Feeling rough? We got you.
There’s a fine line between a gnarly, please-end hangover, and one you can secretly luxuriate in, when it becomes an excuse to indulge in salty, sugary, fatty foods that somehow taste 10 times better when you’re horizontal. There are different stages of a hangover: that early morning, sugar from a straw, no knives and fork, pass the chips stage, and the early afternoon, post-nap dumpling craving. We’ve given it some thought (backed by years of research), and concluded that these are the nine best places to eat after a heavy night, any time of the day.
Eden Noodles
105 Dominion Rd, Mt Eden
Save this for a level-10 hangover. You’ll need: one Chinese pita bread with spicy beef, dan dan noodles ($1.50 extra for hand-pulled) and pork and chive dumplings in spicy-sour soup – extra-large. Phone ahead for takeaway to make sure you beat the crowds and then scurry back to your bed to devour.
Selera
487 Khyber Pass Rd, Newmarket
One of our food writers swears by Selera’s seafood laksa and a cold can of Coke on hungover afternoons. Other good options are the nasi lemak beef rendang with a side of light-as-air roti, lobak roll – fried sausage with spicy sauce – or mee goreng.
Barilla Dumpling
571 Dominion Rd, Balmoral; 305 Dominion Rd, Mt Eden
The dumplings here cure all Sunday ailments, from a sore head to a broken heart, and though prices have risen in recent years the quality of food remains reliable. Pork and prawn dumplings arrive steamed in a bamboo basket, pink prawn tails poking shyly from the wrappers. The beef and carrot iteration, fried, is the perfect savoury-sweet combo.
Bolaven
597 Mt Eden Rd, Mt Eden
Bolaven’s signature dish is a rich and simultaneously light pho, made to owner Sip Mounlath’s grandfather’s recipe. Steaming hot and fragrant with citrus and fresh herbs, it’s the food version of smelling salts. Unlike most hangover cures, it’s more reviving than soporific, especially when enjoyed alongside a long black at breakfast.
Burger Burger
Ponsonby Central, Newmarket and Takapuna
The holy grail of Auckland hangover cures, you can’t beat Burger Burger’s beef with aged cheddar for a carnivorous fix. Tangy, homemade pickles stave off sickliness and demi-brioche buns perfectly contain the juiciness of New Zealand grass-fed beef patties. If you’re feeling brave, add a vanilla thickshake to your order, but go steady.
Federal Delicatessen
86 Federal St, central city
Every dish on the menu at Al Brown’s interpretation of a traditional New York Jewish deli hits the ropey spot the morning after, with carb-y, salty, sweetness in the signature chicken sandwich with gravy, the Reuben sandwich, the latkes, the bagels and more. For delicate stomachs, the comforting matzo ball soup is the ticket out of a hangover, so too is the pickled bloody Mary and the traditional cherry cola.
Satya Spice and Chai Shop
515A Sandringham Rd, Sandringham
For moreish Indian bites and a cure-me beer, it has to be Sammy Akuthota’s opium den-style Chai Shop. Travel through India, beginning with Chicken 65 (above) from Chennai and finishing with momo (dumplings) from the border of Nepal. Everything here is fried at least once – the best hangover cures always are.
Galbraith’s Alehouse
2 Mt Eden Rd, Eden Terrace
Go from watching re-runs of British soaps on the sofa to feeling like you’re in one at Auckland’s best traditional pub. There are weekend roast dinners (get there before 2pm as they sell out) and giant, homemade pies. Bring your own Scrabble set and linger with a pint of something interesting, if you can muster the brain power.
Lord of the Fries
1 Queen St; Shop 2, St Kevins Arcade
Taking cues from New York’s Superiority Burger, Lord of The Fries serves fast food but not as you know it. On offer are four types of fries with an array of international sauces, burgers, nuggets and hot dogs, and everything is meat-free. Best of all, when getting dressed is too much, UberEats will deliver to your door.
This article was first published in Paperboy magazine. Follow Paperboy on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and sign up to the weekly e-mail
