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Ponsonby Friend

4.3 (4 reviews)
Open • 10:00 am - 10:00 pm

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Baduzzi - Gelato

Baduzzi

4.5(96 reviews)
2.0 km•Wynnard Quarter
•$$$

Absolutely wonderful. First dinner in Auckland and it was a winner. Our server was Valentine...she…read morewas excellent. We ordered way too much food...it just looked so good. We ordered: Wood Fired King Prawn. The King Prawn arrived and it was beautiful and very large. It was served with a black peppered pancetta and a gremolata sauce of which both enhanced the grilled prawn. Not a drop was left. Mamma D's East Coast Beef Meatballs. They were big and filling. Some of the best meatballs served in restaurant. I thought they were packed a little tight. I loosely form mine when tends to ensure tenderness. The sauce was perfect and they went well the side dishes. Cacio & Pepe was served and it was the prettiest we had ever seen and probably the best we have ever had. Put it right up there with those served in Roma. Polenta - another winner and beautiful. It also went well with the meatballs. Creamy and delicious just wish we could have eaten the whole dish or had a kitchen where we were staying...that good. Baduzzi was hopping the night we were there. So glad that we had reservations...highly recommend booking.

Balduzzi is a spot I've been to twice. It's in Wynard Quarter in a cozy spot near the ASC building…read more It's even got an Italian three wheeled truck outside. The owner is from Italy and the care shows. The pastas are great and the highlight are the meatballs. They are huge so beware but delicious. We were yearly too full after the great bread to even think about the pasta but they were both great. There are two parts to the restaurant but we liked the patio area outside. Overall a nice spot for both lunch and dinner.

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Baduzzi - Bar

Bar

Baduzzi - Great take on the Tiramasu it's like a deconstructed one I love the more traditional ones but this was pretty good

Great take on the Tiramasu it's like a deconstructed one I love the more traditional ones but this was pretty good

Baduzzi - Flatbread with eggplant and polenta

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Flatbread with eggplant and polenta

Odettes Eatery - Herbed Scramble

Odettes Eatery

4.3(60 reviews)
1.2 km•Auckland CBD
•$$

Several months before we started our cruise, we had already arranged to spend a few days in…read moreAuckland after disembarkation. I knew the location of our post-cruise hotel and looked up several nearby eateries and convenience stores in the CBD. I was fortunate to find Odettes Eatery, among other restaurants and businesses, across the street from our hotel at the City Works Depot. We had an early breakfast on board before disembarking. Still, when I mentioned eating lunch across the street at Odettes Eatery to my sisters and husband, they heartily agreed to the restaurant's Mediterranean and North African menu. It was peak lunch hour, but we managed to walk in, where we were welcomed and seated by a cheery hostess. Within a few minutes, our friendly and happy server, Jacob, came by to introduce himself, suggest thirst-quenching beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), and describe menu items we weren't sure about, given the menu's limited descriptions. It took us a few minutes to decide on our meals while Jacob piqued our interest with his suggestion of their thirst-quenching Honey and Ginger Lemonade, along with glasses of iced water, giving us a little more time to decide. FOOD: -Flatbread Lunch Special (Gurnard with Romesco): two large strips of golden-fried panko-coated cod-like textured topped a wood-fired flatbread slathered with smoky, nutty, and slightly spicy Romesco sauce. The crisp, fried, panko-coated fish was complemented by lightly dressed, fresh, shredded cabbage and herbs. I asked Jacob to identify the type of fish used in this dish, as my family and I thought it might have been cod or monkfish, but Jacob said it was locally caught gurnard fish. My older sister practically single-handedly devoured this lunch special, but I was happy to have tasted a bit of the crisp fried panko-coated fish. NZ$29/NZ$39 incl beverage -Seared Snapper, Greens, Wild Rice, and Soy Green Goddess: The grilled pieces of fish were "buttery" moist, delicately sweet, and their firm white flesh flaked well. The mild-tasting fish was enhanced by a squeeze of freshly grilled lemon and lightly dressed greens. I preferred the grilled preparation to the deep-fried gurnard. NZ$46 -Chips: My husband and eldest sister zeroed in on the chips, AKA thick-cut, deep-fried potatoes, after reading their accompaniments of berbère, honey mustard, and curry leaves. Although I shared my seared snapper with them, I barely got two pieces of the crispy, on the outside and soft, fluffy, interior, deep-fried chips before my husband and eldest sister stuffed themselves. NZ$16 -Chargrilled Chicken Skewers: The three skewers of chargrilled, juicy, and tender chicken had been seasoned with paprika and turmeric. The chicken skewers were accompanied by toum, a Lebanese garlic sauce, and a few guindillas (Basque Spanish pickled chili peppers). My husband and eldest sister shared the chicken skewers and chips as their meals, exclaiming they'd return for more during our additional 3-day post-cruise stay. NZ$45 -Green Salad: This simple family-sized green salad of green leaf lettuce leaves, radicchio, and sliced cucumbers and radishes was lightly dressed with a semi-sweet, floral, and rich-tasting muscat vinegar and olive oil. This green salad was refreshing, healthy-tasting, and very shareable. NZ$16 Everything about Odettes Eatery from its flavors, food presentation, excellent and friendly service, comfortable ambiance, and value, to me, warrants a 5-star rating from me. They were so good that we returned for lunch with our New Zealand friends.

We just arrived into town and needed a quick bite for late breakfast…read more We were so happy to find Odettes because the food was fantastic. The flavors were outstanding and food presentation was unique. Staff were friendly and service was spot on. The outdoor seating was lovely. We noticed the indoor environment was beautiful as well. Definitely great place for food and coffee!

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Odettes Eatery - Inside

Inside

Odettes Eatery
Odettes Eatery - Outside

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Outside

Touquet - Quinoa salad, care of the chef. Green and light!

Touquet

4.5(10 reviews)
2.0 km•Auckland CBD, Viaduct
•$$$

If you love wine, please come here! This place is not only adorable, but the wines and appetizers…read moreare amazing!!! I decided to come here for wine and a cheese platter before going elsewhere to dinner. The best decision I made throughout my trip! I decided to try local NZ wines but they have an impressive French wine selection. Let me save you some time.... JUST COME AND ENJOY YOURSELF! The cutest staff, great location and amazing food and wine. Definitely gonna try and squeeze another visit in before going :)

We got a Grab One voucher for a three course meal for two and decided to try Touquet on a quiet…read moreweekday. Really liked the clean and casual decor. There was only one other party there and we got some little quinoa salad appetizers care of the chef which were fresh and light. The pulled oxtail was big and impressive for a starter, and quite tender and juicy. The ricotta and spinach ravioli was much smaller and the purees were light and dampened the strongish ricotta flavor to make the whole dish more subtle. I personally would've preferred something a bit tangy to counter the ricotta, rather just make it less ricotta-y. For mains, the Akaroa king salmon was seasoned and cooked PERFECTLY (crispy skin but still deep pink and juicy on the inside and the whole thing flaked apart)... I love the taste and texture of salmon and the chef really brought out the best of the fish. The large amount of lemon potato that came with it looked like a sauce or soup, but had the texture of thick potato puree and tasted pretty creamy. I liked it, but it was heavy because of the cream and felt like a lot more than an equivalent amount of mashed potatoes (good if you're hungry, but didn't make the dish feel very balanced). The Hawkes Bay lamb scotch fillet was cooked not quite consistently, as a few pieces were medium and some were medium-well. We prefer medium-rare. The stack of cooked veggies that came with it was juicy and flavorful, though. For desserts, the crème brulee was PERFECT and using manuka honey instead of sugar meant it was less sweet, which we preferred. The jasmine infused pineapple with coconut three ways was really nice to eat slowly and enjoy all the different flavors and textures... I quite liked the chewy coconut biscuits, especially when soaked in the juice at the bottom. Overall, really enjoyed our dining experience there. The waitress and chef were really nice to have a chat with on the quiet evening. The dishes were really well priced for the quality, even without a voucher. We'll definitely head back at some point. I want to give them a 4.5, but will round up in this case.

Photos
Touquet - Hawkes Bay lamb scotch fillet. Eggplant, mushroom and sage jus

Hawkes Bay lamb scotch fillet. Eggplant, mushroom and sage jus

Touquet - Vanilla and jasmine infused pineapple with coconut in two ways

Vanilla and jasmine infused pineapple with coconut in two ways

Touquet - Hawkes Bay lamb fillet

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Hawkes Bay lamb fillet

Ponsonby Friend - juicebars - Updated May 2026

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