Restaurants in Auckland
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A
Logos
Space Age meets New Age at Logos café. With low-slung lightbulbs downstairs and themed rooms upstairs (brought to you by the colour blue, green and one Mid-East-inspired). The mostly veg menu sneaks in some chicken and seafood, but offers lots of animal-free dishes. It's all healthy, including the wine-list.
reviewed
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B
Takapuna Beach Cafe
With a menu that reads like a travel magazine (Moroccan eggs, Berkshire pork, Central Otago muesli) and absolute beach views, it’s no wonder this cafe is constantly buzzing. If you can’t snaffle a table you can always grab an award-winning ice cream or snack from the attached shop.
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C
Brazil
Boho Brazil café's exposed plumbing and peeling paint would make Terry Gilliam proud. Serious coffee drinkers are also proud of Brazil's home-roast brew from beans prepared in the basement. Filled bagels and great breakfasts are served amongst electro-industrial soundscapes and aromas of steaming coffee.
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D
Zigana
Owner Ramazan Semiz is everyone's friend so give him a wave before before tucking into Zigana's house-roast coffee or a Mod-NZ main of chicken, lamb or fish. Thin-crust pizzas promise the world, with toppings from Alaska, Greece, Sicily and (not least) Turkey - spiced lamb, butter, parsley and fresh tomato.
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E
Dizengoff
This stylish shoebox crams in a mixed crowd of corporate and fashion types, gay guys, Jewish families, Ponsonby denizens and travellers. Mouth-watering scrambled eggs, tempting counter food, heart-starting coffee, plus a great stack of reading material if you tire of eavesdropping and people-watching.
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F
Antoines Restaurant
Ring the doorbell of this villa-style restaurant to alert the white-waistcoated waiters of your arrival. The last word in old-fashioned fine dining, Antoines gives a nod to its venerable standing by offering a supplementary 'nostalgia' menu, featuring favourites from its early days in the '70s.
reviewed
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G
Bonita
Share a plate of tasty morsels, with a great glass of wine. Then do it all over again. And again. It's about casual and communal dining of consecutive macho-flavoured dishes at Bonita. The blackboard is scrawled with specials and the distressed walls carry shelves stacked with Spanish produce.
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Richmond Rd Cafe
The location is a little odd – anchored to a small island of industry in a sea of suburbia – but this is one of Auckland’s ‘it’ cafes regardless. If you're suffering from breakfast boredom, you're bound to find the antidote within its creative menu.
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I
French Cafe
The legendary French Cafe has been rated as one of Auckland’s top restaurants for around 20 years now and it still continues to excel. The cuisine is (unsurprisingly) French, but chef Simon Wright sneaks in some Pacific Rim touches.
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J
Fish Cafe
Slide sideways into a high-backed booth in sexy surrounds (décor and waiters included). Your choice of fish comes battered, crumbed or grilled. And your potatoes come chipped, au gratin or (shock, horror) skipped altogether - substituted with rice. Fish is assured and accomplished.
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K
Clooney
Like the Hollywood actor of the same name, Clooney is suave, stylish and extremely sophisticated, suited up in basic black. While the taste combinations are complex, the results are faultless – which coupled with impeccable service puts Clooney firmly in the pricy-but-worth-it category.
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Java Room
Java Room is full of delicious contradictions: its dishes are subtle yet complex, with Asian accents served in elegant Euro surrounds. You'd think the bill would amount to more, considering the exceptionally good taste exhibited in both the food and the décor here.
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O’Sarracino
A delicious reminder that Neapolitan cuisine offers so much more than pizza, this excellent restaurant serves generous antipasti, light and simple pasta, and delectable seafood secondi (mains). The somewhat grand surroundings were once the chapel of a funeral parlour.
reviewed
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N
Domain & Ayr
Fair-trade and organic delights that won’t unduly strain the bank balance await in this light-filled cafe. There’s a good selection of counter food as well as delicious cooked breakfasts, salads and plenty of options for vegetarians.
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O
Grove
Romantic fine dining at its best: the room is cosy and moodily lit, the menu encourages sensual experimentation and the service is effortless. If you can’t find anything to break the ice from the extensive wine list, give it up mate – it’s never going to happen.
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Gala
Mixing modern architecture and antique silver tea services, this bright cafe brings sophistication to the prison precinct. The whiteboard menu is crammed with interesting options: try My Mother-in-law’s North Indian Eggs for a fragrant version of eggs on toast.
reviewed
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Q
Verona
A decade old, this lush and loved eatery serves mostly organic food to its followers ensconced in booths. Dishes on the pert Eur-Asian menu cross continents, such as the spaghetti with roast chicken and bok choy tossed with chilli, Vietnamese mint and basil.
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Non Solo Pizza
Like the name says, there’s not only pizza on offer here – delicious though that is. NSP has a large menu of classic Italian antipasti, pasta and grills, and a cool street-facing bar with a chandelier made of Peroni bottles.
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S
Food Alley
There's Chinese, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Turkish, Malaysian, Korean and Japanese on offer at this large, no-frills (but plenty of thrills) food hall. Our pick of the bunch is Wardani, hidden in the back corner, serving first-rate Indonesian fare.
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Shaky Isles
Kingsland’s coolest cafe has cute cartoons on the wall, free wi-fi and serves delicious cooked breakfasts and super-food salads.
reviewed
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Soto
Auckland has a surfeit of excellent Japanese restaurants but this is one of the best. The staff glide by efficiently, leaving a trail of exquisitely presented dishes in their wake – including sushi, sashimi and zensai (Japanese tapas).
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Engine Room
One of Auckland’s best restaurants, this informal eatery serves up lighter-than-air goat’s cheese soufflés, inventive whiteboard mains and oh-my-God chocolate truffles. It’s worth booking ahead and catching the ferry.
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O’Connell Street Bistro
O’Connell St is a grown-up treat, with elegant decor and truly wonderful food and wine, satisfying lunchtime powerbrokers and dinnertime daters alike. If you're dining before 7.30pm, a fixed price menu is available (two/three courses $33/40).
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Queenie's Lunchroom
Kiwiana reigns supreme at this eccentric corner cafe with one wall devoted to a 1950s paint-by-numbers Maori maiden mural. The food is a step up from standard cafe fare, with an adventurous menu justifying the prices.
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Y
Revive
For quick eats, head to Revive, a vegetarian heaven that has an enticing salad bar and extremely economical daily meal deals. Fast food that’s healthy? Healthy food that’s cheap and tasty? How can this be?
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