Ragtag Is Coming To Depot For An Extra Special Collab This Month

There is something powerful about a dynamic duo; Posh and Becks, Marykate and Ashley, Mario and Luigi, steak and cheese (pies, that is). You get the picture. Two people or things that come together to become one unbeatable whole. Well, mark your calendars, because two of Auckland’s most defining restaurants are joining forces on 21 and 22 July for what may just be the restaurant collab of the year. 

Depot has been a hallmark of the Tāmaki Makaurau food scene for 15 years, quickly becoming a litmus test for what it means to cook great, unfussy New Zealand food. The snapper sliders are easily one of Auckland’s most famous dishes, and an incredible example of chef and owner Al Brown’s approach to cooking. Ragtag, meanwhile, has in many ways become the face of Auckland’s modern restaurant scene. It’s a genre-bending kitchen that pulls influences from across the world while still feeling quintessentially Auckland. If someone was to ask you where to eat while they were in the city, it’s likely both restaurants would sit pretty high on your list. They occupy a hard-to-perfect-but-exceptionally-special-when-you-do category of seamlessly executed casual dining. 

So, naturally, it makes sense that the two might eventually come together to channel their individual success into two extremely delicious nights. This month, Ragtag owner Dan Freeman will be stepping into the kitchen at Depot alongside head chef Jack Stott to cook up a special menu that brings the best parts of both restaurants into one space. There will be Depot classics, alongside old Depot dishes revived with a Ragtag twist. Think raw fish tostada with oyster cream and apple, oysters with Ragtag’s hot sauce and larger sharing dishes like Depot’s skirt steak, served, of course, with Ragtag’s duck fat tortillas. 

As is the case with Depot, each day will be walk-ins only and, if the legions of fans deeply committed to both restaurants are anything to go off, we imagine the queues will be long. Get in early, bring your warmest jumper and order a drink while you wait. Trust us, it’ll be worth it. 

The Details 

Where: Depot, 86 Federal Street
When: 21 and 22 July, from 11.30am until close
For more information click here.

Image credit: Depot | Babiche Martens