A friend took me to this place for a quick lunch. It is a small café takeaway place. The place is quite small with limited seats, so takeaway is more recommended option! I only tried Chawarma, but I highly recommend this if you like marinated lamb in a bun. Substantial portion and great flavour! Yum!
The A.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Auckland, New Zealand
Then Middle East Café has been an institution in Auckland since I was a young man…(many many years ago)…and there is a good reason it is still there. Simple unpretentious delicious food cooked to perfection. The Lamb shawarmas are stunning. Perfect blend of herbs and spices. I kind of think of their shawarmas as a middle eastern hamburger but soooo much better. You must eat one of their shawarmas at least once in you life… most people go back for a second… and a third time… Still stop in there with the family when we need a bite to eat before the movies. Pricing is extremely reasonable too.
Liz K.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Diego, CA
Upon arriving into Auckland and getting to this area we stumbled on this little café on our hike to our hotel. The menu and interior looked good so we decided to return after we checked in. Sooo happy we did as the food here is delicious and well priced! We even told the owner we would return even though we were only in Auckland for 2 more days. And yes, we stopped in the last night! I had the lamb sharwarma the first visit and it was awesome! The flavors melted together and the lamb was cooked to perfection. The last night I tried the falafel dish and that was amazing as well. The falafel was not dry at all. I am a huge fan of camels and this café is decorated with lots of pictures of camels! I’ll be back when I find myself in Auckland again!
Milly H.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Auckland, New Zealand
I went here for dinner last night for the first time. It’s a bit of an establishment which is cool although i wonder who owns it now as the people working were not from the middle east in any way. I do like that they’re strictly lamb, no fried chicken or chips which is good. The chef’s selection is all the salads, hummus, falafel and spiced lamb. The salads are great, the sauces are good and the falafel is really good. The lamb was too chopped and a bit gristly. My apple tea was forgotten and when it did arrive it was in a thick coffee cup and saucer not the traditional wee glass vial which was really disappointing. Glad i didn’t order any Turkish coffee as i imagine this would be terrible. Good for a pre-show snack, the classic Shwarma is only $ 9.50. I’ll be going vego when i come back.
John D.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Fort Myers, FL
GREATMID-EASTERNRESTO This joint was near our hotel, so my wife & I went for a take-out meal and had it in our room. We had the Shish Kebab meal together with an order of Hummus with pita chips and a baklava for dessert. Cost = $ 33. We devoured it all and thought it to be delicious. I may be a bit over-enthusiastic because we are somewhat deprived of good ethnic restaurants in Southwest Florida, but I must say we loved this meal.
Mary F.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Auckland, New Zealand
I had heard this place was an Auckland classic for a cheap, good meal. Tonight I visited here and I’d say it’s a good option if you’re after a casual dinner. A pretty small menu, full of lamb and falafel versions of kebabs. I ordered a $ 22 special of lamb sis kebab — and I was delivered a full plate of lamb, lentils and salad. I was really happy with my meal choice and didn’t have any order jealousy! This place isn’t a BYO. But it is small and cheerful, with it’s interesting décor(so many camel figurines around the place)! A couple of kids were having a great time playing with a box of toys that were in the café, which I haven’t seen around at many other cafes!
Rebecca S.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Auckland, New Zealand
I’m sorry that the Middle East Café might be tainted by the whiff of cheap kebab joint, given its proximity to some of the same. It’s a cheap and cheerful place but definitely a few steps above the chain kebab places. For a starter, you can’t buy chips here, thank goodness. The menu isn’t huge, which is a good sign, as it means they just do a few things really well. The falafels are good, and I’m reliably informed that the chawarma is also very good. Service can be strangely erractic here: either really friendly or the opposite. They also do try and fit as many tables as possible into their space, so if it’s busy(and it often is) you can find yourself bumping elbows and other body parts with your fellow diners. In summary: this is a great place to pick up a quick dinner if you’re in the area, but not the place for a long lingering romantic dinner!(especially not if you’re sitting in one of the tables near the toilets).