Four of came in for a dinner on a Thursday night…read more I ordered the Moroccan Lamb, a slow roasted lamb shank, carrot, chickpeas, sultanas, couscous, yoghurt, mint gremolata. My spouse ordered the Citron Chicken Tagine, a Ras el hanout, preserved lemon, carrot, chickpeas, apricot, couscous, yoghurt, almonds. Both meals were very yummy. The servers were attentive and polite but the ambience was still to "mall" like for me,even though we were in a mall.

Wanting to continue enjoying the company after a movie, we headed here for some drinks, which…read moremainly consisted of chocolate oriented items. I ordered the calamari because I felt that's a pretty safe item and it can be compared across restaurants. It arrived and I was slightly surprised as it was spiced and lightly sauced, not tempura-ed or breaded or fried. Once I got over that, the taste was good; granted that this was most likely a sharable dish, I'd recommend getting something else to pair with it because eating the entire thing by yourself is not the way to go. Especially when everyone else is enjoying baby churros with shot glasses of melted chocolate. Also, make sure to make your order well known. A lady at our table ordered the same drink three times and hadn't received it until we were about to go. The manager came over and served her personally, explaining that they had some new staff and apologized for the confusion. By this point, she was already over not receiving the drink, but once she sipped it, she was wishing she had received it a lot earlier.

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.

Mezze bar is a great place to go to if you want some small plates to share for the table. This was…read moreour first restaurant that my family and I had the time to sit down and eat while on holiday. We didn't make a reservation and was still able to be seated which is nice since there's five of us. The food was all pretty good. We all felt satisfied and enjoyed it. My favorites were the Parmesan polenta chips and mushroom risotto. All the food on their menu looks great to try and it's hustling and hustling inside as well. They also have sangrias to go with the tapas as well.

For many years this place was run by a depressed man who wanted to find a wife. Seriously, he told…read moremy boyfriend so when he was picking us up some dinner. Back then it was also caled the Cedar Café but it appears to be under new ownership and has got its game together. It's a great place to pop in and buy a big tub of hummus or some Turkish delight and stocks many other Middle Eastern products as well in the shop at the back. The cafe part is more a takeaway with a couple of tables, but the food is delicious. We do frequent other kebab places but this is my favourite - especially if they have the mini Spinach Borek rolls.

When you're bored with all the Asian offerings on Dominion Road, head to Shefco. This place does a…read moremean kebab. The produce is fresh, the hummus tastes authentic and they have the most amazing garlicky, lemony chickpea salad. It's a fantastic find for vegetarians, with a large range of vegetarian salads to choose from along with the fresh falafel. Meat eaters are well catered for too: none of this processed lamb-on-a-spit crap that the food hall kebab shops serve. And moist, flavourful chicken. The servings are big, the prices are low, and there is a shop at the back where you can stock up on baklava, dolmades and other Middle Eastern delights. There are a few tables available inside, and a couple outside in a small sectioned area overlooking Dominion Rd for those who can't wait to dig into their kebab. Otherwise this is more of a takeaway option.

After hiking up Mt. Maunganui, we were looking for a place to eat. There's plenty of options in the…read morearea so we walked along the main strip and found Turkish To Go. It's right in between Bella Italia and The Coffee Club. We dropped in on a Saturday afternoon (around 1:45pm). Most people were doing takeout so we also did the same. The menu is split into iskender, vegetarian kebabs, meals $10 and under, pita pockets, meze/sides, kids menu, salads and desserts. You can customize exactly what you want in your order. Service is fast and friendly enough. - Lamb on rice ($10.00 NZD) - my dad's order. Literally just rice and lamb slices. Lamb didn't taste very lamby. He tried the tomato sauce on his. - Mixed iskender ($13.00 NZD) - came with rice, salad and choice of sauce (up to 3). Rice was really good. We tried the avocado sauce. Sadly, it didn't help the chicken or lamb; both were a bit dry and bland. The salad mix was good along with the hummus, tzatziki and red beet labneh. Good portion size too. - Falafel vegetarian kebab ($10.50 NZD) - came with salad topped with any combo of sauce wrapped in a warm pita bread. The falafel was delicious. Loved how they smashed the falafel down in the pita and toasted it up for a slight crunch. Tasty! Great spot for cheap, tasty Turkish/Lebanese food. Takeout is perfect as it's right by the beach.

Every Saturday they make fresh pita bread, kebabs, cheese/lamb/zaatar pizzas. The mini cheese…read morepizzas are my favourite and for only $1.50 each, they're value for money! Usually the freshly baked food is all sold out by midday Saturday so try to get in early. The kebabs are okay too. They come in a pack of 14 so it's great for a last minute family lunch.

One of the few places in Auckland that offers a good selection of middle eastern cuisine. Their…read morelahmuajeen is good and they also do a Circassian chicken dish which is unusual to find in a restaurant.

Really good food!!! Was pleasantly surprised about the authenticity of the food. I went to Morocco…read moreand have to say this place is better than most of the places I tried in Morocco. The food portions are very generous. I went for the Moroccan lamb tagine and my wife went for the lamb wrap both were excellent. We did baklava for dessert was a bit too sweet for us but still good.

Gemmayze was one of my fav places to eat in Auckland (in spite of the low Yelp reviews, which seem…read moreService focused and an area I fortunately had no issues with). We had a rez and were able to get seated ~5 min after arriving on time. Place was packed at 8:30pm on a Friday. Cocktails are delicious - really flavorful . Easy to order multiple. Orange Blossom Martini was good and easy; Jiddi Sour was unique delicious For food, Hummus and pide a great start. Bread is fresh, warm, and tasty. Lamb was delicious and filling. Carrots an excellent side - roasted well and the fennugreek sauce was on point. Chill vibe in what feels like an open atrium mall

Wish I saw all the reviews about how the rude host staff is before I went. They asked us to wait 30…read moreminutes, which was no problem. I ask if we can leave our name on a waitlist somewhere and they say they don't do waitlists, so we have to just wait there on the side. Weird but again, no problem. 45 minutes pass by so I politely ask if there's an update to the table. The hostess literally yells "I told you guys the status of the table multiple times." And storms away. I'm from the States so I'm not sure if I was breaking some cultural rules, or something, but I was really polite when asking, and I only asked one time. I was never told the status "multiple times" and I don't know who "you guys" is. This place needs a reality check, the food was awful and service was miserable. I don't recommend this establishment to anybody.

I have heard many good things about Fatimas, however I feel completely let down…read more I paid $11.00 for a chicken chwarma and what I got was a smallish bun, over cooked chicken (some of my chicken was actually black/burnt) swimming in a bed of lettuce and cucumber mint sauce and hardly any tomato relish... On the plus side the potato koftas were nice, even though there were just small hash browns.

Always a solid and relatively healthy takeaway option. Personal pick is the Fatimas Favourite, and…read morea side of potato koftas is pretty much essential. Order ahead with the YQ app, it'll probably be ready when you get there.

I think this is one of those kebab places that don't really get the recognition they probably…read moredeserve. I like my kebabs, so I venture to new places all the time, to check out what's on offer. And this place really offers a lot! Not only do they do kebabs but they also do a type of pizza which was interesting. I hadn't really come across that before. On top of that they are flexible with your orders, and are also very accommodating to vegetarians which is always nice. The flavours are really there too, which makes me think they use quality ingredients and probably as fresh as possible. They do table service and are prompt with cleaning up which is nice too.

Recently I'd had a long day and didn't feel like cooking, and neither did I feel like paying a bit…read morefor a full on restaurant meal. I thought I'd try out my local kebab shop, and I'm glad I did: far from bring the usual mystery meat dodgy joint, this one has a good range of Turkish/"Middle Eastern" food, including pizza, iskenders, and salads. I had a vegetarian moussaka and I was super pleased to see that it had a number of recognisable vegetables in it, and tasted like someone had cooked it recently, and it wasn't just taken from the freezer and reheated in the microwave. I also got a decently sized and equally fresh salad with it too. I shall return!

Over the weekend, two friends and I were invited to dine at Bodrum Market in Westfield Newmarket's…read morenew rooftop dining precinct. It was a fantastic lunch, thanks to the lovely food, cocktails, ambience and service. Bodrum Market is run by one of my favourite hospitality companies - Nazar Group. Founded by Alex Isik and Nigar Ivgen, they own restaurants all over Auckland, including Feriza's, Miss Istanbul, Ottoman Mezze Lounge, NOA Chargrill + Burger, Devon on the Wharf, Mozaik Caffe, Deco Eatery, Casablanca and Bodrum Kitchen. All of their restaurants bring a slice of the Mediterranean to the table - featuring Turkish, Greek, Moroccan and Middle Eastern dishes... so we were really excited to check it out! Walking in, we absolutely loved the interior of Bodrum Market, which is inspired by Istanbul's Grand Bazaar and the streets of Bodrum City. While I have not yet been to Istanbul (it is on the list!), I immediately felt transported to an exotic city! We were seated in one of their booths, which overlooks the dining area and bar. If you dine at Bodrum Market, you must order a cocktail! We tried three which were all refreshing and delicious. My top picks are the Bombay Masala Talkies - Gin infused with masala tea, butterfly pea flower syrup, lemon juice and Mediterranean tonic water; the Sultan Treat with Russian vodka, rose petal water, fresh pomegranate, lime juice and pomegranate molasses; and the Aam Pana Cooler with Tequila, orange liqueur, raw mango puree, roasted cumin powder, lemon juice and lemonade. (Seriously, typing this now makes my mouth water!!!) And now for the most important part, the food! Bodrum Market is offering diners an authentic experience by serving four different cuisines - Indian, Italian, Turkish and Latin American Asado, just like the traditional food markets of the Mediterranean. Their aim is to showcase unique flavours from each of their teams' homelands. We were lucky enough to get a sneak peak through their kitchen and admired their Wood-Fired Pizza Oven, Asado Grill and Doner Kebab machine. There are many options on the menu to suit a range of palates, and I recommend sharing if possible so you can try a few dishes. We trusted the team to bring us a few of their favourites from each of the four cuisines to try, including Olives and Feta with almonds and dates, Chicken Lollipops with chili sauce, Grilled Octopus with new potatoes, paprika butter, garlic aioli and parsley, Beef Short Ribs with Chimichurri sauce and Prosciutto Pizza with fresh rocket, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and Parmesan. We loved that everything was super fresh, flavourful and tasty, plus every dish was full of colour. Our favourites were the Beef Short Rib - lathered in a beautiful Chimichurri sauce and the meat was melting off the bone! The Chicken Lollipops were also a highlight, and we surprisingly enjoyed the Grilled Octopus... must admit those tentacles freaked us out a bit! For dessert, we tried their Loukoumades - light and fluffy Greek honey puffs, drizzled in chocolate sauce and served with pink fairy floss, ice cream and pistachios. You will definitely want to save room for this dessert! For a further sweet treat, head outside to the entrance of Bodrum Market to admire the displays of Baklava, Chocolate Baklava and Turkish Delight - definitely recommend buying a few pieces for the ride home. Thank you Bodrum Market for a FAB dining experience - we cannot wait to come back! x