Auckland Travel Guide

Restaurants in Auckland, New Zealand

Restaurants
Gastronomic

Antoine's Restaurant
Despite its conservative tone and décor, this sophisticated silver service restaurant is a favorite, of some 27 years standing, among Auckland's gastronomes and widely held to be one of the best French restaurants in the country. Situated just 10 minutes from the city center, the restaurant offers some splendid dishes. Particularly high on the must-try list are the wonderful salmon specialties, tripe dishes and duckling, all from fresh New Zealand produce but cooked with Gallic flair. The menu changes weekly.

333 Parnell Road, Parnell
Tel: (09) 379 8756.
Website: www.antoinesrestaurant.co.nz
Price: $$$$

Cibo
Situated in a converted chocolate factory, this established dining room, and its illustrious chef, is one of the city's favorites. The menu is eclectic and offers fish and chips alongside confit of duck or fillet steak. There is a splendid selection of cheeses available and the wine list is well chosen. Service is exemplary and the setting superb - try to secure a table in the courtyard during the summer for the best seats.

91 St George's Bay Road
Tel (09) 303 9660.
Website: www.cibo.co.nz
Price: $$$$

Hammerheads Seafood Restaurant & Bar
This is a very popular waterfront restaurant with a balcony, where it pays to be seen. White awning and views of the Auckland skyline and harbor supplement the restaurant's effortless style. It has a reputation for slow service, although the cocktails are dynamite and the food is well worth the wait. Specialties include very fresh fish and shellfish, with some lamb, poultry and beef dishes, although diners are well advised to go with the fish.

19 Tamaki Drive, Okahu Bay
Tel: (09) 521 4400.
Website: www.hammerheads.co.nz
Price: $$$

Sake Bar Rikka
This is quite simply the best Japanese restaurant in town, done up with wall hangings and gleaming clean surfaces. Dishes include chicken teriyaki, a dazzling variety of sushi, miso and a never-ending tempura platter with hot sauce and pickled ginger, all washed down by authentic sake.

Victoria Park Market
Tel: (09) 377 8239.
Price: $$$

Toto Restaurant
Possibly the city's finest Italian restaurant, this open and airy opera-filled room (with live opera on Thursday and Saturday) leads to a sunny terrace where it is good to be seen eating at the white-clad tables. The ripieno (stuffed breads) make mouthwatering appetizers and the roasted scallops and lobster are delicious menu options.

53 Nelson Street
Tel: (09) 302 2665.
Website: www.totorestaurant.co.nz
Price: $$$

Business

Belgian Beer Cafe (The Occidental)
This popular, business-like but atmospheric former pub has been converted into an authentic Belgian bar in the heart of the downtown area. The wood décor, method of serving the beer, massive pots of mussels with lobster bisque and brandy or coconut cream and lemon grass, are accompanied perfectly by other Belgian favorites, including massive bowls of chips with mayo. The venue will suit most occasions. Each dish on the menu has a suggested drink from Hoegaarden to fruit beers via some excellent kiwi wine. No bookings.

8 Vulcan Lane
Tel: (09) 300 6226.
Website: www.belgian-beer-cafe.co.nz
Price: $$

Euro
Euro opened just in time for the America's Cup defense and since then has been the place to be seen in town. It has superb service, bare wood and tastefully refined décor, as well as a fantastically imaginative and varied menu, including rotisserie chicken on a bed of mashed potato and peanut slaw.

Shed 22, Princes Wharf, Quay Street
Tel: (09) 309 9866.
Price: $$$

GPK
Another delicious fusion house combining Italian pizza bases (and sometimes toppings) with Pacific rim toppings, such as Thai green curry or octopus, which are then all finished off in large wood-fired ovens. The surroundings are a combination of smart restaurant and bare-wood bar with a relaxed atmosphere.

262 Ponsonby Road
Tel: (09) 360 1113.
Website: www.ponsonbyroad.co.nz
Price: $$-$$$

Grand Harbour
Renowned throughout Auckland as probably the most opulent of the city's Chinese restaurants where many a business lunch is enjoyed in the open airy ambience over glorious, authentic eastern tucker, served with a no-nonsense, modern attitude. The yum cha is delicious (particularly the Hong Kong style), as are the dim sum and the Peking Duck. There is a variety of refreshing teas and fruit juices to wash it down if you have to keep a clear head. You'll need to book at weekends.

18-28 Customs Street West
Tel: (09) 357 6889.
Price: $$-$$$

Iguaçu
Often the haunt of young corporate wannabes and their hangers-on, Iguaçu is a flash brasserie. It has large glass windows through which patrons look out and passers-by look in at lucky folk indulging in good but expensive steaks, pan-fired lamb and fresh fish. There is also excellent jazz during Sunday brunchtime.

269 Parnell Road, Parnell
Tel: (09) 358 4804.
Website: www.iguacu.co.nz
Price: $$$-$$$$

Trendy

Anglesea Grill
Elegant surroundings and comfortable furniture prepare the diner for what can only be described as one of the best seafood restaurants in Auckland. Fresh fish is prepared in every conceivable way (chargrilled, fried, steamed, chowdered or raw) and presented in a stylish and highly appetizing way, alongside a wine list of great variety and value. While you're eating check out the perpetual stream of local restaurant reviewers eating out on their night off. Booking essential.

C149 Ponsonby Road
Tel: (09) 360 4551.
Price: $$$

Brazil
With-it cafe in a mosaic-lined and barrel-vaulted former theater entrance that vibrates to heavy grooves, R & B riffs and jazz melodies and attracts a lively and discerning crowd. Eggs Benedict, great breakfasts, toasted bagels, veggie breakfasts and Thai chicken salad typify the menu as do fantastic fruit shakes and some industrial strength and great-tasting coffee, made from beans roasted and ground in the basement.

256 Karangehape Road
Tel: (09) 302 2677.
Price: $

Kermadec
A large, fashionable and imaginatively decorated seafood specialist with a big bustling and music-filled brasserie, Kermadec serves classier versions of bistro favorites - pan-fried snapper, Cajun-spiced fish, fish curry and scallops. The adjacent Pacific Room dances to the beat of an altogether quieter, more expensive and refined drum.

First Floor Viaduct Basin, corner of Hobson and Quay Streets
Tel: (09) 309 0413 (brasserie) or 0412 (restaurant).
Website: www.kermadec.co.nz
Price: $$$$

Wildfire
A flashy Brazilian restaurant, with black-topped waterside tables and massive fiery grills inside. Gourmet pizzas are produced, which, although good, are put completely in the shade by rotisserie specials of quail, duck, venison, steak and many more, marinated in herbs and spices and roasted over manuka coals.

Princes Wharf
Tel: (09) 353 7595.
Website: www.wildfirerestaurant.co.nz
Price: $$$

Zarbo
The finest deli cafe in all of Auckland, Zarbo is renowned for its fabulous range of products from all over the world, which are used to forge delicious breakfasts and lunches, either from the menu or picked from the display counter. The décor in this 120-seat eaterie is simple but stylish. The food takes pride of place in a long glass-covered deli counter, stuffed to overflowing with fresh cheeses, meats, dips, spreads and breads from which diners will be hard pushed to make a quick selection. There are salads of seasonal roasted vegetables, Asian sweet chilli kumara, and orzo pasta with pumpkin and feta, alongside filled rolls, lasagne, chicken breasts, roast beef and glazed ham. The breakfast menu is accompanied by scones, muffins and Eccles cakes. Lunch finishes at 1500 but the restaurant is open until 1700 for salads and some dreamy cakes and brilliant brownies.

24 Morrow Street, Newmarket
Tel: (09) 520 2721.
Website: www.zarbo.co.nz
Price: $

Budget

Java Room
Described as Pacific Rim, the predominant influence in this intimate, light-hued and comfortable restaurant is Indonesian, although there are some fantastic Szechuan dishes, particularly the prawn offerings. The spicy fish cakes also take some beating, as does the whole snapper in sambal.

317 Parnell Road, Parnell
Tel: (09) 366 1606.
Website: www.javaroom.co.nz
Price: $$$

Kamo
This stripped-down-to-keep-the-prices-down restaurant has functional furniture and a rowdy atmosphere. Pacific Rim is mixed with Mediterranean flavors, to come up with menu items such as fresh fish marinated in coconut cream and finely diced vegetables.

382 Karangahape Road
Tel: (09) 377 2313.
Price: $-$$

Merchant Mezze Bar
This buzzing, cafe-style restaurant has Turkish rugs thrown around and an intimate little deck area. It serves dishes from the Mediterranean, the Middle East and beyond, including Spanish tortilla, grilled mushroom on polenta, ceviche, and Thai green curries.

430 Queen Street
Tel: (09) 307 0349.
Price: $$

Monsoon
A heady mixture of Thai and Malay food makes for an exotic eating experience at a surprisingly low price. Functional décor takes second place to wonderful satay dishes with peanut and chilli sauce, and fish and tiger prawns in a vibrant red curry sauce.

71 Victoria Road, Devonport
Tel: (09) 445 4263.
Price: $$

Sri Pinang
A very popular, although simplistic Malaysian restaurant, Sri Pinang starts diners off with half a dozen chicken satay skewers and follows those with some gorgeous sambal okra, beef redang, grilled tamarind fish or claypot chicken and rice, all scooped into the mouth on a tasty roti. The restaurant is brighter and lighter than it used to be, but no money has been wasted on the décor, which explains why the food stays cheap and tastes so good.

356 Karangahape Road
Tel: (09) 358 3886.
Price: $

Personal Recommendations

Alhambra
This restaurant and live music venue sits on a hill overlooking downtown Auckland. Not only does it have a rather special interior (designed to look like the outside of a Spanish villa), but it also boasts spectacular views of the city center (particularly at night). The food ranges from excellent tapas to more substantial Mediterranean cuisine and there is a far-reaching and engaging list of wines and beers as well as piano and live jazz nights to put you in a cosmopolitan-smoothie frame of mind.

1st Floor Three Lamps Plaza, 283 Ponsonby Road
Tel: (09) 376 2430.
Website: www.ponsonbyroad.co.nz/websites/alhambra
Price: $$ (+ BYO)

Bluefins
This is yet another informal, friendly, hanging-basket-strewn, wooden-floored and apparently simple seafood specialist, but this time in the glorious surroundings of Okahu Bay. The fish is fresh, the seared scallops melt in the mouth, the tuna is just pink in the center, and the paua is large, golden and tastes of the sea. And the steaks are juicy too.

1 Aitkin Avenue, Corner of Tamaki Drive and Aitkin Avenue, Okahu Bay
Tel: (09) 528 4551.
Price: $$$

Di Mare
One of the best surf and turf restaurants in the city serving mouthwatering steaks and an extraordinary variety of seafood to a highly appreciative local crowd, who all know that it's buried behind the main drag in Parnell but never tell anyone else. This intimate restaurant is sited in and around a courtyard where you can sip some fabulous local wines and sup variations on old standards, a very modern take on paella, or more traditional fare.

Shop 9, 251 Parnell Road
Tel: (09) 300 3260.
Price: $$$

Harbourside Seafood Bar and Grill
This is a typically informal Kiwi seafood restaurant, which is extremely classy, because of the beauty of the location and the quality of the food and wine. Located in a historical building, Harbourside affords magnificent views of the harbor from its balcony and terracotta-tiled terrace. Meanwhile, the contemporary interior is spacious, airy and stylish. The restaurant offers a myriad of prepared and presented fish and crustaceans (such as pan-fried John Dory with watercress, shiitake mushrooms and citrus zest risotto) with inland fare for the unenlightened.

99 Quay Street
Tel: (09) 307 0486.
Website: www.harborsiderestaurant.co.nz
Price: $$$$

Tony's
Tony's is a no-fuss-or-bother steakhouse (and that goes for the décor too), where the portions are about the size of the animals from which they were removed. The massive sides of juicy beef and lamb are cooked beautifully, while the accompaniments, which include pumpkin mash and sweet potato wedges, are wholesome and delicious in equal measure.

32 Lorne Street
Tel: (09) 373 2138.
Price: $$$

Nightlife

Auckland may not be New York or Paris but it has its share of night entertainment. The waterfront is where many of the smarter venues are, in particular around the America’s Cup Village and the Princes Wharf development. High Street, to the south of Queen’s Wharf, also has good bars, including some with live music, and there are a number of excellent clubs and bars in the immediate suburbs, particularly along Karangahape Road, or in Ponsonby and Parnell.

In bars and clubs the dress code tends to be casual, although some places enforce a smarter rule and are particularly anti black jeans and leathers, since these tend to be clothes favored by gangs. Licensing laws are not strict and some bars have a 24-hour license, while others remain open until the early hours. The age limit for drinking alcohol is 18 years.

To find out what is on, read the Thursday and Saturday editions of the New Zealand Herald, the free monthly listings magazine What’s Happening, or the free newspaper Tourist Times.

Bars: Lots of local favorites are situated down by the waterfront, such as the vast glass-walled bar, The Loaded Hog, Quay Street, in the Viaduct Basin, Fox’s Ale House and Restaurant and O Hagan’s, with fashionable hangouts in Prince’s Wharf. These include Bellini, in the Hilton Auckland, Prince’s Wharf, 147 Quay Street, the decidedly un-Russian vodka bar, Lenin Bar, Prince’s Wharf, 201 Quay Street and the icy confines of Minus5 on Prince’s Wharf, Quay Street.

With the city’s British-influenced past, it is not surprising that there are numerous British-style bars in Auckland, the biggest being the Civic Tavern, 1 Wellesley Street West, which has an Irish bar, Murphy’s, and an English bar, the London Bar, both situated downstairs, with live music and a bistro restaurant. Alternatively try the aptly named Shakespeare Tavern (a micro-brewery producing its own ale) or Mad Dogs and Englishmen, both on Albert Street, or The Immigrant Irish Bar, 104 Fanshawe Street, an out-and-out Irish pub, with live music at the weekend.

Other places worth dropping into are the Dogs Bollix on the corner of Karangahape and Newton roads, Starks Civic Theater Bar at the corner of Queen and Wellesley streets, Rakino’s on the fist floor of 31 High Street, the Belgian Beer Cafe in Vulcan Lane, Elbow Room in Durham Lane or Tabac, 6 Mills Lane, renowned for its comfortable velvet room and for being part-owned by Crowded House singer-songwriter Neil Finn.

Clubs: The Globe, 299 Queen Street (website: www.acb.co.nz), is a good place to start, with DJs from 2200 on Friday and Saturday. At the harbor, The Loaded Hog, Quay Street (website: www.loadedhog.co.nz), in the Viaduct Basin, has long been a favored hangout for yachties and yuppies alike. The Fu Bar at 166 Queen Street (website: www.fu.co.nz) caters to a younger alternative crowd while the Khuja Lounge, 536 Queen Street (website: www.khujalounge.co.nz), caters for the more mature, musically a-tuned punters, as does The Jazz Bar at the corner of Queen and Rutland streets and Galatos, 17 Galatos Street (website: www.galatos.co.nz), a mellow lounge bar with DJ-led dancing. For the big party atmosphere head for Papa Jack’s Voodoo Lounge in Vulcan Lane, Ibiza, 253 K Road, or Roots, 322 K Road, while live music aficionados might prefer the Kings Arms, 59 France Street, where they can witness small-time NZ touring acts playing trad’ rock, R&B, thrash, metal or alternative and punk sets.

Comedy: The Classic, 31 Queen Street (website: www.comedy.co.nz) is a well-known comedy venue that showcases local talent as well as up and coming international acts. There is also the Aotea Center, Aotea Square, Queen Street, Silo Theater, Lower Grays Avenue, Maidment Theater, corner of Princess Street and Alfred Street, and the Civic Theater, corner of Queen Street and Wellesley Street.

Live Music: There is plenty of choice at the weekend, mostly in the Downtown area, along Karangahape (K) Road and in Ponsonby. Try Papa Jack’s Voodoo Lounge, which has live touring bands and DJs, The Jazz Bar, corner of Queen and Rutland streets, where you can see many varieties of jazz, Galatos for off-beat live acts, the Kings Arms for sweaty bands, and Rakino’s, the Dogs Bollix (website: www.dogsbollix.co.nz) or O Hagan’s (website: www.ohagans.co.nz) for equally lively fare.

It’s worth remembering that most New Zealand bars are threefold; bar, restaurant and club/venue, so lots of places will at some point in the evening introduce a more clubby feel, even if it’s just some hippy with an acoustic guitar sitting in the corner and playing ’Wild Rover’. All the bars mentioned in this section are listed above.