Coco's Cantina Is Celebrating Its Tenth Birthday with a Series of Collaborative Dinners

Coco's Cantina, the beloved Karangahape Road eatery known for its neighbourly charm and humongous portions of spaghetti and meatballs turns ten this September. To mark the milestone, the restaurant is holding a series of collaborative birthday dinners.

Kicking things off on Tuesday, 3 September will be a three-course meal in cahoots with La Valentina. The team from the Italian vineyard will bring a slice of east coast province Pescara to K' Road. Tickets are $90 per person and include a drink on arrival, three courses and a showcase of low-intervention wines not readily available anywhere else in New Zealand.

On Tuesday, 10 September, the team from Fort Street's Ima Cuisine will cross town for a Middle Eastern feast. The one-off event will see diners treated to a three-course shared dinner, including an aniseed aperitif to begin and mint tea or Turkish coffee to finish. The main event will be a lamb on the spit cooked kerb-side. You can also expect knafeh — an Arabic dessert made in front of guests by Ima owner and head chef Yael Shochat. Tickets are $65 per person.

Lauren Harrigan.

The three-course menu for Tuesday, 17 September is being kept under wraps until the night, but diners can expect rich and hearty twists on Coco's favourites with help from Balmoral game restaurant Cazador. In true Cazador style, the set menu will kick off with a snifter of sherry, while Dariush Lolaiy has put his hand up to work the pasta section. Will the famous chocolate mousse make an appearance? No one knows. Tickets are $60 per person.

Wrapping the dinner series on Tuesday, 24 September is a fundraising feast for Stone Soup, a free independent street press that offers a fresh take on food publishing. It's being called a fun and casual shared dinner for family, friends, industry folk and anyone who fancies a catch up. Tickets are $60 and available by emailing [email protected].

The month-long festivities will flow into 27, 28, 29 September with pizza and gelato.

For more information about Coco's birthday series, visit cocoscantina.co.nz.