Auckland Restaurant Tips by SWFC_Fan

Restaurant Name: Little Turkish Cafe

Little Turkish Cafe is, as its name suggests, a small Turkish cafe located on Karangahape Road in Auckland city centre.

It is a no-frills establishment and is popular both with locals and with backpackers on a tight budget. I ate here twice during my stay in Auckland, and on both occasions it was very busy. The cafe has a handful of tables inside and 2 or 3 tables out front on busy Karangahape Road.

This place has quite an authentic feel to it.........Greek and Middle Eastern pop music plays in the background and you can smoke a shisha here if you so desire.

The menu consists of kebabs (chicken and pork), falafel, salads and a selection of other Greek, Turkish and Middle Eastern grilled meat dishes and desserts.

Favorite Dish: I opted (on both occasions) for:

Chicken Combo meal - Cost: 11.50 NZD (approx 4.50 GBP)

A very nice kebab filled with tasty grilled chicken, salad, ketchup and mayonnaise. Served with a plate of french fries and a bottle of Fanta.

Excellent quality kebabs and superb value for money! Highly recommended!

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Theme: Middle Eastern
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: 217 Karangahape Road

Restaurant Name: Continental Noodles Restaurant

I ate at Continental Noodles Restaurant one lunchtime during a visit to Auckland in April 2006.

This is a small, no-frills Chinese noodle restaurant in the heart of Auckland city centre. It is located on Durham Street East, just a few metres off bustling Queen Street. Follow the steps down from street level to an underground dining area with around a dozen tables. As is so often the case with such restaurants, the standard of food in this place is much better than would be suggested from looking at its simple, rather miserable exterior.

The restaurant is open as follows:

Mon - Thurs: 11am - 7pm
Fri: 11am - 8:30pm
Sat: 11am - 4pm
Closed Sundays

The majority of the dishes on the menu are based around either noodles or rice. A sample of the dishes available and the relevant prices are as follows:

Noodles: wantons ($7.50), with dumplings ($7.50), with vegetables ($7.50), with chicken ($7.50), with BBQ pork ($8), with curry chicken ($8), with black bean sauce and pork ($8.50), with prawns, pork and chicken ($9.50), plain noodles ($3.50).

Rice: chicken rice ($7.50), BBQ pork rice ($8), curry prawns and BBQ pork rice ($8), curry beef with rice ($8.50), vegetables and mushrooms with rice ($7.50), plain rice ($3.50).

Soups: wantons soup ($6), dumpling soup ($6), fish balls soup ($6), vegetable and mushrooms soup ($6), beef soup ($6).

Chef recommended: Chinese pickle and shredded pork with noodles in soup ($8), meat balls with rice/noodles ($9), pork belly with rice/noodles ($9), roasted honey chicken with rice/noodles ($9), spicy pork and bamboo shoots with rice/noodles ($9).

Side dishes: vegetables ($4), chicken breast/thigh ($5), chicken drumstick ($3), stewed pork belly ($6).

Favorite Dish: I opted for:

Prawns and chicken with noodles - Cost: $8

Large pieces of chicken (on the bone) and 5 medium sized prawns served with noodles in a soy sauce. The service was very quick (literally 2 minutes), indicating that meals are pre-cooked rather than cooked to order. My dish was well cooked, but could certainly have been served hotter. The meal was rather average, but it was filling and represented value for money. I ate my meal with chopsticks, but cutlery is available for those who require it.

Can of Fanta orange - Cost: $2.50

All orders come with a complimentary glass of Chinese tea or cold mineral water.

No cover charge or service charge is added to the bill.

The staff are friendly and efficient.

Good value Chinese food and plenty of choice. Nothing special, but a good budget option for lunch.

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Theme: Chinese/Dim Sum
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 303 3389
Address: 4 Durham Street East, Auckland
Directions: Located on Durham Street East, just off Queen Street in Auckland city centre.

Restaurant Name: Mission Bay Fisheries

Mission Bay Fisheries is a small fish and chips shop and fast food joint opposite the beach at Mission Bay.

I ate here one lunchtime in April 2006 having made the 7km walk from central Auckland in the morning before making the return walk later in the afternoon. I didn't feel so guilty eating fish and chips amid all that walking!

There are a couple of indoor tables and a handful of tables out front and it is open 7 days a week. There is, according to the menu, another branch on Hobson Street in the city centre but I never saw nor visited that one.

A sample of menu items and prices are as follows:

"Catch of the Day": fresh snapper ($4.80), tarahiki ($2.80), hoki ($2.50), mussels ($0.60), scallops ($1.80), oysters ($1.50), squid ($0.60), prawns ($1.50), crab sticks ($0.90), seafood basket containing fresh fish, mussels, oysters, squid, prawns, scallops and chips with Aioli sauce ($6.50), chips ($3).

Kebabs: lamb ($6.50), beef ($6), chicken ($7), falafel ($5.50), rice ($1).

Shawarma buns: lamb ($7), chicken ($7.50), chicken satay ($8), veg. falafel ($6).

Burgers: beef and bacon ($8.20), basic ($5.50), ostrich ($8.50), steak ($8.50), fish ($6.50), chicken ($6.50).

I ate at one of the outdoor tables, sharing my table with a pigeon and an assortment of other small birds that were attempting to feed off my dropped chips.

Favorite Dish: I opted for:

"Small Meal" - Cost: $10

I ordered this set meal from the specials board inside the shop. It consisted of 2 battered fish, 2 sausages, a portion of chips and a 390ml bottle of Fanta orange.

The fish was similar to cod, but I was later told by locals that it was probably hoki given its low price. It was very nice, but these same locals told me that they wouldn't feed hoki to their cats let alone eat it themselves! Don't let that put you off......if you like *proper* fish and chips, you'll like these!

Despite being called a "small" meal it was perfectly adequate to satisfy my hunger and was excellent value at just $10.

Excellent value and excellent quality fish and chips. Highly recommended!!

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Theme: Fast Food
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 09 528 3361
Address: 19/35 Tamaki Drive, Mission Bay, Auckland
Directions: Located opposite the beach at Mission Bay, on a road leading inland. Approx. 7km from downtown Auckland. There is apparently another branch at 4/51 Hobson Street in the city centre.

Restaurant Name: Pie Mania

Pie Mania is an award-winning pie shop in downtown Auckland.

It is located on Wellesley Street West, just a few minutes off the main city centre thoroughfare of Queen Street, and just a few minutes walk from Auckland Sky Tower.

The shop offers a staggering array of pies and was voted "Auckland's Best Pies" by Metro magazine. It also earned rave reviews from Lonely Planet.

I ate here one afternoon during my visit to the city in May 2006, sitting at the windowside table inside the shop. The majority of customers buy their pies to take away.

The vast choice of flavours includes:

Steak: steak, steak and kidney, steak and mushroom, steak and cheese;

Mince: savoury mince, mince and cheese, mince, cheese and bacon, mince potato top, mince and gourmet potato;

Chicken: chicken and vegetables, curry chicken, chicken, sweetcorn and cheese;

Assorted: minted lamb, bacon and egg, smoked fish;

International: Irish stew, Mediterranean lamb, Thai chilli beef, Mad Mexican, Tandoori, butter chicken, chicken and drunken mushroom;

Vegetarian: vegetable, chilli bean and cheese, spinach and feta cheese;

Fruit: spicy apple, apple and blueberry, apple and blackberry, apple and rhubarb, apricot, peach and passionfruit.

Favorite Dish: I opted for:

Tandoori pie - Cost: 4.60 NZD

Excellent quality pieces of chicken in a mildly hot tandoori sauce. The pastry was flaky enough, but not so flaky as to fall apart and allow the filling to drip out. Great quality!! I was very impressed!

Excellent quality pies in downtown Auckland. Deserving of the awards that it has won. Highly recommended!!

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Theme: Fast Food
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 09 377 1984
Address: 36 Wellesley Street West, Auckland
Directions: Located on Wellesley Street West, just off Queen Street and just a couple of minutes walk from Auckland Sky Tower.
Website: www.piemania.co.nz
Other Contact: Fax: 09 377 1985

Restaurant Name: The Loaded Hog

The Loaded Hog is a large pub/restaurant located on the waterfront at Prince's Wharf in downtown Auckland.

It offers a big outdoor seating area (facing the wharf), a cavernous interior and an upstairs seating area with a balcony overlooking the wharf.

It is a nice setting in which to enjoy a pub lunch, or just a beer, while watching the world go by and admiring the luxury yachts in the wharf.

The prices are fairly steep and the pub seems to attract a lot of suited and booted professionals during the day, especially at lunchtime and at the end of the working day.

There is an extensive food menu which includes standard pub fare such as salads, sandwiches, soups, steaks and seafood meals.

For me, the main attraction of this pub was its selection of draught beers. Choose from Draught Hog Beer, Draught Hog Lager, Draught Hog Wheat Beer, Draught Hog Dark Ale and Guinness. There is also a selection of imported bottled beers. The various "Draught Hog" beers cost 6 NZD a pint.

Favorite Dish: I visited the Loaded Hog on a couple of afternoons during my visits to Auckland in March and May 2006. On both occasions, I opted for:

Draught Hog Beer - Cost: 6 NZD

This is the closest thing that I could find to British bitter during my stay in New Zealand.

A nice place for a pub lunch or a few beers overlooking the wharf!

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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Address: Prince's Wharf, Auckland

Restaurant Name: Chinese Restaurant

Chinese Restaurant is a small no-frills restaurant selling Chinese and Korean food on Queen Street.

It is located amongst a row of Asian restaurants (Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Mongolian) at the upper end of Queen Street, close to Karangahape Road.

The interior is unspectacular, with no particular effort having been made with regard to the decor. At the time of my visit, the other diners were mainly Asian students.

The menu includes a number of rice dishes (fried with chicken, pork, seafood, vegetables, etc..), noodle dishes (with various sauces, soups, meats and seafood) and a number of main dishes (particularly stir frys). The main dishes were quite expensive (25-30 NZD) and the menu frequently stated that the dish in question was recommended for 2-4 people, so I would expect the portions to be large.

The staff are friendly and the waiter service is excellent. Each time I emptied one of the side dishes, the waiter would appear in a flash to fill it up again.

Favorite Dish: I opted for:

Prawn fried rice and soy sauce - Cost: 11 NZD

A large plate of rice with circa 10 prawns, egg, carrots, cucumber, sweetcorn and a soy sauce containing diced onions.

It was served with a bowl of spicy seafood soup (containing red chillis, onions, octopus and squid), as well as a couple of complimentary side dishes (one containing sliced onions and a yellow fruit of some kind; the other containing vegetables in a tangy sauce).

I was also given a complimentary bottle of mineral water.

The food was pretty average, but the portions were large and the service was outstanding.

Lion Red beer (330ml) - Cost: 5 NZD

Average Chinese food and excellent service in an area with plenty of Asian restaurants to choose from.

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Theme: Chinese/Dim Sum
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Phone: 377 0938
Address: Queen Street, Auckland
Directions: Located at the upper end of Queen Street amongst a cluster of Asian restaurants.

Restaurant Name: Spices Indian Cuisine

Spices Indian Cuisine is one of a number of food outlets at Food Alley food court in downtown Auckland.

Food Alley is located on Albert Street , just off Customs Street, and just a few minutes walk from Queen Street.

As well as Spices, I also saw a Thai food outlet, a noodle house, a fried chicken fast food joint, a Chinese restaurant and a Turkish kebab outlet on the ground floor on the food court. A sign pointed to a Japanese restaurant and a steakhouse upstairs. The surroundings are very humble with wooden tables and green chairs in the communal dining area, and the various food outlets around the edge.

I ate at Spices first during a 5 day stay in Auckland in March 2006. The meal left such a good impression on me that I made sure to return there again on my return to Auckland 5 weeks later.

As you would expect, curries are the speciality at Spices. Choose from chicken, lamb, beef, seafood and vegetarian curries, and from korma, vindaloo, tikka, rogan josh and several other sauces.

As well as curries, there are a few other meat and vegetarian dishes and a good selection of naan breads to accompany your meal (plain, buttered, garlic...).

Favorite Dish: On both occasions that I visited Spices, I opted for:

Prawn Curry - Cost: 10 NZD

A hot curry with around 10 large prawns in a dish and served with a side plate of white rice. I opted for the "medium" curry (as opposed to the "spicy" one)......and it's a good jod that I did, because this was plenty hot enough!

I was very impressed with this curry!

Buttered naan bread - Cost: 2 NZD

The naan breads are excellent value at just 2 NZD. I can personally vouch for the tastiness of the buttered naan!

Coca Cola (500ml) with ice - Cost: 2.20 NZD

Drinks are purchased from a separate outlet, called Alley Cats, within the food court. You are offered a choice of ice cold soft drinks, milkshakes, beers (bottled and draught) and hot beverages.

Excellent quality (and value for money) curries on a humble food court. Very highly recommended, especially if you're travelling on a budget!!

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Theme: Indian
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Food Alley, 9 Albert Street, Auckland
Directions: Located on the ground floor of Food Alley on Albert Street, just off Customs Street.

Restaurant Name: The White Lady

The White Lady is a long white single decker bus that has been converted into an outlet for burgers and other fast food snacks.

The White Lady only operates at weekends (Fridays to Sundays), but it opens continuously, 24 hours a day, during these days. The burger bus can be found parked on Shortland Street in downtown Auckland and it has become something of a local institution, having served burgers and hot dogs to hungry passers by every weekend since the 1950s.

It offers a large selection of burgers, including various combinations of beef, bacon, eggs, steak, cheese, salad items and sauces. The top of the range burger is called, predictably, the "White Lady Burger", and it did look pretty huge on the photograph on the side of the bus. The burgers are relatively expensive (generally upwards of 5 NZD) and the White Lady Burger sells for 18 NZD.

Favorite Dish: I stopped at The White Lady for a late Saturday night hotdog (Cost: 4 NZD) during a visit to Auckland in March 2006.

I got a long Frankfurter sausage on a bread finger with fried onions, tomato ketchup and mustard. Very nice!

Visit this Auckland institution for a burger or a hotdog any time of day or night at the weekend!

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Theme: Street Vendor
Comparison: about average
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Shortland Street
Directions: The White Lady burger bus is parked on Shortland Street between Friday and Sunday and is open 24 hours a day over the weekend.