What kind of food does First Mates, Last Laugh serve?

South American-Japanese (Nikkei) cooking through New Zealand's coastal bounty — taquitos, ceviche, tiradito, sashimi and generous local seafood plates.

Where is the restaurant located?

121 Westhaven Drive, Westhaven Marina, Auckland 1011, right on the harbourside.

What are the opening hours?

Monday to Sunday, from 11am until late, with an all-day menu and full service across the restaurant.

Do I need a reservation?

Bookings can be made online via the restaurant's reservations page; groups of ten or more can choose from set sharing and individual menus.

Is there a kids menu?

Yes — the Wee Mates menu (fish burger, panko crumb chicken, fish & chips or mac & cheese) includes a hand-scooped ice cream and a drink, available before 7.15pm.

Are there non-alcoholic drink options?

Yes — a Sober Sips list including the Gim'less, Pineapple Seltzer and Raspberry Spritz, plus juices, sodas, coffee and loose-leaf tea.

Can I buy a gift voucher?

Yes, gift vouchers are available through the link on the restaurant's website.

First Mates, Last Laugh

bar — Herne Bay · Auckland

About First Mates, Last Laugh

First Mates, Last Laugh is a harbourside restaurant anchored at Auckland's Westhaven Marina, created by Judith Tabron, the hospitality name behind Soul Bar & Bistro. The cooking is South American-Japanese cuisine through the lens of New Zealand's coastal bounty, led by Executive Chef Cezar Takahashi with Pastry Chef Kristy Sze on desserts — fresh, local seafood treated with citrus, chilli, soy and yuzu.

The menu reads like a holiday at the water's edge: taquitos filled with prawn, ahi tuna or fresh salmon, hiramasa wasabi ceviche, snapper and octopus tiradito, sashimi by the piece or as a big shared platter, and generous seafood plates like Umi Meshi and beer-battered market fish. A seafood tower crowned with half a crayfish anchors the centre of the table, while a dedicated vegetable list and a playful dessert lineup — yuzu curd pavlova, pumpkin pie, sticky date pudding — round things out.

It's an all-day operation with full service in every part of the restaurant, running Monday to Sunday from 11am until late. A sunny outdoor courtyard, harbour views and a bar pouring tequila and mezcal classics, spritzes and zero-proof 'Sober Sips' make it as suited to a long weekend lunch as a sunset dinner. Kids get their own 'Wee Mates' menu, and groups of ten or more can choose from set sharing and individual menus.

First Mates, Last Laugh: Nikkei Flavours and Harbour Views at Auckland's Westhaven Marina

Anchored on the water's edge at 121 Westhaven Drive, First Mates, Last Laugh greets Auckland with a motto that sets the tone: long time no sea, come get wavy. Created by Judith Tabron — the hospitality name behind Soul Bar & Bistro — this Westhaven Marina restaurant pairs casual charm with serious cooking, and its sunny courtyard and harbour views make the waterfront itself part of the experience. The site even sports a One Hat badge from the Good Food Guide, a nod to the kitchen's ambitions.

South American Meets the Kiwi Coast

The kitchen, led by Executive Chef Cezar Takahashi with Pastry Chef Kristy Sze on desserts, draws on South American-Japanese cooking — often called Nikkei — filtered through New Zealand's coastal bounty. In practice that means local seafood treated with citrus, chilli, soy and yuzu: snapper and octopus tiradito, hiramasa wasabi ceviche, mussel escabeche and a taquitos list of prawn and avocado, ahi tuna and fresh salmon. A sashimi menu runs from three-piece serves of salmon, kingfish, tuna, scallops or market fish up to an eighteen-piece selection for the table.

Small plates bridge both culinary traditions — sesame prawn toast, Szechuan pepper squid with wasabi tartare, beef cheek croquettes and a proper whitebait fritter with chardonnay butter sauce. Larger seafood mains include grilled snapper in scampi bisque, spicy salmon with coconut cream and kaffir lime, pan-fried John Dory and Umi Meshi, a rice bowl crowded with king prawn, scallops, mussels and snapper. Meat eaters are well looked after too, with Lake Ohau wagyu picanha, lamb cutlets with aji verde, grilled yuan chicken and braised beef cheek.

Built for Sharing

For bigger occasions there's the seafood tower — half crayfish, oysters, prawn cocktail, tuna taquitos, sashimi, Szechuan pepper squid and gurnard goujons — built for the middle of the table. Vegetables hold their own as plates rather than sides: roasted cauliflower with pumpkin hummus, grilled eggplant with miso and sesame, and a kale caesar that can take katsu chicken. Desserts stay playful, from yuzu curd pavlova to pumpkin pie with cardamom gelato and chocolate fudge cake with tonka bean chantilly.

A Toast at the Coast

The drinks list leans into the theme with a dedicated tequila and mezcal section and First Mates Classics such as the Spicy Pineapple Margarita, lemongrass margarita, mango sour and a Bloody Mary finished with greens foam. Margarita fans can even 'make it a marg'. Spritzes, dessert cocktails like the Banoffee Pie-tini and a zero-proof Sober Sips list keep everyone on board, alongside New Zealand and international wines and a solid beer line-up.

The Experience

It's an all-day menu with full service in every part of the restaurant, running Monday to Sunday from 11am until late. The courtyard shines at golden hour, when the marina glitters and the bar is at its liveliest. Families are genuinely catered for: the Wee Mates menu — fish burger, panko crumb chicken, fish and chips or mac and cheese, each with a hand-scooped ice cream and a drink — is available before 7.15pm, and kids cocktails are on offer too. Larger groups of ten or more can choose from set sharing and individual menus, and the restaurant keeps a rolling What's On calendar of events.

Reservations can be made online, gift vouchers are available for gifting a night at the coast, and the team stays reachable by email or phone. Whether it's oysters and spritzes in the courtyard or an eighteen-piece sashimi spread watched over by the boats, First Mates, Last Laugh does what its name promises: good times on the water, laughs included.

Signature items

Seafood Tower
Hiramasa Wasabi Ceviche
Whitebait Fritter
Two of Each Taquitos
Umi Meshi
Spicy Pineapple Margarita

Grilled Snapper — Scampi bisque, mussels, confit tomato
Spicy Salmon — Coconut cream, kaffir lime
Pan-Fried John Dory — Shiitake white-wine sauce, brioche croutons
Umi Meshi — King prawn, scallop, mussels and snapper over rice
Fish Burger — Beer-battered gurnard, tartare, lettuce, pickled cucumber, fries
Beer-Battered Market Fish or Snapper — Fries and malt vinegar sauce

Taquitos

Prawn & Avocado Taquito — Jalapeno salsa, spring onion
Ahi Tuna Taquito — Wasabi mayonnaise, citrus soy
Fresh Salmon Taquito — Red onion, kimchi
Two of Each Taquito — Six taquitos — two of every flavour

To Start

Warm Sourdough — Served with pomegranate & olive oil or seaweed butter
Smoked Kahawai Dip — Lemon, celery, parsley and crispy rice crackers
Mussel Escabeche — With toasted foccacia

Cocktails

Spicy Pineapple Margarita — Tequila blanco, coconut tequila, pineapple, chilli, kaffir lime
Lemongrass Margarita — Tequila blanco, lemongrass, vanilla, lemon kosho
Mango Sour — Mango mezcal, blanco tequila, passionfruit, hot honey, lemon
FMLL Bloody Mary — Garlic & sun-dried tomato vodka, spiced clamato, greens foam
Paradiso — Pisco, grape, citrus, pineapple
Green Apple — Hendrick's gin, apple, kiwifruit, mint
Lychee Cosmopolitan — Vodka, lychee, cranberry, sauvignon blanc nectar, citrus
Raspberry Sour — Dark rum, raspberry kosho, lime
Banoffee Pie-tini — Malt biscuit infused rum, banana, dulce de leche
FMLL Grasshopper — Mint, chocolate, pisco, Tongan vanilla bean ice cream
Boozy Latte — Rum, espresso, hazelnut, cream

Vegetables

Mixed Green Salad — Edamame, radish, yuzu dressing — add sashimi
Kale Caesar Salad — Pickled jalapeno — add chicken katsu
Tossed Green Beans — Hazelnut, anchovy dressing
Grilled Broccolini & Shiitake — Yuzu butter
Roasted Cauliflower — Crispy chickpeas, pumpkin hummus, paprika oil
Grilled Eggplant — Miso & sesame dressing, pickled rhubarb
French Fries — Crisp golden fries

Zero-Proof

Pineapple Seltzer — Pineapple, mint, lime, passionfruit
Gim'less — 0% dry gin, lime, sweetener, mint
Last Limonata — Lemongrass, lemon, soda, 0% bubbles
Raspberry Spritz — Raspberry bomb, soda, 0% bubbles

Small Plates

Hiramasa Wasabi Ceviche — Kingfish, avocado, radish
Snapper & Octopus Tiradito — Avocado, rocoto
Beef Cheek Croquettes — With dijon aioli
Roast Beetroot Salad — Sheep's milk labneh, crunchita, citrus
Sesame Prawn Toast — Chilli, lime
Szechuan Pepper Squid — With wasabi tartare
Whitebait Fritter — Chardonnay butter sauce, frizzled leeks
Pacific Oysters — Natural with yuzu kosho, or beer-battered

Seafood Tower

Seafood Tower — Half crayfish, oysters, prawn cocktail, tuna taquitos, sashimi, Szechuan pepper squid, gurnard goujons

Meat & Poultry

Lake Ohau Wagyu Picanha — Chimichurri, rocket, lemon
Lamb Cutlets — Aji verde, roasted carrots
Grilled Yuan Chicken — Pineapple butter, jalapeno
Braised Beef Cheek — Aji mash, crispy butternut

Wee Mates (Kids)

Fish Burger — Includes hand-scooped ice cream and a drink
Panko Crumb Chicken — Includes hand-scooped ice cream and a drink
Fish & Chips — Includes hand-scooped ice cream and a drink
Mac & Cheese — Includes hand-scooped ice cream and a drink

Dessert & Ice-Cream

Ice-Cream — Coconut hokey pokey, chocolate brownie fudge, espresso rum & raisin, boysenberry & yoghurt ripple, Tongan vanilla bean
Sorbet — Zesty lemon, passionfruit & orange, black forest
Pumpkin Pie — Orange caramel, cardamom gelato
Chocolate Fudge Cake — Lemon & white chocolate sauce, tonka bean chantilly
Yuzu Curd Pavlova — NZ yuzu marmalade, golden kiwifruit sorbet
Sticky Date Pudding — Butterscotch, prune, jerusalem artichoke gelato
Cheese Selection — Honey and sesame crackers, fig chutney

Frequently asked questions

What kind of food does First Mates, Last Laugh serve?: South American-Japanese (Nikkei) cooking through New Zealand's coastal bounty — taquitos, ceviche, tiradito, sashimi and generous local seafood plates.
Where is the restaurant located?: 121 Westhaven Drive, Westhaven Marina, Auckland 1011, right on the harbourside.
What are the opening hours?: Monday to Sunday, from 11am until late, with an all-day menu and full service across the restaurant.
Do I need a reservation?: Bookings can be made online via the restaurant's reservations page; groups of ten or more can choose from set sharing and individual menus.
Is there a kids menu?: Yes — the Wee Mates menu (fish burger, panko crumb chicken, fish & chips or mac & cheese) includes a hand-scooped ice cream and a drink, available before 7.15pm.
Are there non-alcoholic drink options?: Yes — a Sober Sips list including the Gim'less, Pineapple Seltzer and Raspberry Spritz, plus juices, sodas, coffee and loose-leaf tea.
Can I buy a gift voucher?: Yes, gift vouchers are available through the link on the restaurant's website.

Tips

{"body":"The sunny outdoor courtyard and harbour views are at their best late afternoon — a courtyard table around sunset is hard to beat.","title":"Chase the golden hour"}
{"body":"For groups, the seafood tower covers half a crayfish, oysters, prawn cocktail, sashimi, squid and goujons in one centrepiece.","title":"Order the tower"}
{"body":"The kids menu runs until 7.15pm and every meal comes with a hand-scooped ice cream and a drink.","title":"Bring the wee mates early"}
{"body":"Parties of ten or more should enquire about group bookings — set sharing and individual menus are both on offer.","title":"Book for big crews"}
{"body":"Margarita lovers can upgrade their drink — the menu invites you to 'make it a marg' from the First Mates Classics list.","title":"Make it a marg"}

Good to know

{"family":"Wee Mates kids menu before 7.15pm — includes hand-scooped ice cream and a drink; kids cocktails available","dietary":"Dedicated vegetable plates and salads alongside the seafood menu; sashimi can be added to salads"}