Auckland Restaurant Tips by worldkiwi Top 5 Page for this destination

Sand Dunz Beach Cafe: The best coffee on the west coast!

Sand Dunz is located in Muriwai Beach Village, on Auckland's rugged and stormy west coast. Just a short stroll from the surfing beach, Sand Dunz makes great coffee and serves all day breakfasts. They do takeaways with the usual menu of burgers and chips. Make sure you take a look at the fantastic photos of dramatic Muriwai on the walls inside.

Favorite Dish: Coffee!

Address: Motutara Road, Muriwai.

Comparison: about average

Directions: Coming from SH16, take Muriwai Road at Waimauku and then turn left into Motutara Road.

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Diner

Hum cafe, restaurant, pizza: Understated appearance - but good food!

This small restaurant in the remarkably up and coming culinary centre of Birkenhead on Auckland's North Shore, has a really good menu and serves delicious well prepared and presented food. The dining area for the restaurant is above street level, and the cafe is on Mokoia Road.

Favorite Dish: I can recommend the eye-fillet steak! The coffee here is great too... in fact I broke my rule of drinking coffee in the evening and indulged in a double shot latte (oh how Auckland other kiwis will be muttering)... and it was goooood!

Address: 6 Mokoia Rd, Birkenhead

Comparison: about average

Directions: Birkenhead is over the harbour bridge from downtown. You can get a ferry here from the city centre, but it's a steep walk up to Mokoia Rd. The drive is only ten minutes from downtonw and there are regular buses.

Phone: (09) 418 4475

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Other

Manuka Restaurant: Fine food in Devonport. Manuka Restaurant Review

Manuka restaurant is a smart little Italian Restaurant in the heart of Devonport, a historical suburb of Auckland. Manuka is a Maori word for a native tree that you'll see all over New Zealand and, the wood of which, is used to provide fuel for smoking meat and even cheese. Manuka honey is a rich and dark golden treat. So it is appropriate that this restaurant has borrowed the name of this tree that has close links to food, even though when you see one you may think it couldn't possibly have the slightest culinary association!
Manuka Restaurant offers a range of Italian dishes, but wood-fired pizzas dominate the menu. I ate here in August 2006 with a group of other VTers. We had a leisurely lunch, received good service, enjoyed good coffee, and the prices were reasonable and not out of the ordinary. My only complaint would be the music was a bit loud!

Favorite Dish: I had a smoked chiken pizza with bree cheese and cranberry sauce. Yum. For dessert I tried the apple pie. This is the best presented apple pie I've had in a restaurant since I can remember. Quite often this dish is very unimaginatively served, but Manuka presented the best looking apple pie I've ever had. It tasted pretty fine too! Perfect on a cold winter's afternoon.

Address: 49 Victoria Road, Devonport, Auckland

Comparison: about average

Directions: Devonport is a short ferry ride from central Auckland. Walk from the ferry terminal in Devonport up Victoria Road until you see restaurant on the left. To drive here, leave the motorway at Northcote Rd and follow signs for Devonport.

Phone: (09) 445 7732

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 4

Theme: Italian

Website: http://www.manukarestaurant.co.nz

Mecca Cafe - Devonport.: Smart service at this cafe.

Mecca Cafe is located on Victoria Street in Devonport, in the Esplanade Hotel building. This is a good place to get a coffee before beginning a walking tour of this historic part of Auckland. Service is very quick and professional.

Address: Victoria Street, Devonport

Comparison: about average

Directions: Cross the road from the ferry terminal. You can't miss the Esplanade Hotel.

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Coffeehouse

Art Ducko: Restaurant with a view...

Art Ducko is situated in Waiake on Auckland's North Shore. The restaurant is opposite the beach and there are fantastic views from just about any seat in the place! The menu is quite pricey, but the food is well prepared and well presented. The desserts are served up as a real treat, both to the eye and the palate. The service is very good.
One drawback to this place is that the wine menu is limited. There is only one variety of red served by the glass, so if you like Merlot, you have to buy the whole bottle!
The theme of the restaurant is most definitely ducks! They're everywhere. There's plenty on the menu beside duck though.

Favorite Dish: I had the venison steak when I went in September 2005. The steak was prepared excellently, bu unfortunately in January I had been spoilt by experiencing wild venison steaks and the flavour of this particular piece of meat just didn't compare.

Comparison: more expensive than average

Directions: It's the only commercial building in Waiake, so you can't miss it. Waiake is the next bay north of Browns Bay on Auckland's North Shore.

Price: US$31-40

Rating: 3

Theme: Eclectic/International

The Wine Box Cafe.: Excellent service and great food.

This little restaurant on the main road through old Albany, on the North Shore, doesn't look much from the road and my photo is even less flattering! However, inside you will receive outstanding service and enjoy excellent food and wine in a very comfortable and cosy setting. I only discovered this restaurant in 2005 and it has been well known in Auckland for some time before that. Unfortunately, it was for sale the last time I visited in September 2005.
There is plenty of parking behind the restaurant.
I have to menton the service just one more time. On both occasions I've been there, I was part of a large group. The restaurant managed to serve us all at the same time and we were allowed to pay individually. There were no stuff-ups, no fuss... just efficient, friendly service.

Favorite Dish: On both visits, I enjoyed the delectable eye fillet steak - medium rare.

Address: Middle of old Albany on SH17.

Comparison: about average

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 5

Theme: Pan-Asian and Pacific Rim

Waterfront Café: Great food, waterfront location! Waterfront Café Review

This busy and laid-back restaurant is situated in the heart of downtown Auckland's waterfront restaurant area.
At a July 2005 mid-winter get-together there we all had excellent dinners that were prepared well and speedily.
The restaurant is a good place to meet before a night on the town, but not really a place for a quiet chat. There is a long bar in the restaurant and indoor-outdoor seating.

Favorite Dish: I can recommend the sirloin steak in mushroom sauce. It comes with nicely roasted vegetables and somewhat incongruosly (for the middle of winter), a green salad.

Address: Maritime Museum Complex, Viaduct Harbour

Comparison: about average

Directions: Downtown Auckland, right on the waterfront adjacent to the Viaduct Harbour

Phone: 09 - 3599914

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 4

Theme: Eclectic/International

Website: http://www.thewaterfrontcafe.co.nz

Khun Pun: The best Thai food I've had in Auckland... so far.

Khun Pun is a new Thai restaurant in Albany on Auckland's North Shore. Albany is a terribly designed place and you need a car to get around it. Khun Pun is currently rather isolated and alone in the big empty HSBC Centre on Corinthian Drive.
The food here is VERY good, even if the service is a little indifferent at times.

Favorite Dish: The Tom Kha soup as a starter is so authentic, you'd think it's just been flown in from Thailand. Delicious!!

Address: 7 Corinthian Drive, Albany

Comparison: about average

Directions: Take the northern motorway from Auckland central and exit at Oteha Valley Road. Turn left and head to the new Albany town centre... more soon... (my map is out of date!)

Phone: (in Auckland) 448 5757

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Other

Long Bay Restaurant (LBR on the Beach): Dine on the deck and watch the waves...

The Long Bay Restaurant is in Long Bay on Auckland's North Shore. It is actually in the Long Bay Regional Park and is right on the beach. There is a wonderful deck on which you can have a table and dine with the a Pacific panorama in front of you. I dined there on a balmy early autumn night in March 2004. The food is delicious.

Favorite Dish: I had the fish dish of the day - Hapuka Steak... melt in your mouth delicacy! For desert I had a huge piece of apple cake with cream cheese filling.... yum!

Address: Long Bay Regional Park.

Comparison: more expensive than average

Directions: You'll need a map of Auckland to find out how to get to Long Bay Regional Park. There are buses to Torbay and from there it's about a 30 minute walk downhill.

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 4

Theme: Pan-Asian and Pacific Rim

CinCin on Quay.: Fine dining or fine prices? CIN CIN on Quay Review

The best thing about CinCin on Quay (pronounced Chin chin), is the setting. This is one of Auckland's upper market restaurants. Personally, I thought it was a bit over rated. I went there for lunch with workmates and we had a very snooty waiter. When I asked for a steak knife I was made to feel like a philistine! They didn't have one and the fact I asked seemed to make the waiter incredulous! As for the steak, it was expensive, small and had some grissle in it! Nice view though.

Favorite Dish: If you want a delicious steak, at a good price, go to Zavito Cafe and Bar in Mairangi Bay, on Auckland's North Shore - big meal, good price, and delicious.

Address: In the beautiful old Ferry Building on Quay Street

Comparison: more expensive than average

Price: US$41 and up

Rating: 2

Theme: Eclectic/International