Lulu’s Auckland Iconic Eats
Auckland’s Iconic Bites — My List
Auckland has its official Iconic Eats list. But after years of eating my way around the city, I realised some of my favourite Auckland bites aren’t on it. So I’m starting my own running list: the dishes I think are worth seeking out, remembering, and coming back for.
I will be adding to this list as I will be back in Auckland for the summer
Danryu | Devonport— Agedashi Tofu & Sashimi Platter
The agedashi tofu at Danryu is one of those dishes that makes an entrance. It arrives in a little cast-iron pot, still dramatically sizzling and bubbling, with the crisp fried tofu tucked into its savoury sauce. There is something wonderfully theatrical about it, but the pleasure is in the contrast: crisp outside, soft and silky within, surrounded by that deeply savoury broth.
Danryu is owned by the lovely husband-and-wife team Satoru Sawaki (Sasee) and his wife, Keiko, and there is a warmth to the restaurant that makes you feel like a regular even if you aren't. DANRYU Japanese Seafood Restaurant. They are very good at making a fuss over whomever steps foot into their restaurant.
And then there is the sashimi platter, which is almost too beautiful to eat. It is truly an architectural wonder. Fresh fish arranged with the precision of a little Japanese still life, it is as much a work of art as a plate of food.
Between the theatrical tofu and the exquisite sashimi, Danryu is a double-hitter for me: one dish all warmth and drama, the other all freshness, colour and restraint.
I actually wrote about Danryu for Channel Magazine, so it has a bit of history in my Auckland eating life too. I adore this restaurant and you couldn’t meet a lovelier hospitality couple.
Photos of dishes to come
Reservations are a must!
Book a table: go.to.danryu@gmail.com
10 Victoria Road, Devonport, Auckland 0624, New Zealand
Phone: +64 9 445 6108
Pici | K-Road — Cacio e Pepe
Tucked into St Kevin’s Arcade, Pici is tiny, intimate and wonderfully cosy, with the kitchen humming away in the background and fresh pasta being made in-house.
The cacio e pepe is the thing I always come back for: thick, hand-rolled pici tangled through a glossy, intensely cheesy sauce with plenty of black pepper. It is such a simple dish, but when the pasta is this good, you don't need anything else.
I love that Pici doesn't feel like a big occasion restaurant. It's casual, intimate, and reasonably priced; it’s one of my favorites for a night out.
Shop 22, St Kevin's Arcade, 183 Karangahape Road, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Chu Long Ji | Wairau Valley — Xiao Long Bao
Chu Long Ji is one of my favourite places for xiao long bao in Auckland. These delicate soup dumplings arrive with their thin, pleated skins hiding a little pool of hot, savoury broth inside. They had two versions of the soup dumpling regular and a sweeter version. I particularly like the less-sweet version, which lets the pork, ginger and broth really come through without that sweeter Wuxi-style flavour. There is something wonderfully satisfying about biting into one, releasing the soup, and trying not to wear it. A perfect little Auckland bite.
11/20 Link Drive, Wairau Valley, Auckland 0627, New Zealand
Phone: +64 9 443 3333
IG: https://www.instagram.com/chulongjinz
Nanam | Takapuna — Longganisa Wrap
During the pandemic, when our lives had shrunk to the house and the occasional takeaway, Nanam became our go-to, and their boxes of longganisa wraps became a family obsession. We could never seem to order enough.
The Filipino sausage is smoky, juicy and scented with lemongrass, tucked into a warm grilled tortilla with sharp atchara, chipotle mayo, peanuts and plenty of cilantro. It is exactly the kind of food I love: messy, handheld and packed with flavour, the sort of thing everyone reaches across the table for.
What I love even more now is how natural the combination seems. Filipino longganisa, Mexican tortilla, atchara and chipotle might look like an unlikely marriage, but the ingredients have a much longer Pacific history than you might imagine.
For centuries, Spanish galleons travelled between Manila and Acapulco, carrying ingredients, people and cooking ideas between the Philippines and Mexico. Even longganisa has Spanish roots, while Mexico developed its own longaniza tradition, usually eaten in tacos.
It's a very Auckland kind of bite: cultures meeting, borrowing from one another and creating something entirely their own.
And after living through the pandemic with these in regular rotation, I have a particular fondness for them. Some foods become attached to a place in your memory. These are definitely one of mine. I have even created a recipe for my own version of them here.
178 Hurstmere Road, Takapuna, Auckland 0622, New Zealand
Phone: +64 9 488 9976
Casita Miro | Waiheke — Goat’s Cheese Croquetas
I can’t go to Waiheke without stopping at Casita Miro for these. I love the casual chicness of the place, tucked into the vineyard with its slightly Spanish feel, but honestly, I’m happiest just ordering a few things to share and calling it lunch/dinner.
My favourite are the goat’s cheese croquetas, crisp and golden outside, creamy and tangy inside, served with honey that makes the whole thing sing. There’s something about that salty, rich goat’s cheese with the sweetness of honey that is impossible to resist.
And while I’m there, I’ll usually add the jamón croquetas, too. Because one kind of croqueta is never enough.
3 Brown Road, Waiheke, Auckland 1081, New Zealand
Phone: +64 9 372 7854
The Engine Room | Northcote Point — Twice-Baked Goat’s Cheese Soufflé
One of my favourite cold, rainy-night bites in Auckland. Rich and very comforting, this twice-baked goat’s cheese soufflé is anything but delicate. It comes bubbling in a creamy cheese sauce, golden on top and wonderfully hearty underneath. It’s been a signature at The Engine Room since it opened in 2006, and for me, it’s the sort of dish that makes a wet Auckland night feel just a little bit better, especially when accompanied by a nice glass of pinot noir.
https://www.engineroom.net.nz/
115 Queen Street, Northcote Point, Auckland 0627, New Zealand
Phone: +64 9 480 9502
The Oyster Inn | Waiheke — Waiheke Oysters
I love Waiheke oysters. I could happily eat them anywhere, but a lovely place to enjoy them close to the source is The Oyster Inn, right there in the heart of Oneroa. There is something wonderfully simple about sitting there with a glass of wine, watching people come and go, and eating freshly shucked oysters. Briny, plump and tasting of the sea, they are one of those bites that feel completely tied to the place. For me, oysters and Waiheke just belong together.
124 Ocean View Road, Oneroa, Waiheke Island 1081, New Zealand
Phone: +64 9 372 2222
Menu: theoysterinn.co.nz
Matakana Bacon | Matakana — The Bacon Bap
The bacon bap at Matakana Bacon is one of those things I make a special trip for. Their bacon is so smoky and delicious (nitrate and sugar-free). I’m normally a crispy-bacon girl, but I happily make an exception for this. It has that gorgeous smoky, meaty chew that makes you realize bacon doesn’t always have to be shatteringly crisp to be perfect.
I usually try to go outside Saturday farmers’ market hours, because the parking lot can be absolute chaos. But once I’ve got my bacon bap in hand, it’s worth it. Grab some extra bacon to take home.
Big Green Shed - Upper Carpark 2 Matakana Valley Road, Matakana 0985, New Zealand
Phone: +64 9 425 5525
Lilian — Courgette Flowers & Wood-Fired Bites
I love Lilian in Grey Lynn. It’s one of those places where everything is delicious, and I mean everything. We always order a bunch of things for the table and share. Their pizzas are fantastic, and there are always little plates that make you want to keep ordering.
My favourite is the courgette flowers when they’re on the menu: stuffed with ricotta, preserved lemon and salted courgette. They’re delicate, creamy and a little bit tangy, and completely irresistible.
Olivia’s favourite is the wood-fired eggplant, which she happily scoops up with the warm bread. Smoky and silky, with that sweet-sour hit of agrodolce and crunchy macadamia, it’s the dish she always wants to order.
It’s such a lovely place for the way I like to eat: lots of little bites, passed around the table, everyone having a taste of everything.
472 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland
Alma | Britomart — Anchovy & Tomato Tostada
I love Alma in Britomart for fancy little Spanish bites, and this anchovy and tomato tostada is one of my favourites. It looks deceptively simple, but it is one of those perfect little mouthfuls: crisp toast, intensely concentrated tomato, good olive oil and those gorgeous, silky Olasagasti anchovies, which bring all that salty, savoury umami.
The anchovies are from the Cantabrian Sea in northern Spain, and Alma actually became an importer to get the Olasagasti ones they wanted for this dish. I love that kind of obsession over an ingredient. Britomart
Because it comes pre-sliced, it is made for sharing. It’s the sort of thing where you take one bite and immediately think, we should have ordered two. Even the critics keep coming back to this dish: Metro calls it a signature.
130 Quay Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Phone: +64 9 242 1570
Reservations: alma.nz
Apéro | K Road — Roasted Savoy Cabbage, Walnuts & Parmesan
A humble Savoy cabbage, roasted until the edges are deeply caramelised, then finished with toasted walnuts and Parmesan. It sounds almost too simple, but somehow it is completely addictive. The cabbage becomes sweet and almost buttery inside, with those crispy, charred edges, while the walnuts bring crunch and the Parmesan gives it that salty, savoury hit. It is the kind of vegetable dish that makes you forget you were supposed to be ordering something else.
Apéro has been a K Road favourite since Leslie Hottiaux and Mo Koski opened it in 2014, creating the little brick-walled wine bar they wanted to visit themselves: good food, great wine, no fuss and a warm, genuinely welcoming atmosphere.
This cabbage dish has become one of those Apéro classics that keep hanging around. Their current menu still lists it, alongside the other long-running favourites like the terrine of the day and the orange soufflé. Mo has said that after 12 years there are simply “too many classics” they can't change. Apéro Food & Wine
280 Karangahape Road, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Phone: +64 9 373 4778
Reservations: apero.co.nz
Baduzzi | Wynyard Quarter — Karitane Crayfish Meatballs
If there is one dish that sums up Baduzzi, it has to be the meatballs. In fact, Baduzzi means meatballs, and this little Italian-inspired restaurant has been making its hand-crafted polpette a big part of its identity since it opened.
The Karitane crayfish meatballs are a standout. They are incredibly delicate and soft, made with sweet New Zealand crayfish and served with pumpkin, smoked butter and that gorgeous pistachio salsa. There is something almost surprising about them. You expect a meatball to be hearty and heavy, but these are light, sweet and gently savoury, with the richness of smoked butter and the freshness and crunch of pistachio.
The Karitane crayfish polpette have been one of Baduzzi's signature dishes for years. Cuisine wrote about them years ago as one of the dishes that kept bringing diners back, describing the crayfish meatballs as sweetly soft and pairing them with smoked butter and salsa verde. Cuisine Magazine
Auckland's own Iconic Auckland Eats also features the Karitane crayfish meatballs, with diners calling out their delicacy and flavour. AucklandNZ
I love ordering these as part of a table full of things. A selection of their meatballs, some pasta, something wood-fired, and of course a glass of Italian bubbles.
10/26 Jellicoe Street, North Wharf, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Phone: +64 9 309 9339
