Aubergine Restaurants

About Aubergine Restaurants

Aubergine Restaurant has been serving Takapuna since 2001, delivering premium European and Mediterranean-style dining from 129 Hurstmere Road, in the heart of Takapuna Beach on Auckland's North Shore. Open every day from midday until late, it is a long-standing local choice for lunch, dinner and everything in between.

The room comfortably seats 140 and is well suited to both family and business dining — from an intimate dinner for two to large company get-togethers. On a sunny day or a warm summer evening, the outdoor dining area provides a very pleasant setting for a leisurely meal.

The kitchen ranges across mezza and flatbreads — manakish, lahmajun, hummus and baba ghanouj with home-made bread — plus fresh pastas, seafood such as pan-fried tarakihi, slow-cooked lamb shank, crispy pork belly, eye fillet of beef and Lebanese skewers. There is a dedicated kids menu, a dessert list featuring crème brûlée and Dubai chocolate, and a full beverage list; guests praise the wine selection and bottle service.

Flexible formats include an express lunch menu, a set-price lunch special and three-course set menus for lunch and dinner. Guests describe a warm, cozy atmosphere with friendly, accommodating staff, and several reviewers say they keep coming back. Online bookings and gift vouchers are available through the restaurant's website.

Aubergine Restaurant Takapuna: Mediterranean and European Dining by Takapuna Beach Since 2001

Aubergine Restaurant has been part of life on Hurstmere Road since 2001. Set in the heart of Takapuna, at Takapuna Beach on Auckland's North Shore, it set out to deliver premium European and Mediterranean-style dining — and more than two decades on, it is still doing exactly that, every day from midday until late.

This is a room made for occasions of every size. The restaurant comfortably seats 140 and is set up for everything from an intimate dinner for two to large company get-togethers, with both family and business dining squarely in its brief. And when the sun is out, the outdoor dining area comes into its own: on a sunny day or a warm summer evening, it is a very pleasant place to linger over a meal.

The food

The menu opens in the eastern Mediterranean, with flatbreads and dips built for sharing. Manakish comes baked with oregano, thyme and sesame; lahmajun is topped with prime beef mince, tomato and fresh herbs; hummus and baba ghanouj arrive with home-made bread and olives. Cheese borek in filo, lightly spiced calamari and prawns in white wine butter sauce round out the starters, and the mezza platter for two gathers falafel, dips, olives, bread and salad onto one board.

Mains range wider. The slow-cooked lamb shank, served with mashed potato and jus, is the dish diners single out again and again — 'always a hit,' as one regular puts it. Alongside it sit crispy pork belly with apple sauce, eye fillet of beef with herby potato croquette and red wine jus, pan-fried tarakihi with cauliflower purée, duck in orange sauce, a ham-and-cheese cordon bleu, chicken parmigiana, and Lebanese skewers of chicken or premium lamb with tzatziki, hummus, rice and home-made bread. Vegetarians are well looked after too: the crusted portobello mushrooms have their own fan among the reviewers, and there is a mushroom-and-mozzarella cannelloni among the fresh pastas.

Families are catered for with a dedicated kids menu — crumbed tarakihi, bolognese, home-made chicken tenders, vanilla bean ice-cream — and dessert runs from crème brûlée and sticky date pudding to a Dubai chocolate layered with pistachio kataifi, mascarpone and nutella, or an affogato with your choice of liqueur. A full beverage list supports the kitchen; guests mention a nice wine selection and proper bottle service.

Ways to dine

Aubergine opens every day at midday and stays open until late, which makes it as workable for a quick business lunch as for a slow dinner. Beyond the all-day menu there is an express lunch menu for shorter midday visits, a set-price lunch special pairing starters like hummus or baba ghanouj with mains from lamb shank and classic fish and chips to souvlaki and a vegan, gluten-free house falafel, and three-course set menus for lunch and dinner offered at two tiers. Bookings can be made online, and gift vouchers are sold through the website.

The experience

Reviews paint a consistent picture: a warm, cozy atmosphere, welcoming and efficient staff, and food good enough to bring people back — several guests mention repeat visits and being impressed every time. One diner calls the ambiance 'very cool,' if a touch dark, worth knowing if you like a bright room; others read it as atmosphere in the best sense.

For Mediterranean and European eating on the North Shore — a long lunch by Takapuna Beach, a family dinner with the kids' menu in hand, or a company gathering with space for 140 — Aubergine is a long-established, dependable local choice. Its specials and events are updated through the restaurant's website, so it pays to check what's on before you book.

Signature items

• Lamb Shank
• Mezza Platter
• Manakish
• Eye Fillet of Beef Savana
• Crispy Pork Belly
• Crusted Mushrooms

Menu

Mains

• Crispy Pork Belly — Mashed potato, apple sauce, broccolini and jus (GF).
• Eye Fillet of Beef Savana — Herby potato croquette, broccolini and red wine jus.
• Pan Fried Fish Tarakihi — Cauliflower purée, gourmet potatoes, vine tomato, baby carrot, broccolini (GF).
• Cordon Bleu — Ham and cheese stuffed chicken with mash, baby carrot and mushroom sauce (GF).
• Duck La Orange — Duck leg with mash, baby carrot, orange sauce and berry coulis.
• Lamb Shank — Slow cooked, served with mashed potato, broccolini and jus (GF).
• Chicken Filo Parcel — Creamy lemon tarragon sauce with fries and salad.
• Chicken Parmigiana — Marinara sauce, mozzarella, potatoes, basil pesto and salad.
• Crusted Mushrooms — Crumbed portobello with cream cheese, garden salad and parmesan (V).
• Mezza Platter — Falafel, baba ghanouj, beetroot hummus, olives, bread and salad (V).
• Chicken Skewers Lebanese — Diced chicken thigh with tzatziki, hummus, home-made bread, salad and rice.
• Lamb Skewers Lebanese — Diced premium lamb with tzatziki, hummus, home-made bread, salad and rice.
• Chicken Schnitzel — Peri peri mayo, mashed potato and salad.

Pasta

• Chicken Pasta — Sundried tomato, cream cheese, diced chicken, garlic and parmesan.
• Beef Lasagna — Traditional premium beef mince, tomato sauce, béchamel and mozzarella.
• Cannelloni — Mushroom and mozzarella stuffed, home-made tomato sauce, basil pesto (V).

Sides

• Fresh Green Salad — Simple leafy side salad.
• Roasted Vegetables — Roasted vegetable side.
• Bread — Side of bread.
• Fries — Side of hot fries.
• Rice — Side of rice.

Desserts

• Crème Brûlée — Vanilla crème brûlée (GF).
• Chocolate Lava Cake — Served with vanilla ice-cream.
• Sticky Date Pudding — Caramel sauce and vanilla ice-cream.
• Dubai Chocolate — Pistachio kataifi cream, mascarpone and nutella.
• Affogato — Espresso, vanilla ice-cream and a liqueur of your choice.

Starters

• Manakish — Oregano, thyme and sesame with olive oil on fresh flat bread (V).
• Quattro Formaggi — Mozzarella, cheddar, feta and cream cheese on fresh flat bread (V).
• Lahmajun — Prime beef mince, tomato, capsicum and fresh herbs on flat bread with rocket.
• Hummus — Served with home-made bread and olives (V).
• Baba Ghanouj — Eggplant caviar with home-made bread and olives (V).
• Cheese Borek — Feta, parsley and mint in filo pastry with shredded cabbage.
• Calamari — Lightly spiced deep-fried squid with peri peri mayo (GF).
• Prawns — Five pieces in white wine butter sauce with greens (GF).
• Mezza Platter (for two) — Falafel, baba ghanouj, hummus, olives, bread and salad (V).

Kids Menu

• Crumbed Tarakihi — With chips and tomato sauce.
• Kids Vegetarian Pasta — Pasta in pomodoro sauce.
• Kids Bolognese — Pasta with bolognese sauce.
• Home-made Chicken Tenders — Served with chips.
• Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream — With chocolate sauce.

Set Menus

• Lunch Special — Set-price lunch pairing a starter such as hummus with a main like slow-cooked lamb shank.
• Three Course Set Menu — Starter, main and dessert for lunch or dinner, with two menu tiers available.

Kids Drinks

• Juice — Apple, pineapple, orange or cranberry.
• Ginger Beer — Chilled ginger beer.
• Milk Shake — Banana, chocolate or strawberry.
• Soft Drinks — Coke, Coke Zero or lemonade.

Lunch Special Mains

• Fish Salad — Pan-fried tarakihi with quinoa, tomato, cucumber and beetroot purée (GF).
• Classic Fish and Chips — Crumbed tarakihi with tartar sauce and salad.
• Calamari Salad — Deep-fried calamari with peri peri mayo on salad.
• Chicken Salad — Grilled chicken thigh, cabbage pickle and green salad (GF).
• House Falafel — Five pieces with tahini dressing and salad (vegan, GF).
• Lamb Souvlaki — Diced premium lamb, lettuce, tomato, tzatziki, red onions and bread.
• Chicken Souvlaki — Grilled chicken thigh, lettuce, tomato, tzatziki, red onions and bread.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Aubergine Restaurant and when is it open?

It is at 129 Hurstmere Road, Takapuna, on Auckland's North Shore, and it is open every day from 12:00 PM until late.

Do I need a booking?

You can book online via the Book Now page on the website or by calling 09 489 3104. Booking ahead is a good idea for larger parties.

Are there set menus or lunch deals?

Yes — there is an express lunch menu, a set-price lunch special pairing a starter with a main, and three-course set menus for lunch and dinner.

Are there vegetarian or vegan options?

Yes. Hummus, baba ghanouj, manakish, the mezza platter, crusted mushrooms and cannelloni are vegetarian, and the house falafel on the lunch special is vegan and gluten-free. Many dishes are marked GF.

Is the restaurant suitable for children?

Yes — there is a dedicated kids menu with crumbed tarakihi, pastas, home-made chicken tenders, ice-cream and kids' drinks, and the restaurant describes itself as well suited to family dining.

Can Aubergine host groups or functions?

Yes. The restaurant comfortably seats 140 and caters to everything from an intimate dinner for two to large company get-togethers.

Do gift vouchers exist?

Yes, gift vouchers can be purchased online through the restaurant's website.

Tips

• {"body":"On a sunny day or a warm summer evening, the outdoor dining area is a very pleasant spot — worth requesting when you book.","title":"Chase the sunshine"}
• {"body":"The express lunch menu and the set-price lunch special make Aubergine an easy midday option; three-course set menus cover longer occasions.","title":"Make the most of set lunches"}
• {"body":"The restaurant seats 140 and regularly suits company get-togethers — call 09 489 3104 or book online for bigger tables.","title":"Planning a group dinner?"}
• {"body":"A proper kids menu means the whole family is covered, from crumbed tarakihi to vanilla bean ice-cream.","title":"Bring the kids"}
• {"body":"Gift vouchers can be bought online through the restaurant's website — a handy present for North Shore foodies.","title":"Gift a night out"}

Good to know

• {"family":"Dedicated kids menu with smaller mains, ice-cream and kids' drinks.","dietary":"Vegetarian (V) and gluten-free (GF) dishes are marked across the menu; the lunch special includes a vegan, GF falafel."}