Very cute decoration as you walk in. Feels like a Moroccan sitting area. The place is quite big,…read moretables for days. Very comfy chairs. The menu is great and the food is better. Head chef is Jordanian so you can expect authentic middle eastern tasty food. The charcoal BBQ menu is probably what most people would be going there for. And it won't disappoint. The whole family loved it. Will be our regular.

Upon arriving into Auckland and getting to this area we stumbled on this little cafe on our hike to…read moreour hotel. The menu and interior looked good so we decided to return after we checked in. Sooo happy we did as the food here is delicious and well priced! We even told the owner we would return even though we were only in Auckland for 2 more days. And yes, we stopped in the last night! I had the lamb sharwarma the first visit and it was awesome!! The flavors melted together and the lamb was cooked to perfection. The last night I tried the falafel dish and that was amazing as well. The falafel was not dry at all. I am a huge fan of camels and this cafe is decorated with lots of pictures of camels! I'll be back when I find myself in Auckland again!!

GREAT MID-EASTERN RESTO…read more This joint was near our hotel, so my wife & I went for a take-out meal and had it in our room. We had the Shish Kebab meal together with an order of Hummus with pita chips and a baklava for dessert. Cost = $33. We devoured it all and thought it to be delicious. I may be a bit over-enthusiastic because we are somewhat deprived of good ethnic restaurants in Southwest Florida, but I must say we loved this meal.

My husband and I are in Auckland and the weather has been on and off with the rain. We wanted…read moresomething warm and light so thought Mediterranean or something similar would be great. Found this place nearby through a search. For food, we ordered the Lentil and Tomato soup and Moorish Eggs. Both were warm and tasty. Both were actually quite filling especially with the bread that it comes with. For drinks, my husband had a Flat White and I had a Cool Colada. I can't speak to the Flat White but he said he liked it. I love my Cool Colada. It was a good mix of juices. I really enjoyed the warm berry topping mixed with the coconut cream. Delicious! We ordered at the bar. Drinks came out first then the food. Timing seems standard. Service was good and actually one of the better ones from my experience here so far. Ambiance is cozy with lots of seating choices to choose from. Feels like a mix between a coffee cafe and lounge. We were on some couches by the window with charging outlets nearby. It was pretty comfortable. There are quite a few folks in here working or playing games as well if anyone is looking to do any of that. Overall great and glad we found a decent place to keep us dry from the rain!

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.

Their menu includes most of their items in a "small" format, so we had a selection of these between…read moretwo of us. Lovely tasty food; the mantu were good enough that we ordered a second serving. Complementary cardamom-flavored tea. Reasonable prices, the staff were very helpful and friendly. Presentation is elegant; linen, heavy tableware, nice ceramics. Outside tables next to a pocket park on the corner of Pt Chevalier Road, so a few opportunities for people watching; they also have large-group tables inside, which were buzzing with happy punters.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I've heard lots of advertising for Fatimas and I'm addicted to Middle Eastern and Turkish/Greek…read morecuisine so I've been meaning to eat here for a long time but hadn't gotten round to it. Came for dinner with a friend and we shared the Potato Koftas and pita chips and dips (hummus and an eggplant dip). And then had a spiced lamb pita each. I was quite disappointed with the starters in general. The potato koftas looked like potato hash bites that you'd get in the frozen section of the supermarket- and tasted the same. The pita chips were fantastic and there were heaps of them - but both the dips were rather bland. The pitas on the other hand were excellent. Juicy lamb marinaded in a really nice spiced sauce with lettuce, tomato, parsley etc etc. Nice Mayo sauce as well. On the way out I saw their special was a chicken harissa pita so I'm going to be back to try that, but will pass on the sides next time. Fatimas is designed as a takeaway place, but they do have 3 tables and a sit at bar for eating there.

Really disappointed in this place tonight. An American girl…read morenamed Dee ( on the docket)stared at me condescendingly every time I tried to catch her eye for 45 minutes and didn't call out my order name once. Other orders ready were called out multiple times but not once did she say my name. I didn't ask was it ready as I didn't want to be a pain when they were obviously onto it calling out the names. Finally I asked 45 minutes later and she looked under the bench and said oh yeah here it is.My food was totally cold when I got it and I wanted to say something to her but she flipped her ponytail and turned away. I get that it was just forgotten or whatever but there was no apology offered at all. I love the food at this place but the staff needs talking to about customer service and using their brains if they see a customer waiting a long time.

Low-key 24/7 casual spot that hit the spot!…read more We stumbled upon this cafe one evening and enjoyed a burger (sunnyside up egg included) and a side of kumara fries with a fantastic garlic aioli! Order at the counter, pay for your food, and a few moments after we enjoyed a tasty and underrated meal!

When looking for a date night spot on our trip to NZ, we came across Chargrill. I am seriously…read moreupset we haven't come every time we've been! The food was delicious. My partner got one of their pizzas and it honestly was so nicely cooked, the crust was perfect, and there was a generous amount of toppings but not overwhelming. I had one of their pasta dishes and loved it. The portion size was just perfect and the flavour was great. The service was excellent. The woman that took our orders made small talk with us and even joked with us. She was lovely. There is limited seating inside so keep that in mind if you're visiting during peak hours. There is seating outside, but it is next to a street (not much traffic but the occasional car). Overall we had a lovely experience and it was one of the most affordable meals we had while visiting. We will definitely be back