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    Ponsonby Central

    4.6 (40 reviews)
    ModerateFood Court
    Open 7:00 am - 11:00 pm

    Ponsonby Central Photos

    PONSONBY CENTRAL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Trendy
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating

    Recommended Reviews - Ponsonby Central

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    Reviews With Photos

    Toru
    Ron R.

    Ah yes, Ponsonby Central (PC)! One of my favorite places in all of Auckland! Maybe not necessarily for shopping, but definitely for good eats. When people ask me about this area, I usually describe Ponsonby in general as somewhat of a cross between the greenery of Berkeley with a Melrose Avenue type of flair. Classic homes with nearby stylish and contemporary shops. PC so happens to be in the middle of it all, running along side Ponsonby Road. Inside you can pick up produce from Ceres Fresh Market. They've got a large selection of organic fruits, veggies, cheeses, wines, flowers, and meats. Above average in price, but worth it in quality. The Dairy presents some fine New Zealand cheeses. Or you can do ice cream for the kids, and smoothies for the adults. The butcher shop is at Neat Meat, and they offer up some grain fed and aged types of meats. Wagyu beef and venison as well. There's also a bakery, places to get an expresso, and even crepes. They've got a barber shop, a pet shop, and even a psychic that'll read your palm. But when it comes to food, you can't go wrong eating here. This fits the bill for the phrase "plenty to choose from". This was where my love for PC just set in. If you want some appetizing and savory food, try the Blue Breeze Inn or my favorite, El Sizzling Chorizo. In the mood for seafood or fish, then try Jimmy The Fish and Tokyo Club. Fresh as can be! I gotta add the fact that I loved the fish'n'chips from Jimmy. So crispy good! See my review :) Burger Burger, Dante's, you can't go wrong! Overall, PC is an enjoyable place for everyone. Plan for a brunch, or a last minute dinner date. Get together with coworkers, or just simply hang out at any of the bars. Definitely grab yourself a menu and grub on some of the best food in all of Auckland. Dine here and you're golden!

    Melissa F.

    Ever since 'Ponsonby Central' opened I just knew it would be the new 'hub' of Ponsonby for quality produce, wine, coffee, cheese, meats, fish and of course the 'dining experience'. You are really spoilt for choice with the different fare available: 'Tokyo Club', 'Dantes Pizza', 'Toru cafe', 'Chop Chop Noodle House', 'Bedford Soda & Liquor', 'The Blue Breeze Inn' and a few others! I have nearly dined in all of the above and certainly had coffee at 'Foxtrot Parlour' and 'Toru Cafe'. Both impeccable from perception-to-delivery. You can park in the carpark behind 'Ponsonby Central' with the first hour free - bonus!!! Just remember to put your ticket on your dash:) All the retail stores are a 'breath of fresh air', from 'Zoo Warehouse' that have majestic mirrors and 'Wallace Cotton' who stock dreamy linen, slippers and funky tea towels! As you can tell - I am very enthusiastic about the arrival of 'Ponsonby Central' and will continue to spread the word! Now you know too.

    Toru
    Nora B.

    Ponsonby central is another level of cool. You walk in and you instantly want to eat everything everywhere at once. The design concept is similar to indoor markets but instead of being surrounded by stalls, you have lovely cafes and beautiful small restaurants. The vege market has fresh produce too which is a bonus I like the idea of being able to grab fresh fruits on the go. I know this review is not specific, but yelpers when you see the place yourself you would understand my all over the placeness! That and I am easily distracted so hard to pick favourites.

    Tracey C.

    Ponsonby Central is awesome! The concept of combining retail and dining in such an open setting is really different and more in line with the unique, quirkiness of Ponsonby. The lion statues outsides are very cool and befitting as the first retail store you see from the entrance is Zoo Warehouse. Wallace Cotton also have a large store here and other retail spaces are for temporary lease so you have pop up shops which makes it more interesting. Toru is the first cafe or maybe more bistro offering as you enter, they offer a lot of seating and there are French style lounge chairs in a space behind the Zoo Warehouse which is a great waiting area if you were early or your friends were late. Other eating options, my favourites, Dantes pizza and the Japanese place. There are also a couple of great cafes across the small outdoor eating area which occupy an area shared by Ceres Organics and a butchers. Overall Ponsonby Central has a communal feeling to it and on the weekends in particular it is so busy. It really has become the place to hang out in Ponsonby and is more of a lifestyle concept than any particular genre and on Sundays they have a market out the back.

    Long Black #cafelife #toru
    T I.

    Toru definitely has great staff, delicious food and tasty coffee, which is locally made, big plus! Seating area, that's comfortable and spacious.. Love the large table in the middle! Ti

    Every foodie's dream
    Phillipa P.

    When I stepped into Ponsonby Central my heart, and embarrassingly my feet also, leapt for joy. Never before had I been faced with so many delicious, high quality options. Thinks all the pros of a food court, minus the burning fluorescent lights, sticky tables and heart attacks on a plate. Ponsonby Central certainly does well for a foodie's soul. We went there for an extended family lunch and it was beyond perfect. Which is no mean feat considering our family has gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and vegan members. And these kinds of diets are what I expect most of Ponsonby are on, so they've certainly hit their target audience. I can't wait to return and try out all the other options, although I might be there a while.

    Sarah B.

    What a cool place this is. It took a few moments for me to work it out... is this a foodcourt? Is it a collection of tiny restaurants around one courtyard? Is it something else entirely? I'm still not sure of the answer, but I know there's a great little open plan area, some indoor areas, and lots of delectable food. So far I've only tried the pizza from Dantes, and it was a-mazing. It came complete with a little diatribe from an authentically Italian waiter, who told us about the pizza methodology, the nutritional benefits of the pizza dough, and the least sloppy way to eat the giant slices. And then we did and it was delicious. My only complaint is we went in search of wine and couldn't find any, perhaps it is a foodcourt after all?

    Jess D.

    Ponsonby Central has all the right intentions, it just needs a little more time. RIght now it's the newest, coolest, hippest place for the Ponsonby trendies to hang out and rightly so - the food is good, the atmosphere is fun. The produce market at the back needs a bit more work to get humming but they will get there eventually (I hope). They've just started holding weekly Sunday markets and although it had been raining when I went last Sunday, so maybe some of the stall holders were still in bed, again I felt like it had good intentions but still needed a bit of work and organisation. I love the Zoo Warehouse store out the front, full of vintage and shabby chic furniture and home accessories.

    Food is moments away!

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    1 year ago

    Great spot for all things dining! Loved all the options. Short walk from Grey Lynn neighborhood.

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    Great location, food stalls, staff and prices! High quality selection of cuisines! Highly recommended!

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    Review Highlights - Ponsonby Central

    See my review :) Burger Burger, Dante's, you can't go wrong!

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    Elliott Stables - Nasi Lemak from Lepak Malaysian restaurant- this was our fave meal of our whole trip!

    Elliott Stables

    4.4(90 reviews)
    1.7 kmAuckland CBD
    $$

    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.

    Photos
    Elliott Stables - Love the unique vibes - it's like a lively Asian-street-market-meets-cozy-pub!!

    Love the unique vibes - it's like a lively Asian-street-market-meets-cozy-pub!!

    Elliott Stables - Delicious Nasi Lemak from Lepak Malaysian restaurant - our fave meal of the trip!

    Delicious Nasi Lemak from Lepak Malaysian restaurant - our fave meal of the trip!

    Elliott Stables - Angry Bird Bao from Bao Baby Bao - SO GOOD!!

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    Angry Bird Bao from Bao Baby Bao - SO GOOD!!

    Ponsonby Central - food_court - Updated May 2026

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