It's more than a decade since Coco's Cantina opened. Restaurant critic Kim Knight visits the oldest of Karangahape Rd's new guard and asks - is it still good?
In their own words: "A simple, neighbourhood restaurant serving homestyle, Mediterranean-inspired food."
First impressions: Italy called and wants its cliches back. Chianti bottles and a picture of Sophia Loren? Check. Red-checked tablecloths? Literally, double-check. Cheap shot by lazy reviewer? Actually, yes. Because that's also a kōrero Māori poster on the wall, and old-school school chairs on the floor and a statuette of a flamenco dancer wearing a skirt made of shells. This is your kooky aunt's living room and she is definitely going to let you listen to her Bowie on vinyl.
On the floor: Saturday night. Coco's is busy, busy, busy and we are THOSE customers. We want to sit outside, but can we have the heater on? It's going to rain, can we move inside? Actually, we would like dessert and we've exceeded our allocated 90-minutes, is there a table for long-stayers? As we Goldilocks'ed our way around the restaurant, lord knows what went through our waitperson's head. Full credit, however, to her out-loud voice: Effervescent, efficient and entirely accommodating.
The neighbourhood: Before the neo-bistros and the jeebs and the cucumber skin piscos, there was Coco's Cantina. Much has been written about the gastronomisation of Karangahape Rd but this restaurant was the first of the new guard. It wowed from the get-go, amplifying a community that it could have just as easily alienated. It wore a social conscience on its sleeve and, very quickly, nobody could remember a time before polenta chips and those red-checked tablecloths. Recently, a survey of 20,000 TimeOut readers ranked the world's coolest streets. Rue Wellington in Montreal took out the top spot and K Rd scored a very respectable sixth place. In its write-up, the international bible of good times and street-cred specifically referred to Coco's as "an institution". That's a big call - but I'd also bet anyone who eats, drinks or parties in Auckland has spilled at least one coupe at Coco's.
![Linguine alle vongole from the menu at Coco's Cantina on Karangahape Rd. Photo/Kim Knight](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/6WWNK3R3LYITZ4RGFU7V6NQW3Q.jpg?auth=ce9fc2141e4edb99c75ac31b95d9bcc0927a8081a4acf476c27d48190dcf1ff5&width=16&height=21&quality=70&smart=true)