Bracu Restaurant is the dining heart of Bracu Estate, a working olive estate at 49 Main Road in Bombay, on the southern edge of Auckland. The estate began as the vision of founder Ivan Simunovich, whose family home was on the island of Brač off the Croatian coast — a small slice of the Mediterranean recreated in New Zealand, where olives were grown for flavour and for the wellbeing of the community. That dream grew into what became New Zealand's largest privately owned olive grove, originally known as Simunovich Olive Estate.
In October 2020, the Zhou family took ownership of the estate — restaurant, pavilion and Beretta activities included — and invited every existing staff member to remain, preserving the knowledge, care and spirit that shaped the place from its beginnings. Today the estate's foundations still guide everything: award-winning extra virgin olive oil, fine food and wine, meaningful celebrations and experiences shared with family and friends.
The restaurant currently opens Friday to Sunday across the winter period, with lunch from 12pm to 3pm Friday through Sunday and dinner from 5:30pm to 9pm on Friday and Saturday evenings. Tables can be reserved on (09) 236 1030, and the estate's returning 'Dine for $79' dining event can be booked online.
Beyond the dining room, Bracu Estate is home to weddings and private events, clay target shooting experiences, photo and film locations, and its own extra virgin olive oil, shipped throughout New Zealand from the online shop.
Follow Main Road through Bombay, south of Auckland, and you arrive at Bracu Estate — a working olive grove where the restaurant waits behind trimmed hedges and black double doors, with rows of trees stretching beyond. It is a place with an unusually personal story: one family's attempt to carry a corner of the Croatian Adriatic to New Zealand, and a newer family's promise to keep it alive.
Bracu was the vision of founder Ivan Simunovich, whose family home was on the island of Brač, off the Croatian coast. Ivan imagined a small slice of his homeland here — a place shaped by the traditions, flavours and rhythms of the Mediterranean. On Brač, olives were cultivated not only for their flavour but for the health and wellbeing of the community, a tradition Ivan proudly carried forward. What began as a personal dream grew into New Zealand's largest privately owned olive grove, originally known as Simunovich Olive Estate.
In 2009, with the estate complete, Ivan returned to his beloved homeland to care for family properties and embrace a slower pace of life. His son Peter and daughter Donna ran and managed the estate until 2020, when the Simunovich family decided to pass it on — Bracu Restaurant, Bracu Pavilion and Beretta Activities included. Later that year the Zhou family took ownership, and in a defining moment for Bracu, every existing staff member was invited to stay. The knowledge, care and spirit built over decades carried on intact.
Today those foundations still guide everything the estate does: award-winning extra virgin olive oil, fine food and wine, meaningful celebrations, and unforgettable experiences shared with family and friends.
Bracu Restaurant currently opens Friday to Sunday across the winter period. Lunch runs from 12pm to 3pm, Friday through Sunday, with dinner service on Friday and Saturday evenings from 5:30pm to 9pm. Reservations can be made by calling (09) 236 1030 or emailing reservations@bracu.co.nz, while the front of house team can be reached at manager@bracu.co.nz for non-urgent enquiries. The estate's 'Dine for $79' dining event has also returned, bookable online — a popular way to settle in for the full Bracu experience.
Dining at Bracu stretches across the estate itself, with outdoor tables among the grounds and an elegant event hall for larger occasions. It is the kind of place where lunch easily becomes an afternoon.
Much of what makes Bracu worth the drive happens outside mealtimes. The estate's award-winning extra virgin olive oil is sold through the online shop and shipped throughout New Zealand, with free shipping on orders over $150. The grounds host weddings — enquiries go to sayido@bracu.co.nz, and site viewings run Tuesday to Saturday, with Sunday and Monday available on special request — alongside corporate functions and private events handled by the events team. Gift vouchers and photo and film shoots round out the estate's calendar.
There are also the Beretta experiences: clay target shooting on the estate, running Thursday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Book ahead by emailing hello@bracu.co.nz or calling Prue Kerr on (09) 236 1045 — same-day activities are seldom available, so plan ahead if shooting is on your list.
Whether you come for a long weekend lunch, to stock up on olive oil, or to celebrate something bigger, Bracu rewards a little planning. Check the current hours before you set out, book your table in advance, and leave room in the boot for a bottle or two of the grove's oil.