I think I may just have found my new favourite Vietnamese restaurant in Auckland. Cafe Viet has…read morebeen open for about 5 months now and after discovering it on Yelp, I decided to pick up some take outs from there last night. We ordered: - Bang Bang prawns - crumbed and deliciously crispy on the outside yet juicy and tender on the inside. The coconut dressing was a bit too sweet but we would order them again sans dressing. - The crispy spring rolls with nuoc nam dressing - the best spring rolls i've had in Auckland. The diced meat (pork and prawn) was given the usual treatment - wrapped in spring roll paper and deep fried - but was gave these bad boys their point of difference was that they were wrapped in fresh paper with crunchy carrot, lettuce - a spring roll in a spring roll. GENIUS. - Lemongrass Chicken - beautifully fragrant and tender. It was served with cold vermicelli and a crunchy, fresh salad. A must order dish in my opinion. - Pork Claypot - the only dish we weren't sold on. Unfortunately they had not rendered any of the fat off the pork belly and we found the sauce to be a little too sweet. It came with a decent serving of rice and salad though, which was a nice touch. Looking forward to going back for a lunch date and trying their Pho Bo. Although, judging by how busy it was when I picked up take outs, i'll be make sure I make a booking before I do!

I stepped into Cafe Viet with my dining companion who simply loves vietnamese food. He was super…read moreexcited about this place and couldn't keep his eyes off the menu. We started with Fresh rice paper rolls w prawn & braised pork (12). This was delicious and refreshing, but I felt the rice paper was a little tough to bite. Then came the Bang Bang prawns (12), deep fried with green rice. I loved how huge and crispy they were. You soon get a bit sick of the "deep fried" part though. Our mains were Grilled lemongrass pork (22) and a Beef rice noodle soup (15). There were so many various thing on my pork plate which included pork steak, meatballs, rice vermicelli, salad and prawn crackers. This was fantastic as I am a fan of trying out different things at once! Pork was tender and salad accompanied it perfectly. The vermicelli here is too thin so that it forms like a soft blanket which was interesting. However, meatball was too salty even with the rice vermicelli. I tried a spoonful of the noodle soup but did not enjoy the strong spice/herb flavour. We decided to share the Viet coffee (4.5) with ice as it was an evening. Coffee was dripped into a glass which had a sweetened condensed milk. The flavour was quite different. Very new. It was almost like an liquor with not so strong coffee taste. I wasn't sure if I like it or not.

The coffee here is always good and we have had some nice breakfasts here. One suggestion is: the…read morecafe needs some uplifting decor; tables/chairs and paintwork, as it feels a little dark inside and looks like it needs some love and brightening up.

Great service and wonderful food! I went solo and the staff were attentive and gave me a nice table…read moreright by the window. The latte was also lovely!

Awesome vibe at this food court. They're also open later than the neighboring mall food court on…read moreElliot Street. Variety of options, including Thai, Singaporean, Mexican, burgers, and Japanese. We got the Singaporean food and fish and chips. Both were great!

A lively, energetic food hall with tons of variety and a unique vibe that somehow manages to merge…read morethe Asian street market scene with a cozy European pub feel. Location is excellent- right in the heart of the CBD - and the food is all excellent! We loved it so much we ate here several times on our trip. The space is huge with plenty of small, intimate tables or large family style tables if you're feeling sociable. The building is one of Auckland's historic buildings dating back to 1910 and the space is decorated so nicely. Definitely a great spot to relax and hang out. The seating in the core is totally British pub style with dark wood tables, benches, and dim lighting to add to the ambiance. The seating around the outer rim is lit with skylights above and decorated like the streets of Europe. And all around the walls you'll find some really fun neon Asian street signs - such an interesting mix and makes it really fun. Our fave restaurant is Lepak. They serve up Malaysian deliciousness and our fave dish was the Nasi Lemak - coconut rice, chicken curry, nicely fried egg - fabulous!! We got this several times and it was consistently excellent. We also tried their chicken satay, Malaysian milk tea (hot), and mini curry puffs - all of it was lovely - highly recommend! Our second fave is Bao Baby Bao - their buns are soft and delicious- especially the Angry Bird Bao which is like a mix of bao buns and trendy hot chicken. We also tried the pasta carbonara from De Niro on one visit - it was just ok, a little heavy and a tad bland but otherwise ok. The Asian food genre is definitely the way to go here imo. Prices are pretty reasonable, especially by US standards - and the quality is definitely there. It gets pretty packed but we always found a seat easily. Staff were all welcoming and friendly. They have large, clean bathrooms but I'm not sure about the parking situation since we walked from our hotel in the CBD - it's a very walkable city.

I've had some gua baos from other Auckland eateries that serve fusion food. The reality is that…read morethey stuff the open-styled Chinese buns with something made in the kitchen and call it a gua bao. No. The trick to the tasty authentic guao bao is that fatty pork must be used - the pork belly type where you can count the layers. Juiced up with a beautiful sweet sauce and a touch of peanuts, it is literally heaven in the mouth. This is where the gua bao at Chinoiserie wins. The bun was surprisingly soft and fluffy, both to have there and takeaway. This is interesting because this type of bun usually dries and hardens when it cools. Think of the buns you have at yumcha when no one wants to eat it, and the peer pressured one is then faced with a cold hard white Chinese bun. The first time I tried Chinoiserie, I embarrassingly made friends take it away because I was stuck in glorious Auckland traffic. Them coming all the way from Christchurch to taste this, I was lucky the taste wasn't compromised! The second time I went with friends who had the authentic gua baos in Taiwan, and it was a unanimous thumbs up. The only difference is that the ones there are usually made with pickled veggies instead of the colourful Western slaw. Unless you have a reason to: - don't order the tofu gua bao. The taste really paled in comparison to others. EAT SOME MEAT! - opt out for the fries. They are really just fries with a wasabi dip. Plus they were the skinny kind and I like the manly chunky ones. - opt out for the coconut crusted squid rings. They were a bit bland and there was no sign of coconut taste. - go somewhere else for dessert. The black sticky rice dessert seemed to be just a sliced assortment of ingredients scattered. Instead - order the pork gua bao. I normally don't even like pork but they are traditionally made with pork and once you taste it you'll know why. - in fact order 2. Because if you have a normal appetite, one gua bao won't totally fill you up. You'll need sides. - try Erk's Sticky Chicken Nibbles. A touch of spicyness - so good. - get the fresh coconut. You'll also get a spoon to scrap the sides for coconut flesh! I can happily say Owairaka Ave is turning into quite a trendy place to eat out thanks to Chinoiserie and L'oeuf. The menu is simple and you order at the till. No table service or waiters there to pick up white serviettes that drop when you stand up. Just satisfyingly tasty food.

As a Mt Albert resident I am proud to say that we have one of Auckland's coolest bars. Not in a…read morefancy, trendy way but more like a bar/restaurant that became the legendary place of the neighborhood as soon as it opened it's doors. The whole concept is in my opinion quite humorous - turning a cheap local Chinese takeaway into this effortlessly awesome bar. Interior decor - Chinoiserie is a very cozy, friendly place with a unique, hip look. Just like L'Oeuf it is somewhere in between modern and retro with a very cool dragon graffiti on the wall and the usual gorgeous plants just popping out on every shelf and hanging from the ceiling. Paper umbrellas were used in place of lamp shades to emphasize the oriental look. Staff - lovely as always they are very helpful and organized, happy to have a chat and make you feel like at home. Menu - very simple with 4 options for gua bao (steamed buns), some slaw, chicken nibbles, squid rings and 2 dessert options. So easy to order and yet so tasty and delicious. As for drinks they have a few beers and this summer's favourite - Coco Loco! Food - ordered at the counter just like a standard takeaway but then you get this great quality and high standard food full of flavours that reminds you that these guys are serious when it comes to serving gourmet food. Price - very affordable and good value for money. The real beauty of this place is it's unique atmosphere - very chilled out and relaxing. You can walk into Chinoiserie and forget about the outside world. Flavours take you on a journey and when it's time to leave you feel like you are going back home from a vacation.

This place is the best. We only live down the road but can never go past our local, Clevedon Cafe…read more The girls change up the menu regularly which is unusual for any restaurant. But don't fear, they feature similar meals and ingredients just with a different idea. Their charcoal bao buns, yummmm, and their sweet bao buns on their brunch menu are out if this world. We have never had a bad meal there. The staff are always friendly and helpful.

Fantastic food. I've eaten here at least three times and have always been thoroughly satisfied with…read moremy meals. They are good sized servings, delicious and well presented. The cafe is kid-friendly and has at least a couple of high chairs for its littler patrons. There aren't a lot of vegetarian options but the eggs benedict mushroom dish was superb. Really tasty. Out of the desserts, the cheesecake is great but very rich! I would recommend sharing a portion. There are a number of other delicious sounding options. They have breakfast, lunch and dinner menus and a couple of kids' options as well. Catering and arranging functions here are also options.

If you're in Auckland, you definitely need to check out some of the cafes they have in town! We…read morestopped by Bestie Cafe on the first day of our trip and we had a great experience. We were seated immediately after getting there and got a carafe of water quickly after that. The food and drinks came out fast which was great for us since we were starving from our flight. Both of the dishes we got tasted great. My toast had a lot of mushrooms on them but they were cooked perfectly. The drink we got tasted great too! I got a simple tea that came with fresh turmeric, which definitely helped my sore throat. Definitely worth a visit!!

I love bestie cafe! I have come several times and each time the food and coffee are great. The view…read moreof the sky tower is beautiful. The staff are welcoming and kind. My favorite cafe in Aukland. The toastie with fried egg was delicious and the hot cakes as well. Their counter has a nice selection of treats and I love the veggie sandwich!

Every 3 months I forage in my wardrobe for items of clothing I no longer wear. Said items are…read morebundled up, put into a rubbish bag and transported to a Clothing Bin, hopefully for use by the many charities that collect and distribute said articles. This is a great way to rid yourself of "last summers" fashion etc, make room for the new, and if these organisations can make a dollar or two from my donation then hoorah for them! On one such excursion I found myself in Onehunga Mall early on a Saturday morning and in dire need of a mocha! I headed to Brick By Brick Cafe, located at the top of the Mall where I knew I could park my car right outside with minimum fuss. Initially I thought the place was closed as at 8.00am the interior was bereft of patronage but as I pressed my nose against the glass door, it opened. I was immediately struck by the most alluring aromas; think freshly baked mouth-watering wares being hauled out of hot ovens by the tray full! Swallowing my drool, I ordered my mocha and pointed to the most delicious looking savoury muffins (still in the baking tray) and asked for one (I had to fight the urge to order all six!) Helping myself to a chilled glass of water, I sat down and began to peruse my surroundings. I've no idea what this building was in its former life but it is a most impressive structure; spacious, cool interiors, large ceiling to floor windows and my seat was a couch, trendy and extremely comfy. My muffin and coffee duly arrived and with the beaming smile from the waiting-person, I was left feeling most welcome and quite at home! The coffee, muffin and chilled water were all superb and the cheerful farewell on my departure, more than warranted the $5 tip I left on the table. My only regret: I didn't order the other 5 muffins. Maybe on my next visit!

We went here on Sunday for a coffee and snack to share. It was very quiet because it was late for…read morelunch but a good number of people dropped in for coffees. I ordered a latte and my partner had a lemon ginger brew. I was so disappointed that I didn't order the brew, it was soo good and refreshing. Will definitely have this next time. We also ordered a BLAT to share. Yum! The bacon was delicious which was a weird experience because i don't usually like the bacon in NZ The whole sandwich was just a great combination of flavours and the bread was light with no heavy full feeling afterwards. It might have helped that we shared the sambo though I would recommend this place. The food is great and the service is so friendly

For a tourist attraction location buffet, the prices are actually quite good! Also, usually buffets…read morekind of have mediocre food, and the drawcard is that you can eat as much as you want of it, but we genuinely enjoyed many of the things on the line-up - especially the butter chicken!! For desserts, the caramel slice and the triffle were my favorites.

We really enjoy fortuna buffet every time we go. There is a fantastic variety of food and I like…read morethe selection of seafood. Kids love it also, especially the dessert bar. Very reasonably priced for what you get. We last went 10th June.