Goode Brothers Botany is the Kiwitalian local at Botany Town Centre — a fusion of Italian cuisine and Kiwi hospitality, all about Goode food and Goode times. Whether it's a casual get-together or a special celebration, the doors are always open, with plenty of room at the table for one more.
The menu spans smalls, pizzas, pasta and proper plates: from puff bread with rosemary salt, mozzarella sticks with vodka sauce and garlic nduja prawns, through the classic Margherita to the loaded Suprema, then pastas like cacio e pepe, prawn linguine and the flamed pork & wagyu spaghetti meatballs served flamed at the table. Vegan cheese and no-gluten-added bases are available, and desserts run from tiramisu to a chocolate hazelnut sundae.
There's plenty happening beyond dinner — the Monday Night Quiz every week at 7pm, Goode Brothers Pasta School on the first and last Tuesday of each month, and kids' $25 pizza classes every school holiday weekday. The venue also hosts functions with tailored packages and free event planning, and every visit can earn rewards through the Star Social programme ($1 back for every $10 spent) across Star Group's 50+ venues around Aotearoa.
Goode Brothers Botany calls itself your Kiwitalian local — and the name tells you a lot about what to expect. It's a fusion of Italian cuisine and Kiwi hospitality, all about Goode food and Goode times, set inside Botany Town Centre at Shop 36, Town Centre Drive. As the team puts it, whether it's a casual get-together or a special celebration, the doors are always open, with plenty of room at the table for one more.
The menu reads like Italian comfort food with a distinctly local accent, organised into Smalls, Pizza, Plates, Pasta, Sides and Dessert — and, for tables of four or more, a family-style Sharing Menu served per person.
Start with the smalls: warm puff bread with oregano and rosemary salt, marinated olives with garlic and lemon, mozzarella sticks with vodka sauce and pecorino, fried calamari with basil pesto aioli, or garlic nduja prawns with chilli, lemon and foccacia. Italian fried chicken with giardiniera and smoked paprika mayo rounds out the savoury openers.
The pizza list runs from the classic Margherita — mozzarella, oregano and basil — to pepperoni with smoked mozzarella and chilli honey, the Fungi with mushrooms, white sauce and truffle aioli, pesto chicken with spinach and pine nuts, prawn and chorizo, and the loaded Suprema with salami, chicken, ham, mushrooms, rocket and parmesan. Vegan cheese and a no-gluten-added base are available if you need them.
The pasta section is where the kitchen shows its range. Cacio e pepe for the purists; penne verde with pesto, broccoli, peas and herbed ricotta; spaghetti bolognaise; and prawn linguine with garlic and chilli tomato sauce. Fettuccine #6 — chicken, mushroom and bacon in parmesan cream — is a house fixture, while the flamed pork and wagyu spaghetti meatballs in vodka sauce arrive flamed at your table. No-gluten-added penne is available across the pasta list.
Plates stretch beyond pasta: Angus scotch fillet with your choice of mushroom sauce or red wine jus, battered market fish with rosemary fries, porchetta with pork belly and parmesan potato gratin, chicken parmigiano with fries or spaghetti, and a fried chicken burger with pesto and truffle aioli. The zucca salad — pumpkin, pomegranate, pecorino and pine nuts — and a classic Caesar both take optional grilled chicken.
Save room for dessert. Tiramisu comes with coffee, savoiardi and marsala; there's orange and polenta cake with vanilla mascarpone and berries; and a chocolate hazelnut sundae you can spike with Baileys, Kahlúa or Amaretto.
Goode Brothers Botany keeps a busy events calendar. Every Monday at 7pm there's a quiz night; the Goode Brothers Pasta School runs on the first and last Tuesday of every month; and during school holidays kids can join the $25 pizza class at 10:30am each weekday, with family quiz sessions on selected dates. The venue has also put a Goode twist on Negroni Week.
Planning something bigger? The venue offers function spaces with tailored food and beverage packages and free event planning services.
Dining here also links into Star Social, Star Group's loyalty programme served in over 50 restaurants, bars and pubs across Aotearoa — you get $1 back for every $10 you spend, plus a digital coffee card where the 10th drink is free. Star Group itself was born from the coming together of hospitality operators Joylab and Kāpura, backed by DB Breweries & Heineken.
Hours run Monday to Friday from 11:30am until late, and from 11am on Saturday and Sunday. Call 09 272 4516 or email info@goodebotany.co.nz. Two practical notes from the team: there's a 2% surcharge on credit card and contactless payments, and while the menu marks vegetarian, vegan and no-gluten-added options, the kitchen is not an allergen-free zone — chat to staff with any questions.