There are still plenty of pages left on the 2024 calendar, but it’s already been a big ol’ year for the hospitality industry. Changeable market conditions and appetites mean that we’ve said goodbye to some longtime local favourite eateries, welcomed new ones and seen more than a few food trends ripple through menus across the country (martinis, oysters, pizza and tiramisu anyone?).

In fast moving tides like these, it can be easy to miss or lose sight of the good stuff, so we put the call out: what’s the best thing you’ve eaten in 2024, so far? Below, culinary excellence to be had at home and abroad.

Beth O’Brien, chef and Tastebuds writer

The best thing I ate this year (after careful consideration) is the prawn tostada from Ragtag, Auckland. It’s proudly "not authentic", but still manages to evoke memories of prawn toast (from Chinese takeaways back in Ireland) and fresh fish tostadas eaten by the sea in Mexico (during my trip last year).

It's the textures that do it for me: juicy prawns sandwiched in crispy fried tortillas with chilli oil, zesty tomato vinaigrette, and lovely smooth aioli. The rest of the menu also slaps – go hungry!

Sarah MacDonald, owner Duo, Osteria Uno and Bon Pinard

The best meal I’ve eaten this year was definitely at Apero on Auckland’s K Road. Chef Leslie Hottiaux always cooks the most flavourful and amazing food. It began with a charcuterie plate full of goodies from parfait to the pickled eggs, then the succulent rib eye which came with my favourite pomme dauphine, basically fried mash potato that looks like churros – so good.

But the best part of the whole meal would’ve been dessert, her feijoa soufflé. It makes an appearance every year when feijoas are in season and it is so strong in feijoa flavour but also so perfectly balanced and delicate at the same time. 

Alayne Dick, comedian 

My girlfriend surprised me with a cake from Wellington’s Tomboy after one of my shows during this year’s NZ International Comedy Festival. We tend to order from them anytime we want a special cake – their flavours are all amazing but I especially love anything that's caramel or berry based. It said "congrats on being funny and hot" which really spoke to me because those are my two most important qualities.

Amelia Ferrier, food stylist and recipe developer @melies_kitchen 

Golden Viet in Meadowbank, Auckland is a hidden gem. Their handmade dumplings are a standout, bursting with juicy prawn fillings and fresh herbs. The prawn and spinach and the prawn and coriander dumplings are my favourite, laden with generously-sized pieces of prawns. 

Beyond dumplings, their menu offers a selection of classics from different Asian cuisines. The char kway teow is another must-try. If you love dumplings or just want some great food, you’ve got to check this place out! It has a very cosy, casual atmosphere. 

Jack Orsbourn, owner and operator Neat Cakes

Pizza is undeniably the sexiest food there is so this means I scout high and low for the perfect slice. The latest contender for best pizza in Tāmaki Makaurau is Rosalia’s Mt Eden. The slices are generous in size, the dough is thick and fluffy and the toppings are indulgent. My favourite so far has been mortadella, stracciatella and pistachio; an honourable mention as well for the pistachio cannoli. You really can’t beat the classics.

Rosalia’s is currently on hiatus as the owners focus on new opening Bodega

Tom Augustine, filmmaker and writer 

It might be recency bias, as I only had it a few weeks ago, but since then I haven't been able to get Baby G Burger's 'The Cowboy' out of my head. The buzzy burgerie has only recently opened their flagship store in Avondale, and I had been meaning to go for ages.

When I finally dug into Baby G's famous smashed-patty burger (a double, naturally), with American cheese, pickles, barbecue and ranch sauce, it blew my damn mind. Well worth the wait. Juicy, mouthwatering, classic burger-making of the highest order. Pro-tip: order a side of their incredibly bomb Jalapeno Bombs to level up your burger game.

Biddie Cooksley, founder Tuesday Label

I seriously can’t go past the French onion soup at Origine. I mean the room is beautiful, the view is gorgeous, the staff are attentive, but wow that soup is perfection! Once you’ve had it you can’t get it off your mind; I swear it calls to me… Washed down with one of their killer dirty-gin martinis, it’s my ultimate 'last-supper' meal.

Laura Metcalf, co-owner Mor Bakery

Honestly I’ve been lucky enough to eat very well during the last six months so it’s pretty difficult to narrow things down. There are so many spots around Tāmaki Makaurau that I absolutely love, but there are a couple of yums that are currently on my mind. The chips at Lebanese Grocer – best chips I’ve had in my life, which feels like a huge call. Also the lamb ribs at Lilian; I think about them a silly amount. 

I think I was only supposed to choose one dish but I’m now adding a third… sorry. While I was in London this month, I dined at Perilla in Newington Green which was so beautiful. Everything that we ate was dreamy but one dish that stood out in particular was the panisse with white asparagus barigoule and lovage. It was so beautifully balanced and well, I just loved it!

Kelsie Culpan, co-owner Mor Bakery

I've definitely eaten some pretty incredible food this year. We were lucky enough to eat our way around Copenhagen together for a few days in June, so naturally it's all very fresh in my mind. There were some wonderful bakeries that should probably make the list... but one sandwich in particular really took me by surprise. We shared a chicken schnitzel sambo from Doomsday Deli in Guldbergsgade, Copenhagen. It was elite. Somehow it had the perfect balance of tasting a little naughty, but fresh at the same time? Apparently they air fry the chicken thighs... that's healthy in my books. 

Chloe Julian, designer and founder Videris

I would have to choose the tiramisu at Lillian. They make a really classic version. The alcohol content isn’t too overpowering and this dessert has the perfect balance of moist espresso-infused sponge and delicious mascarpone layered up in just the right balance so that each mouthful is the perfect blend of all these flavours. Last time we dined in, we got it as a takeaway and enjoyed it at home in front of a movie once the kids were in bed!

Elle Pugh, co-founder Elle & Riley Cashmere

I moved to LA with my husband a few months ago so it has been an adventure trying out all the fabulous spots in town. We have had a lot of amazing meals together and with guests who have been in town which has been an absolute treat.  The corn agnolotti at Jon & Vinny's is hard to beat. It's like canned creamed corn inside pasta, with a burnt butter sauce. Delicious, rich, and nostalgic all wrapped into one.

Bryer Oden, writer and food influencer @healthsensation 

Usually a savoury girl over a sweet one, I have been utterly bewitched by the miso caramel tiramisu at The Ram on Cuba Street, Wellington. The literal translation of tiramisu is a “pick-me-up”, and this picked me up and flung me into the sky. It’s creamy and glamorous and decadent, and the miso caramel cuts through the richness of the coffee (that’s that me espresso). 

The ambiance really adds to the experience – it’s dark and romantic, and when they serve you the tiramisu they bring out the entire silver dish and elegantly smack it onto your plate. Weird way to propose but yes, I accept.

Lara Daly, writer and makeup artist

I ate really good while I was in Wellington, but one meal that stuck with me was everything I ate at Graze Wine Bar in Kelburn. It's impossible to pick one dish! I really enjoyed the soft pretzel and beer cheese – a molten cheese dip topped with caramelised kimchi relish. The pierogies were off the chain too, so plump and delicious.

The underdog for me was maybe the Jerusalem artichoke dish. I've never had it served raw before, but it was thinly shaved on a herby yoghurt base with sliced green apple, hazelnuts and basil oil – really fresh and delicious. If you're ever in Welly, this is a must-visit. 

Jonny Mahon Heap, writer

Sometimes, incredibly, a pleasure from childhood can be even more intensely pleasant than you remembered it. So often it’s the opposite. Nostalgia tends to curdle things (for me, the miraculous swirl of a post-soccer McFlurry has dismayingly turned into a petroleum-slick cone of cow pat with bone-dry flake). So I steeled myself before heading to Forza Wine for their resident summer soft serve. Credit to the staff – they treat soft serves as serious business. It can be hard to take pleasure seriously – but it is important.

The right hospitality folk know this. Most adults don’t. I thanked them for not treating me as ridiculous – they couldn’t know that my principal achievement of the weekend was leaving the house for this small swirl. There’s something kitsch about such a serious piece of engineering, a whirring, harrumphing ice cream machine, existing to deliver a ridiculous dessert, but Forza Wine wields this power with a wink. My soft serve was the real deal – all the more so besides my friend had prescribed it to me, telling me I needed more desserts during a hard month. Each spoonful felt like medicine. AA Gill said that good food was kindness. This day, that perfect spoon, those wait staff, that prescription from my friend – were just that.

Sarah Reid, founder Embodyme

Anything from Ginger! Hands down, it’s the best Thai in Auckland and is family favourite in our household. Every single dish is a taste sensation, especially the salmon cho chee curry, a delicious thick red curry. Or the crispy snapper and ginger salad - infused with makrut lime and lemon, it is so delicious.

Layla Kaisi, founder Layla Kaisi Collection

Visiting Sydney for work earlier this year, I made sure there was plenty of time to also eat my way through the cuisines on offer. The people who know me know I always base my restaurant choices first on atmosphere, then on the menu (if I wanted good food I could eat at home, I personally pay for vibes!), but on our last night in Sydney I wanted to experience a meal that was both beautiful in presentation and atmosphere, as well as being so groundbreakingly delicious I would remember it once I got home. 

We settled on a Surry Hills restaurant called Nour, a dreamlike establishment serving the finest contemporary take on Middle Eastern cuisine. We ordered the degustation banquet menu which featured three courses made up of seven dishes that took you on the most exquisite journey of flavour as each element is seamlessly woven in the tapestry of the meal.  There was chicken shawarma on a bed of pickled cabbage painted across yoghurt bread, raw bluefin tuna with caramelised kishk bulgur, lamb sujuk, and woodfire eggplant with za'atar crisp to name a few of the dishes; each exceptional in their own right, it was impossible to select a favourite!

Rebecca Wadey, Ensemble co-founder and partnerships director

Life’s too short for bad food, and as such I try to make sure every morsel that passes my lips is delicious. There are several dishes in this town (Tāmaki Makaurau) that I will eat again and again – the pickled mussels at Lilian, eggplant at Aigo, jerk chicken soup at Chop Chop, prawn tostada at Ragtag, a bacon and egg pie from Pie Rollas – but the one thing that really stands out above all else (perhaps as it’s a limited edition) is the miso peanut black sesame ice cream sandwich from Duck Island. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and savoury, of salt and sweet, of hard and soft. It’s so freaking good my husband had to talk me out of buying all the stock to store in our deep freeze (admittedly it would’ve been weird amongst the dog food). Instead, I will use this as a public petition to have it on the regular menu. 

Zoe Walker Ahwa, Ensemble co-founder and editor

My previous picks for this series have been roast potatoes, katsu sando and cake. I know what I like! And it’s carbs (and sugar). Add to that list: the cheese scones at Beau Deli in Three Lamps. I’ve been a fan of the restaurant and bar for a while, so I was excited to see them open a day spot right next door in May. The service and vibes are great, the coffee strong and the cabinet food, delicious. Their cheese scones are the perfect size, moist (sorry to use that word), have a bit of a chilli kick to them and the best I’ve had this year (I am a big cheese scone connoisseur/snob). They’re also so popular that the Beau team has been doing multiple trays of them each day.