With Mother’s Day not far away (on Sunday, May 11), we’ve rounded up some special restaurants to take the mother figure in your life. The best Mother’s Day spots have great service, a plush interior, a celebratory menu, and, crucially, they’re open on Sunday. If you can’t make a booking
Gilt
Josh and Helen Emett’s inner-city restaurant Gilt (they also own Onslow, which is also on this list) ticks all the boxes for a special Mother’s Day lunch. The decor, clientele and vibe all combine to give the impression you’ve stepped into a dining room in New York or London, with happy tables of lively patrons at all hours. Are there people swigging magnums of champagne before midday? Yes, it’s that kind of place. The food is great too, and on Mother’s Day Gilt’s all-day menu is available from 11am until 3pm (last booking) with elevated brasserie classics like king crab pappardelle and Sicilian crudo. For dessert, it’s a classic affair with rum baba, baked Alaska and chocolate torte. Sounds like all that’s missing is a cocktail.
Address: 2 Chancery Chambers, Auckland CBD.
Contact: (09) 300 3126
First Mates, Last Laugh
Located in Auckland’s Westhaven Marina, First Mates, Last Laugh is an all-day eatery from well-known hospitality figure Judith Tabron. After running Soul for nearly 20 years, First Mates is her latest restaurant offering and is decidedly more casual, with Judith aiming for a “fun and friendly neighbourhood spot” for occasion dining, like Mother’s Day, but also providing a drop in point for a drink and a snack for the many people passing by on the neighbouring Westhaven walking path. In the kitchen is executive chef Cezar Takahashi, who has brought a Japanese/Brazilian slant to the menu with items like sashimi taquitos; sashimi plates and chicken katsu. But there’s also seaside classics like beer-battered fish burgers, lemon pepper squid and fries.
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Advertise with NZME.Address: 121 Westhaven Drive, Westhaven.
Contact: (09) 414 4410
Metita
Another dining precinct that’s reliable on a Sunday is SkyCity, and Michael Meredith’s Metita is open from 5pm for dinner. The celebrated chef is welcoming diners on Mother’s Day from 12pm to 4pm for Toana’i with Michael Meredith, a special occasion menu that’s designed as a tribute to the chef’s mother. On the menu, which is priced at $95 per person, is oysters, cured King Salmon, kingfish crudo, slow-braised lamb shanks, steamed snapper and two desserts. “Metita, named after Michael’s mother, holds a special place for celebrating this occasion as the menu draws inspiration from her profound influence on his upbringing and honours her legacy. This Toana’i is an invitation to join in a Pacific tradition celebrated all over the world.”
Address: 90 Federal Street, Auckland CBD.
Contact: (09) 363 7030
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Advertise with NZME.Ahi
Ahi is a sure bet when it comes to a special occasion restaurant. Open for lunch on Sundays from noon until 2pm and dinner from 5pm-9pm, book in for a taste of Ahi’s distinctly New Zealand menu that changes with the seasons. Every dish is a beautiful expression of New Zealand ingredients that tastes even better than it looks, and is sure to delight Mum with its warm and efficient service and impeccable attention to detail.
Address: Level 2 of Commercial Bay, 7 Queen Street, central city.
Contact: 022 524 4255
Ada
Ada is a beautiful spot for a celebration, located in the atmospheric Convent Hotel. This year, chef Alfie Igham has designed a six-course sharing menu that canvases some of his best dishes like duck liver croustade with cherries and hazelnuts, pumpkin and chestnut ravioli with brown butter and sage, a choice of two main courses, and chocolate mousse for dessert. The dinner is priced from $120pp and includes a glass of pet nat on arrival and a special gift for Mum to take home.
Address: 454 Great North Road, Grey Lynn.
Contact: Adarestaurant.co.nz. Email: bookings@adarestaurant.co.nz
The Butcher Baker
Well worth the Sunday drive, The Butcher Baker in Helensville is 40km northwest of Auckland with a menu focusing on local, seasonal produce, much of it cooked over fire. It’s where chef Reginaldo Richard (previously head chef at Odettes and Honeybones) is living out his dream of helming a farm-to-table style restaurant infused with the Brazilian tradition of cooking food over fire. The Butcher Baker is open for breakfast and lunch from 8am to 2.30pm with an all-day breakfast menu and beautiful lunch options like grilled lamb skewer with flatbread and crayfish tortellini.
Address: 5 Commercial Road, Te Awaroa, Helensville.
Contact: Thebutcherbaker.co.nz
Esther
Viaduct restaurant Esther in Auckland’s QT Hotel is hosting a special Mother’s Day Champagne High Tea on Sunday, May 11. There will be bubbles (Perrier Jouet) and finger sandwiches and a dessert trolley with Portuguese tarts and tiramisu, macarons and fondant fancies. The high tea runs from noon-3pm for $99 per person, which includes Esther’s High Tea and a glass of Perrier-Jouët on arrival. You can also book in for dinner at Esther on Sunday, from 5.30pm until late, and enjoy chef Sean Connolly’s Mediterranean menu of share-style plates. The current chef’s pick is the puff bread with taramasalata, lemon zest and extra virgin olive oil. For more details, visit here.
Address: 4 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland CBD.
Contact: Estherrestaurant.com
Onslow
Central city restaurant Onlsow is putting on a Mother’s Day lunch that includes a special gift. The four-course menu includes two “treats”, and your choice of starter, main and dessert. The lunch sitting runs from noon until 7pm (last booking) and costs $140 per person, with a $70 per person option for children 12 and under. And the gift? It’s a 50ml Embodyme Nurturing Body Oil, which has been raved about by the Viva team on many an occasion.
Address: 9 Princes Street, Auckland CBD.
Contact: Onslow.nz
Farina
It’s always busy and bustling at Farina and the newly refreshed restaurant allows the team to fit more customers, which will be a relief to anyone who’s been turned away on a busy Friday or Saturday night (although a pro tip is that you can order pizza from Farina at neighbouring bar The Tinted Rose). Open on Sunday from noon until late, Farina specialises in pasta, Napoletana pizza and antipasti. Viva‘s dining out editor Jesse Mulligan says: “The menu is very approachable but includes a few dishes you won’t have seen before. This is a tremendously inviting new space — a warm, noisy, convivial front room then a walk-through to a cosier back room, heated in part by a large brick pizza oven.” A must for those who like a lively dining experience in a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Address: 244 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby.
Contact: (09) 390 6213
Wakuwaku
Consistently praised by Viva‘s in-house food experts, Remuera Japanese restaurant Wakuwaku is a must-book, and is open for lunch and dinner on Sundays, making it an ideal Mother’s Day option this year. The set menu is generous and delicious and the a la carte menu is just as appealing with sashimi, sushi and nigiri, entrees of karaage duck and tempura oyster mushrooms and mains of tonkatsu pork and Jikabiyaki lamb chops.
Address: 1D, 415 Remuera Road, Remuera.
Contact: Wakuwaku.co.nz
Kingi
Open seven days from 7am, Kingi is a reliable spot to take Mum for a glass of bubbles and a spot of shopping in Britomart afterwards. The restaurant, located in Hotel Britomart, is offering a special Mother’s Day lunch on Sunday, May 11 from 12-2.30pm (last booking). The menu includes a choice of bubbles or kingi spritz on arrival before sitting down to a selection of antipasti to share and a choice of pan-roasted snapper, chickpea farinata or confit duck leg, all for $75 per person. Make the lunch extra special with add-ons of Pacific oysters to start and a dessert to finish.
Address: Tuawhiti Lane, 29 Galway Street, Britomart.
Contact: (09) 300 9596
Amano
Amano places consistently in Viva‘s collection of restaurant round-ups because its menu is consistently good, with something delicious for almost any occasion, whether it’s breakfast, lunch or an afternoon cocktail and a bowl of clams. Plus, its Italian-inspired menu has pasta down pat. It’s open seven days, making it a great choice for Mother’s Day, where you can enjoy fresh seafood, housemade pasta (like the chitarra, pictured) and one of Auckland’s best chicken dishes - served chargrilled with baby gem and gremolata. Its location in the heart of Britomart means some pre- or post-lunch shopping is a great idea.
Address: 68 Tyler Street, central Auckland
Contact: (09) 394 1416
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