Viva set to reveal Auckland’s Top 50 restaurants for 2025

Digital lifestyle magazine Viva, published by The New Zealand Herald, is gearing up for its fifth annual Top 50 Restaurant Awards.

Curated by Viva’s dining-out editor Jesse Mulligan and new judge Kelly Gibney, the awards spotlight Auckland’s 50 best restaurants, including the Top 10 and Supreme Winner.

The list also serves as a guide to Auckland’s dining scene and highlights the city’s hospitality offerings. Jasper Fulcher, NZME managing editor – lifestyle, says the awards have become a cornerstone of Viva’s editorial calendar.

“Viva’s Top 50 is more than a list – it’s a reflection of Auckland’s exceptional food culture. Each year our judges bring together expertise, curiosity and passion to uncover the restaurants shaping the city’s dining experience.”

A new era

Editor Mulligan says the 2025 list marks a new era for Auckland dining.

“This is the fifth year of our Viva Top 50 Restaurant Awards and the standard is higher than it’s ever been.

“Restaurants have got through a tough winter and are now bringing joy to the plate with bright spring ingredients and optimism for the summer ahead.

“I’m so excited to be working with Kelly as a guest judge. She is my favourite recipe writer in New Zealand and her forensic knowledge of cooking techniques and ingredients has made this the most thorough list yet,” he adds.

Get out and experience

Kelly Gibney, a food writer, photographer and cookbook author who spent 15 years working in the hospitality industry in Auckland, Melbourne and New York, says becoming a Viva Top 50 judge has been an exciting opportunity.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the Viva Top 50 Restaurants for 2025. The high level of innovation, skill and heart we saw served up nightly in Auckland is incredibly exciting to share. I hope the list motivates readers to get out and experience it for themselves.”

Readers will get the opportunity to nominate their favourite restaurants using the hashtag #vivatoprestaurants on social media, emailing viva@nzherald.co.nz, or commenting on the main article.

The winners will be announced on November 19.

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