City Guide: Where to shop, eat, drink and stay in Auckland
image via @emmagleason/instagram
as told to lara daly
The best vintage shopping, bars and bookstores in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Here at Fashion Journal, we want to unearth the hidden spots in cities that only the locals know about. There’s no gatekeeping here – this is a breakdown of the best bits: the underrated date spots, treasure trove op shops and the awe-inspiring places you’ll want to go back to.
This week, we’re heading across the Tasman for New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW) and heeding the advice of Tāmaki Makaurau local, Emma Gleason, for what to do in the city.
To explore more City Guides around the world, head to our Life section.
As a culture and fashion journalist (and staff writer at The Spinoff), Emma’s never short on a good recommendation – many of which she shares in her weekly newsletter, Crust. When it comes to discovering new labels, food or music, we’d trust her to point us in the right direction.
“Auckland feels like a village, particularly where I live, in the central city,” she says. “It’s friendly, laid-back and easily navigable. Much like a village, if you pop out to do something, you’ll likely bump into at least five people you know.”
As for how the city dresses, Emma describes Kiwi fashion as “perennially adolescent in nature”, which makes things interesting. “There’s a self-conscious undercurrent to New Zealand style that manifests in fascinating ways – moody dressing, half-baked bravado, sexy-ish – as the journey of self-discovery continues,” she explains.
“There are so many small brands – I’m talking tiny, one-off, garage-made pieces – that can be seen around the city. I love it.” Below, Emma shares where to find said indie brands, and how to spend a perfect day in Tāmaki, starting with a flat white and winding up at the kava bar.
Where to stay in Auckland
Staying in the CBD puts you in the thick of things; I’d recommend Hotel Britomart, the Park Hyatt or Cordis. The latter gives you good proximity to Karangahape Road, the centre of subculture and music for Auckland.
If you want a central-ish location somewhere quieter, The Convent in Grey Lynn is surrounded by historic villas, churches and libraries, close to some of the best cafes and only a 20-minute walk from Ponsonby or 40 minutes (ish) to the central city. If you want nature, look for somewhere in West Auckland, Titirangi or Piha, but be prepared to hire a car.
Where to go for coffee
Florets
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You’ll find the best flat whites in Auckland here, and the best cookies (dark chocolate rye). This cafe bakery is renowned for its tasty, nutritious bread, so I recommend ordering a sandwich or grabbing a loaf to go. I like to sit out the front at the red tables and watch the world go by.
596 Great North Road, Grey Lynn
Lebanese Grocer
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Great Lebanese coffee, great baklava, great shawarma and great location (the corner of Karangahape Road and Pitt Street). On Saturday you’ll find queues out the door but don’t be deterred; it’s worth it.
Where to eat in Auckland
Cazador
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This Dominion Road restaurant is renowned for its approach to meat (wild game and house-cured) and rightly so, but they also do the most sublime chocolate mousse in Auckland. Don’t skip that course. It goes well with their Persian coffee, the best I’ve had outside of Iran.
854 Dominion Road, Mount Eden
Xi’an Food Bar
My favourite place for Chinese food. It’s a cult favourite. The dishes are delicious, prices are reasonable, and portions are generous. I rotate between the hand-pulled noodles with spicy and beef soup (number 301), hand-pulled noodles with spicy chilli oil (number 25) and number 1, yangrou paomo, a pita bread and lamb soup. If you’ve got room, get a roujiamo, Chinese burger, too.
650 Dominion Road, Mount Eden
Gemmayze Street
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Located in an old arcade with views of Myers Park and the Sky Tower, Gemmayze Street serves up delicious Lebanese food. Get the ‘jeeb’, a per-head set menu that will see you right.
Shop 15-16 St Kevins Arcade, 183 Karangahape Road
Forest
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Plant-forward and highly inventive, the food I’ve eaten here has wowed me. It’s packed full of flavour and gorgeous to look at – so is the restaurant.
243 Dominion Road, Mt Eden
Where to drink
The Frog
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This cool, intimate bar on Karangahape Road makes the most of its footpath. Plonk yourself outside and enjoy the colourful activities of the street. The range is thoughtful and concise, but I reckon you should try the ‘Daddy’s Treat’.
454 Karangahape Road
Four Shells
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A regular haunt of mine, this is a red-lit kava lounge in Victoria Park, a historic precinct of downtown Auckland. It draws an eclectic crowd; everyone’s there for the chill vibes and high-quality kava. Take a friend, order a half bowl and expect to stay longer than you’d planned.
Shop 12, 210 Victoria Street West
Blue
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This all-day eatery boasts my favourite courtyard in the city. Tucked away at the top of Franklin Road in Ponsonby, they serve clever, laidback food and great drinks, all hours of the day. I recommend the ‘Blue Coffee’ for a treat and whatever’s on the day’s menu. Cabinet food is also good. My go-tos are the chicken sandwich and a canelé.
1/1 Franklin Road, Ponsonby
Public Bar
Go for a drink and stay for a gig. There’s usually always some live music on at their sister venues, Whammy or Double Whammy. Together they’re treasured establishments in the music scene and have been around for about two decades, which has made them foundational to the city’s nightlife. Have a beer.
St Kevins Arcade, 183 Karangahape Road
Where to shop
Penny Sage
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Designer Kate Megaw is known for her timeless, feminine silhouettes, bold prints and fun colours. Penny Sage is proudly made in New Zealand.
598 Great North Road, Grey Lynn
Zambesi
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Cool, understated luxury and exceptional tailoring, made in New Zealand since 1979. Beyond the Zambesi label, the store also carries brands including Nom*d, Maison Margiela, Comme des Garçons and Rick Owens.
The Keep
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A collective showroom and open studio founded by designer Lela Jacobs. You’ll find quality New Zealand wool pieces, independent jewellers and work by local artists and emerging labels.
504 Karangahape Road
The Shelter
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Find an array of contemporary New Zealand designers, including Claudia Li, Twenty-Seven Names, Āhuru Knitwear and many more, alongside international brands.
78 Mackelvie Street, Ponsonby
Te Pā
Located in East Auckland, Te Pā is the recently opened Māori and indigenous fashion and arts precinct led by renowned designer Kiri Nathan.
260 Apirana Avenue, Glen Innes*
*Temporarily closed during NZFW as designers prepare for the Kāhui Collective 2026 showcase.
Where to shop vintage and pre-loved
Bad News
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Open Fridays and Saturdays only, head around the back of the building.
80 Pitt Street
Gemini Vintage and Deadman Vintage
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5 Great North Road, right at the corner of K’ Road and Ponsonby Road
Tango
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3/99 Parnell Road, Parnell
Crushes
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235 Karangahape Road, Newton
Emma’s perfect day in Auckland
We’d wake up, marvel at the beautiful weather outside and then head to Florets for a flat white and a cookie before popping across the road to buy some meat from Grey Lynn Butcher (I’d have ambitions of cooking).
Then it’s a wander down Karangahape Road, popping into The Keep, and perhaps having coffee in the courtyard of Open. Further still, there’s a cluster of vintage stores around the intersection of Pitt Street and K’ Road: Bad News, Paper Bag Princess and Crushes (which also sells a range of indie labels). Since we’re on the block, we have to visit Green Dolphin secondhand bookstore.
By now it’s probably lunchtime, and where better than Lebanese Grocer for a shawarma. With food to digest, we head to Auckland Domain or Albert Park to lie on the grass and read our new-old books. By evening, we’ll be down at Four Shells for a few shells of kava, before heading back up to K’ Road to have some Malaysian food at Uncle Man’s and see live music at Whammy, Neck of the Woods or, if you’re lucky, Pitt Street church.
For more recommendations from Emma, sign up to her newsletter here.
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