Cooked is a local Mexican restaurant on Mill Road in Whitianga, serving the Coromandel with a simple promise summed up in its own seven words: fresh food, cold beers, friendly faces. The kitchen turns out Mexican food designed to be shared amongst friends and family, best enjoyed with a margarita in hand or one of the house beers.
The menu was lovingly created by head chef and owner Christian, a chef by trade with more than 20 years of international experience, who runs Cooked together with Hayley. Dishes come free flowing from the kitchen as they're ready, so the table fills up little by little — guacamole and totopos first, then poppers, tacos and burritos landing as they come off the pass.
The menu runs from share plates like Nachos Muchachos, OG Cooked Poppers and Frida's Fried Chicken, to tacos on yellow corn tortillas, burritos built with 15-hour beef brisket, smash burgers, dinner-only specials like a crispy pork hock for two, and a kids menu for 12 and under. There are many gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free options — just ask the team.
On the drinks side, margaritas lead the way, from the classic (shaken or on the rocks) to a slushy margarita and house creations like the Firerita and the Whiti Fishbowl, alongside mojitos, craft beer, house wines, low- and zero-alcohol choices and soft drinks. Hours change with the seasons, so it's worth checking Cooked's social pages for the current opening times before you visit.
Cooked is Whitianga's local Mexican restaurant, parked on Mill Road in the heart of the Coromandel's favourite beach town. The idea behind it is simple, and printed right across the top of the menu: fresh food, cold beers, friendly faces.
This is food made to be shared. Plates come free flowing from the kitchen as they're ready, so the table fills up gradually — guacamole and corn chips first, then poppers, tacos and burritos landing as the kitchen finishes them. Everything is designed to be eaten amongst friends and family, ideally with a margarita in one hand or a cold craft beer in the other.
The menu has been lovingly created by head chef and owner Christian, a chef by trade with more than 20 years of international experience behind him. He runs Cooked together with Hayley, and the pair sign off the website with a cheerful "Hola!" — the tone of the whole place in a word.
The Amigos section is the share-plate heart of the menu. Holy Guacamole arrives with fresh salsa, corn chips and totopos, while Pablo's Polenta Fries come house-made with sour cream and salsa verde. Nachos Muchachos pile on cheese, frijoles, jalapeños, guac, sour cream and house-made salsa verde, and there are OG Cooked Poppers — jalapeños with cream cheese and charred corn — plus Frida's Fried Chicken with cilantro mayo and pickled red onion.
Tacos are all served 6-inch on yellow corn tortillas with pickled red onion and coriander. Choose from pork carnitas (pork shoulder slow braised in orange, with guac and chicharron), beef tinga (brisket slow braised in cola and chipotle with pineapple salsa), baja fish with grilled market fish, or the veggie taco with crispy cauliflower, smoked beetroot puree and queso latino.
Bigger appetites head for the mains: the B-REAL Burrito stuffed with 15-hour beef brisket or adobo pumpkin, cheddar, rice, beans, jalapeños and cream cheese; the El Gringo Smash Burger with two chuck patties and top secret sauce on a brioche bun; or the El Chapo Quesadilla with chimichurri chicken or adobo pumpkin. Come at dinner and there's a separate list — Papi Chulos chicken enchiladas baked in salsa verde, Luche Libre Lamb Fajitas, and the El Patron Pork Hock, a crispy pork hock for two that takes 25 minutes but is, by the menu's own admission, worth the wait.
There's a kids menu for 12 and under — the Frankie Burger and Mini Chicken Nachos do steady work — and desserts worth saving room for: Chur Churros, house-made Spanish doughnuts with chocolate sauce, and A Sticky Situation, a banana and date pudding with dulce de leche and salted butterscotch.
Margaritas lead the drinks list. The Classic comes shaken or on the rocks with a chilli or sea salt rim — and you can spice it up with the house-made hot sauce — while the Slushy Margarita blends classic, strawberry or mango with a sugar rim. There are also the Tommys Margarita, Madi's Mezcalita, the Paloma, the Firerita with fireball whisky and a cinnamon rim, and the Sunset Rita with aperol.
Beyond tequila, the list runs from mojitos and Dark N Stormys to a Mexican Martini and The Whiti Fishbowl — tequila, malibu, blue curacao, pineapple, lime and lollies, topped up with sprite. Beer drinkers get Corona, Estrella Damn and Pacifico, plus Tiny Terror Hazy Pale Ale at 2.3%, a rotating craft range on tap (ask staff or check the craft beer board), and low- and zero-alcohol options like Tiny Ken Hazy IPA, Corona 0% and Zeffer's 0% Crisp Apple cider. House wines cover sauvignon blanc, tempranillo, rosé, pinot gris and prosecco, with soft drinks for the drivers.
The kitchen caters for most diets — the team notes there are many gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free options, so just ask. Hours change with the seasons between summer and winter, so it's worth checking Cooked's Instagram or Facebook pages for the current opening times before you make the trip. You'll find them at 2 Mill Road, Whitianga — give them a call on 020 4191 9628 if you have any enquiries.