The Michelin Guide Comes to New Zealand
New Zealand’s first Michelin Guide was announced on 30 June 2026, the first anywhere in Oceania. It covers four regions, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown, and its opening selection runs to 110 restaurants: one with two stars, fourteen with one, and thirty-five with a Bib Gourmand, Michelin’s mark for good cooking at a fair price.
The sole two-star went to Essence, in Queenstown. The Queenstown region, which reaches across the Southern Lakes and into Central Otago, also took four of the fourteen one-stars, so that a third of the country’s starred restaurants sit in and around wine country.
What does a Michelin star recognise?
A Michelin star is given for the cooking, not the cellar. One star marks high-quality cooking worth a stop, two a kitchen worth a detour, three a kitchen worth a special journey. Inspectors visit unannounced and more than once, and weigh the produce, the technique, the flavours, the character of the cooking, and its consistency over time. The wine list is not scored. But at this level it is part of the table a kitchen sets, and what a restaurant pours is the sommelier’s choice to make and to defend.
Which Michelin-starred restaurants in New Zealand pour Prophet’s Rock?
Prophet’s Rock fans won’t have to look far to find their favourite wines on this list. We’re poured at six of the fifteen starred restaurants: Essence and Rātā in Queenstown, Paris Butter and Ahi in Auckland, and Logan Brown and Ortega in Wellington. Among the Bib Gourmand restaurants, Apéro Food & Wine in Auckland has poured Prophet’s Rock for years, and the estate has held winemaker dinners at Aosta in Arrowtown, Treehouse in Wānaka, and The Monday Room in Christchurch.
Which Michelin restaurants abroad have poured Prophet’s Rock?
While the Michelin Guide may be new to New Zealand, finding Prophet’s Rock on a Michelin wine list is not. Our wines have been poured at Geranium in Copenhagen, The Fat Duck in Bray, and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester in London, each of them a three-star restaurant, as well as one- and two-star restaurants around the globe.
That New Zealand now has a Michelin Guide of its own is a good thing for everyone who cooks and grows and pours here. Prophet’s Rock is glad of our place at the table.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Michelin Guide come to New Zealand?
New Zealand’s first Michelin Guide selection was announced on 30 June 2026, and it is the guide’s first anywhere in Oceania.
Which parts of New Zealand does the Michelin Guide cover?
The first selection covers four regions, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown, and names 110 restaurants in all.
How many Michelin-starred restaurants are there in New Zealand?
Fifteen restaurants hold stars in the 2026 selection: Essence in Queenstown holds two, and fourteen restaurants hold one. A further thirty-five hold a Bib Gourmand.
Which New Zealand restaurant has two Michelin stars?
Essence, in Queenstown, is the only restaurant in New Zealand with two Michelin stars in the 2026 selection.
What is a Bib Gourmand?
A Bib Gourmand is Michelin’s mark for good cooking at a fair price, and thirty-five New Zealand restaurants received one in the first selection.
Does Michelin rate a restaurant’s wine list?
Michelin stars are awarded for the cooking, and the wine list is not scored. Inspectors visit unannounced and more than once, and weigh the produce, the technique, the flavours, the character of the cooking, and its consistency over time.
Which Michelin-starred restaurants in New Zealand pour Prophet’s Rock?
Prophet’s Rock is poured at six of the fifteen starred restaurants: Essence and Rātā in Queenstown, Paris Butter and Ahi in Auckland, and Logan Brown and Ortega in Wellington.
Has Prophet’s Rock been poured at three-star Michelin restaurants?
Prophet’s Rock has been poured at Geranium in Copenhagen, The Fat Duck in Bray, and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester in London, each of them a three-star restaurant, as well as at one- and two-star restaurants around the globe.