My favorite stop to buy fresh fish, and oysters. Located in the neat village of Birkenhead shops,…read moreis this cute little fish shop that also sells fish and chips to go. Family run business they have just amazing service and always a friendly face to see. The Fisheries have fresh Gurnard, Snapper, Tarakihi, Flounder, John Dory, all caught locally and filleted for your convenience. Fresh Salmon, Oysters, and Scallops lay on display at the street window display, not a need to drive miles away to visit the seafood markets really. You will be impressed by the options, and not let down if your after fresh and tasty.

The freshest fish you can find anywhere and the chips are perfect too. My first choice after…read moreAuckland lockdown!

I had the opportunity to eat dinner here twice while staying at the Hilton, and both were…read morephenomenal experiences. First of all, the ambiance is spectacular, with gorgeous views of the harbor. My first night, dozens of sailboats were out, singly and in groups. The staff was welcoming - a sense of formality, but not pretentiously so. The first night, I had the Signature West Coast Whitebait Fritter, Kūmara Fries, and Mango and Mānuka Honey Cheesecake. The second night, I had the Signature Mediterranean Crab Cakes and the Herb Crusted Mt Cook Alpine Salmon. All were wonderful. The small plates were the Whitebait Fritter and the Crab Cakes. New Zealand Whitebait is a real delicacy, and they were perfectly cooked in what would better be described as a thin omelette rather than a fritter, topped with a deliciously rich buerre blanc and fried capers. Stunning! The Crab Cakes were served with a crayfish lemon mayonnaise and balsamic vinegar. Quite tasty with a nice crunch - use the lemon, it really helps bring out the flavor. Of the two, I would recommend the Whitebait Fritter hands down. It's something I will remember. I got the Kūmara Fries (New Zealand's sweet potato) as a side, and they are delicious. Coated with some parmesan cheese and served with black garlic mayo! So good. And it's a large serving - from looking around, all of their sides are designed for more than one person. That said, I did a pretty good job with the fries by myself. The Herb Crusted Mt Cook Alpine Salmon is another New Zealand-centric dish. The dish is exquisite and overwhelming. The salmon itself was perfection - perfectly cooked and rich in flavor. Then add the delicious pickled fennel, the red capsicum marmalade, the horseradish cream, herb oil, and the saltiness of fish roe? Explosions in your mouth. The Mango and Manuka Honey Cheesecake was rich and delicious with a nice crust. They also had a nice selection of New Zealand beers, wines, and liquors.

We were staying in the Hilton so we ate breakfast here during our stay. I ordered off the menu…read morehaving pancakes one day and French toast another. Both were beautifully presented with fresh fruit and flowers to adorn the main dish. The food was excellent. I also had a hot latte which was creamy, hot, and came with latte art. So good. We were seated at tables on the windows to enjoy the beautiful harbor views. Service was excellent.

Great place to visit. Some great looking fish stalls and some just ok looking stalls. We stopped…read moreand looked at everyone and looked to see what they were cooking and selling most of. We did manage to pick a great one. Loved the aspect of picking out your fish at a Fishmonger and taking it over to a cooking stall that works with the Fishmonger. Saw lots of tables with huge grilled fish...we were jealous! We picked Sanford's and were not disappointed. We shared a grilled lobster tail and some grilled prawns. The lobster was served with a small tasty salad and perfectly cooked chips. Wish we had more time to spend in Auckland because this would be on our list to get back to. Highly recommend.

Had a great lunch at the Auckland fish market recently - my husband and I stopped by on a whim and…read moregrabbed a variety of items. Luckily, it was an off peak time so we were able to grab a seat, but I can see it being chaotic during the main lunch rush. There aren't too many stalls, a couple where you can get fish prepared fresh, one that seemed a bit more grab-and-go. And then one to get raw fish to go and cook at home. We both really liked the skate and fries dish. It was delicious and we had never had skate prepared like that!

This was a delicious breakfast. The whipped yoghurt was amazing. The fluffy, airy sweetness was so…read moregood and the granola was also great. Fresh and crunchy with sweet stone fruits on top. The sourdough and eggs were great as well. I personally don't like parsley garnish so I didn't enjoy that on the egg as much but everything else was fantastic. Tomatoes were really juicy. Everything just tasted super fresh and of great quality.

we loved everything about this restaurant when we had dinner there. so much so that we went back…read morefor breakfast a day later! All the people there are friendly and efficient. The seating is comfortable. Go here.

Waygu Burgers were awful. Oysters were great Beef tartar great why they couldn't cook a medium…read morerare burger was beyond understanding. If you serve raw tartar... why can't the burger be pink and juicy. Fries and onion rings were good. Kenny was sweet

Great location and nice views. We were recommended to this restaurant by our tour guide. We made…read moresame day reservations for a group of 3 online. Food: 5/5 Caprese salad: Pretty standard caprese salad. It was light and refreshing. Crispy Fried Squid: Very unique flavor combination and squid was perfectly crispy. Squid pieces did come in larger sizes than we anticipated but nothing a knife and fork can't cut down and fix. Kimchi aioli, charred lemon, crispy kimchi, kimchi powder. Savannah Angus Bone-in Ribeye: The steak was cooked to perfection and very tasty! You get a pretty large portion size for the price you are paying (from an American currency standpoint). Service: 3/5 I am not sure if this is a New Zealand thing or not but it took almost 1 hr between the time we got our appetizers/ salads to when we got our main entree steaks. Service in general seemed very slow. The restaurant didn't seem like it was lacking in staff so I am not sure why there was such a long wait for our food. This is one of the reasons why I gave this restaurant 4 star instead of 5. Website for reservation: 4/5 Making reservations online was easy. You are able to choose if you want indoor or outdoor seating with their available times for that day. However, they have a error in their website where you are required to choose and pay for their special set selected lunch menu when you try to make an appointment for their outdoor seating regardless if the reservation is for lunch or dinner.

Popped in here for fish and chips today while I was visiting the North Shore. It's a modest little…read moreplace, mostly dealing in fresh fish and selling fish and chips and burgers etc on the side. We got two pieces of snapper and one scoop of chips for $13, and it was heaps of food! The pieces of snapper were huge, lightly battered and flaky and soft. The chips were crunchy and delicious. We sat inside at one of the two little plastic tables and enjoyed. This is very basic - no napkins, no condiments given (except some lemon), and a faint smell of fish in the air. But the fish is really good!

Yummmmmm fish and chips and SO cheap compared to Australia. It was so fresh and lovely and the…read moreservice was friendly and helpful. I'd definitely recommend these guys. Location is super convenient too right near the Countdown supermarket.

For one reason or another I have become completely infatuated with soup this winter - hearty and…read morechunky; pureed and smooth; salty, clear broths... I love them all, so you can imagine my excitement when I heard you can get a big bowl of soup plus a freshly baked bead roll for a measly $7 at Il Forno. Being that it was Dad who informed me of said deal I dragged him along for lunch there last week. That day there were two soups on offer - sausage and tomato and, curried pumpkin. Both settling on the latter we pulled up a pew at one of their communal tables and waited. Within 10mins the soup arrived, piping hot with two caramelized onion rolls on the side. The soup itself was o.k, not bad but definitely a bit bland. Although I must admit after adding some much needed salt it was much, much better. The bread roll on the other had was deliciously soft, as fresh as they come AND huuuuge. Although not mind-blowingly good, at $7 a pop, I will definitely be back. Perhaps, also sample some of their unreal looking sweet treats!

Another fabulous onsite bakery and cafe! When in Ponsonby you expect only the best when it comes to…read morefood. Il Forno will not let you down, they have amazing coffee, super friendly service, very tasty bread, and pastries and ready made baguettes. This is only a few of the treats available at this hidden oasis. Located off the main drag of Ponsonby, the smell of the baking bread definetly drew me in to its warmth. Up the stairs there is a dining space, and the inside decor is that highly influenced by Italy and Italian food. If you are after some ready made pasta and sauce? Or perhaps a few frozen pastry items you can grab your shopping from the fridge and pay at the counter before you depart. A few personal touches I pointed out and liked were the Madeleine tea cakes that accompanied my coffee. The sugary authentic bakery styled donuts, and the Italian soda.

Super simple little store. I grabbed half a dozen oysters to eat on the go, and they were probably…read moresome of the best oysters I've ever eaten. The cashier offered me a few lemon slices, and there's Tabasco and forks on the tables. You don't need much else. They also had a bunch of cookbooks and other seafood for sale, it all looked pretty interesting.

If you are an oyster fan, it does not get much better than Te Matuku Bay Oysters…read more Personally, these oysters are right up there, if not better than, the famous Bluff oysters. Te Matuku Bay oysters are slightly smaller, but fuller in flavour. If on Waiheke, buying a dozen of these beauties is a must. I prefer to purchase the unshelled bags, giving you the envious task of opening them yourself and getting more for your money, with the unshelled being slightly cheaper. March to April are the best time to be buying oysters. Locally grown, the shop is situated near Countdown on Waiheke, with the oysters processed onsite. The shop offers a range of other seafood products, with the Coromandel Smoking Company dips (mussel and salmon) and the mussels themselves also worth trying.