Auckland’s Best Restaurant & Cafe Openings So Far This Year
The food scene in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland is constantly changing. Here are some of this year’s most exciting openings.
Restaurants
Aarth
Parnell has welcomed chef Vinayak (Vicky) Shah – who has previously worked at top restaurants including Cassia, Sidart, The French Cafe and Ahi – with his new restaurant Aarth. Alongside restaurant manager and partner Julia Benton, Shah is serving a menu that includes raw fish, crayfish tikka masala and whitebait bhaji. There’s also a whole menu prioritising plant-based preferences – a rarity in our local dining scene.
1/333 Parnell Rd, Parnell
마장동 1946 Butchery
For big groups and those looking to contribute to the cooking, this restaurant will offer much to love. The restaurant, inspired by Korean barbecue joints, invites diners to choose from an extensive menu and cook on a charcoal grill. There is also an intriguing drinks list to consider, including cocktails named the ‘Elixir of Immortality’ (a stirring of whiskey, butterscotch liquor, torched honey, cinnamon, cloves and cigar smoke) or ‘Red Carpet’ (gin, in-house red velvet tea syrup, bitters, orange and cherry liquor).
231 Archers Rd, Wairau Valley
Agnès
This new neighbourhood bistro, serving a wide range of European fare, is run by Fran and Aaron Mazza-Carson (who also developed Ada and Pie Rollas) and catered by chef Alfie Ingham (who has previously cooked for Ada, Hugo’s Bistro and Cassia). The spot is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and also boasts a cabinet full of treats. The dinner menu is ruled by seasonal inspirations – for autumn, Agnès is spotlighting mushrooms, Brussels sprouts and pumpkin. There are more consistent mainstays too: the burger, named after the restaurant, features a juicy patty seasoned with raclette, mustard and onions. The bistro’s interior is polished, but also warm and relaxing enough for a casual drop-in. It offers some interest with gingham booth seating and vases of flowers.
98 Hinemoa St, Birkenhead
Sfera
This fresh neighbourhood restaurant is managed by the team behind Karangahape Rd’s Candela (which shuttered last July), and three figures who ran the spot when it was Clarence Road Eatery. On the menu is contemporary Italian cuisine, which is most clearly realised in the plating – servings are arranged into neat stacks, often atop fresh cheese, and sauce is plated precisely. You’ll find seafood enlivened with lemon, plenty of seasonal vegetables and melty pizza slices, served in a stylish dining room.
124 Queen St, Northcote Point
Return
Tablecloths are a rarity within Auckland’s dining scene, but at Return they are bright white and ultra-crisp. The restaurant is run by chef Matt Lambert and his wife, hospitality veteran Barbara – who previously racked up Michelin stars at The Musket Room in New York. The announcement that the Michelin Guide would be landing in Aotearoa provided plenty of motivation, Lambert told Viva shortly before opening. Return is open for both a la carte and set menu service, offering reimagined fish and chips, centring New Zealand produce and showcasing nose-to-tail dining.
165 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby
Mother
While Mother opened its doors in September last year, its wine bar began in earnest over the summer months. Spilling out onto the footpath in Grey Lynn, the hot spot offers the opportunity for long evenings from Wednesday to Sunday. The menu includes fluffy bread made in-house, crudo, fried squid and seasonal vegetables, with cocktails and local and international pours.
403 Richmond Rd, Westmere
Roe
Rhu is known for an inventive and precise kitchen. Now, the team have further expanded their reach within Parnell. A new venture, called Roe, has joined the food complex at 269. It takes its cue from classic fish and chip shops, with over-the-counter service that can be enjoyed in the courtyard on a sunny day. On the menu, alongside fish and chips, you’ll find pretzels, sashimi, soft serve and oysters, bringing the precision of the bigger kitchen to the smaller space.
269 Parnell Rd, Parnell
Real Burger
Birkenhead has enjoyed generous smashburger servings since 2022. Now, Real Burger has opened a second location in Ponsonby, bringing another burger joint to the inner city (the storefront will catch your eye with its bold blue lettering). Real Burger is run by brothers George and Michael Blackmore, who enjoy keeping both the menu and their ingredients simple. You’ll find beef, chicken and plant-based burgers, and each is propped up with fresh additions – the potato buns, pickles and sweet onions are all prepared from scratch in-house.
84 Ponsonby Rd, Grey Lynn
Cafes
Maru’s House
After a run of well-populated pop-ups, Maru Matcha has put down more permanent roots in Newmarket. The spot is secretive, accessed through a pale blue door that blends in to the surrounding wall. Alongside simple matcha lattes, the menu also offers more extravagant brews mixed with sea salt maple, Earl Grey-infused milk, coconut water, brown sugar syrup and banana pudding cream. The interior is muted, save for a bucket of coloured pencils on a stainless steel bench. The cosy space is open from Wednesday to Sunday.
14 Melrose St, Newmarket
Hardcore Republic
A powder blue coffee machine greets patrons strolling into this huge and long-awaited opening on Karangahape Rd. Hardcore Republic seems at a glance to be easily categorised as a cafe, but it also houses gallery, retail and work spaces. Currently, Caitlin Snell accessories and Everyday Solitude cards are on display, along with artworks by Georgie Johnson. The fit-out is sleek and simple – the roomy dining room is furnished with dark woods, plenty of steel and some particularly photogenic star tables. On the menu, there’s topped toast, pastries and plenty of caffeine.
510 Karangahape Rd, Auckland central
Kompass Coffee
This coffee and matcha spot first made a name for itself on Kitchener St, nestled near the city’s biggest student campuses and within the arts precinct. It’s often crowded, with patrons spilling out onto a porch and lending their energy to the street. Now, Kompass has opened a second location on Fanshawe St. Designed to service a more corporate clientele, the cafe is located within the ground floor of an office building – bringing a real warmth to the space. Coffee, tea, matcha and hojicha are all on the menu, alongside the einspänner (Viennese coffee) options Kompass is perhaps best known for. Cookies in the cabinet are an appropriate morning tea pick-me-up.
22 Fanshawe St, Auckland central
Wigmore Deli
Hefty sandwiches are on the menu at this Kingsland deli – each combination is encased in thick slices of Beabea’s focaccia or sourdough. Fillings include prosciutto, burratta, pesto, caramelised onion and bacon jam, hot honey and more. The coffee list is abbreviated, but features a tasty-looking ‘baby Illa’ – cold-brew topped with vanilla sweet cream.
507 New North Rd, Kingsland
Hapunan
After building a fan base through their food truck servings and Huapai location, Aldrin and Laura Tabora have brought their Filipino food to the inner city. Hapunan is running a lunch and dinner window service, delivering an abbreviated menu including adobo del diablo, lumpia and pares tokwa. It’s a chance for more central-set diners to try dishes celebrated by Iconic Eats, without making the journey far west.
2a Anzac Ave, Auckland central
Omo!
This speedy spot is looking to give new meaning to the term ‘power lunch’. Omo is serving leafy and vegetable-filled bowls with Korean influence to corporate crowds on Shortland St – think bibimbap, bulgogi bowls and kimchi fried rice. Alongside these lunch offerings, which start from $15.50, Omo serves up matcha and fizzy fruit drinks (including grapefruit, peach and lemon). If you can stop in for a longer break, there are small tables with stools to accommodate – a nice chance to enjoy the fit-out, which includes glossy, green tiles and big, bright windows.
71 Shortland St, Auckland central
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