Really good places to eat in Auckland

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JohnnyDrama

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#846818 28-Jun-2013 16:47

Pescado and a few of the places at the North Wharf are quite nice, get a table outside when the sun is out
http://www.northwharf.co.nz/North-Wharf/Things-to-do.aspx?Category=EatAndDrink

driller2000

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#846948 28-Jun-2013 22:10

if you want flash - have given most fine dining places in auckland a go

- french cafe is great
- merediths i found to be better

not fine dining and lower cost than the above, but pretty cool - was depot - no pretentions - the 1/2 doz oysters followed by the whitebait fritter and white bread and mayo was pretty good : )

there are loads of options in akl

this site is also most helpful:

http://www.dineout.co.nz/restaurant_search.php

have fun :)

jarledb

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#846995 29-Jun-2013 00:44

Want to say thank you to johnr, sleepy, saltynz, scottpalmer, klipspringer, xpd, ubergeeknz, handsomedan, gehenna, trig42, jaxson, lennonnz, sounddude, muppet, krishant007, jaytaicho, nathan, johnnydrama and driller2000.

You guys are awsome! Thank you. I think we will have to extend our vacation in Auckland by quite a few weeks to get through all these places! You guys love food too huh?! :D

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networkn

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#847001 29-Jun-2013 01:22

Hi There!

I love to fine dine and I can tell you that right now, in my opinion the best place in Auckland to eat if you want to have your mind blown is Sidart. Clooney is awesome too. French Cafe just won Cuisine Restaurant of the year, though I have always been mostly underwhelmed there (Along with Merediths). We did a 6 Course Degustation at Toto in the city tonight at it was very good. (Most of these are degustations which I LOVE)

My favourite casual place is far and away The Depot, and if you love meat, it's hard to go past Wildfire.

I could list another twenty or so, and to top it off I just got back from a Fine Food Eating Safari in Melbourne which was AWESOME.

The best place to get a steak in Auckland in my opinion is The Grill (Beside the Depot) but that isn't saying much, as I don't think Auckland has any exceptional steak places.

insane

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#847003 29-Jun-2013 01:52

Cant believe no one has mentioned 'The Grove', my wife and I keep going back there as all the other Fine Dining experiences in Auckland just can't compare when you take the whole experience into consideration.
http://www.thegroverestaurant.co.nz

The French cafe produces some great food, but don't go there unless you enjoy the super quiet library style dining, was so awkward knowing the whole room could hear our every word.

Sales is another one of the fine dining places to avoid, promised much but delivered lacklustre food, we both were tempted to send our dishes back.

And for when you don't feel like spending up too large, Jack Tar, Avenue 28 and Deep Creek Brew Bar serve up some great food.

networkn

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#847005 29-Jun-2013 02:16

insane: Cant believe no one has mentioned 'The Grove', my wife and I keep going back there as all the other Fine Dining experiences in Auckland just can't compare when you take the whole experience into consideration.
http://www.thegroverestaurant.co.nz

The French cafe produces some great food, but don't go there unless you enjoy the super quiet library style dining, was so awkward knowing the whole room could hear our every word.

Sales is another one of the fine dining places to avoid, promised much but delivered lacklustre food, we both were tempted to send our dishes back.

And for when you don't feel like spending up too large, Jack Tar, Avenue 28 and Deep Creek Brew Bar serve up some great food.

Yup I would vote for the Grove, we have had excellent dining experiences on the whole there as well.

tardtasticx

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#847006 29-Jun-2013 02:17

Heres my three fav places to eat:

Thai:
The Secret Thai Garden in Otahuhu is like, right a mid-ghetto, but once inside you'd never know. They've taken one of the MASSIVE properties in that area and made this absolutely huge garden dining area with little sub-sections and stuff. Its completely covered and has mood lighting, very cosy even in winter.

Rather cheap too, $60-80 for two people for 3 courses and drinks. You wont be disappointed :) a must try for people who love Thai food.

http://www.secretthaigarden.co.nz

French:
Tucked near the main strip in New Market, right next to the Auckland CBD. Its a gorgeous place, also nicely lit (really makes a difference for a romantic dinner). Was a bit pricey but the food was flawless. I couldn't fault it in anyway.

http://iledefrance.co.nz

Chinese:
Right off the main strip in New Market also, this was where me and the boyfriend went on our first date, and I was a bit sceptical at first because it has a lot of stuff I wouldn't normally try, but its a great place if you want to experiment with different foods. The mains are pretty small, and you usually share them with the people at your table, but you'd order quite a few different things. Its kinda fun. They also have this drink thats just blended watermelon. It taste wicked with the food they serve.
I'd recommend you go there just for the experience you'll get with the food.

http://www.pearlgarden.co.nz

Good luck :D hope you have a great trip.

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Klipspringer

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#847021 29-Jun-2013 07:22

jarledb: Want to say thank you to johnr, sleepy, saltynz, scottpalmer, klipspringer, xpd, ubergeeknz, handsomedan, gehenna, trig42, jaxson, lennonnz, sounddude, muppet, krishant007, jaytaicho, nathan, johnnydrama and driller2000.

You guys are awsome! Thank you. I think we will have to extend our vacation in Auckland by quite a few weeks to get through all these places! You guys love food too huh?! :D

Let me know when you in Wellington. Some great places down here too.

driller2000

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#847022 29-Jun-2013 07:26

+ 1 grove
+ 1 clooney
+ 1 sidart
+ 1 toto

hungry now :)

eracode

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#847024 29-Jun-2013 07:35

networkn:
insane: Cant believe no one has mentioned 'The Grove', my wife and I keep going back there as all the other Fine Dining experiences in Auckland just can't compare when you take the whole experience into consideration.
http://www.thegroverestaurant.co.nz

The French cafe produces some great food, but don't go there unless you enjoy the super quiet library style dining, was so awkward knowing the whole room could hear our every word.

Sales is another one of the fine dining places to avoid, promised much but delivered lacklustre food, we both were tempted to send our dishes back.

And for when you don't feel like spending up too large, Jack Tar, Avenue 28 and Deep Creek Brew Bar serve up some great food.

Yup I would vote for the Grove, we have had excellent dining experiences on the whole there as well.

Another +1 on The Grove. Excellent.

Also, if you want to be out of the CBD, One Tree Grill in Greenwoods Corner.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

PaulBrislen

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#847069 29-Jun-2013 10:30

For People watching go to Soul Bar on the Viaduct (and wander the bars after).
For Food (money no object) go to: The Grove, French Cafe, Meredith's on Dominion Rd, Clooney's, Toto's (for Italian) - all highly recommended.

Places that have disappointed include The Grill (in Sky City's emporium) Euro and Wildfire (both of which were fine but lacked... something).

For lunch try to get in to Depot or head down to Wynyard Quarter and get several dishes to share from Marvel Grill and watch the pretty boats.

For a bit more casual and if you can't agree on what to eat, try the Eliot St Stables for everything from sausages to sushi to Spanish to ... bags of fun (and have a Giapo icecream to finish off on Queen Street).

Pwned

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#847082 29-Jun-2013 12:40

muppet: Zap2 in Balmoral, or Zap4 in the CBD.
It's a simple setup (simple seating, simple service) , but the man oh man the Thai food is awesome.

Zap 2 in Balmoral is our favorite! The best Thai food yum yum yum! Can't wait to visit them again.

myfullflavour

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#847331 30-Jun-2013 10:03

I quickly scanned through and may of missed it, but can't believe no one has mentioned Tanuki's Cave.

Best japanese in Auckland. It's on Queen St, but you can (unofficially) park behind the back and walk up the stairs and through the kitchen.

http://www.japaneserestaurants.co.nz/tanukis-cave/

I'd also thumbs up Mexico on North Shore.

Great thread idea.

sarg

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#848132 2-Jul-2013 10:23

The Grove is always consistently very very good. Hotels worth trying are Fish at Hilton Auckland and Lava Dining at Sofitel Auckland.

that would be an ecumenical matter

networkn

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#848133 2-Jul-2013 10:24

sarg: The Grove is always consistently very very good. Hotels worth trying are Fish at Hilton Auckland and Lava Dining at Sofitel Auckland.

I ate at fish recently and I was very impressed.

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