Jesse Mulligan Restaurant Recommendations: The Best Brunch in Arrowtown

‌

By Jesse Mulligan

Monday Aug. 18, 2025

Viva

Located in a historic cottage on Buckingham St, Provisions of Arrowtown serves up seasonal fare and great coffee. Photo / Provisions

In this fortnightly series, Viva’s resident dining-out editor shares advice on where and what to eat.

Do you have any restaurant-related questions or dining-out dilemmas? Jesse Mulligan is here to help.

Email Jesse at Viva@nzherald.co.nz and tell him what you need. Where and what do you like to

Here are some questions he’s been asked lately and his answers.

Hi Jesse

I see that you were in Arrowtown recently. We’re heading down in December and have made a note to go to the restaurant you recommended. Did you find anywhere good for brunch? Oh, and I know this isn’t a hiking recommendations service, but what was the walk you did, out of interest?

Kim

Hi Kim

Regarding brunch, we spent some time walking up and down the main street, peering down the alleyways in search of a place we’d visited before and really liked. After some Googling we found the name - Chop Shop - but also discovered it had closed down some time ago.

With a plane to catch and some pressure to choose well, we went to an old favourite: Provisions. It’s metres away from the town centre and though it’s definitely on the tourist route the service is quick and friendly and the food good. Go for the Turkish eggs (delicious, though it doesn’t really need the pulled lamb that comes with it) or the chilli scramble.

Advertise with NZME.

The walk was Sawpit Gully Loop – a couple of energetic hours and about 8km up into the hills and back (further if you want to turn off at the top and head into the mountains). It starts and finishes in the middle of Arrowtown and requires, I’d say, intermediate fitness. If it sounds like too much for you, there’s a simple river walk with no hills that should only take an hour, tops.

Hello Beasty is one of Jesse Mulligan's favourite restaurants in Auckland. Photo / Babiche Martens

Dear Jesse

My husband is turning 40 and is looking for somewhere to have a small dinner for around 10 of us. Where would you send us? He’s booked Hello Beasty but I wonder if it might be a bit casual?

Emma

Hi Emma

Hello Beasty is one of my favourite places in all of Auckland and I think you’ll have a fun time there. Is it casual? Well, I suppose it is. But there’s nothing casual about the service or food, and if by casual you mean “not formal and quiet”, then maybe casual is what you need for a 40th birthday party.

If you wanted something a bit more private, you could go upstairs at San Ray, where you would have the whole room to yourself. Or if price wasn’t an issue, how about the new private room at Gilt? They call it “The Oval” and it looks really luxe – plus you can leave the curtain open and enjoy the best of both worlds, with your own space for your guests and a feeling that you’re part of the main buzzy dining room too.

Good luck and happy birthday to your husband.

Mixed dips are included on the menu at Tapsi on Dominion Rd. Photo / Babiche Martens

Advertise with NZME.

Jesse, this is an unusual one, but I used to do some work with a family of Iraqi refugees who, from time to time, would invite me over for a meal. It was the most incredible food you can imagine and now that they’ve returned home (I know, I didn’t realise refugees sometimes move back when things improve – apparently lots of Iraqi Kiwis have done it), I am left wondering if there is anywhere in Auckland that does Iraqi food?

Brenda

Brenda, thanks for your message. One place to start might be Tapsi on Dominion Rd, where I think the chef is from Iraq, even if the food is a bit of a mix of the region. Also, look up Desi Traditions in Mt Roskill, which has Middle Eastern options – I drove past on a recent Saturday night and it was humming, so book a table or go off-peak if you can.

I consulted an Iraqi colleague on your question, and she reports that the sort of food you’re talking about is impossible to find in Auckland unless, she says, “my mum cooks it for you”.

But there is one place she recommended where, in her words, the food is “proper Arabic”. It’s a kebab shop in Flatbush, called Sham. Her endorsement is good enough for me, but I had a look at the menu and it is pretty mouthwatering. Much of it is kebab-style Middle Eastern food, but it may just have the special taste and feel you’re looking for. Go on a mission and let me know.