The Top Restaurants In Mission Bay, Auckland

Serving simple yet delicious Italian fare is exactly what Andrea Ristorante Italiano strives to do. For dinner with a beautiful view, there’s no place better than this restaurant. Boasting a stunning outlook across Mission Bay, and using only the freshest of ingredients, diners can sit back with a scrumptious dish here and soak in the incredible New Zealand landscape. From pizza to pasta to burgers, this restaurant has it all. Andrea Ristorante Italiano also offers ‘do your own dinner’ cooking classes, perfect for diners seeking more than just your average meal.

A good Japanese restaurant is hard to beat. Every town needs one, and Mission Bay is lucky enough to have the fine folk at Midori Japanese Restaurant as their resident purveyors of all the classic dishes that you could want. Katsu curries and sashimi boards are as good here as any that you will find in the big smoke of Auckland, and the prices, due to being out of the city, are reasonable for what you get. If you’re in a rush or looking for a quick bite, you can do a lot worse then the sushi selection here.

Just up the road from Midori is Mamma Mia Pizzeria Restaurant. Now, if you had to single out one type of cuisine that has a bit of a toe hold in Mission Bay it would probably have to be Italian. There are a few restaurants in the area specialising in hearty pastas and tasty pizza. On the pizza front we are of the opinion that Mamma Mia Pizzeria is leading the pack. That’s not to say that the rest of their offerings are in any way inferior to their pizza. For something a little more rustic, carnivores should have a go at the Fegatini de Pollo — chicken livers with ham, mushroom, white wine, onion, marsala wine, sage and cream. If you’re of the vegetarian persuasion the Vegetarian Cannelloni is an exceptional little number.

Yes, it’s a chain store, but as much as that might grate on the nerves of many an anti-corporation minded person, at the end of the day they’re good burgers, and they’re made with good, fresh NZ ingredients. I mean, you have to admit that when a fast-food restaurant is making their own (delicious) garlic aioli in-house, they are setting themselves apart from other, more global companies in the same sector. The vegetarian burgers here are what stand out the most, and the kumara fries are also particularly great. If you’re in a rush and have the burger craving hit your stomach like a tonne of bricks, then why not give this NZ franchise a go?

This is thai food the way you want it to be made, like they do it on the streets of Bangkok. The guys and girls at Thai Passion use only the freshest ingredients in their meals, and you can genuinely taste this in the cooking. The veggies are crunchy and flavoursome, and the seafood is — as you’d expect at a place that is literally a stones throw from the waters edge — absolutely on point. The best part is that if you can’t handle the thought of getting out of your slippers to pop down to their shop, they will home deliver on any orders over $40 NZD that are within 4km of the restaurant. This is very dangerous news if you’re a local.

A brief stroll down the road from Thai Passion, on the main drag of Mission Bay that is Tamaki Drive, you will find Portofino. This lovely restaurant is yet another place in this little area that offers wholesome Italian food. You’ll find Portofino restaurants all over New Zealand, but what they might lack in unique character they make up for in the reliability of their meals. If you find yourself craving pasta you can rely on Portofino to satisfy that craving so that you walk away with a smile on your dial.

If you’re in the mood for some authentic Mexican cuisine, Dos Amigos Cantina offers fresh Mexican food with an affordable price tag. After offering complimentary chips and dip to all diners, Dos Amigos Cantina follows with huge portions that will not disappoint. The lively atmosphere here makes it an ideal place to bring friends for a festive celebration or a casual dinner. The venue hosts popular themed evenings such as Chili Night Thursday and Sangria Sunday, and make sure to check their website for all the daily specials.