The cafe delivered the "very best coffee, exemplary food and service", the judges said.
Judges commended the Omakau Country Hotel owners for "managing to bring the premises to life quite naturally, without being contrived".
The judges said the hotel’s overall appearance was "absolutely immaculate, inside and out".
In an Otago Daily Times article last month, hotel co-owner Stacey Stevenson said she and Michael Thomas bought the business in 2007 with the aim of "returning it to its former glory".
The supreme winner at the awards was the boutique Waipoua Lodge in Northland.
The five-star lodge also won another two categories — excellence in customer service and accommodation (up to 30 rooms).
Other winners. — Accommodation host of the year: Sport of Kings Motel (Rotorua); best accommodation (more than 30 rooms): Bolton Hotel (Wellington); best new/redeveloped accommodation: Mangapapa Hotel (Havelock North); best bar: Emporium Eatery and Bar (Napier).
