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).

Never miss a new opening or upcoming event in Aotearoa again—get us in your inbox here.

Dave Verheul From Melbourne Wine Bar And Restaurant Embla Is Coming To Pici On Monday 

Image Credit: Pici | Supplied

Melbourne wine bar and restaurant Embla has been a defining eatery; a genuinely loved space that has shaped what it means to drink natural wine in the city. Owner Dave Verheul also has his own boundary-pushing aperitivo brand, Saison, who make everything from spring rhubarb vermouth to artichoke vin amaro. On Monday 14 September, Verheul is bringing his food and his exceptional drinks to Pici for a legendary evening. Expect many, many drinks, a DJ, and dishes like ham hock and octopus terrine, scampi chowder, and deep fried sardines. It's walk-ins only so you'll want to get down early; things kick off at 4.30pm. 

Your Game Day Feed Kicks Off At Sports & Rec Auckland

It’s peak league season, and Sports & Rec is serving up game-day energy, making it the perfect spot to catch the big game while keeping the fun going long after the final whistle. This new Sylvia Park sports bar has screens in every direction, plenty of games and a menu of nostalgic eats to share with mates.

The City Ale Link Is The CRL Brewery Crawl To End All Brewery Crawls

Image Credit: City Ale Link | Supplied

Want to know how to best celebrate the CRL officially opening on Sunday 13 September? Round up some friends and set off on on the City Ale Link. This DIY brewery crawl takes full advantage of the new stations (and some already existing ones too) to take you past some of the city's finest breweries. Sip saison at Small Gods, neck nitros at Northern Line Bar & Social, and savour session IPAs at Saint Leonards. You can pick up a passport from each venue and once you've collected a stamp for every location (you can retrieve a stamp for non-alc beverages too) you unlock 12 months of perks—think special pricing and food discounts. Kicking off at Te Waihorotiu station at The Brewers Collective, move onto Northern Line Bar & Social at Karanga-a-hape Station, then Small Gods Taproom at Maungawhau Station, and Saint Leonards Brewing at Kingsland, before finishing off at The Beer Spot by Morningside station. There is simply no better way to celebrate this wonderful new infrastructure project in Tāmaki Makaurau. 

Negroni Month Is Here, And Truth Or Dare Are Celebrating With Remuera Restaurant Spiga

Image credit: Truth or Dare | Supplied

Theo Tjandra of Truth or Dare is easily one of Auckland's best bartenders, whipping up an exceptional menu of genuinely boundary-pushing drinks. So, when we heard he was partnering with much-loved Remuera restaurant Spiga to celebrate negroni month, our ears pricked up. From 1-27 September, Tjandra will make four special negronis—classic, dirty, rum and raisin spagliato, and salted aranciata sgroppino—and Fabrizio Napolitano will pair each drink with a matching dish, be it mozzarella in carrozza, or saffron and parmesan arancini. Then, to cap off this very tasty month, the duo will pair up again at Spiga for two special finale lunches across 26 and 27 September with a set menu designed by Napolitano, and paired cocktails from Tjandra. Bellisimo! 

Ragtag Are Opening A Second Site 

Hot off the press, everyone's favourite neighbourhood restaurant and authentically inauthentic Mexican joint is opening a second site. Consistently fully booked, included in the inaugural Michelin Guide and just generally one of the city's most-loved spots, it's unsurprising that they've decided to expand into a second space. While details are still light and leases are only recently signed, we have it on good authority that they're taking over the old Madame George site at 490 Karangahape Road which puts it spitting distance from the new CRL Station and makes it a million times more accessible to Aucklanders living a little further from Westmere. Safe to say it's set to be a Ragtag summer. 

Jolene Is Officially Opening In Christchurch

Western bar Jolene took Auckland by storm when it opened in Ponsonby in 2025. After a few initial licensing issues, the bar is now functioning as it was always intended to, with line dancing lessons, live music and more bringing a real slice of Americana to Tāmaki Makaurau complete with a grand mural of Dolly Parton on the wall. And on the week that we all mourn the country music legend and genuine, real life angel, Jolene will open its second location in Christchurch on Friday 28 August at 172 St Asaph Street. Expect cowboy boots, cold beer, strong bourbon, live music and a whole lotta line dancing. Nights out have never been so fun. 

Josh Emett Is Opening A New Restaurant In Central Auckland In September

Image Credit: Josh Emett | Supplied 

Not content with the restaurant triple threat that is Onslow, Gilt, and The Oyster Inn, Josh Emett is adding another string to Tāmaki Makaurau's dining bow with Lottie's which is set to open inside the Faradays department store on Queen Street in September. Named after Charlotte Milne, one of the founding sisters behind Auckland's iconic Milne & Choyce department store, the restaurant will pay homage to the building's history, while creating an all-day dining space that serves the needs of the present day diner. Lottie's will pull inspiration from restaurants in iconic global department stores like Selfridges, and Zach Meads will head the kitchen, joining off the back of four years at Onslow. More info is coming soon, but for now we know there will be afternoon tea and legend-level lunches. 

Master Kong’s Street-Food Menu Is The Perfect Midweek Warm-Up

Master Kong is serving up bold flavours and seriously fun cocktails, making it the perfect joint to warm up your weeknights. This Asian-twisted Sylvia Park gem brings a street-food-inspired menu made for sharing, with table non-negotiables including cheeseburger wontons with pickles, tōgarashi and smoky burger sauce, Korean prawn toastie with gochujang and yuzu, and sweet and sour pork with caramelised pineapple and Chinese sausage. Save room for dessert, too; the chocolate molten lava bun comes with Vietnamese coffee mousse, vanilla ice cream and coffee malt biscuit. 

Brewd Hawt Chicken Co Is Taking Off At Auckland Domestic Airport 

Image credit: Brewd Hawt Chicken Co| Supplied 

Got a trip to Queenstown coming up? Perhaps you're heading down to Wellington? Well, you're in luck: your pre-flight feed just got a whole lot better. Brewd Hawt Chicken Co has officially arrived at Auckland Domestic Airport. Roll up, grab your fave bits, and save them to feast on the plane. You can thank us later. 

The Wine Room Has Relaunched Their Epic Sunday Roasts

Image credit: The Wine Room | Instagram

There are few meals in life greater than a really good Sunday roast. The Wine Room are taking this delicious punctuation to the week and dialling it up by 100, with Cloudy Bay wine matches (including bottles from as far back as 2015), and a weekly rotating menu that is guaranteed to include all the trimmings (think bubbling, golden cauliflower cheese, and perfectly cripsy potatoes). This is one of those meals where you might start around The Wine Room’s convivial long table as strangers, but by dessert you’ll be firm friends with your neighbours. As the depths of winter draw in, this is the best possible way to cap off any week.

Bargain Box Is Celebrating 10 Years Of Making Weeknight Dinners Easier

There's something pretty satisfying about opening the fridge and already knowing what's for dinner. As Bargain Box celebrates its 10th birthday, it's marking a decade of helping Kiwi households take the guesswork out of weeknights with quality ingredients, family-friendly recipes and one less supermarket trip to think about. At a time when those sneaky top-up shops and last-minute takeaways can quietly send the weekly food budget off track, having dinner sorted ahead of time feels like a smarter move than ever. Here's to 10 years of making the 6pm scramble a little less chaotic. Find out more here.

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

Urban List The Feed has our highest stamp of approval—curated lists of the very best recommendations for you to eat, do, see, buy or book, carefully chosen by our Editors.

Main Image Credit: