The creative fine-dining destination and winery near Queenstown was named third on the list in Food & Wine’s third-annual Global Tastemakers Awards.
The ranking from the US-based publication lists the 15 best international restaurants of 2025, as voted by a panel of judges. The winners were narrowed down by the judges following selections from over 400 chefs, travel experts, food and travel writers, and wine professionals around the world, who were canvased on their their top culinary travel experiences.
Amisfield sits under winner Asador Etxebarri in Axpe, Spain lauded for its flame-grilled meat dishes, including a €280 (NZD$550) tasting menu. Second-place went to A Casa do Porco in São Paulo, Brazil, a restaurant (the name of which translates to ‘“House of the Pig’) that focuses on inventive dishes all made from pork.
In the awards listing, Otago’s Amisfield was hailed for its use of local ingredients, with judges calling the restaurant a “beacon for wine enthusiasts” who are seeking an “unparalleled dining experience”.
“What sets Amisfield apart is not just its stunning location or award-winning sips but also its otherworldly, refined tasting menu that showcases the region’s seasonal, hyperlocal ingredients,” the awards listing says.
Executive chef, Vaughan Mabee is fully committed to sourcing “quality New Zealand ingredients for every innovative, artistic dish,” and the restaurant’s dishes are “borne from a deep respect for the land and its bounty.”
It says the approach is reflected in Amisfield’s regularly evolving menu, which includes vegetables grown in the winery’s kitchen garden and wild game sourced from the surrounding countryside.
The magazine recommends readers try the Amisfield’s ‘Trust the Chef’ experience complete with wine matches, saying the “multicourse feast unfolds like a show with dishes crafted to look like the animals they came from.”
Food & Wine’s Global Tastemakers Awards Top 15
- Asador Etxebarri (Axpe, Spain)
- A Casa do Porco (São Paulo, Brazil)
- Amisfield (Queenstown, New Zealand)
- Charmgang (Bangkok)
- Bar Kismet (Halifax, Canada)
- Ginza Inaba (Tokyo)
- Contrada Bricconi (Alta, Italy)
- Big JJ Seafood Hotpot (Hong Kong)
- Mangal II (London)
- Jatak (Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Auyl (Almaty, Kazakhstan)
- La Patarashca (Tarapoto, Peru)
- Siembra Comedor & Tortillería (Mexico City)
- Papa’s (Mumbai, India)
- Meza Malonga (Kigali, Rwanda)
