If you don’t want to brave the Monday night supermarket crowds, there are plenty of Auckland restaurants happy to cook for you.
From homely French fare to modern Thai, here are 19 excellent eateries that open on Mondays.
Party like a tourist
Left, Baduzzi; Spaghetti carbonara at Gusto
The greatest thing about restaurants that service a hotel or a high-traffic tourist area is that they are open almost all the time: Monday, Sunday, holidays, early mornings, late nights. But quite often these places fall short on quality, so it’s a bonus when the restaurants in question are actually good. We are therefore lucky to have the restaurants of Federal Street, where you can pick and choose depending on your cravings. There’s the freshest oysters, gutsy cooking and faultless service at Depot; next door there’s reimagined Jewish deli food and life-changing cheesecake at The Fed (2). There’s Masu, should you fancy pretty cocktails, platters of sashimi and robata-grilled meats. And chef Sean Connolly puts an updated spin on retro steakhouse classics at The Grill and serves refined Italian food at Gusto.
Also try: Just down the road you’ll find The Grove where on Mondays they offer a ‘freestyle’ degustation – a menu designed on the day that takes into account the preferences and tastes of each diner. At $65 for five courses, it’s a chance for the kitchen to flex its creativity at the beginning of the week and a pretty sweet deal for diners. If you are after something a little more relaxed, go for a glass of red, some meatballs and fresh pasta down at Baduzzi, before taking a stroll along Wynyard Quarter and through the silos.
Add some spice
Saan.
The fragrant spices floating in the air at Ponsonby Road’s Saan will have you closing your eyes and dreaming of more exotic places before you’ve even tasted the punchy northern Thai food from chef Lek Trirattanavatin’s kitchen. We love anything that has been hit with the smoky flavour from the chargrill – try the sai ua, an aromatic pork sausage served with a spicy green chilli dip, or the chargrilled chicken thigh with a side of som tum (papaya salad). If you really want to spice up an otherwise dull Monday night, try the larb moo. It’s one of the spiciest dishes on the menu, and in our opinion (if you can take that kind of heat) the most delicious – small chunks of chicken liver add richness to the pork mince, along with toasted rice, handfuls of fresh herbs and the fiery burn of dried chillies. It’s served with crunchy, cooling vegetables like cucumber and cabbage to quell the fire in your mouth; a side of sticky rice and an ice-cold Singha will also help.
Also try: Why sit at home folding laundry and watching Monday night telly when you could let the inspired menus of Che Barrington transport you to another place? Go to Ponsonby Central’s Blue Breeze Inn for tropical holiday vibes and steaming baskets of dumplings, Chop Chop Noodle House for comforting bowls of ramen and fried chicken, and Woodpecker Hill in Parnell for tender chunks of low and slow-cooked meat worked into fragrant curries.
Old school classics
Left, Inside Augustus; The steak tartare at Augustus.
When a restaurant has been around for 24 years, it’s safe to say they have nailed the formula that keeps people coming back: consistent food, snappy and sassy service, and a warm and welcome vibe every night of the week. SPQR can cater to whatever your Monday mood might be – if you’re not quite ready to take on the world it’s dark enough inside that you can hide away, or sit curbside and people watch (or let the people watch you). The long-winded menu – a rarity these days – has everything from platters if you feel like grazing, old school classics like Caesar salad, crispy pizzas, and huge bowls of cockle or scampi linguine you can share with a friend over a bottle of wine.
Also try: SPQR proprietor Chris Rupe has recently added another sure-to-be iconic restaurant to his repertoire, with the opening of Augustus in the old Ponsonby Post Office. Here you’ll find classic French fare such as beef tartare, escargot, rillettes, parfait, a classic bistro burger, and fries with parmesan truffle oil. The building itself is opulent and lush, with a courtyard perfect for warm-ish autumn nights.
Homely bistro dining
Left, The courtyard at Molten; The confit duck at Ponsonby Rd Bistro.
At the beginning of the working week you want to go somewhere where you are made to feel at home, as if you have been invited over for dinner – the ease and familiarity at Ponsonby Road Bistro makes you feel just that. Blair Russell and Melissa Morrow are the kind of hosts that anticipate what you need before you even know you need it, and head chef Sarah Conway’s food – which is global in influence – is generous, beautiful and comforting. Although the menu changes every few weeks, you can always count on a few things: there will always be clams, and whether they are Spanish or Sri Lankan-style on the day you visit, you won’t be able to resist mopping up the sauce with your bread; there will always be classics to fall back on like steak, chips and pizza; and you’ll always leave feeling satisfied.
Also try: Mount Eden’s Molten is everything a neighbourhood bistro should be. It’s relaxed enough that you can roll in on your way home from work if you decide you don’t want to brave the Monday night supermarket crowds but it feels a little fancy too, should you want to have an impromptu celebration. The all-weather courtyard hidden from the main street is a gem – warm and dry in the winter, balmy and leafy when it’s fine. The menu has something for every mood and appetite, too, whether it’s snacks and a great glass of wine at the bar, a pizza and a pint outside, or a shared feast for four in the main dining room.
Bring a bottle Mondays
Left, spaghetti and meatballs at Coco’s Cantina; Rosie in Parnell.
BYO is often restricted to the realm of group dinners at no-frills restaurants serving cheap food. But at three of Hip Group’s eateries, Monday nights are BYO wine, and better yet, there’s no charge for corkage. Dine among the flowers at Parnell’s Rosie, where you can get fish and meat cuts for two from the chargrill. Every Monday at these ‘Cork and Fork’ dinners, the chefs create a special dish for the night that runs alongside the normal menu and, as is the Hip Group way, it will be a fresh and elegant dish, inspired by the season. Take in an ocean view at St Heliers Bay Cafe & Bistro and stroll along the beach with a Milse gelato after dinner. Or sit outside under the twinkling lights at Britomart’s Ortolana.
Also try: Fans of everybody’s favourite Karangahape Road eatery Coco’s Cantina can rejoice that after seven years of operating five days a week, Coco’s is now open Monday nights. If you work in hospitality you can bring your own wine, and pay a glass to your waiter as corkage. Hospo or not, everybody’s welcome, and there’s no better way to start your week than with comforting Coco’s favourites (I’m lookin’ at you, parfait, polenta chips, and spaghetti).
This article was first published in Paperboy magazine. Follow Paperboy on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and sign up to the weekly e-mail
