a luxury not a necessity. As long as we can sustain our business, we aren’t looking to make profits – we just want to survive as businesses through these tough times.”
NEW ZEALAND RESTAURANTS RANKED ON LA LISTE
Sid at The French Café (score: 94.5) https://www.sidatthefrenchcafe.co.nz/
Amisfield (score: 88) https://amisfield.co.nz/
Paris Butter (score: 87) https://parisbutter.co.nz/
Pacifica (score: 86) https://www.pacificarestaurant.co.nz/
Logan Brown (score: 86) https://www.loganbrown.co.nz/
Cocoro (score: 84.5) https://www.cocoro.co.nz/
Ahi (score: 83) https://ahirestaurant.co.nz/
Don Alfonso at Helena Bay (score: 78). https://helenabay.com/the-lodge/dining/
THE TOP SEVEN RESTAURANTS WHO EACH GAINED 99.50 POINTS:
Le Bernardin, New York, USA.
L’Enclume, Grange-over-Sands, UK.
Guy Savoy, Paris, France.
La Vague d’Or – Le Cheval Blanc, St Tropez, France.
Schwarzwaldstube, Baiersbronn, Germany.
Lung King Heen, Hong Kong, China.
Sushi Saito, Minato-ku, Japan.
