Akarana Eatery is a relaxed, neighbourhood-style eatery in a prime waterfront position on Okahu Bay, inside the Akarana Event Centre at 8-10 Tamaki Drive, Orakei, Auckland. Part of the wider Akarana family operated by the Akarana Marine Sports Charitable Trust, it welcomes everyone from early-morning coffee drinkers to families and groups settling in for a meal by the water.
The menu runs from breakfast through to dinner and is built to cater for all occasions. Breakfast is served 7:30am-11:30am, a kids menu runs 7:30am-8pm, bar meals are available from 12pm until close, and lunch is served 12pm-2pm. Dinner, from 5pm-8pm, runs Thursday to Saturday. The seasonal a-la-carte keeps things simple with classics like catch of the day, Thai beef salad and pizzas, alongside coffee, ice-cream and a selection of counter items.
Tables can be booked online, and groups of up to 24 can be seated at a single table with set menu options arranged ahead of time. Outdoor tables are not bookable online but can be requested in your reservation notes. Gift vouchers from $20 to $200 can be emailed directly to the recipient, and private events are handled by the Akarana events team alongside the wider Akarana Waterfront Events offering.
Opening hours vary through the week: 7:30am-3pm Monday to Wednesday, 7:30am-9pm Thursday to Saturday, and 7:30am-5pm Sunday. A 15% surcharge applies on public holidays.
Akarana Eatery occupies a spot plenty of Auckland restaurants would envy: right on the water's edge at Okahu Bay, inside the Akarana Event Centre at 8-10 Tamaki Drive in Orakei. It calls itself your neighbourhood eatery, and that is exactly the spirit it trades in — relaxed and welcoming, whether you are ducking in for a coffee after a morning walk around the bay or settling in for dinner with the water a few steps away.
The eatery is part of the wider Akarana family, operated by the Akarana Marine Sports Charitable Trust. The same waterfront hub hosts weddings, conferences, meetings, social events, sports events, memorials and celebrations of life through Akarana Waterfront Events, and runs community programmes such as the New Navigators initiative. That gives the eatery a grounded, community-anchored feel: on any given day you might share the room with locals catching up over coffee, families working through the kids menu, and guests drifting in from an event next door.
Food runs from breakfast through to dinner, with a menu designed to cater for all occasions. Breakfast is served from 7:30am to 11:30am daily. A dedicated kids menu runs from 7:30am to 8pm, which makes an early dinner with little ones easy. From midday, bar meals are available until close, and the a-la-carte lunch service runs from 12pm to 2pm. Dinner is the one to plan around — the dinner menu runs from 5pm to 8pm, Thursday to Saturday only.
The kitchen keeps the seasonal a-la-carte deliberately simple, leaning on classics done well: catch of the day, Thai beef salad and pizzas are the touchstones of the menu. If you just want something quick, you can grab a coffee, an ice-cream or a selection of counter items without any fuss. Gift vouchers, in $20, $50, $100 and $200 values, can be emailed directly to whoever you are treating — the ideal gift for a birthday, a celebration, or just because.
The prime waterfront position in Okahu Bay is the eatery's calling card, and the team leans into it. Outdoor tables cannot be booked online, but you are welcome to request one in your reservation notes and they will do their best to accommodate you. Online bookings are otherwise straightforward, and always the safer bet on a fine day when the good seats fill fast.
For gatherings, the eatery can seat groups of up to 24 at a single table inside — contact the team and they will send through the set menu options. Private events at the eatery are handled by the Akarana events team, and the wider venue caters to everything from conferences to weddings.
Hours change with the day of the week: Monday to Wednesday the eatery opens at 7:30am and closes at 3pm; Thursday to Saturday it stays open until 9pm; and on Sunday it runs from 7:30am to 5pm. A 15% surcharge applies on public holidays, worth remembering if you are planning a holiday breakfast by the bay. There is a published parking map to help you find a spot near the centre, and the team can be reached on 09 520 0203 or at info@akaranaeatery.co.nz.
Whether it is breakfast in the morning sun, a bar meal after a walk along Tamaki Drive, or a seasonal dinner as the light fades over Okahu Bay, Akarana Eatery keeps things easy: simple classics, a friendly neighbourhood welcome, and one of the best water views in Auckland.