Salsa Bar & Grill and Port Douglas Catering & Events were recognised at Monday night's 2013 Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering HOSTPLUS Awards for Excellence in Brisbane, taking home the top restaurant and catering prizes.

The Awards for Excellence is the most dependable and authoritative guide to Australia’s best restaurants and caterers, which has set the National benchmark for objectively recognising and promoting best practice.

Salsa and Port Douglas Catering & Events were among several in the Douglas Shire honoured as finalists or winners, judged and rigorously reviewed amongst about 1500 entrants.

Restaurant & Catering Australia CEO John Hart described the process as "one of the most objective awards systems that looks at the entire dining experience, rather than a single food or service dimension."

Salsa's win is the second in three years for the diners' favourite, considered a 'must-do' for locals and visitors. It was also awarded an Honourable Mention for in the Restaurant Caterer category, and joined fellow Douglas restaurant Zinc and Palm Cove's Beach Almond as finalists for best Contemporary Australian Restaurant.

In operation for more than 16 years, Salsa is a regular winner of restaurant awards, with head chef Goran Zonai and his team recently awarded an Australian Good Food Guide Chef's Hat (recognising food alone) for the eighth year in a row.

"The team at Salsa are so happy to yet again be recognised for all the hard work they do day after day, to give their guests the ultimate Port Douglas dining experience," said Salsa's Jess Coleman. "The vote is made by the consumer, not the judges, so is based purely on the experience of the diner."

"A huge thank you also needs to go out to the Salsa public for their continued support," she said.

Local honours:

• Lure, Port Douglas: FINALIST Breakfast Restaurant and Cafe Restaurant
• Blue Moon Grill, Trinity Beach: WINNER Family Restaurant
• Bel Cibo, Port Douglas: WINNER Italian Restaurant
• Sassi, Port Douglas: FINALIST New Restaurant
• 2 Fish Restaurant, Port Douglas: FINALIST Seafood Restaurant
• Finz Port Douglas, Port Douglas: FINALIST Seafood Restaurant
• On The Inlet Seafood Restaurant, Port Douglas: FINALIST Seafood Restaurant
• Port Douglas Catering & Events, Port Douglas: FINALIST Events Caterer
• Port Douglas Catering & Events, Port Douglas: WINNER Wedding Caterer