Came here on a recent visit to Auckland after meeting a fun Australian couple. We scoured the…read moreinternet for Hookah Bars, but couldn't find any, so asked a bike taxi if he knew a spot. He brought us here! To be honest, I was a bit confused, as it just looked like a restaurant (the food did look amazing, but we had just eaten). They have a very wide selection of flavors (see photo) to choose from, and it was only $20-25NZ if memory serves correctly (sorry for the glare in the photo over the price...it might say $23?). We ordered the blueberry, and may have gotten blueberry mint, but it tasted great nonetheless. They gave everyone a mouthpiece without charging, which is not the norm at every place I've been. What sets this place at 5 stars for me is that they had a gentleman coming around every 10 minutes or so to adjust the coals on the shisha and bring new ones if needed. He was super attentive. I wish I would have ordered food, but the hookah experience was 5 stars, hands down.

10's across the board. I finished my whole plate the chicken was grilled perfectly. The salad was…read morefresh. Even the French fries had the right amount of salt on them. This was a good meal after walking around City Centre..

Food was delicious! Friendly atmosphere. Quick service. We ordered the lamb kebabs. Will come back…read moreagain!

Grilled chicken breast rice plate was one of the best I've ever had. The chicken was packed with…read moreflavor and was not dry, which can easily happen if grilled the wrong way. The salad and the hummus were also delicious. I was also shocked how tasty the rice was. This is a great spot. I will definitely go back.

Genuinely, one of the greatest , and maybe most understated, gems in Newmarket. Be transported away…read morefrom the bustle of traffic and pedestrians, behind the fountains and summer cicadas and small knolls of Lumsden Green, and enjoy a sample of the Mediterranean under a flock of bright red parasols. Above the reasonable prices, the great food and the wine selection, the service is impeccable- testament to why Safran has been here for over 20 years. Staff comfortably approach you before you enter, without looking like the starving hyena that is often encountered walking past a restaurant. Even though I had only stopped in for a summery Pinot Gris this time around, I had a tall glass of ice water almost before I sat down with the wine, followed by a smile, not long after. A positively enjoyable restaurant for their lunch time specials, a hot date or a small group of friends for dinner.

When I worked in Newmarket we came to Safran at least every 2 weeks, there were many other…read morerestaurants/cafes in the area which we also tried, however we always preferred Safran. When we first started going they had a $10 menu, then it was $12 and now its $14, oh inflation and rising prices. Anyway the lunch meals were always good and tasty, I think over the time I tried every lunch meal and they were all good and they had around 12 or so lunch specials. Probably the most popular one would be the Safran sandwich which is like a gourmet sandwich and very good. The food has a Spanish/Mediterranean influence. The service was always very good, somehow much better than all the other nearby places.

Meditarrean foreign delights, or perhaps just pure Italian treats, Fig & Olive is a place for those…read morewith good taste. I enjoyed a Salmon dish here with roast potatoes and hollandaise sauce as a garnish. I slurped it up quickly, then wished I'd savoured the flavours more. They are smallish servings if you're comparing them to most American fare, but as gourmet dishes go, it's enough to satisfy most appetites. The restaurant was nicely decorated with paintings of famous cathedrals, woven jackets, a persian rug and other such interesting odds and ends. The staff were lovely and attentive throughout my stay. I'd come again.

Good atmosphere, for a Sunday dinner out, plenty of different choices. Some dishes were either a…read morebit undercooked or over cooked but the steak was spot on

Beautiful ambiance and friendly service, but disappointing value two years ago. Three small pieces…read moreof chicken surrounded by breads for well over $40, with extra charge for tzatziki; flavors tasted not okay but lacked authenticity. Great looks and ambience, but expect pricey breads over meats.

We booked for two and both our meals were below average. I had the prawns, they were nice but came…read moreon a whole bed of mesculin salad, no dressing, just that. No other veges and the excuse was chef is away? I mean hello, we are paying full price for a half meal. The lamb my husband had was salty. The waitress was nice but the overall place was reaklly ordinary.

Great, GREAT place to have tapas Spanish cuisine! This restaurant is nice and quaint, very Spanish…read moreflavour with styling and great food! Our start to dinner was a bit bumpy with a dire alarm evacuating two buildings... but quickly resumed service upon coming back in (about 25 min outside waiting for fire dept to clear call)! We ordered several tapas to share for four of us, which was plenty! The ceviche taste very fresh and the mixture of all the juices and citrus explodes in your mouth! The calamari was freshly fried, not rubbery at all and was light to the taste. A perfect blend of fried, yet light and not oily. All of the food paired great with red wines we ordered. The chorizo taste amazing with the meat being juicy and seasoned just right! We were not disappointed with anything in the menu. Ambiance was great and service was great!

We were wondering up and down K rd. looking for something a bit different. Dropped into Carmen…read moreJones and were very pleasantly surprised. Happy hour had 500ml draughts at $10. We started off with the Chorizo and fried bread. A simple, but very tasty bit. Continued with more small plates. Had the Bombas- crunchy potato with meat and a great horseradish sauce. Had the hummus for Syria -a great blend of hummus, fried lamb and fresh salsa. The last item was a Spanish fried cheese on bruscheta. A fantastic place to eat al fresco right on the sidewalk!

Amazing food, authentic Middle Eastern selections and a great ambiance in the middle of town…read more Plenty of choice and the service was prompt. A little pricey but probably worth it.

Israeli and Middle Eastern food in a trendy CBD location with intriguing decor. I was drawn in by…read morethe "Real Falafel Dish," which was clearly marked "Vegan" on the menu outside, so I dragged my meat-and-potatoes parents in here for lunch. The Vegan Real Falafel Dish was nice, with lots of salads (diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and greens) stuffed into pita bread with a generous amount of falafels. It came with homemade hummus and this interesting green dip that is apparently from Yemen and was super-spicy! (Mr. Google tells me this dip is called "zhug" and is made out of cilantro, parsley, and hot peppers.) The falafel balls had a nice flavour, but they tasted a little too greasy and oily for my liking. Falafels are a tricky thing and everyone has their own preference -- to me, these were just a little too deep-fried and crunchy (I prefer softer, less oily falafels). But they were still nice. My dad had the "Brick Lane Salt Beef Sandwich" (pastrami, kosher pickles and mustard) and complained that the meat was still way too salty for his liking, in spite of the name. I don't think any of us have ever had Israeli food before, so maybe that explains it? The atmosphere of the place was cool, with interesting art and tapestries on the walls, and curtains dividing up the space. The service wasn't great. We arrived at the beginning of the lunch hour (11:45am) and several other tables were approached and served before us even though we had arrived first. They were also very slow to bring us the bill. The table itself was rickety and kept swinging every time we moved. Almost made me knock over my water glass -- should really be fixed. All in all, I won't hurry back although my dish was interesting and not bad for a unique dining experience.

Looking for some good middle eastern food while here in Auckland, Cafe Midnight Express did not…read moredisappoint. Dinner was very good and then the dessert. I consider myself an expert on baklava, ordering it everywhere, and I can say without a doubt that this is the best I've ever eaten!! If you come here for just one thing....it's the baklava, but you can't go wrong with dinner either.

Traveling around NZ for the last month and looking for something different. Cafe Midnight Express…read moreoffered us a fantastic meal with great, attentive service. I honestly feel my chicken shish was the best meal I've had since we started the trip! We were told that everything was prepared in house and the flavors were delicious. House wine was a bit of a disappointment but the food more than made up for that.

Mezze is a very charming space, that gives indulgent traditional vibes. It came up in a search of…read morerestaurants near my hotel and I was able to walk there. I didn't get the ordering situation right off the bat. You get a menu from the bar then sit, decide what to order, then place your order at the bar. You also pay when you place your order. I went with the lamb burger and a cider. The fries with the lamb burger were amazing as was the cider. The burger was well prepared but not seasoned the way I prefer. I'd totally return to Mezze and try something else. It's a very cool spot, worth the visit.

tried this tapas bar/ mediterranian food when we travelled to Auckland. the food was amazing. we…read moregot the chicken risotto, arancini, kofta kebab and the chorizo. we also tried their cocktails. the ambiance is very hippy. the staff were pretty cool and welcoming. also gave is a recommendation for a dessert which we ended up getting. we got the almond tart which was a good way to end our dinner. would definitely recommend if you ever visit this part of New Zealand.

Quiz night on Tuesdays is the perfect excuse to try out the Horse and Trap. Rigsy is a hoot on the…read moremike. And the bar food is well above average. Pizzas, burgers and salads mingle with steaks and pies on the menu and sit even better upon the tongue. Nothing original, but it's all done well. Just what one hopes for at a local. All that's left to achieve is that elusive 1st place...

The Horse & Trap's tagline is that they are a "stable of social relaxing". When we visited on a…read morebusy Friday evening, this was certainly the case. It was pretty packed, with after-work suits, girls pre-loading for town, and an intriguing mix of middle-aged suburbanites. The 100 year old building that the bar is housed in has a lovely feel to it; spread across 3 floors with plenty of private function rooms and outdoor areas, this venue can hold a crowd. As a Monteith's bar, your tap selection also includes their range of ciders which makes for a refreshing summer tipple. We were planning to just grab a drink or two, but looked over the menu & decided to stay. 1 of the 2 man-sized appetites I was dining with had a hankering for a burger, and the Horse & Trap Burger was calling his name. Served with pepper relish, battered onion rings & fries for $20, this was a man-sized burger. It even had the Kiwi touch with large slices of beetroot adorning the filling. The pattie appeared to be homemade, which is a big thumbs up for a busy pub kitchen. The chips were well cooked & seasoned, onion rings crispy & the relish was tasty. The only minor complaint was that the burger had been zealously seasoned - a touch too much cumin & coriander overpowered the other flavours. Otherwise the burger craving was well sated, and the request for extra aioli was happily met. Our other dishes included the Pulled Pork Quesadilla with black beans, cheese, guacamole & salsa ($18). Again this was heartily-sized for a quesadilla. The filling was tasty, but the guacamole was more like pureed avocado as you can see from the photo. It was a little too smooth & runny to qualify as guacamole. The last dish of the 3 was the Open Steak Sandwich with caramelised onion, gravy & fries ($19). Often times you'll get served a rubbery minute steak or flaccid schnitzel in a steak sandwich, so I was pleasantly surprised to have a decent cut of steak, cooked medium-rare. The gravy & onions complemented it very well; all-in-all, pretty damn good pub grub. It's not the cheapest night out at the pub, but the food shouldn't disappoint. Maybe that's why the mostly middle-aged clientele are proud to call this their local.