Yum, yum! Top 5 Auckland restaurants
I have only been in Auckland for eight months, but as I am married to a chef and a bit of a foodie I have already sampled a number of fantastic eateries. With so many great options, I found it incredibly difficult to narrow down my top 5 places to grab a bite. To make it a little easier, I gave myself criteria and worked out the top five restaurants I can’t stop talking about and the reasons why.
1. Best restaurant for an unforgettable night that leaves you with enough money in your pocket to go to the Casino afterwards: Depot
We had pretty high expectations for Depot and, boy, did it deliver! We received the friendliest service I’ve had in a long time, and I come from a small town where my local barista has known me since I was six, so that’s saying something!
Seafood lovers must try the freshly shucked clams and oysters. We started with six of each and it was an amazing kickstart to our meal.
So good!
Then we munched our way through a selection of sharing plates – everything was delicious! My personal fave was the skirt steak with tobacco onions, iceberg wedge and habanero mustard, but Hubby couldn’t go past the Yorkshire puddings with roast beef smothered in delicious gravy.
2. Best restaurant for fabulous food that outshines its basic decoration: Eden Noodle
This place is legendary in Auckland, although on first sight I was a little concerned. Eden Noodle is tucked away next to Target on the city end of Dominion Road, and the tiny interior with basic walls and formica tables is not overly enticing. What dragged me out of the car was the line of people stretching out the door, even on a cold autumn evening.
Eden Noodle specializes in Szechuan-style Chinese, so expect a bit of spice. I usually go for the beef brisket and rice noodles at medium, and although I can handle my chili it is still at the outer limit of my tolerance. Hubby swears by the dan dan noodles, and just thinking about them is making me hungry. Delicious!
Worth the wait – beef brisket and noodles.
3. Best restaurant to transport yourself to another continent: Café Hanoi
This one was a hard choice, as there are so many amazing themed restaurants in Auckland offering South American, Italian, Mexican, and more. If any of these take your fancy, then head to Britomart, Ponsonby Central or Wynyard Quarter and you will be well rewarded. However, as this list is based on what I talk about the most, it has to be Café Hanoi. Situated in Britomart in the city centre, Café Hanoi serves Vietnamese street food in style. We spent some time in Hanoi on our honeymoon (best food I have ever eaten!), so believe me when I say this is some authentic-tasting Vietnamese. Everything was delicious, but I still dream about the bun cha – it was that good.
The stuff dreams are made of – bun cha.
4. Best restaurant for the carnivorous: El Sizzling Chorizo
This could also have come under number three, as my Argentinian friend tells me it’s incredibly authentic. Authentic or not, the thing I can’t stop talking about is the meat.
Mmm, parrillada…
El Sizzling Chorizo is a small place in Ponsonby Central, so expect a bit of a wait for a table on a busy night. We were lucky to get seated at the counter straight away, which added to the experience as we had a front-row seat for the BBQ. You order your meat, (if you’re hungry I recommend the parrillada, a tasting plate with over 600g of different meats), which comes with chimichurri and salad. You can then add sides; we had the BBQ deep-fried potatoes with Dijon mustard. Although the food is simple, it is cooked and seasoned perfectly. Yummy!
5. Best restaurant if you only have $20 in your pocket and you’re looking for a flavour hit: Petra Shawarma
It can be a little tricky to find great Middle Eastern food in Auckland, but there are exceptions and Petra Shawarma is definitely one of them. Although it looks like any other kebab shop, it serves authentic Jordanian food that’s on a whole different level.
Not wanting to put the boat out too much the first time, I went with the chicken shawarma and it was divine. The hummus was smooth and the spices they’d used were quite different from what I was used to, but it was well worth the $14.50 price tag.
Money well spent.
The falafel (and anything that contains it) is also delicious. I’ve been a couple of times but, hey, that’s the beauty of something so good being under $20 – you can go back again and again.
Well, that’s my top 5. I’m sure that when you read my husband was a chef you thought his restaurant would be hidden in here somewhere. To keep things nice and fair I haven’t included it, but if you want some fantastic Mexican/American head to Citizen Park in Kingsland 😉 .
Are you a North Island foodie? Comment to tell us your own top 5!
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