Mr Morris is chef Michael Meredith's restaurant in the Excelsior Building on the corner of Galway and Commerce Streets in Britomart, Auckland CBD — a self-described 'place to be served, nourished and indulged'. The kitchen's approach is an intuition of flavours and cultural inspirations that showcase the region, built on local, ethical, sustainable and seasonal produce and a devotion to flavour no matter its origin. The result is a modern Pacific and New Zealand dining experience, with menus that move with the seasons and with whatever the country's producers are bringing in.
Beyond the food, Meredith has shaped Mr Morris as a platform to nurture and create opportunities within the hospitality family, and to support the local community through social projects — values as central to the restaurant as the cooking itself. The drinks programme matches that ambition, with a deep cellar spanning New Zealand regions and international classics, a creative house cocktail list, sake and sherry, and a proper non-alcoholic menu.
Dinner runs Tuesday to Saturday from 5:30pm, with lunch served on Thursday and Friday; the restaurant closes Sunday and Monday. Private dining, an in-home dining service and gift vouchers make it a flexible choice for celebrations of every kind.
On the corner of Galway and Commerce Streets, in the Excelsior Building in the heart of Britomart, Mr Morris sets out its stall in a single line: a place to be served, nourished and indulged. It is the restaurant of chef Michael Meredith, and everything about it — the cooking, the cellar, the way the team talks about hospitality — flows from that simple promise.
The kitchen's approach is described as an intuition of flavours and cultural inspirations that showcase the region. In practice, that means menus built on local, ethical, sustainable and seasonal produce, handled with what the team calls a devotion to flavour no matter its origin. The dining experience is framed as a modern Pacific and New Zealand one — not imported from elsewhere, but grown out of the ingredients and food cultures of Aotearoa and the producers who supply them.
Because the menu follows the seasons, the a la carte is a living thing rather than a fixed list, changing as growers bring in whatever is best. The gallery on the restaurant's site gives a taste of the range: mushrooms, fresh pasta, pastry, eggs and a pani popo all make appearances, alongside shots of the open kitchen, the bar and the dining room.
Mr Morris is as much a values statement as a restaurant. Michael Meredith's stated passion is to create a restaurant that truly represents his values and beliefs in hospitality — not only a business where he can express his creativity and showcase New Zealand's incredible producers, but also a platform to nurture and create opportunities within the hospitality family, and for the local community through social projects and support.
That community-minded streak has been there from the start: photographs from the restaurant's early soft-opening days capture charity dinners alongside the kitchen team at work. It reads as a restaurant that sees itself as part of a wider hospitality family rather than simply a business.
The bar programme is a destination in its own right. House cocktails lean playful and precise: The Honey Drop pairs vodka with burnt honey, passionfruit and feijoa; the Green Tonic builds on gin, cucumber, celery and mint; Pina 2.0 is white rum, pineapple and coconut; the Winter Umami stirs whisky with spiced pumpkin, miso and soda; and the French Negroni adds pampelle for a Gallic accent.
The wine list runs deep. It opens with champagne and sparkling, then a cellar that spans New Zealand regions — Central Otago pinot noir and riesling, Marlborough sauvignon blanc, Hawke's Bay syrah and chardonnay, Waiheke Bordeaux blends — alongside international benchmarks from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Piedmont and beyond. A by-the-glass list makes lighter exploration easy, and a dedicated vermouth, sherry and sake section includes the Tsuru-ume Yuzu Sake from Heiwa Shuzou, flagged as a staff favourite.
Beer drinkers are covered by a mostly local line-up from McLeod's, Sawmill and Garage Project, including a 0.0% option, and non-drinkers get a proper zero-alcohol list spanning the Tiki, a non-alcoholic Amaretto Sour and a sunny stonefruit cooler.
Mr Morris extends past its own four walls. Private dining is available in-house for gatherings that want a room of their own, and an in-home dining service brings the restaurant's food and hospitality to your own table. Gift vouchers cover the hard-to-buy-for people in your life.
Dinner is served Tuesday through Saturday from 5:30pm until late, with lunch on Thursday and Friday between 12:00pm and 2:30pm. The restaurant closes Sunday and Monday, so plan the week accordingly. Reservations can be made through the website or by calling 09 869 5522, and the team can be reached at [email protected].
Whether you settle in for a long dinner, a glass of Central Otago pinot at the bar or a leisurely Friday lunch, the brief remains the one on the door: served, nourished, indulged.