Four Rotorua restaurants pick up accolades

Four Rotorua restaurants picked up awards. Photo / Supplied

Four Rotorua restaurants have received the longest running culinary award in New Zealand.

Dukes Restaurant at the Princes Gate Hotel, Stolen Bike Cafe, Regent of Rotorua Restaurant and Wine Bar and Mokoia Restaurant at the Waiora Lakeside Spa and Resort all picked up accolades.

The Beef and Lamb Excellence Award for 2019, now in their 23rd year, was awarded to the restaurants after a tough assessment process.

After an application process that saw more than 230 restaurants apply, an army of more than 100 independent, culinary-trained assessors were sent out to "mystery shop" the restaurants and return their verdicts on whether the dishes had met the standard to be labelled as a leader of beef and lamb cuisine.