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 tried Petra and although it wasn't the kind of shawarma that I was looking for (in a pocket-type…read morebun) I decided to support them as the place was empty. The lamb shawarma I ordered was tasty but far too expensive for the ingredients. $27 for a small lunch is too much.

If you are after your typical 2am kebab - you know, the kind that is drenched in sauce and stuffed…read morefull of dry doner meat - this is not your jam. Instead, come here expecting fresh, made to order and packed full of flavour authentic Middle Eastern dishes. I am still making my way through the menu but my favourite dish to date is definitely the Lamb Shawarma - a delicious flatbread wrap stuffed full of grilled meat, herbs, pickles, tahini and a delicious garlic sauce. Incredibly satisfying but still somewhat healthy or at the very least, nourishing. Also worth a try are the Kooba - bulghar wheat dumplings stuffed with spiced lamb. I think they could do with a little more seasoning but nevertheless, they're pretty damn tasty. Although Petra's decor suggest it's more of a takeaway joint than eat-in restaurant, for a mid-week dinner I think it's legit. You will have to dine off paper plates but they have some preeetty sweet sequined chandeliers and if your lucky you may even be treated to some never-heard-before K.Perry remixes.

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.

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.

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.

This place is conveniently located on Bryce Street, next to the Centre Place shopping mall. It…read moreserves a variety of Turkish and Mediterranean dishes and has a great little atmosphere (moreso in the evening). There are lovely stained glass lamp fixtures to give a little character to the otherwise fairly modern and clean black furniture. Now, I used to rank this as my second favorite Turkish place in town, but in recent visits, I think it may have traded places with my past favorite and top my list. My slight reservation in saying that is that I haven't had amazing food EVERY time (once got a Turkish ravioli that was so sub-par I left half of it) but the staples of this menu have been great each time (for example, the chicken shish). There is both indoor and outdoor seating, though honestly, I haven't eaten outdoors here. One thing to remember: keep your receipt if you parked in the Centre Place garage. You can get your parking ticket validated inside Centre Place for discounted parking if you spend more than $10.

Everything in the Mixed is delicious, awesome presentation. Great lunch. Humus and tzatziki tasty.read more

Seated right away. Great selection of breakfast items. Perfect coffee to go with my Avo toast…read more Friendly staff. Baked goods were at the counter. Took an almond pastry to go!

Its been a wee while since I have managed to devour the populating Auckland food scene. Looking…read morethrough my list of bookmarked eateries, Sunday called for brunch. Removing myself from the usual spots in the city we tried Crave in Morningside. Situated in a pretty quiet spot, the site itself was light and airy with tall ceilings and is a lot larger than the pictures presented. Extremely busy upon arriving, we added our names to the list, and as accurately estimated by the host the wait was only around 15mins for a table. Between the four of us eating, there were a few hits and misses. Upon being served, two of us received our meals before the other two with about a 3min wait between dishes served which is always a tad awkward watching other people eat before yours is served. Almost after always ordering the Mushroom on Toast dish today wasn't too far from the norm by choosing the Fungi from the menu. Instead of your standard toast option, it was served on a delicious kumara and feta cake, however the herb garlic cream was very lack lustre. It didn't give me that feeling that I wanted more and really missed that umph and body and was fairly under seasoned. It's a shame because the concept was there and presentation was a beaut. If I could make one recommendation, please serve it on a plate and not a bowl, it's frustrating to try scoop the last few bits with a fork and knife. The rest of the dining party were happily pleased with their tasty meals, with each dish having a modern switch up to your classic eggs bene and scrambled eggs. We agreed it would have been great to have a slice of toast or a hash served with the Cottled Egg just to tie the dish together. Otherwise overall the service was on point and friendly topping off a satisfied feeling upon leaving. Rating: Food: 7/10 Service: 8/10 Value for money: Very Good Opening Hours: Mon-Weds: 7am-5pm Thurs-Sat: 7am-late Sun: 7am-4pm 6 Morningside Dr, Morningside

What a great local find! We were taken here by some friends who work nearby, as this is one of the…read morefavorite haunts. I can see why. The four of each enjoyed our dishes: Snapper of the day, Oxtails, and Lamb shoulder (see photos). All were very reasonably priced, and very tasty. My lamb shoulder was particularly tender, and had the texture of osso bucco. The crème flan, while good, was the weak part of the meal. Wine price was very fair. Service was excellent. There is a nice rear outdoor garden patio to enjoy your meal.

One of my absolute favorite places to eat! The staff is very friendly and you'll crave the food…read morelong after you go. Has a gorgeous courtyard in the back which is equipped with a sheltered area and heaters so you can enjoy it even in the rainy weather! Awesome spot for coffee and hands down the best item on the menu is the Kumaru burger

The food and drink an atmosphere are incredible! I had the mocha and the Mad Dog. Go try it!read more

This is one of those coffee shops that you wished you lived close by to. Trust me I know, because I…read morelive within walking distance of at least 5 (maybe more.) Their attention to detail and care was bar none. Toys and dishes not only catered to littles, but also served with kindness and delight. Their food was also delicious (sandwiches, pancakes, donuts, and muesli, oh my!) and especially loved the iced maple latte. We will be back and soon!