Overview
Attention Auckland foodies: the time is nigh to put your diet on hold and dust off those stretchy pants. Auckland Restaurant Month is returning this August, bringing its signature lineup of specially curated $30, $40 and $55+ menus at well-loved eateries and the city's best-kept secrets.
Now in its 13th year, the 2023 iteration of Auckland Restaurant Month boasts over 100 special menus and dining events throughout the city centre.
Image: Ben Bayly, supplied.
The Chef Collab series is making its long-awaited return after a three-year hiatus, hosting international chefs for collaborative dining experiences. This year several key players in the city's hospitality scene are putting on a show — and a feast.
Celebrated Kiwi chef Analiese Gregory is set to combine forces with Ben Bayly's contemporary restaurant Ahi in Commercial Bay, pulling together a six-course menu which takes from Gregorys foraging ethos and Bayly's love affair with native ingredients and Māori cooking techniques.
Image: Analiese Gregory
Justin North is partnering with FISH Restaurant's Des Harris for a seafood extravaganza, and innovation-specialists Nel will be flying in from Sydney to team up with Sid Sahrawat of Cassia Restaurant for an indulgent six-course Indian dining menu.
If you have a long-awaited catch-up with a friend in the diary, do it at Flavours of the City, a smorgasbord of ten events dedicated to celebrating unique eateries across Auckland. Think: a dumpling and noodle crawl along Lorne Street, four-course dinner centred on championing local produce at Homeland, and a walking tour sprawling across traditional Chinese hotpot venues to Jungle 8, the newest addition to Elliott Stables.
Image: BODA, supplied.
Diners will also get the opportunity to rub shoulders with their favourite chefs during the Chef's Table Series, evening events dedicated to conversation and culinary delights.
And of course, the main driver of many diners are the speciality menus of Restaurant Month which always have something for all persuasions and wallet sizes. Full menu details for each of the $30, $40 and $55+ menus are available now on the Restaurant Month website.
Auckland Restaurant Month is organised each year by Heart of the City and runs from August 1–August 31. Find more information at the official website.
Top images: Supplied.