What I talk about when I talk about eating

Conveyancers talk about Tamaki Makaurau like it’s a kingdom where the only respectable boundaries are bike lanes, grammar zones, and ground rent. Every once in a while, a mayor trots out faintly similar lines about speed limits and cycleways. Like clockwork, property prices sting us and the country forgets that the arterial highways dotting our landscape actually need to be nourished. You can’t have a city without feeding the blood that has to be pumped through those arteries: people.

There is a distinction between going out to eat, and being fed. The former, for me, is something active that you do as a diner – you might dress up, head out, and spend your hard-earned money at any one of the thousand restaurants that the city has to offer. Luxury dining does a roaring trade in the inadequacy game here – being seen somewhere is more important than whether the food is good, and in some hospitality cases, more important than whether the talented chefs behind the food are paid.

Being fed, in my mind, is something different. Warmer. Maybe the service isn’t polished, but you’ll never wonder about being full. It’s also something I associate with family, with mom and pop chip shops, and someone slipping an extra portion into your takeaway bag because you’re a regular. Perhaps most importantly, you’re comforted.

Here are some places that have fed me for close to $15, and will feed you.

1. Silverlake Fried Bread - Sandringham

Silverlake occupies an unassuming spot on Sandringham Road. You’ll smell it before you see the signage, on account of the fresh youtiao that they’re frying out back from the wee hours of the morning. It’s a common sight to see SUVs pull up and for a harried-looking parent to disembark, only to disappear past the sliding mesh door and return triumphant with a bundle of grease-marked brown paper bags. Nestled inside those bags are the sticks of fried bread that give Silverlake its name: crullers lined up like soldiers, ready to be torn into steaming halves and dipped into either the cafe’s signature porridge or their homemade soy milk. Each forearm-sized doughy parcel will set you back by $3.25, and you’ll only need one for a hearty breakfast to pair with the minced pork and preserved egg congee ($11.40).

2. Pinyue Shanghai Style - Albany

Not far from parking earmarked amusingly for the Freemasons on Corinthian Drive sits Pinyue Shanghai Style, nestled between a place serving savoury crepes and around the corner from not one, but two hotpot places. It’s noticeably quieter than other eateries in the neighbourhood here, maybe because Shanghainese cuisine hasn’t captured the imagination of food bloggers quite like mala xiangguo, but its dated decor has a certain charm. Everything you order comes out in under fifteen minutes, and the portions are generous. Their spicy beef soup is moreish, chilli oil blooming outwards from the bits of fatty beef perched atop thin, chewy noodles ($15.80). The eggplant with seafood sauce is also fork-tender, swimming in a dark gravy that has a tangy funkiness to it and begs to be spooned over white rice ($15.80).

3. Japanese Dining You - Auckland CBD

Elliot Stables’ no-frills cousin seats neatly down the road at the Atrium on Elliott, and a relatively new entrant to the locale is Japanese Dining You, previously sitting pretty on the corner of Hobson and Fanshawe. You can most definitely pick up a teriyaki chicken donburi here for $12, but why would you? A large curry with rice will only set you back by $8, and it’s what the cafe has become known for over the years – whether it’s their devilishly spicy ‘inferno’ curry, a creamy chicken variety, or the seasonal cheesy one flavoured with an undeniable sweetness from potatoes and apples. Pick your poison and any extra toppings (harumaki for the vegetarians, chicken katsu and other morsels for the omnivores) to get a warm bowl that stretches your last dollar for all its worth.

4. Xi’an Food Bar - all around Auckland

I first ate at Xi’an Food Bar when I first moved to the city as a student over a decade ago, on an evening when I was desperately homesick for something that wasn’t dining hall food. They still make the food here the same way: two ladies chatting and rolling handmade noodles out the back while another cook attends to braising meat, heating sauces up in a microwave if all the burners are taken up by the lunchtime rush, and deftly handling the EFTPOS machine. A hearty lamb soup with their classic hand-pulled slippery noodles will set you back by $14.50. In the summer months, I’ve gravitated towards their Xi’an style cold noodles ($11.50) and I’d recommend a side of their pickled sweet garlic ($2.50) for a grassy burst of flavour.

5. Ramen Station - New Lynn

It’s time to reclaim bone broth from the influencers chowing down on sticks of butter for views, and there’s no better way to do it than with an unassuming bowl of noodles. Ramen Station is tucked away in the New Lynn train station, next to a dairy and a short walk from LynnMall. They make all of their soups from a delicious bone broth that they can flavour to your preference - shoyu, miso, tonkotsu, the list goes on. A bowl of shoyu ramen costs $14.50, and comes with two slices of chashu (you can pick from chicken or pork), spinach, and bamboo shoots. For those who want something a little lighter, they also serve cold soba ($13.50) with a slightly acidic soy sauce and grated radish mix for your dipping pleasure.

6. Banh Mi Gu - Quay St

Everyone knows that Quay St is home to a KFC drive-through that services tipsy concert-goers visiting Spark Arena, but if you’re ever done at a gig by 9pm then consider Banh Mi Gu instead. Everyone who works there will be listening to a different Vietnamese soap opera on their own cellphones when you come in, so asking what’s best on the menu and being understood is fighting a losing battle. I’ll keep it simple for you: order any banhi mi. Their specialty is the roasted pork banh mi ($13.50), a hunk of tiger bread toasted to perfection that’s slathered with pate, herbs, hoisin sauce, and studded with slabs of pork belly. Well-crisped crackling peeks out from between pickled carrots and cucumber, making each bite satisfyingly crunchy and tangy. If you’re dining in, don’t go past the chilli sauce in squeeze bottles on each table.

7. Little Turkish Cafe - K Road

I’ve only had one sober dining experience here, but I don’t want that to colour your experience of it. There’s no shortage of late-night food haunts on K Road and Little Turkish Cafe is open until 4am, catering to the night-owliest of the party people that call the area their home. If you were possessed by a spirit desirous of a margarita pizza, then you’d be able to snag that from here at a cool $14. However, I believe that there’s no food more perfect for a night out than the trusty falafel kebab ($14.50). It takes almost no time at all to make, so you only have minutes between swiping your debit card at the till and being the grateful recipient of a piping hot, paper-wrapped tube. Freshly-fried falafels, hummus, red onions, tomatoes, dill, chilli and who could forget garlic yoghurt? Wield your restorative sword in one hand, and stumble back out into the Auckland night.

8. Mr Taco - Victoria St West

You may remember Mr Taco if you’ve had the misfortune of reading the Crime section of the Herald. The establishment’s owner was caught up in a meth scandal of someone else’s making but luckily for us, stayed out of prison and continues to make some of the best Mexican food in Auckland. Within skipping distance of the Sky Tower, this unpretentious hideout is the go-to for city dwellers. Tacos used to be $4.50 each but now I think they’re a little bit more dear. Grab a duo for lunch ($12), without going past their specials — if there’s fish or pork in the menu for the day, definitely get one of them.

9. Mr Zhou’s Dumplings - Mt Eden

While I have a soft spot for Barilla, I do think that Mr Zhou’s is the real hero of Mt Eden dumpling joints. If it’s cold out, I’ll be in the mood for a spring onion pancake ($9.40), vibrant greens sneakily tucked between flaky layers of pastry. However, sometimes the old ways are the best: a plate of their pork, chive, and prawn dumplings will only set you back by $12.50. You can have them cooked any number of ways or even served in a soup (for an extra $1), but I think they’re at their best when steamed. Each pillow of dough hides the perfect amount of piping hot filling, and each bite sings with an oily savouriness that’s hard to beat.

10. No 1 Pancake - Rosedale

This isn’t one of those places where the name of the restaurant has nothing to do with what they’re selling. I’m adamant that this is my number one pancake, or hotteok, to be exact. No 1 Pancake makes hotteok to order, encircling a truly maddening variety of toppings in a yeasty, chewy dough. Whether you’re after a brown sugar and cinnamon hotteok ($6), flattened until its insides are treacly, or your appetite turns toward the hearty potato and cheese ($11), a single, golden brown disc is enough for a warm meal. Two sweet hotteoks will run you $12, which is a stodgy bargain for anyone counting change this year.

Ginny is a full-time hater and a part-time writer living in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Kyle ChurchDecember 21, 2025