Tapsi

About Tapsi

Tapsi is a Middle Eastern restaurant on Dominion Road in Mount Roskill, Auckland, serving a journey through the region's rich and diverse flavours — traditional recipes given a subtly modern touch, with an Iraqi backbone that shows in dishes like tashreeb and qozi. The dining room is part of the experience: earthy tones, intricate mosaic patterns and warm lighting create a cosy, welcoming space, while soft Middle Eastern music plays underneath the conversation. It suits intimate dinners as much as larger gatherings, and the restaurant regularly hosts functions, birthday parties and group bookings.

The menu travels widely: Iraqi classics like qozi, kapsa and tashreeb, Persian ghormeh sabzi, Moroccan tajines cooked in clay, and charcoal-grilled kebabs, alongside a full mezze line-up of hummus, beetroot hummus, baba ganoush and mutabal. Plates are built for sharing, and family packs scale the feast up for the whole table, with a dedicated vegetarian rice and stew option on hand.

Tapsi welcomes dine-in, takeaway, online ordering and delivery, opening at midday daily with a later close on Friday and Saturday nights.

Tapsi, Mount Roskill: Iraqi-Hearted Middle Eastern Feasting on Dominion Road

Tapsi sits on Dominion Road in Mount Roskill, bringing the flavours of the Middle East to one of Auckland's most food-loving strips. The menu is described as a carefully curated selection of Middle Eastern dishes, each prepared with fresh ingredients and traditional cooking techniques — though subtly different to other Middle Eastern cuisine, with an Iraqi backbone that shows in dishes like tashreeb and qozi you won't find on every corner.

A Room That Sets the Scene

Step inside and the decor does half the welcoming: earthy tones, intricate mosaic patterns and warm lighting create a cosy, inviting space, while soft Middle Eastern music hums underneath the conversation. The idea is to transport diners to the heart of the Middle East — and it works just as well for an intimate dinner for two as for a larger gathering. The restaurant regularly hosts functions, birthday parties and group bookings.

A Menu That Travels the Region

The kitchen's repertoire stretches far. Qozi Lamb and Qozi Chicken — the house signatures — pile tender meat over white and za'faran rice scattered with roasted almonds, sweet raisins and vermicelli, each plate coming with a stew of your choice: white-bean fasoliya, okra bamya, green-bean lobya, or the house Tapsi stew of layered fried potato, eggplant, onion and capsicum baked in tomato sauce. Tashreeb is Iraqi comfort food at its most honest — big slices of tandoori bread soaked through with a tomato, onion and capsicum stew, tender lamb piled on top.

Beyond Iraq, the menu wanders happily. Kapsa pairs slow-cooked meat with rice cooked in lamb broth and spices. Mandi arrives smoked and fragrant with za'faran. Ghormeh Sabzi is the Persian classic — a deep herb stew of lamb, red kidney beans and dried limes served over barberry-studded zerishk polo. Moroccan lamb and chicken tajines come out of the clay pot with carrots, potatoes, olives and Moroccan spice, while the charcoal grill turns out Erbil kebabs, shesh kebab and marinated chicken and lamb tikka, all plated with chargrilled tomatoes, onion and turshi pickles.

Start With Mezze, Finish With Kunafa

Begin the way the region does: with bread and dips. Hummus, beetroot hummus, baba ganoush and mutabal come in small or large serves, or gathered together on the Bread & Dips board, while the Mezze Platter goes further with tabouli, seasonal salads and dolma. Fatosh brings fried bread and pomegranate dressing to the salad course, a lamb soup with split chickpeas and potatoes sets a warming tone, and Greek, Iraqi and garden salads round out the greens.

Save room, though. Kunafa is the showpiece: shredded kataifi wrapped around cheese, baked, soaked in sugar syrup and topped with crushed pistachio. Chocolate paklava with vanilla ice cream runs it close, while muhallebi — a delicate milk pudding with nuts and rose petals — or paklava with Turkish coffee make gentler finishes.

Built for Sharing

This is feasting food, and Tapsi makes it simple to feed a crowd. Family packs bundle qozi, mandi, kapsa, mixed barbecue or Erbil kebab with generous rice and stews, sized for the whole table rather than single plates. Vegetarians get a proper main too, with the Rice & Marag Vegetarian built on the same almond-and-raisin-studded rice and a choice of stews.

Practicalities

Tapsi serves dine-in, takeaway, online ordering and delivery. Doors open at midday daily, closing at 9pm Monday to Thursday and on Sunday, and at 9:30pm on Friday and Saturday. Drinks run from Turkish coffee, pots of tea and mastaw to juices and soft drinks. Functions, birthday parties and group bookings are welcome via the reservation page, and for booking enquiries after 5pm the restaurant asks that you phone directly. Between the mosaic-lined walls and tables loaded with mandi and mezze, it doesn't take long for Dominion Road to feel a very long way from Auckland.

Signature items

• Qozi Lamb
• Mandi Lamb
• Mezze Platter
• Moroccan Lamb Tajine
• Ghormeh Sabzi
• Kunafa

Menu

Rice

• White Rice — Steamed white rice.
• Za'faran Rice — Saffron-infused rice.
• Paqla Plaw Rice — Paqla pilaw rice.

Mains

• Qozi Lamb — Tender lamb over white and za'faran rice with roasted almond, sweet raisins, vermicelli and tzatziki; comes with a stew of your choice.
• Qozi Chicken — Tender chicken over white and za'faran rice with roasted almond, sweet raisins, vermicelli and tzatziki; comes with a stew of your choice.
• Rice & Marag Vegetarian — White and za'faran rice with roasted almond, sweet raisins, vermicelli and tzatziki; comes with a stew of your choice.
• Kapsa Lamb — Slow-cooked lamb with onion and capsicum, rice cooked in lamb broth and spices, tzatziki and soup.
• Kapsa Chicken — Slow-cooked chicken with onion and capsicum, rice cooked in lamb broth and spices, tzatziki and soup.
• Mandi Lamb — Smoked lamb and rice cooked with a special blend of spices and za'faran, with tzatziki and mandi soup.
• Mandi Chicken — Smoked chicken and rice cooked with a special blend of spices and za'faran, with tzatziki and mandi soup.
• Ghormeh Sabzi — Persian herb stew with several herbs, red kidney beans, dried limes and lamb, served with zerishk polo (white rice, barberry, za'faran).
• Tashreeb — Tandoori bread soaked in a traditional Iraqi tomato, onion and capsicum stew with tender lamb on top; side onion and turshi.
• Moroccan Lamb Tajine — Lamb slow-cooked in a clay tajine with carrot, potato, onion, olives and capsicum in Moroccan spices; bread or rice.
• Moroccan Chicken Tajine — Chicken slow-cooked in a clay tajine with carrot, potato, onion, olives and capsicum in Moroccan spices; bread or rice.
• Erbil Kebab — Lamb mince shish kebab chargrilled over charcoal with chargrilled tomato, onion, turshi and tandoori naan.
• Shesh Kebab With Rice — Lamb mince shish kebab chargrilled over charcoal, served over rice with chargrilled tomato, onion and turshi.
• Chicken Tikka — Two skewers of marinated chicken chargrilled over charcoal with chargrilled tomato, onion and turshi; tandoori bread or rice.
• Lamb Tikka — Two skewers of marinated lamb chargrilled over charcoal with chargrilled tomato, onion and turshi; tandoori bread or rice.
• Mix BBQ Tikka — Mixed skewers of chicken tikka, lamb tikka and lamb mince kebab chargrilled over charcoal; chargrilled tomato, onion, turshi, bread or rice.

Breads

• Tandoori Bread — Freshly baked tandoori bread.

Drinks

• Coke — Soft drink.
• Coke Zero — Soft drink.
• Sprite — Soft drink.
• Fanta — Soft drink.
• Orange Juice — Fruit juice.
• Turkish Coffee — Turkish-style coffee.
• Pot of Tea — Brewed pot of tea.
• Big Pot of Tea — A larger pot of tea to share.
• Mastaw — Traditional yoghurt drink.
• Jug of Mastaw — Mastaw by the jug to share.

Entree

• Lamb Soup — Lamb broth soup with split chickpeas and potatoes, topped with spices, served with Turkish bread.
• Bread & Dips — Hummus, baba ganoush, beetroot hummus and Turkish bread.
• Mezze Platter — Hummus, baba ganoush, beetroot hummus, tabouli, mesclun, Middle Eastern salad, dolma and Turkish bread; salads depend on seasonal availability.
• Fatosh — Slices of fried bread with diced tomato, onion, cucumber and mesclun, dressed with pomegranate sauce.
• Hummus — Creamy house-made chickpea dip; small or large serve.
• Beetroot Hummus — House-made beetroot hummus; small or large serve.
• Baba Ganoush — Eggplant dip; small or large serve.
• Mutabal — Eggplant and yoghurt dip; small or large serve.
• Tabouli — Refreshing salad of finely chopped parsley, tomato and bulgur, dressed with lemon and olive oil.
• Greek Salad — Mesclun, feta, capsicum, tomato and cucumber with roasted nuts, pomegranate sauce and lemon juice.
• Iraqi Salad — Fresh Iraqi-style salad.
• Garden Salad — Crisp fresh garden salad.

Extras

• Paklava — Layered filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with baklava syrup.
• Pistachio Paklava — Paklava filled with pistachio nuts.
• Chocolate Paklava — Chocolate take on the classic layered filo sweet.
• Tapsi Stew — Layers of fried potato, eggplant, onion and capsicum baked in tomato sauce.
• Bamya Stew — Okra and tomato stew.
• Lobya — Green beans cooked in tomato sauce.
• Fasolya — White beans cooked in tomato sauce.
• Chips — Hot chips.
• Dolma — Stuffed vine leaves.
• Extra Erbil Kebab — An extra lamb mince kebab skewer.
• Extra Chicken Tikka — An extra marinated chicken tikka skewer.
• Extra Lamb Tikka — An extra marinated lamb tikka skewer.
• Tzatziki — Cucumber and yoghurt dip.

Desserts

• Muhallebi — Sweet milk pudding garnished with nuts and rose petals.
• Paklava With Arabic Coffee — Layered filo pastry filled with chopped nuts, sweetened with baklava syrup and served with Turkish coffee; single or set of two.
• Kunafa — Shredded kataifi filled with cheese, baked and soaked in sugar syrup, topped with crushed pistachio; small, medium or large.
• Chocolate Paklava With Vanilla Ice Cream — Large piece of chocolate paklava with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, garnished with chocolate sauce.

Family Packs

• Family Pack Qozi Lamb — Lamb over white, za'faran and paqla pilaw rice with roasted almond, sweet raisins, vermicelli, tzatziki and four stews.
• Family Pack Qozi Chicken — Chicken over white, za'faran, paqla pilaw and zereshk rice with roasted almond, sweet raisins, vermicelli, tzatziki and four stews.
• Family Pack Qozi Mix — Chicken and lamb over white, za'faran and paqla pilaw rice with roasted almond, sweet raisins, vermicelli, tzatziki and four stews.
• Family Pack Mandi — Smoked lamb and rice cooked with a special blend of spices and za'faran, with tzatziki and mandi soup.
• Family Pack Kapsa — Slow-cooked lamb with onion and capsicum, rice cooked in lamb broth and spices, tzatziki and soup.
• Family Pack Mix BBQ — Mixed skewers of chicken tikka, lamb tikka and lamb mince kebab, chargrilled with chargrilled tomato, onion and turshi; bread or rice.
• Family Pack Erbil Kebab — Lamb mince shish kebabs chargrilled over charcoal with chargrilled tomato, onion, turshi and tandoori naan.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Tapsi located?

985 Dominion Road, Mount Roskill, Auckland.

What are Tapsi's opening hours?

Open from 12pm to 9pm Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and from 12pm to 9:30pm on Friday and Saturday.

Can I book a table or host a function?

Yes — Tapsi takes reservations and welcomes functions, birthday parties and group bookings. For booking enquiries after 5pm, please call 09 600 1807.

Are there vegetarian options?

Yes. The Rice & Marag Vegetarian comes with a stew of your choice, and the fasoliya, bamya and lobya stews, hummus, baba ganoush and salads are vegetarian.

Does Tapsi offer takeaway or delivery?

Yes — dine-in, takeaway, online ordering and delivery are all available.

What is Tapsi known for?

Iraqi-led Middle Eastern feasts: qozi, kapsa, mandi and tashreeb, Persian ghormeh sabzi, Moroccan tajines, charcoal-grilled kebabs, and kunafa for dessert.

What drinks are on the menu?

Turkish coffee, pots of tea, mastaw (a traditional yoghurt drink), orange juice and familiar soft drinks.

Tips

• {"body":"Qozi Lamb is the house signature — za'faran rice, roasted almonds, sweet raisins and your pick of stew alongside.","title":"Order the qozi"}
• {"body":"Start with the Bread & Dips board or the Mezze Platter so the table can graze while the mains are prepared.","title":"Share the mezze"}
• {"body":"Family packs of qozi, mandi, kapsa, mixed BBQ or Erbil kebab are built for the whole table — order online for pickup or delivery.","title":"Feeding a crowd"}
• {"body":"Functions, birthday parties and group bookings are welcome; book via the website and call after 5pm for booking enquiries.","title":"Groups and birthdays"}
• {"body":"The cheese-filled kunafa is baked and soaked in syrup — and the chocolate paklava with vanilla ice cream is a close second.","title":"Save room for kunafa"}

Good to know

• {"family":"Family packs feed the whole table; functions, birthdays and group bookings welcome.","dietary":"Vegetarian main and stews (fasoliya, bamya, lobya), plus dips and salads."}