The Feed | The New Zealand Food News You Need To Know

It's that time of the week again. Get ready to feast your eyes on all the hottest food news from around Aotearoa. We’ve got the inside scoop on all the latest and greatest openings, collabs, events, products and more so you can spend less time researching and more time munching (because priorities, people).

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Tāmaki Makaurau Bars Are Shaking Things Up For Auckland Cocktail Week

Image credit: Truth or Dare Bar | Vicki Young 

Participating bars are shaking things up this week—of the cocktail variety—for Auckland Cocktail Week. Running from today, Monday 22nd June to Sunday 28th June—this is the first-ever week-long cocktail celebration aimed at both hospitality and the public, helping hospitality hone their skills and showcasing some creative cocktails our city has to offer. 

The first half of the week will be filled with active fitness and volunteer sessions in the mornings (in partnership with Healthy Hospo), as well as seminars and masterclasses in the afternoons for hospitality professionals (and some bar events in the evenings will be open to the public too). The second half of the week will host unique menu concepts, special tastings, and weekend cocktail events open to the public. From events like Glenlivet’s House of Jazz as part of Truth or Dare’s first birthday, Ao Cacao and Bar Mea’s Appleton Estate rum cocktails and chocolate pairings, to guest bartenders from Pōneke as well as Melbourne, to name a few things in store over the week. 

Bars taking part include ACS, Bar Mea, The Broken Lantern, Caretaker, Goblin, Little Culprit, Panacea, Parasol & Swing, Pineapple on Parnell, Rocketman, Truth or Dare to name a few (side note: pictured, the last cocktail I had from Theo, an incredible croissant and Earl Grey tea-infused gin with fresh perilla leaf). Jump on the event socials for all the deets. 

Two Iconic Chefs Are Collaborating On A Full-Volume 90s Throwback Dinner

Image credit: Chef Lesley with the reimagined Bunnings snag at The Grill | Instagram 

Team Lillius and Chef Lesley Chandra (ex-Sidart, now at The Grill), are collaborating on a special one-off dinner this Tuesday 23rd June—celebrating the 90s with iconic references, playful dishes, bold techniques (along with bold 90s tunes to boot). Celebrate the excess of the 90s with a twenty (yes, twenty!) course snack menu for $220 per person, and beverage pairing for additional cost. Try your luck for a spot for this one night only, 90s food nostalgia here. 

Head To This Restaurant And Bar For the Last Of Their Martini Month Special

Image credit: Bivacco | Supplied

In case you missed it—Bivacco is celebrating all month long with Martini Month, with four exclusive martini creations featuring different gins, along with a recommended wagyu cheeseburger pairing at their bar (the only way we’ll have our martini, thanks). Choose from a peppery radish-brine number (garnished with pickled radish), smokey-spicy jalapeño with added Mezcal, sweet lychee and Lillet, or their tomato vodkatini—bring the crew and try them all before the month ends. 

Sofitel Auckland Launches A New Wine Dinner Series With Local Winemakers 

Image credit: La Marée Sofitel Auckland | Vicki Young

Glam up with your finest cocktail attire and head to La Marée by the Auckland waterfront, where Sofitel Auckland is launching L'Heure du Vin (‘The Wine Hour’), a quarterly wine series hosted in partnership with Vinarchy, with their first collaboration this Friday 26th June with Hawkes Bay’s Church Road Winery. 

Sofitel Auckland’s Executive Chef Mani and the team have created a 5-course dinner to complement a distinguished selection of wines from Church Road Winery—think oysters and Sturia caviar, crudo in cucumber consommé, seared duck breast and two desserts (of the blueberry and chocolate combination, plus a refreshing lime finish, a signature beauty from pastry chef Rose). Tickets are $185 per person and can be booked through here. 

Head To Takapuna For Mussels And Chips With This New Opening

Image credit: Mussel and Chip | Instagram

Kaimoana (especially kutai a.k.a. mussel) lovers rejoice, Takapuna has a new chippery in town and they’re serving mussels by the dozen, with all the tallow-fried chips and fluffy focaccia sides (for that essential sauce mop). Enter Mussel and Chip, owned by Jake Bartrom, a second generation mussel farmer—these are as fresh from farm to chippery as it gets. Choose from chorizo vodka tomato, a Vietnamese broth-inspired dozen, classic Paris Butter and wine, Thai-infused coconut with crispy shallots, buffalo-style blue cheese sauce or natural (with lemon and parsley). We’ll take all six dozen with a crisp local beer on tap (they also have cider, wine by the glass, non-alc options and free soda water too). At the time of writing, I’m eyeing up their just-in, smokey mussel chowder—perfect for those cold nights. Make your trip over the bridge, stat. 

Aotearoa’s Biggest Food Festival Is Back—Get Ready For International Guest Chefs And Local Collabs, Burgers And More

Image credit: Visa Wellington On A Plate 2026 | Supplied (Rodney Scott from Charleston | Photography by Angie Mosier)

The programme just went live for Visa Wellington On A Plate 2026 last Wednesday, and we’re drooling over all the burgers (yes, all 240+ of them), events (with Tāmaki Makaurau faves hitting the capital plus international guests George Motz headlining burger culture and Pitmaster Rodney Scott with his iconic whole-hog barbecue), and craft beer heaven a.k.a. Beervana at Hnry Stadium. With the festival kicking off in just less than two months time, keep up to date with all your ticket releases (plus Visa pre-sales) here. In the meantime, drool with us as we choose our picks from the festival here. 

Update: The Visa Presale has officially begun today, with general release tickets to the public opening next Monday 29th June.

WOAP have also just released a new event, with Matua chef Joe McLeod (Ngāi Tūhoe) sharing Māori food traditions with Chef Keiko Kuwakino of 里山十帖 Satoyama Jujo, known for her Michelin-starred mountain-to-table cuisine from Japan’s Niigata region. Hosted by Te Āti Awa at Pipitea Marae, this Kai meets Shoku six-course dinner based on foraging, history and the storytelling of two cultures is not one to be missed. 

Here Are Our Picks This Hot Chocolate Season In Tāmaki Makaurau

Image credit: Little ‘Lato | Supplied

Believe it or not, it is actually pretty cold in the once-tropical Tāmaki Makaurau. Coming from Pōneke, I’m pulling out the winter jackets from storage as we head into what is unofficially known as "hot chocolate weather." From Little ‘Lato’s hot chocolate affogato (or a reverse-affogato with their thick Italian-style hot choc), a very decadent toasted s’mores hot choc at Miann, to Cocoa Wild’s popular tiramisu-inspired fluff hot choc—let our picks on where to find the best hot chocolates in the city be an excuse to leave the house this week. Sip your way through our recommendations here. 

We’re Excited For Cassia’s Restaurant Residency in Grey Lynn Ahead Of Their City Opening

Image credit: Cassia x Ozone Grey Lynn | Supplied (Photography by Sahil Patel)

Award-winning modern Indian restaurant Cassia is entering an exciting new chapter, with restaurateurs Sid Sahrawat and Chand Sahrawat announcing a new Grey Lynn residency at Ozone Grey Lynn, ahead of the re-opening of Cassia’s new forever home on Albert Street (in Auckland’s CBD) later this year. From Wednesday 17th June to 15th August, diners will be able to experience a special Cassia and Ozone residency menu while their flagship restaurant is being completed. It’s a full-circle moment for Ozone Head Chef Karol Troncoso, who previously worked at Cassia and is now back in the kitchen alongside Sid, Cassia Head Chef Ketan Joshi and the team. 

Along with a special tandoor, new menu highlights feature Delhi style butter chicken, alongside fan faves such as pani puri and their famous Mughlai lamb chops (with smoked yoghurt, pickles and coriander). Plus, they had me at Moreton Bay toast and ghee lamb sausage rolls too. Save room for dessert: there’s lychee and yoghurt sorbet, and a decadent chocolate kulfi featuring cumin caramel and Ozone’s coffee ganache—this residency is definitely not one to miss.

The residency runs on Wednesdays to Sundays, from 5pm to late (and we hear there’s an Ozone lunch special on the menu with Cassia chicken kebab during the day too, plus great coffee). Walk-in’s welcome, but book to make sure you definitely have your seat here.

Check Out This New Wagyu Flavour With An Exclusive Weekday Lunch 

Image credit: Wagyu Shogun | Vicki Young

Wagyu Shogun’s popular A5 Kagoshima Wagyu lunch offering has seen their wagyu sukiyaki set (complete with Cocoro Chef-Owner Makoto Tokuyama’s popular ontama a.k.a. “hot spring egg” addition) sell out on lunchtimes during the week—along with free rice refill and miso soup, this is a bargain of a lunch for a special weekday price of $24.80. As of last week they’ve just released a new set and flavour, their A5 wagyu negi-shio, featuring a lighter marinade of spring onion and ginger, along with their signature ponzu sauce and all the refreshing grated wasabi and red yuzu kosho additions for an extra spicy kick. 

Side note: We also can’t get enough of their Kagoshima Kuroge wagyu and Iwate Iwachiku wagyu—for the ultimate wagyu fan, with premium wagyu cuts featuring two distinct wagyu eating experiences.

There’s limited sets daily, so make sure you book your lunch reservation in advance here. 

Come Hungry, A New Ramen Bar Has Opened In Tāmaki Makaurau

Image credit: Den Ramen Bar | Instagram 

Tokyo street ramen food truck Miso-Ra and the Pici crew have opened their joint venture Den Ramen Bar on Cross Street. For those who have been following Miso Ra’s food truck locations across Tāmaki Makaurau for that miso ramen fix, you can now check out this new brick and mortar chapter tucked just off Karangahape Road. Having just opened last Thursday, this bar takes walk-ins only—we’ll see you there for comforting bowls of ramen and drinks. With Kirin on tap, chilled red, sake, cocktails and ramune on the sip list…I’m eyeing up a yuzu negroni with a hearty chashu-topped, steaming bowl of ramen already (plus a couple of snacks on their hot and cold snack menu). Follow their socials here for opening days and times. 

Truffle Season Is Here—Tāmaki Makaurau Has All The Truffle-Infused Dishes From Breakfast To Dinner

Image credit: Bar Albert’s Truffle Cocktail | Supplied

While the winter weather is coming in brisk and cold, let truffle season be the answer to go out and treat yourself to something decadent. From fresh NZ truffle on hollandaise over poached eggs with culatello at Duo to start the day (only available for a limited time on their specials board), truffle-laden pizza for lunch at Mozzarella & Co., and then for dinner—freshly-shaved truffle added on to any dish at Bossi. Add (at cost by the gram) to dishes like Bossi’s famous giant ravioli, fettucine tossed in a Parmigiano Reggiano wheel, and Scampi Risotto—but what I really want to know is whether we can add it over their signature Tiramisu, too.

Round off the night with a truffle-infused vodka cocktail overlooking the city at Bar Albert. Plus, Bar Albert has an exclusive single-serve whole-baked truffle camembert from Over the Moon Dairy that’s just arrived on the menu (think oozing cheese and truffle, with pretzel sticks). Get a taste of ‘black gold’ from the South Island while you can these next few months (a.k.a. Black Périgord truffles—incredibly fragrant, and one of my faves).

Hungry for more? Check out the hottest new openings you need to know about here. 

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Main Image Credit: Bivacco Bar’s Martini Month | Supplied