The Top Food Experiences in Auckland
From the city centre’s laneways to the outer islands’ vineyards, there are culinary delights to discover across the region of Auckland. In this list of foodie experiences in Auckland, we go over several food-related activities to suit a range of budgets and tastes. Combine your foodie visit to Auckland with a stay in one of the 10 Best Accommodation in Auckland for Foodies.
For more about food in Auckland, see The Food Guide to Auckland: Places to Eat & Food Tour.
1. Browse One of the City’s Many Farmers’ Markets
Farmers’ markets provide authentic Kiwi foodie experiences in Auckland, with some of your best options being in the suburbs of Grey Lynn (Sunday mornings) and Mt Albert (Saturday mornings). Closer to the city centre, La Cigale French Market (Saturday mornings) is always worth a visit for its handmade bread, olive oils, meats, pastries, chocolates, condiments, cheeses and more. Finally, take a road trip to the Matakana Village Farmers’ Market on Saturdays to pick up some artisan goodies and check out some of the surrounding wineries in the region. Learn more in the 10 Best Things to Do on the Matakana Coast.
Location: Grey Lynn Farmers Market – Grey Lynn Community Centre. Mt Albert Farmers Market – 847 New North Road. La Cigale French Market – 545 Parnell Road, Auckland Central. Matakana Village Farmers’ Market – 2 Matakana Valley Road, Matakana.
© ATEED2. Tour Waiheke Island’s Wineries and Vineyards
Auckland’s sunny climate is ideal for wine-producing. With that, north of the Auckland region and Waiheke Island have rows and rows of vines that decorate the landscape. For foodies, this means there are cellar doors to visit showcasing local wines. Waiheke Island provides your most comprehensive array of wineries, from boutique vineyards like the Bach winery to internationally-acclaimed brands like Cable Bay.
Either make your own itinerary to visit the cellar doors with our 21 Vineyards & Wineries on Waiheke Island or enjoy the ease of a wine tour with companies like Waiheke Wine Tours (more info on Viator and Tripadvisor), Wai Tiki Tours (on Viator and Tripadvisor), Enjoi (on Viator and Tripadvisor) and Ananda Tours (on Viator, Tripadvisor and Klook).
Location: Waiheke Island. Ferries depart from 99 Quay Street, Auckland Central. Find out more and book your ferry ticket on KKday.
© ATEED3. Join a Culinary Tour of Auckland’s City Centre
A great way to start a foodie trip to Auckland is to get orientated with a culinary tour. The Big Foody offers a range of food tours in Auckland, taking food enthusiasts to laneway coffee roasters, supermarkets where the chefs shop, the Auckland Fish Market and some fantastic restaurants. What’s more, you’ll get some recommendations on where to eat in Auckland from your expert guide who is a judge for culinary competitions. Discover more about The Big Foody’s tours on Viator and Tripadvisor.
Location: Pick-up provided or meeting place is organised in Auckland Central with the tour provider.
© NZPocketGuide.com4. Treat Yourself to a Fine Dining Experience at Harbourside, Kazuya and More!
To celebrate a special occasion or “just because”, treat yourself to some of the fine dining experiences in Auckland. A few venues worth mentioning include Harbourside in the city centre for its seafood specialities with a harbour view. Kazuya on Eden Terrace serves beautifully-presented plates of Japanese cuisine. Or try Cibo‘s irresistible degustation dinners in Parnell. Check out more of our restaurant recommendations in the 10 Best Fine Dining Restaurants in Auckland.
Location: Harbourside – Level 1/99 Quay Street, Auckland Central. Kazuya – 193 Symonds Street, Eden Terrace. Cibo – 91 Saint Georges Bay Road, Parnell.
© ATEED5. Try the Local Craft Beers on an Auckland Beer Tour
Did you know that New Zealand is home to more than 160 microbreweries? Get started on visiting them all with a brewery-hopping tour in Auckland! Bush and Beach offer an Auckland craft beer tour, taking you to three different breweries and brewbars with a tour of Hallertau Brewery included. Find out more about Bush and Beach’s tours on Tripadvisor along with their wine tours. The Big Foody also offers a walking craft beer tour, listed on Viator and Tripadvisor.
Otherwise, just enjoy tasting some hoppy goodness independently. Brothers Brewery & Juke Joint in Mt Eden serve their own beers. Check out more about New Zealand’s beer scene in the 10 Best Brewery Tours in New Zealand.
Location: Bush and Beach offer local pick-ups. The Big Foody organises a meeting point in Auckland Central. Brothers Brewery & Juke Joint – 5 Akiraho Street, Mount Eden.
© NZPocketGuide.com6. Sample Kiwi-Style Food at One Tree Grill, The Maori Kitchen and More!
You didn’t come to New Zealand to try food that you already eat back home, did you? Try Kiwi cuisine at One Tree Grill in Epsom for signature dishes including Hawke’s Bay lamb, Canterbury duck and local market fish. Try traditional “hangi”, food cooked in an underground oven, at The Maori Kitchen located in the NorthWest Shopping Centre. Or head to Newmarket’s Teed St Larder for New Zealand-style baking and mains. Find more places to try local dishes in Where to Try Traditional New Zealand Food?
Location: One Tree Grill – 9 Pah Road, Epsom. The Maori Kitchen – NorthWest Shopping Centre, 1/7 Fred Taylor Drive, Massey. Teed St Larder – 7 Teed Street, Newmarket.
© ATEED7. Discover Auckland’s Bar Culture on a Cocktail Tour
Sightseeing and cocktail sampling unite in this small-group walking tour with Unique Tours. Join your guide for a bar-hopping experience discovering some of the best-hidden gems that you’d probably otherwise miss. The tour includes meeting each bar’s mixologist, sampling cocktails and learning about Auckland’s colonial and volcanic history for your guide. Find out more about Unique Tours on Viator and Tripadvisor.
Location: Tours depart from the ferry building, 99 Quay Street, Auckland Central.
© ATEED8. Try Out the Auckland Street Eats
For foodies on a budget or unashamedly wanting the “street food” experience, there are a wealth of options in Auckland. Try Sri Pinang on Karangahape Road for their cheap and cheerful chicken curry laksa, Le Paris French Eatery at Elliott Stables for their savoury buckwheat flour crepes, or Better Burger on Customs Street for, well, damn good burgers. And the list goes on in The Top Cheap Eats in Auckland.
Location: Sri Pinang – 356 Karangahape Road. Le Paris French Eatery – 39/41 Elliott Street. Better Burger – 22 Customs Street East.
© Unsplash9. Combine Sailing and Sustenance on an Auckland Harbour Dinner Cruise
Sail away on the Auckland Harbour as the sun sets and the city lights ignite the sky on Explore Auckland‘s harbour dinner cruise. Enjoy sightseeing iconic landmarks like the Auckland Harbour Bridge and Sky Tower from the water before anchoring at Westhaven Marina for a three-course dinner of Kiwi surf and turf favourites. Find out more about the Auckland harbour cruise on Viator, Tripadvisor, Klook and KKday.
Location: 220 Quay Street, Auckland Central.
© Explore Auckland10. Pick Your Own Berries
Try this quintessential foodie experience in Auckland that Aucklanders love and we think you’ll love it too. When summer rolls around (December to February), it’s time to hit the berry farms in Auckland’s surrounding suburbs for picking your own and indulging in berry foods like real-fruit ice cream and smoothies. Strawberries are the main berry in Auckland, with the best pick-your-own strawberry farms being Zaknich Farms, Sweet Red and ZaberriWorld.
Location: Zaknich Farms – 125 Waitakere Road, Waitakere. Sweet Red – 61 Bradly Road, Helensville. ZaberriWorld – 340 Riverhead Road, Riverhead.
© UnsplashMore About Food Experiences in Auckland
That’s it for our list of the best foodie experiences in Auckland but by no means the end of our culinary recommendations. Check out the following guide for more about food in Auckland:
- 8 Cultural Experiences in Auckland
- 20 Best Things to Do in Auckland
- 10 Alternative Things to Do in Auckland
- 20 Free & Cheap Things to Do in Auckland
- 10 Best Accommodation in Auckland for Foodies
Finally, plan the rest of your gastronomical journey around the North Island and New Zealand with the North Island Food Itinerary: Two Weeks, North Island Food Itinerary: One Week and New Zealand Food Itinerary: Three Weeks.
