The felafel platter is the best in NZ by far. Fresh salad with feta and olives. Tahini, yoghurt and hummus. Perfect felafel! Love this place. Pick up some bread, tahini, dolmades and other Mediterranean food to stock the pantry from the back while you wait.
Deirdre T.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Auckland, New Zealand
Another brightly gleaming gem in Mt Roskill. Who knew the area is so cool? Probably lots of people! I’m not a true sweet tooth but walking into this café is like walking into a side street in Lebanon or a theatre set. And there is no way in the world you can turn your back on a nibble of rosewater soaked pastry filled with pistachios or dates, walnuts and honey. Large, shallow round dishes line up with all sorts of sweet baklava treats and a couple of labneh offerings in pastry as well. Everything looked clean as a new pin and the staff were lovely. Something exotic on a sapphire-blue night. Apparently their breakfasts and kebabs are the best.
Amanda G.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Auckland, New Zealand
When you’re bored with all the Asian offerings on Dominion Road, head to Shefco. This place does a mean kebab. The produce is fresh, the hummus tastes authentic and they have the most amazing garlicky, lemony chickpea salad. It’s a fantastic find for vegetarians, with a large range of vegetarian salads to choose from along with the fresh falafel. Meat eaters are well catered for too: none of this processed lamb-on-a-spit crap that the food hall kebab shops serve. And moist, flavourful chicken. The servings are big, the prices are low, and there is a shop at the back where you can stock up on baklava, dolmades and other Middle Eastern delights. There are a few tables available inside, and a couple outside in a small sectioned area overlooking Dominion Rd for those who can’t wait to dig into their kebab. Otherwise this is more of a takeaway option.
Erin F.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Brooklyn, NY
I love this place. The hummus is fresh and delicious, the falafel flavoursome, and the staff always friendly and willing to help out. Also, the groceries are cheaper here than elsewhere, so it’s a great spot to grab pomegranate molasses or other sometimes hard to find items.
Shelly-Ann S.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Auckland, New Zealand
For many years this place was run by a depressed man who wanted to find a wife. Seriously, he told my boyfriend so when he was picking us up some dinner. Back then it was also caled the Cedar Café but it appears to be under new ownership and has got its game together. It’s a great place to pop in and buy a big tub of hummus or some Turkish delight and stocks many other Middle Eastern products as well in the shop at the back. The café part is more a takeaway with a couple of tables, but the food is delicious. We do frequent other kebab places but this is my favourite — especially if they have the mini Spinach Borek rolls.
Eddie D.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Auckland, New Zealand
Tucked away next to a Hell’s Pizza and a liquor shop, this place doesn’t do itself any favours with its unclear signage. First rule of a kebab shop sign: make the word KEBABS really big. Everything else is secondary. The people working here were friendly enough, I guess, and the kebabs themselves were decent, although they got a bit confused and gave both the same sauces which was not what we ordered. Not the best kebabs I’ve had, but completely palatable. The chips were good and it was a big portion. They were probably the highlight, actually — quite thin-cut chips, and some of them with the skins still on which I like because it reassures me that at some stage these deep-fried sticks have actually seen the inside of a potato. This place also sells imported Middle Eastern goods, although I didn’t really have a good look at them so I can’t give you more of an opinion except that they exist.
Linda Jane K.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Auckland, New Zealand
Don’t be fooled by the name of this place, it’s really a home of Turkish foods, or as most people would call it, a kebab shop. Since becoming vegetarian I have always found kebabs to be a little disappointing because I secretly wish they were filled with chicken or lamb or something. But nevertheless I dutifully adhered to my beliefs and ordered the falafel version. It was pretty good but not spectacular. The service was good, we didn’t have to wait long, and overall it was satisfying experience. Of course I also had chips and I rate them as well. And you can get apple tea! The main difficultly here is parking since Dominion Road is often not a parking-friendly place but if you come late enough you won’t be too overwhelmed by the traffic to do a parallel park somewhere.