With Mother’s Day not far away (on Sunday, May 12), we’ve rounded up some special restaurants to take the mother figure in your life. The best Mother’s Day spots have great service, a plush interior, a celebratory menu, and, crucially, they’re open on Sunday. If you can’t make a booking
Gilt
Josh Emett’s newish inner-city restaurant Gilt (he also owns Onslow, which is also on this list) ticks all the boxes for a special Mother’s Day lunch. The decor, clientele and vibe all combine to give the impression you’ve stepped into a dining room in New York or London, with happy tables of lively patrons at all hours. Are there people swigging magnums of champagne before midday? Yes, it’s that kind of place. The food is great too, and on Mother’s Day Gilt’s all-day menu is available from 11.30am until 3pm with elevated brasserie classics like baked oysters, cheese souffle, seafood cocktails and roast duck frites. For dessert, it’s a classic affair with rum baba, baked Alaska and chocolate torte. Sounds like all that’s missing is a cocktail.
Address: 2 Chancery Chambers, Auckland CBD.
Contact: (09) 300 3126
Origine
With its soaring ceilings and floor-to-ceiling glass louvres that open up to the outside, Origine has one of the best outlooks in downtown Auckland, with views of the harbour and historic ferry building. It’s open for lunch (from 12pm) and dinner on Sundays and we can’t think of a nicer place to take Mum for some French classics with a New Zealand twist. Go all out with Origine’s seven-course tasting menu for $125pp or choose from the a la carte menu, inspired by chef Ben Bayly’s travels through France. It’ll feel like the next best thing to a European holiday.
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Contact: Origine.nz
First Mates, Last Laugh
Brand new to Auckland’s Westhaven Marina is well-known hospitality figure Judith Tabron’s new all-day eatery, First Mates, Last Laugh. After running Soul for nearly 20 years, First Mates is her latest restaurant offering and is decidedly more casual, with Judith aiming for a “fun and friendly neighbourhood spot” for occasion dining, like Mother’s Day, but also providing a drop in point for a drink and a snack for the many people passing by on the neighbouring Westhaven walking path. In the kitchen is executive chef Cezar Takahashi, who has brought a Japanese/Brazilian slant to the menu with items like sashimi taquitos; sashimi plates and chicken katsu. But there’ll also be seaside classics like beer-battered fish burgers, lemon pepper squid and fries.
Address: 121 Westhaven Drive, Westhaven.
Contact: (09) 414 4410
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Another dining precinct that’s reliable on a Sunday is SkyCity, and its newest offering is Michael Meredith’s Metita, which is open from 5pm for dinner. The celebrated chef is welcoming diners for Mother’s Day Toana’i with an “innovative and experimental menu, combining textures, flavours and techniques, calling on a unique ingredients list to deliver something truly special”. Try the panikeke with smoked eel and spiced banana; the crispy pork hock with pineapple vinegar glaze, sapa sui and chilli peanuts and the fire-roasted tua tua with charred okra and harissa — dishes inspired by the Pacific, as well as an ode to Michael’s mother’s cooking.
Address: 90 Federal Street, Auckland CBD.
Contact: (09) 363 7030
Ahi
Viva’s Supreme Winner in 2023′s Top 50 Auckland Restaurants, Ahi is a sure bet when it comes to a special occasion restaurant. Open for lunch on Sundays from noon until 2pm and dinner from 5pm-9pm, book in for a taste of Ahi’s distinctly New Zealand menu that changes with the seasons. Every dish is a beautiful expression of New Zealand ingredients that tastes even better than it looks, and is sure to delight Mum with its warm and efficient service and impeccable attention to detail.
Address: Level 2 of Commercial Bay, 7 Queen Street, central city.
Contact: 022 524 4255
Ada
We can’t think of a better Sunday, or Mother’s Day Sunday, than Ada’s Sunday Long Lunch, which is a five-course set menu designed to share for $69 pp that includes some of chef Kia Kanuta’s menu highlights, like the rewana fried bread, the beef short rib and the banana caramel milkshake pannacotta. Ada’s Sunday lunch also comes with a complimentary glass of prosecco and the option to add more dishes to your order. Bookings start from 11am, for a two-hour slot, and the kitchen closes at 4pm.
Address: 454 Great North Road, Grey Lynn.
Contact: Adarestaurant.co.nz. Email: bookings@adarestaurant.co.nz
The Butcher Baker
Well worth the Sunday drive, The Butcher Baker in Helensville is 40km northwest of Auckland with a menu focusing on local, seasonal produce, much of it cooked over fire. It’s where chef Reginaldo Richard (previously head chef at Odettes and Honeybones) is living out his dream of helming a farm-to-table style restaurant infused with the Brazilian tradition of cooking food over fire. The Butcher Baker is open for breakfast and lunch from 8am to 2.30pm with an all-day breakfast menu and beautiful lunch options like grilled lamb skewer with flatbread and crayfish tortellini.
Address: 5 Commercial Road, Te Awaroa, Helensville.
Contact: Thebutcherbaker.co.nz
Daphnes
Viva reported on the launch of Ponsonby restaurant Daphnes’ new brunch menu recently, which sees owners Clare and Joost van den Berg return to their cafe roots. Executive chef Alfie Ingham, with whom Clare and Joost worked when he was head chef at Hugos Bistro, has reinterpreted classic brunch fare for the breakfast menu with standout dishes like an egg and cheese milk bun, which encases a Japanese-style omelette between a soft toasted milk bun with melty cheese; taramasalata on toast with anchovies and a silky soft boiled egg; and halloumi fritters doused in spicy, herbaceous honey. Mother’s Day brunch sounds like just the ticket, especially with Daphnes’ appealing drinks menu of cocktails, spritzes, teas and coffee. Open 8am until late, which means you can also treat Mum to lunch or dinner.
Address: 71 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby.
Contact: Daphnes.co.nz
Esther
Viaduct restaurant Esther in Auckland’s QT Hotel is hosting a special Mother’s Day Champagne High Tea on Sunday, May 12. There will be bubbles and finger sandwiches and a dessert trolley with Portuguese tarts and lemon delicious cakes, macarons and fondant fancies. The high tea runs from noon-4pm for $99 per person, which includes Esther’s High Tea and a glass of Perrier-Jouët on arrival. You can also book in for dinner at Esther on Sunday, from 5.30pm until late, and enjoy chef Sean Connolly’s Mediterranean menu of share-style plates. Current chef’s picks include the Cloudy Blay clams with saffron, vermouth and fennel sofrito, and the Pukekohe duck breast, confit leg and cherry sauce. For more details, visit here.
Address: 4 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland CBD.
Contact: Estherrestaurant.com
Onslow
Central city restaurant Onlsow is putting on a Mother’s Day lunch that includes a special gift. The four-course menu includes two “treats”, one of which is fried bread with Chatham Islands crayfish and spicy mayo, a choice of starter (either baked cheese souffle or tuna tartare), a choice of two mains (salmon or eye fillet), sides and a Black Forest layer cake for dessert. The lunch sitting runs from noon until 6pm and costs $140 per person, with a $70 per person option for children 12 and under. And the gift? It’s Sansceuticals Activator 7 Body + Hair + Face Oil, which has been raved about by the Viva team on many an occasion.
Address: 9 Princes Street, Auckland CBD.
Contact: Onslow.nz
Farina
Ponsonby Road Italian favourite Farina has had a makeover, expanding into the site next door to almost double the space. It’s always busy and bustling at Farina and the newly refreshed restaurant allows the team to fit more customers, which will be a relief to anyone who’s been turned away on a busy Friday or Saturday night (although a pro tip is that you can order pizza from Farina at neighbouring bar The Tinted Rose). Open on Sunday from noon until late, Farina specialises in pasta, Napoletana pizza and antipasti. Viva’s dining out editor Jesse Mulligan paid a visit last week and says: “The menu is very approachable but includes a few dishes you won’t have seen before. This is a tremendously inviting new space — a warm, noisy, convivial front room then a walk-through to a cosier back room, heated in part by a large brick pizza oven.” A must for those who like a lively dining experience in a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Address: 244 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby.
Contact: (09) 390 6213
Good From Scratch Cookery School
It might not be a restaurant but you can bet chef and TV personality Michael van de Elzen’s Good From Scratch Cookery School puts on a good lunch. This Mother’s Day, enjoy a three-course lunch at the school’s communal-style tables including an autumnal soup; rolled lamb shoulder with salad greens and roasted carrots, and a chocolate creme brulee with orange shortbread. Good From Scratch’s Muriwai location makes this a nice day out for Mum with the promise of a walk along the beach afterwards. The lunch costs $80 per person with a range of local wine, beer, cider and non-alcoholic beverages available to purchase. Doors open at 12pm for a 12.30pm start. Find more details here.
Address: 376 Taiapa Road, Muriwai.
Phone: (09) 411 8808
Wakuwaku
Consistently praised by Viva’s in house food experts, Remuera Japanese restaurant Wakuwaku is a must-book, and is open for lunch and dinner on Sundays, making it an ideal Mother’s Day option this year. The set menu is generous and delicious and the a la carte menu is just as appealing with sashimi, sushi and nigiri, entrees of karaage duck and tempura oyster mushrooms and mains of tonkatsu pork and Jikabiyaki lamb chops.
Address: 1D, 415 Remuera Road, Remuera.
Contact: Wakuwaku.co.nz
Tobi
Ponsonby Road newcomer (sort of, it opened late 2023) Tobi is open all day from 8am until late, seven days a week. From previous Viva Top 50 Auckland Restaurants judge, influencer and author Albert Cho and the Namu Group, Tobi has the hallmarks of a classic European bistro, but with a New Zealand and Asian twist (burrata with chilli crisp or grilled cabbage with sichuan tahini, for example). With room for 120 guests and with downstairs and upstairs seating, Tobi is a vibrant eatery offering brunch, lunch and dinner. Highlights from the dinner menu include the Cloudy Bay clams with linguine, nduja and chilli and the steak frites with shoestring fries. We can envisage some daytime shopping and lunch, or a pre-dinner cocktail during aperitivo hour (3-5pm) followed by an early dinner.
Address: 110 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby.
Contact: Namugroup.co.nz/venue/tobi
Kingi
Open seven days from 7am, Kingi is a reliable spot to take Mum for a glass of bubbles and a spot of shopping in Britomart afterwards. The restaurant, located in Hotel Britomart, is offering a special Mother’s Day lunch on Sunday, May 12 from 12pm-2.30pm for $65 per person. Dine on a selection of antipasti and a choice of either pāua tagliatelle, pan-roasted snapper or sheep’s ricotta gnocchi. You can also add Te Matuku Bay oysters or a dessert to make it extra lush.
Address: Tuawhiti Lane, 29 Galway Street, Britomart.
Contact: (09) 300 9596
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