Ethereal Restaurant

About Ethereal Restaurant

Ethereal Restaurant brings a modern country-style dining experience to Karaka, on Auckland's southern edge, at 8 Hinau Road right next to the New Zealand Bloodstock Sales Centre, auditorium and stables. Inspired by New Zealand flavours and named for the Melbourne Cup-winning thoroughbred Ethereal, the restaurant focuses on quality, comfort and excellence — and on making exceptional dining accessible to everyone.

Inside, it's country elegance with a down-to-earth feel: a relaxed, inviting room suited to celebrations, quick business meetings or a chilled-out coffee catch-up. Alongside the restaurant sits the Horseshoe Bar with its own snacks and drinks menus, and a dedicated wine list for longer visits.

The kitchen is built on local produce: Clevedon Coast Oysters from the Hauraki Gulf, award-winning buffalo mozzarella from Clevedon Buffalo Co, grass-fed aged beef from Carve Meat Co, and sustainably caught fish under New Zealand's Quota Management System. The menu runs from oysters and venison tartare through to a grill of aged steaks with house butters and jus, comfort classics like the Ethereal Signature Shepherd's Pie, and desserts such as Basque cheesecake and coffee crème brûlée.

A rolling What's On calendar adds a Sunday Buffet Brunch, the Karaka Country Tea of handcrafted sweet and savoury treats, a Weekday Social Lunch and a Seafood Platter returning by popular demand. There's a kids menu for under-12s, a celebration set menu for occasions, gift vouchers, and reservations taken throughout the week online or by phone.

Ethereal Restaurant: Modern Country Dining in Karaka, South Auckland

Ethereal Restaurant sits in the quiet horse country of Karaka on Auckland's southern edge, right beside the New Zealand Bloodstock Sales Centre, its auditorium and stables. The setting shapes everything about the place. The restaurant takes its name from the thoroughbred Ethereal, winner of the prestigious Melbourne Cup, and the team says the name holds deep sentimentality — an ethos grounded in striving for greatness while staying true to local heritage and home-grown roots.

The dining room aims for country elegance without pretension. It's described as down to earth, relaxed and inviting — the kind of room that works equally well for a celebration, a quick business meeting or a chilled-out coffee catch-up. Alongside the restaurant is the Horseshoe Bar, with its own snacks and drinks menus, and there's a dedicated wine list for those settling in.

What's on the plate

The kitchen is anchored in New Zealand produce, and the menus read like a tour of local makers. Oysters come from Clevedon Coast Oysters, grown in the clean waters of the Hauraki Gulf since 1986. The buffalo mozzarella is from Clevedon Buffalo Co, the family farm that pioneered buffalo farming in New Zealand and has taken gold at national cheese awards. Beef arrives via Carve Meat Co — grass-fed Angus and Hereford, cold boned and expertly aged — while fish is sourced using sustainable, quota-managed methods.

Starters range from venison tartare with brioche toast and merlot reduction to octopus and trevally ceviche, Hokkaido scallops and a New Zealand cheese board with Clevedon buffalo walnut gouda, Evansdale brie and Mahoe blue. The grill is the heart of the dinner menu: Scotch fillet, aged eye fillet, aged sirloin and Lumina lamb rump, each served with potato pavé and roasted garlic purée plus a choice of compound butters or a jus — truffle butter and green peppercorn among them.

There's genuine comfort food too, under a section the kitchen calls food 'to nourish the soul': the Ethereal Signature Shepherd's Pie with beef, lamb and mushroom, honey miso short ribs, confit duck leg, a classic cheeseburger and a black bean burger for plant-based diners. Desserts lean elegant — Basque cheesecake, winter apple with salted caramel, coffee crème brûlée and a coconut vegan dessert.

More than dinner

Ethereal runs a rolling calendar of events under the banner What's On. The Sunday Buffet Brunch lets the much-loved breakfast flow into a leisurely afternoon, while the Karaka Country Tea pairs handcrafted sweet and savoury treats with freshly brewed tea in the tranquil Karaka surrounds. A Weekday Social Lunch gives midweek a reason to gather, and a Seafood Platter — back by popular demand — returns soon.

Everyone at the table

Families are well looked after with a dedicated kids menu for children 12 and under, bundling a choice of main with a drink and ice cream. For bigger occasions there's a multi-course celebration set menu built around dishes like aged eye fillet, pan-fried fish with vichyssoise and coconut raspberry cake. Gift vouchers are available, reservations can be made online or by phone, and the team welcomes guests throughout the week.

Whether it's a long Sunday brunch, a country tea with friends or a serious steak by the stables, Ethereal leans into what it knows best: quality New Zealand produce, generous hospitality and a setting unlike anywhere else in South Auckland.

Signature items

• Ethereal Signature Shepherd's Pie
• Scotch Fillet
• Clevedon Oysters
• Winter Buffalo Mozzarella
• Honey Miso Short Ribs
• Sunday Buffet Brunch

Menu

Mains

• Ethereal Signature Shepherd's Pie — Beef & lamb with mushroom, crumble top & side salad
• Cheeseburger — Dry-aged beef patty, American cheese, pickles & shoestring fries
• Black bean burger — Vegan bun, tomato & onion relish, pickles & shoestring fries
• Tempura battered fish & chips — Market fish, garden salad, lemon & tartar sauce
• Chicken supreme — Celeriac purée, confit fennel, vegetables & chicken jus
• Pan-fried market fish — Shellfish bisque, nduja oil & chervil
• Pan-fried gnocchi — Mushrooms, pumpkin velouté & crispy sage
• Free range pork belly — Cauliflower purée, apple chutney, seasonal vegetables & jus
• Confit duck leg — Black garlic & red cabbage purées, cavolo nero, carrots, port wine jus
• Honey miso short ribs — Carrot purée, char-grilled onions, spinach & red wine jus
• Scotch fillet — 300g 70+ day grain-fed Speckle Park beef with potato pavé & garlic purée
• Aged eye fillet — 200g grass-fed Savannah Beef with potato pavé & garlic purée
• Aged sirloin — 250g Savannah Beef with fries, jus & salad
• Lamb rump — 300g Lumina lamb from the South Island
• Grill board for the table — 450g NY strip sirloin, 200g short ribs & 200g hanger steak; serves 3–4

Sides

• Shoestring fries — With garlic aioli
• Seasonal vegetables — White bean purée & green oil
• Crushed pearl potato — With gremolata
• Baby cos lettuce wedges — Parmesan emulsion, parmesan & breadcrumbs
• Roquette & roasted pear salad — Dressed with a merlot reduction

Desserts

• Basque cheesecake — Mandarin sorbet, orange gel & almond
• Winter apple — Mousseline, salted caramel, almond tuile, apple & sorbet
• Coffee crème brûlée — Vanilla sponge, coffee jelly, crumb & chocolate ice cream
• Coconut vegan dessert — Mango, matcha cream & coconut sorbet
• Petit four — Bonbon, macaron, madeleine & house-made fruit pâté

Kids Menu

• Pasta with tomato sauce — Kids' favourite, for 12 & under
• Fish 'n' chips — Kid-sized classic
• Fried chicken & chips — Crispy chicken with chips
• Ice cream — Chocolate & vanilla, the included dessert
• Apple juice — Included drink choice
• Orange juice — Included drink choice
• Raspberry lemonade — Included drink choice

Celebration Set Menu

• House-made breads — Miso butter & arbequina olive oil
• Clevedon buffalo mozzarella — Heirloom tomatoes & fresh basil
• Market fish ceviche — Tiger milk, pickled radish, strawberries, red chilli & coriander
• Aged eye fillet — Potato pavé, confit garlic & jus
• Pan-fried fish — Vichyssoise & leek oil with shellfish & leek
• Chicken supreme — Burnt butter sweet corn purée, potato pavé & seasonal greens
• Potato gnocchi — Zucchini velouté, grilled zucchini, gordal olives & confit garlic
• Coconut raspberry cake — Raspberry & coconut-lime sorbets, meringue shards & raspberry gel
• Piped cheesecake — Peach sorbet, shortbread crumble, caramel popcorn & fresh peach
• Petit four — Chocolate bonbons, macarons & house-made fruit pâté

Grill Sauces & Butters

• Beef jus — Classic jus for the grill cuts
• Creamy mushroom sauce — Rich mushroom cream
• Creamy green peppercorn jus — Peppercorn cream jus
• Spicy chipotle butter — Compound butter with a smoky kick
• Truffle butter — Compound butter for the steaks
• Maître d'hôtel butter — Classic herbed butter

Starters & Small Plates

• Homemade breads — Sea salt whipped butter with a drizzle of honey truffle & olive oil
• Clevedon oysters — Half dozen, natural or with fennel & lemon granita
• Winter buffalo mozzarella — Roasted & pickled pumpkin, caramelised apple & pumpkin seed praline
• Octopus & trevally ceviche — Red tiger milk, pickled cauliflower & red onion, chive oil
• Venison tartare — Brioche toast, black mayonnaise, chives & merlot reduction
• Anchovies on brioche toast — Crispy capers, smoked crème fraîche, chilli & chives
• Saffron arancini — With saffron emulsion & parmesan
• NZ cheese board — Clevedon buffalo walnut gouda, Evansdale brie & Mahoe blue with lavosh
• Hokkaido pan-fried scallops — Cauliflower purée, nduja oil, pickled onion & coral tuile
• Roasted honey glazed carrot — Homemade hummus & Egyptian dukkah
• Beetroot cooked three ways — Buffalo labneh, pistachio & mandarin oil
• Caesar salad — Bacon, croutons, soft-boiled egg & parmesan; add chicken

Frequently asked questions

Where is Ethereal Restaurant located?

At 8 Hinau Road in Karaka, Auckland 2113 — next to the New Zealand Bloodstock Sales Centre, auditorium and stables.

Do I need a reservation?

Reservations can be made online via the booking widget on the restaurant's website, or by calling +64 9 296 3391.

Is there a kids menu?

Yes — for children 12 and under, with a choice of main plus a drink and ice cream for dessert.

Can dietary requirements be catered for?

Yes — menus flag vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes, and the kitchen asks guests to notify waitstaff of any allergies or dietary needs so they can accommodate them.

What special dining experiences are on offer?

A Sunday Buffet Brunch, the Karaka Country Tea with handcrafted sweet and savoury treats, a Weekday Social Lunch, and a Seafood Platter returning soon by popular demand.

Can Ethereal host celebrations or groups?

Yes — the restaurant suits celebrations and business gatherings, with a multi-course celebration set menu and the Horseshoe Bar for drinks and snacks.

Are gift vouchers available?

Yes — gift vouchers can be purchased through the link on the restaurant's website.

Tips

• {"body":"The Sunday Buffet Brunch, Karaka Country Tea and Weekday Social Lunch each offer a different way to experience Ethereal — check the website for details.","title":"Plan around What's On"}
• {"body":"Grill cuts come with potato pavé and roasted garlic purée; pick a compound butter or jus such as truffle butter or creamy green peppercorn.","title":"Dress your steak"}
• {"body":"Look for Clevedon Coast oysters and Clevedon Buffalo Co mozzarella — both come from nearby Hauraki Gulf waters and farms.","title":"Eat local"}
• {"body":"The kids menu for 12 & under pairs a main with a drink and ice cream, making family visits simple.","title":"Easy with kids"}
• {"body":"Tables can be reserved online in a couple of clicks through the website, or call the team directly.","title":"Book ahead"}

Good to know

• {"family":"Kids menu for 12 & under includes a main, a drink and ice cream.","dietary":"Menus mark vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes; tell staff about allergies — the menu may contain nut traces."}