“Casual dining restaurants, cool ‘n’ classy bars, four-star hotels, and traditional Kiwi country pubs and are among the finalists selected in this year’s hotly-contested Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence.”

Winners are to be announced at an awards dinner during Hospitality New Zealand’s annual conference in Christchurch on 3 November 2011.  Finalists for 2011’s Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence include:

Best bar:
Brew on Quay, Auckland
Shed 2, Napier
Suite, Auckland
The Zookeeper’s Son, Auckland

Best new/redeveloped bar/restaurant:
Ballarat Trading Company, Queenstown
The Riverhead Tavern, Riverhead, North of Auckland
The Zookeeper’s Son, Auckland

Best restaurant:
Orangerie, Grand Mercure Nelson Monaco, Nelson
Smith and McKenzie Chophouse, Hamilton
Soul Bar and Bistro, Auckland
Dallows at Sale Street, Auckland

Excellence in customer service:
Grand Mercure Nelson Monaco, Nelson
Iguana Street Bar & Restaurant, Hamilton
Jet Park Airport Hotel, Auckland
Soul Bar and Bistro, Auckland

Best beef dish:
Café Izone, Christchurch
Mint Dining Room, Nelson
Mount Bistro, Tauranga
Novotel Capital, Wellington

Best lamb dish:
Dallows at Sale St, Auckland
Karamea Village Hotel, Karamea, West Coast
Mint Dining Room, Nelson
Mount Bistro, Tauranga

Source: www.foodnews.co.nz