Vot­ing in the Fourth Annu­al Wel­ling­tonista Awards is open from Decem­ber 1–15. Then come find out the res­ults at our Awards Night at Mighty Mighty on Decem­ber 17!

To vote, vis­it this page.

In these harsh eco­nom­ic times…ah, who cares? It’s fun to splash out! And when you do decide to spend good money on food, you want it to be the best it can be. This group of fine din­ing estab­lish­ments make eat­ing a pleas­ure, instead of the awful chore it has become…

Photo by Gerald N

The Ambeli: It’s a little less form­al than the ste­reo­typ­ic­al “fine din­ing” exper­i­ence, and slightly more afford­able too, but The Ambeli takes Medi­ter­ranean-influ­enced cuisine to new levels of deli­cious­ness. Aus­trali­an food blog Grab Your Fork paid a vis­it, and the pho­tos and descrip­tions are enough to induce near-ter­min­al drool­ing. Com­bine that with a warm ambi­ence and a lus­cious wine list, and it makes for one of the most reward­ing din­ing exper­i­ences in town.

Logan Brown: It’s pretty hard to argue when Cuisine anoints it the best res­taur­ant in the coun­try, and dubs it “a temple of fine din­ing”. At Logan Brown, hearty yet exquis­ite fla­vours com­bine with great ser­vice, wine and a grand ambi­ence to cre­ate an unmiss­able spe­cial-occa­sion din­ing exper­i­ence.

The Mat­ter­horn: As well as its envi­ous repu­ta­tion as a top-notch bar, Mat­ter­horn has employed a who’s-who of Wel­ling­ton’s best chefs over the past dec­ade. The menu has often been edgy and always deli­cious, and the wine and cock­tail list is exem­plary, mak­ing this a din­ing des­tin­a­tion for those who prefer a buz­zi­er atmo­sphere to the more form­al res­taur­ants.

Trade Kit­chen: With a sleeker take on interi­or design and a subtle nod towards exper­i­ment­a­tion on the menu, Trade Kit­chen shakes the cob­webs off the upmar­ket res­taur­ant tra­di­tion. Mod­ern European cuisine, with an occa­sion­al touch of Asia, the Medi­ter­ranean and even the Carib­bean, is com­ple­men­ted by unflinch­ingly mod­ern décor to make for a mem­or­able meal.

Le Met­ro­poli­t­ain: For a while, it seemed this loc­a­tion was cursed, but Le Met­ro­poli­t­ain seems to have got the for­mula right. Blend friendly ser­vice and an approach­able atmo­sphere with French pro­vin­cial food that is heart-warm­ing, and some­times heart-stop­pingly rich, and it’s not hard to see why this has rap­idly become a Cuba St insti­tu­tion.