Stonyridge / Photo courtesy Stonyridge
Auckland’s booming multicultural wine-and-dine scene rivals that of neighbor Australia’s star cities.
Restaurant trends reflect the curiosity of Kiwi cooks, who use native ingredients to recreate the cuisines of Peru, Italy, France and beyond. Some grow and raise their own food, and others embrace traditional earth-oven cooking, called hāngi.
New Zealand’s vineyards provide fine wine to wash it all down, especially at the city’s new crop of natural wine bars.
Paris Butter / Photo courtesy Paris Butter
Wine and Dine for Days
You could spend days dining through fashionable neighborhoods Ponsonby and Britomart. Start at the top, literally. With sweeping views of the skyline, the Indian food and New Zealand-heavy wine list of Sidart are unmissable.
Also in the “upscale and refined” camp, The Grove and Paris Butter weave French technique with New Zealand ingredients and thoughtful wine pairings.
Inspired by travels through Peru, Nic Watt offers his take on nikkei cuisine at Inca. Highlights from the cellar include Te Mata Estate and Ata Rangi.
A favored spot within hospitality circles, Apero’s simple menu honors the building blocks of good food. It’s hard to turn down the bread-and-butter, but regulars know to save room for creamy burrata and wild mushrooms.
Buzzy Hello Beasty serves veg-friendly dishes infuenced by East Asian cuisines. The order: spicy Korean fried cauliflower with The Boneline Dry Riesling from Waipara.
Vegetarian diners who seek a glamorous evening order the five-course tasting menu with wine pairings at Lillius. Veteran venue Baduzzi still lures crowds with classic Italian dishes like wild red-deer meatballs that sing with a bottle of earthy Barolo.
Orphans Kitchen embraces New Zealand’s seasons by sourcing sustainable ingredients prepared with international flair, whether gravlax using Mount Cook salmon or Wagyu brisket served on a Kumara Tortilla.
