Auckland Restaurants

Frequently referred to as the gastronomic capital of New Zealand, Auckland’s restaurant scene is abuzz. Always abreast of new trends in the eating world, the city’s restaurateurs certainly know how to please their diners, and excel at everything from conceptual dining to foraging fare. Whether you’re looking for a place to eat close to the CBD, you’re set on vegetarian, or you want the best of the best, we’ve got you covered.

We’ll start with the city centre, where you’ll come across a new place to wine and dine with near every second step. Here in the CBD, you’ll find all the usual takeaway joints if you’re after a quick bite with the family, as well as some of the best restaurants in Auckland. Culture-based cuisines can be found at restaurants like Vivace, a favourite for Mediterranean fare, The French Café, an acclaimed French eatery on Symonds Street, or Masu, Nic Watt’s delicious Japanese restaurant. Near the close-by Viaduct are local favourites like Oyster & Chop on the charming Market Place, Lava Dining in the Sofitel Hotel, and Boracay Garden Restaurant on Customs Street (rumoured to serve the best Filipino food in the city). Wynyard Quarter is another area to mark out on your gastronomic map of the city and offers a selection of newly-established restaurants for your eating pleasure. Marvel Grill or Johnny Barr’s should be on your radar if you’re dining with family, whereas Jack Tar is the ideal gastropub for the lads, and Feriza’s mezze cuisine is hard to beat for fans of Turkish and Greek food.

Image: Wynyard Quarter, Auckland - Miles Holden (newzealand.com)

For those interested in vegan or vegetarian restaurants, Auckland is a prime city to eat in. In recent years, more and more meat-free and health-focused restaurants have appeared on the scene, with vegan and vegetarian eateries particularly concentrated around the CBD. Favourite restaurants in this vein include Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant on High Street (casual Thai), Rasoi Vegetarian Restaurant on K Road (unbeatable Indian fare), and of course Revive Café on Wyndham (one of the city’s pioneering vegetarian restaurants). Perfect for delivering all your avocado-toast needs!

We couldn’t round out a guide of where to eat in Auckland without mentioning the exquisite choices to be discovered in the city’s surrounding suburbs. Try Ponsonby for upmarket restaurants like Sidart and The Ponsonby Road Bistro; Parnell and Newmarket for delicious international cuisine options; Kingsland and Mount Eden for some cheap hidden gems; and lastly, Takapuna and Devonport for great group-eating destinations.

If you’re keen to experience Auckland’s best restaurants, hire a rental car for Omega and enjoy our unlimited kilometre rates. Omega provides both Auckland CBD car hires at our central location, and also operates an Auckland Airport rental car branch.