Restaurant Month is in full swing, and Commercial Bay is giving Aucklanders another reason to dine out with the return of its Fork & Fame Awards. Following a successful debut last year, the month-long celebration is back – and for the first time forms part of Heart of the City’s Restaurant Month programme – inviting diners to vote for their favourite dishes, venues and dining experiences across the city’s waterfront precinct.
Expanding beyond Harbour Eats, this year’s awards encompass more than 35 eateries, recognising everything from quick lunchtime favourites to destination restaurants, signature dishes and seasonal specials. It’s a celebration of the breadth of Commercial Bay’s dining scene, as well as the hospitality teams that make it one of Auckland’s most vibrant food destinations.
This year’s categories include:
- Bang for Buck – the best value dish that doesn’t skimp on flavour.
- Best Date Eats – a dish made for sharing, impressing, or flirting over.
- Don’t Need Meat – a standout plant-based or vegetarian option.
- Don’t Wear White – gloriously indulgent, messy and worth it.
- Save Room for Dessert – the sweet treat that ends your meal on a high.
- Zero Forks Given – the best dish to eat with your hands (no shame, no cutlery, no regrets).
- People’s Choice Award – your ultimate choice, your unbeatable bite, the one you go back for time and time again.
- The Mayo ‘Mazing Award presented by Best Foods Mayonnaise – recognising the most creative and delicious use of mayo.
Voting is open until 31 August. Have your say online, via QR codes throughout the precinct or at the dedicated Fork & Fame voting booth at the Commercial Bay Concierge desk. As an added incentive, every vote goes into the draw to win “lunch for a year” in the form of a $5,000 Commercial Bay dining voucher.
