Appetite

About Appetite

Appetite is a restaurant, bar and events space on Massey Avenue in the heart of Pukekohe, on the corner of Massey Ave and Roulston Street. It pairs contemporary elegance with a relaxed local welcome — a cocktail lounge and corner bar, comfortable booth and table seating, and diverse spaces that shift easily from intimate dinners to grand celebrations.

The kitchen works with fresh, seasonal ingredients and a menu that pays homage to regions around the world: fresh oysters served three ways, house-made pasta, prime Hawke's Bay lamb and beef, Ōra King salmon, and a wagyu smash burger that keeps regulars coming back. The bar holds its own too — whether you're raising a pint with friends or savouring a signature cocktail, every toast is a moment to remember, with service running from 11am until late, seven days a week.

Appetite is just as much about hosting as it is about dinner. Its spaces suit everything from a quick bite to a group celebration, and thoughtful touches — a kids' dinner menu, generous sharing platters, gift vouchers and easy online bookings — make bringing people together simple. Walk-ins are welcome, but securing a table is the best way to guarantee your spot.

Appetite Pukekohe: Contemporary Dining, Cocktails & Events on Massey Avenue

Appetite sits at the corner of Massey Avenue and Roulston Street, right in the heart of Pukekohe, and it has settled into the town's fabric fast — one regular calls it "an asset to Pukekohe." The room mixes contemporary elegance with an easy local warmth: a cocktail lounge, a corner bar, soft booth seating and long tables that work just as well for a quick lunch as they do for a celebration. Doors are open from 11am until late, every day of the week, and the same address is a restaurant, a bar and an events venue all at once.

A menu that travels

The kitchen builds its menu on fresh, seasonal ingredients and dishes that pay homage to regions around the world. The entrée list leans coastal and shareable: fresh oysters natural, beer battered or grilled kilpatrick (subject to availability), tuna tataki with ponzu and pickled ginger, crispy five spice squid with szechuan pepper, mussels in a Thai lemongrass pot with toasted garlic sourdough, and a beef carpaccio with 24-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano. Salads hold their own too — a caprese of heirloom tomato and burrata, a grilled chicken skewer with tzatziki, and a beetroot number with crispy goat's cheese, pomegranate and Canterbury walnuts.

House-made pasta is a quiet point of pride: salt-baked potato gnocchi in blue cheese sauce, stracciatella fettuccine with slow-cooked tomato, three cheese ravioli with 12-year balsamic, and a saffron risotto finished with braised beef. Then there's the grill. The signature is a whole slow-cooked Hawke's Bay lamb shoulder for two, carved with mint sauce and red wine jus; alongside it sit a 250g scotch fillet, a peppercorn-crusted eye fillet, a Hawke's Bay lamb rump, slow-cooked beef cheek and half a kilo of bourbon baby back pork ribs. Sourcing leans local and traceable — Balle Farms fries, local Agria potatoes, First Light wagyu, Ōra King salmon and Canterbury walnuts.

From brunch plates to the dessert bar

Lunch runs the full range, from custard-soaked french toast, triple stack pancakes and smashed avo to a shuyu ramen, the BBQ bacon smash burger on a wagyu double patty, and scotch fillet with eggs and fries. There's a dedicated kids' dinner menu for families, and snack-hour sharing platters — the Classics Platter stacked with sliders, wings and squid bites, or the Tasting Platter of cheeses, meats and arancini — built for a crowded table.

The dessert menu reads like its own occasion: vanilla-maple crème brûlée, a skillet cookie with burnt butter caramel ice cream, baked berry tart, and baked brie with hot honey and dates. From the bar, the finish is an espresso martini, an affogato with Frangelico, Baileys or Salted Baileys, or whatever the bartender's creation of the day happens to be.

Room for every occasion

Beyond dinner service, Appetite positions itself as Pukekohe's hosting venue — its diverse spaces suit everything from intimate gatherings to grand celebrations, and enquiries go straight to the team by email. Walk-ins are accepted, but the house suggests securing a table, particularly for groups; bookings and gift vouchers are both handled online, and the kitchen asks guests with allergies or intolerances to let the team know, since everything is prepared fresh in house.

Between the cocktail lounge, the long menu and seven-day 11am-late hours, Appetite has quietly become the Pukekohe address where a weekday lunch, a milestone dinner and a Saturday celebration can all live under one roof.

Signature items

• Appetite Lamb Shoulder
• Fresh Oysters
• BBQ Bacon Smash Burger
• Peppercorn Eye Fillet
• Saffron Risotto
• Appetite Tasting Platter

Menu

Sides

• Green Vegetables — Green vegetable side
• Local Mash — Mashed potato side
• Balle Farms Fries — With roasted garlic aioli & tomato ketchup
• Hash Brown Chips — Local Agria potatoes cooked in duck fat & thyme, with parmesan & truffle mayo
• Glazed Baby Carrots — Glazed carrot side
• Twice Cooked Potatoes — Locally grown potatoes with chipotle sauce
• Green Salad — Leaf salad with herbs, shallots, ricotta, pumpkin seeds & Cabernet Sauvignon vinaigrette

Salads

• Caprese — Heirloom tomato, burrata, avocado, red onion, basil & croutons
• Grilled Chicken Skewer — Spiced chicken, green leaf salad, tomato, cucumber, feta & tzatziki dressing
• Beetroot & Crispy Goats Cheese — Orange, walnuts, pomegranate seeds, red onion, roquette & Cabernet Sauvignon vinaigrette

Desserts

• Crème Brûlée — Vanilla-maple crème brûlée with blueberry compote & almond biscotti
• Mille-Feuille — Almond sponge layered cake, chocolate mousse with caramel & banana butterscotch ice cream
• Skillet Cookie — Milk chocolate, toffee & roasted cashews with burnt butter caramel ice cream
• Baked Berry Tart — Vanilla crème, berries & compote with raspberry sorbet & candied almonds
• Gourmet Cheeseboard — Fresh fruit, quince paste, walnuts, toasted fruit bread & rosemary sea salt lavosh
• Affogato — Vanilla ice cream & espresso with Frangelico, Baileys or Salted Baileys
• Ice Cream & Sorbet Scoop — Ask the team for today's flavours

Dessert Bar

• Bartender's Creation — Ask the team for today's dessert cocktail
• Espresso Martini — Espresso, caramel, Kahlua & vodka
• Wither Hills Riesling — Marlborough, 2022
• Penfolds Club Tawny Port — Tawny port served by the glass
• Limoncello — Limoncello served by the glass

Dinner Mains

• Appetite Lamb Shoulder (for 2) — Whole slow-cooked Hawke's Bay lamb shoulder with mint sauce, red wine jus & two sides
• 250g Scotch Fillet Steak — Your choice of sauce, hash brown chips & green salad
• 220g Eye Fillet — Peppercorn crust, your choice of sauce, hash brown chips & green salad
• Slow-Cooked Beef Cheek — Local mash, seasonal greens & au jus
• Half-Kilo Bourbon Baby Back Pork Ribs — Slow-cooked ribs with fries & coleslaw
• Pan-Fried Market Fish — Fillet with greens, salad, gremolata, tartare sauce, dill & lemon
• Ora King Salmon — Crispy skin, peperonata, butter beans, basil, lemon & olive oil
• Fish & Chips — Beer-battered fish with lemon, tartare sauce, fries & green salad
• First Light Wagyu Beef Meatballs — Wagyu beef & pork with pine nuts & raisins, tomato and pecorino sauces & sourdough
• BBQ Bacon Smash Burger — Wagyu double patty, cheese, BBQ sauce, maple bacon, shallot & dill pickle, with fries
• Hawke's Bay Lamb Rump — Dijon, chives, peas, pearl onions, cos lettuce, rosemary, red wine jus & twice-cooked potatoes
• Pork Loin Schnitzel — Apple fennel coleslaw, ranch dressing & sautéed potatoes

Lunch & Brunch

• French Toast — Custard-soaked brioche, warm maple syrup, caramelised banana & whipped crème fraiche
• Triple Stack Pancakes — Blueberry compote, warm maple syrup, butter & whipped crème fraiche
• Smashed Avo — Toasted sourdough with two poached eggs, feta, fennel, tomato & chilli flakes
• Appetite Breakfast — Two eggs your way, house-baked sourdough, bacon, avocado & roasted vine tomatoes
• 250g Scotch Fillet, Eggs & Fries — With red wine jus and two fried eggs
• Shuyu Ramen — Chicken & pork broth, noodles, pork belly, bamboo shoots & a soft-boiled egg
• Golden Fried Chicken — Chicken bites with chipotle sauce & mild jalapeño
• Grilled Chicken Flatbread — Local green leaf salad, red onion, pickled cucumber & hummus

Dinner EntréEs

• Fresh Oysters — Natural with lemon & mignonette, beer battered, or grilled kilpatrick style (subject to availability)
• Garlic & Cheese Flatbread — Flatbread baked with a local cheese blend
• House Made Sourdough Bread — Served with salted butter and local olive oil
• Arancini & Mozzarella Balls — Green pea, mint, mozzarella & basil pesto
• Tuna Tataki — Ponzu, pickled ginger, wasabi, daikon radish & pickled plum
• Half Dozen Mussels — Thai lemongrass mussel pot with toasted garlic sourdough
• Dozen Mussels — Thai lemongrass mussel pot with toasted garlic sourdough
• Crispy Five Spice Squid — Szechuan pepper, pickled cucumber & chilli jam
• Chicken Liver & Bacon Parfait — Toasted brioche with green apple, raisin & apricot chutney
• Soft Shell Tacos — Three flour tortillas with fried chicken or beer-battered fish, corn & tomato salsa
• Pork Belly Bites — With apple puree & crackling
• Beef Carpaccio — Hand-cut rare beef with 24-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano, wild roquette & gremolata

House Made Pasta

• Potato Gnocchi — Salt-baked gnocchi, blue cheese sauce, Canterbury walnuts, radicchio & pangrattato
• Stracciatella Fettuccine — Fresh fettuccine, slow-cooked tomato sauce, stracciatella cheese & basil pesto
• Prawn Fettuccine — Fresh fettuccine with garlic prawns
• Three Cheese Ravioli — Ricotta, parmesan & goat cheese, beurre blanc, shallots, chives & 12-year balsamic
• Saffron Risotto — Saffron & white wine-infused Carnaroli with gremolata & braised beef

Snacks & Sharing Platters

• Appetite Classics Platter — Beef & fish sliders, chicken bites, wings, five spice squid bites, potato skins & fries
• Appetite Tasting Platter — Cheese & meats, arancini balls, olives, hummus, crackers & house-made sourdough
• Baked Brie — Hot honey, dates & pomegranate with toasted fruit nut bread
• Baked Potato Croquettes — House-made with local potatoes & truffle mayo
• Lebanese Flatbread — Za'atar spice mix, sumac, green harissa, olive oil & fresh hummus
• Sicilian Green & Kalamata Olives — Marinated in thyme, lemon zest & garlic

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to book a table at Appetite?

Walk-ins are accepted, but Appetite recommends securing a table — especially for groups. Bookings can be made online.

What are the opening hours?

Appetite is open Monday to Sunday, from 11am until late.

Where is Appetite located?

Shop 1/8 Massey Avenue, Pukekohe 2120, Auckland — on the corner of Massey Ave & Roulston Street. Phone (09) 242 4242.

Can dietary requirements and allergies be catered for?

Yes — tell the team about any allergies or intolerances. As the menu is prepared fresh in house, traces of allergens are possible, but they'll do their best to accommodate you. Many dishes are marked gluten, dairy and gluten-option friendly.

Does Appetite host events?

Yes. Its diverse spaces suit everything from intimate gatherings to grand celebrations. Email hello@appetite.co.nz to enquire about hosting.

Are gift vouchers available?

Yes — digital gift cards can be purchased through the website.

Is there a kids' menu?

Yes, Appetite offers a dedicated kids' dinner menu.

Tips

• {"body":"Walk-ins are welcome, but Appetite recommends securing a table online — especially for groups and busier services.","title":"Book ahead"}
• {"body":"The Classics Platter (sliders, wings, squid bites, potato skins, fries) and the Tasting Platter of cheese, meats and arancini are built for sharing.","title":"Go big on platters"}
• {"body":"Lunch spans brunch plates like french toast and pancakes through to ramen, smash burgers and steak with eggs — there's something for every mood.","title":"Lunch is two menus in one"}
• {"body":"Desserts come from both kitchen and bar — try the affogato with a choice of Frangelico, Baileys or Salted Baileys, or ask for the bartender's creation.","title":"End at the dessert bar"}
• {"body":"Everything is prepared fresh in house, so mention allergies or intolerances when you order and the team will do their best to accommodate you.","title":"Flag allergies early"}

Good to know

• {"family":"Kids' dinner menu available.","dietary":"Allergies: tell the team — menu is made fresh in house, so traces possible. GF/DF-friendly dishes marked on menus."}