Depot

Delicious food, good portions, and excellent service. My only caveat is that they only have 3 or 4 tables with chairs that have backs – all their other seating are high stools. (I came here with my elderly grandfather. Luckily a couple with one of those tables was leaving and flagged us while we were deciding where else to go.)
We ordered the lamb ribs and Hapuka sliders, and an iceberg wedge to share. The lamb was very tender and well-​spiced, with tasty fat but still meaty – I highly recommend it! (The iceberg wedge was a nice compliment to it.) The Hapuka also tasted very fresh and was a good, light meal.

Excellent service!
The different variety of dishes was a great.
Awesome place to experience Kiwi dishes!
Oysters were probably the best we’ve had out of all the other places we ate at.
Continue the great work!

Arrived on a Monday night and didn’t have to wait for a table for two. Started with some complimentary grilled pita bread and hummus, nice little snack. We started with the cumin batteries warahou, which were essentially fish tacos with a cabbage slaw. The serve was large and a really nice way to start the meal. Continued with a the braised beef cheek ($ 17), on the smaller side but the celeriac that great. On the recommendation of the waiter we ordered the Brussel sprouts, which were divine. Definitely order them of they are on the menu, they have such a short season. The pork hock was on the heavier side but still tasty, very crispy skin but nothing that I haven’t had before. Well executed with very friendly and knowledgable staff.
We drank the same wine (2 bottles! Oops!) the Rocky Point Pinot Noir. Easy to drink and reasonably priced, although it didn’t leave a lasting impression. A table Pinot at best, slightly overpriced ($ 64). Dinner for two with a two bottles of wine and a cheese was $ 264

Loved it
From the service to the food, A++++, and if it wasn’t so horrifically busy I wold find an excuse to visit every week.
We ordered a selection of clams and oysters, great to try but personally for me nothing to fave about.
The lamb ribs delish strong flavours, and the potatoes dip amazballs.
Next up: for mains pork hock, potatoes skins, and lettuce, Simple ingredients cooked well, seasoned and matched with devine sauces. Heaven. The purée served with the pork hock, (celeriac, cauliflower or white beans??) hard to tell really but when it tastes this good I don’t really care
Too full for deserts, but we made good use of the wine menu… hehe.
Just go and try it for yourself.

We ventured out to a comedy club then on to Depot about 10pm on a Thursday night. Depot is located in Federal Street, a lively cobbled style shared street next to Sky City, and many other eateries. The area is vibrant and busy. The vibe was good. When we got to Depot whole place was basically full inside and out. Luckily we nabbed the only available table outside to accommodate all 12 of us. I don’t believe they take bookings so plan for this if you want to eat here.
We were served with water and bottles of wine fast. That’s always good.
Next we had a steady stream of food delights ordered by one of the group, all of which were very good/​excellent. Fish sliders, spicy fish tacos, bread and dips, a fig/​pancetta/​blue cheese sandwich, lamb chops that fell apart — in a good way. I’m still thinking about that taco with its spicy green sauce. The perfect food to have later at night after many drinks. :)
The service was excellent and the barman very knowledgeable about his cocktails. We had a variety of margaritas, manhattans, old fashioned. All great. A little on the small side and $ 16 each from memory but still acceptable.
All in all, a very pleasant experience and one that I’d like to enjoy again.

It took me a while to get to Depot, but finally I made it. The feel of the restaurant is very trendy: dim lights, exposed vent shaft, tall wooden tables. The menu is small and seasonal. For three people we split two little plates: grilled mussels and the brisket tortilla and two big: black pasta and the pork. The little plates were both delish, I especially liked the brisket tortilla. But the real reason I came was for the black pasta. I love salty fishy brine black pasta. But Depot failed me here, the pasta was meh, maybe OK. I mean there was chorizo in it and while I like chorizo it does not belong in black pasta because it is too sweet. The Depot is one of those «it» restaurants in Auckland and maybe this was an off dish. I will give it another try in hope that it is not just a name.

I recently went out with my flat of 6 people to Depot and we decided this was our best flat dinner to date! The food did not disappoint, and with Al Brown himself issuing us a dessert challenge* — which which we gratefully accepted, it was a fantastic meal out.
* the challenge was to eat 6 different desserts between us — we nailed it.

Seriously the best meal I’ve had so far in my Auckland stay. Turns out the hostess was on our same flight from San Francisco to Auckland. She sat us right away at the bar with a full view of the kitchen. We got so much food… Lamb, tacos, potato wedges, seafood pasta, and wine! All for a very reasonable price. I was shocked I wasn’t charged more. Everything was so delicious and tasted so fresh.

We were only in Auckland for 2 days en route to Tahiti and stayed in downtown, near the CBD. Sky City and the Tower was next to our hotel, and we walked by this bustling bar/​tapas restaurant.
It is quite lively and takes no reservations. Trust me, its worth it. Everything on the menu that we’ve had was amazing and the prices were quite reasonable for the quality of food they present to you
The raw bar has options for oysters/​clams. Please try the clams. They are pristine, fresh and sweet. The place is known for their fish sliders, which, with the sauce they pair it with, was divine. I have placed some pictures for you to see. Except for the king fish sashimi (akin to Tuna to my taste), everything fit just perfectly.
This is the restaurant to go. I feel like I may not have the credentials to state this, since I only tried 3 restaurants on my short stay there, but coming from a very well fed city (Vancouver, Canada), I can say this restaurant can compete head to head with some of the best any city has to offer.

I stopped here hoping to try the mutton Yorkshire puddings, cause frankly I have no idea where I’d even start to look to find something like it back in the good olé US of A. Alas, they were not on the menu and I was left staring daydreaming at a picture of what could have been a wonderful match made in heaven.
Once I was consoled enough to make a second choice, I went with the bone marrow and Lyndon’s courgette flowers. Woah. I mean, for second choices. If all second choices were this good! I should really try my luck with gambling or something. Oh, there’s a casino in the same Skycity complex? You don’t say…

We contemplated for a while about where our last meal in New Zealand should be. We finally decided to eat here because of the awesome reviews and also because it was right next to our hotel. The restaurant appeared to be packed, but we were quickly seated right in front of the kitchen. Our server was nice enough to give us her suggestions. So, we decided on getting oysters, fish sliders, and this cauliflower cheese dish. The oysters were so fresh and so good. The fish sliders (not too sure what fish it was) were very moist and seasoned well. The best thing from here, however, has to be hands down their CAULIFLOWER cheese dish.

Let me tell you, it was a real struggle to finally eat at Depot.
I came on the 24^th, thinking it would operate like normal hours. Seeing that it closes at midnight, I thought I’d still have about two and a half hours to enjoy my meal. When I arrived, they told me they were closing – and it was only 9 pm. Naturally, I was surprised because it wasn’t a public holiday – yet.
Seeing that everything else was closed except for halal food, it was very difficult finding food anywhere else. I finally came on my last night in Auckland – save the best for last, right? There was a waiting list and they were nice enough to call my number from overseas to notify me of an open table. Everything on the menu looked delicious – I didn’t have a huge appetite but seeing this was a place I had my eyes on before I had even arrived, I did my best to save room in my belly.
We started with the a few things from the raw bar: Orongo Bay and Kiwa oysters, and Tuatua clams. All were fresh and so delicious, but my favorite has probably got to be the Kiwa oysters – they were remarkably creamy! The great thing about this restaurant is that the plates are tapas so you don’t have to eat everything by yourself – unless you want to!
The Lamb Ribs tasted like halal food-​flavored, spicy meat and didn’t do it for me, but the I loved the soft and tender texture of the meat – and the mashed potatoes it came with was not bad itself. The Squid Ink Linguine was decent; I don’t think the squid ink does much for the pasta except add color, but I really enjoyed the generous amount of the Cloudy Bay Clams it came with – they were very fresh and crisp. At this point, we were quite full and didn’t want to order another full plate of full, but were eager to try something small. Our waiter suggested the Turbot sliders and told us they could be ordered individually – rather than the set of 3 it comes with – for about $ 5 each or so. …So we did, and they were small, finger bite-​sized, but that was it for the night. The fish was soft and the sliders overall were so flavorful and creamy, it melts in your mouth!
Awesome experience, especially being my first sit-​down dinner meal (on my last night in NZ) since I’ve touched down in Auckland. Probably one of the busiest restaurants in the CBD and I totally get why this place has such high praises and raves!

Eggplant is the bane of my existence and cooked fish makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit. Depot was somehow able to combine two of my most loathed foods and create something that I couldn’t stop eating. The kingfish belly with eggplant chutney was delightfully spicy and served with a pile of toast that I used as vehicles to scoop huge mounds of fish into my gaping orifice. The flavors tasted Indian-​inspired, sans the explosive runs that typically follow after I consume Indian spices. Genius!
My mind was blown a second time during this meal when I tried the lamb ribs. Lamb is my favorite type of meat, and New Zealand lamb is extra delicious. The ribs were fall-​off-​the-​bone tender with a textured crust and divine seasoning. I thought I had tasted good lamb in my lifetime, but this was off-​the-​charts scrumptious! I will dream of this dish for the rest of my life.

Yo Auckland, don’t hate me for this review!
I’ve had this place bookmarked before my flight to Auckland was officially booked. That’s how excited I was about this place! Service was phenomenal but the food really was just A-​OK…
What we ordered: snapper sliders, oysters, tuatua clams, and the NZ meat board.
I was looking forward to the snapper sliders after reading all of the rave reviews. I took my first bite and all I could taste was mayo and the bread was sooo buttery! I had to scrape off some mayo because the amount they put on was disgusting. Might as well call them mayo sliders with a hint of snapper.
If you like oysters, don’t skip ordering the oysters, fresh and delicious. Go with the Te Matuku from Waiheke!
I could have lived without the tuatua clams, very strange aftertaste.
The meat board was unique…‘Waikanae’ pork salami, ‘Depot’ popcorn duck tongues & wild rabbit rillettes w/​‘Otello’s’ beef bresaola & pork lomo, served w/​cherry relish & ‘Olaf’s’ fig & fennel crostini. Nice to snack on and I thought the duck tongues were good, but needed just a little more seasoning.
I don’t mind spending money on good food, but I felt that this place was a bit overpriced. Maybe I need to give Depot another chance and check out other items on the menu. I just wish the food matched the amazing service.

first stop after landing in auckland
those oysters and tuatua clams doe
ridiculously fresh and tasty
we ordered the charcuterie
which i thought was pretty good
but some of the items
like the fried duck tongue or rabbit rillette (spelling?)
were a little too ‘different’ for my taste
if i could go back again,
i’d just get 5 dozen oysters and 5 dozen tuatuas and be in heaven

How can I wax lyrical about Depot ?
I can’t I’m speechless, literally .
I’m begging you to order the sliders these delightful morsels of heaven will change how you think about a fish burger .
Warehou tortillas are to die for, seriously I would give my first born for these babies .
Georgie B ordered the Orongo bay oysters served on ice with Chardonnay vinegar and shallots, these gifts of the sea were so fresh !!
My mind is now changed about the humble Yorkshire pud, filled with stewed mutton and topped with almonds and cumin yoghurt this gem puts a whole new light on comfort food .
Wine is served in tumblers and is served to the top .
Staff are willing to please and they play some good tunes .
It’s a place deserving of its awards.

Definitely a five star place. This temple of casual gastronomy knows how to throw down. The menu items are on one hand serious, ambitious food, but on the other hand show a humorous side as well. Oysters– fantastic, simply very fresh & briney with a little mignonette. Yorkshire pudding with mutton/​yummy! Potato skins with Gruyère & porchini salt, (smelled more like white truffle to me). «Fish Tortilla»
Was actually a fish taco, but very good just the same– kidney bean purée amuse bouche was spot on. Dog point Sauvignon Blanc– probably the best I have ever tried. Really loved the warm, welcoming ambiance and menu, a great expression of New New Zealand cooking at its best. This is a don’t miss, top five place when in Auckland.

Al Brown and his team consistently knock it out of the park.
Depot takes the unused & make them into the sublime.
Sure you can get your weight in oysters, clams & other shellfish (that is some peoples jam). For me it is all about the unloved. I have been here at least four times before. I have watched it go from strength to strength. But what Al Brown knows is service & consistency.
The meat plate (a charcuterie platter Anthony Bourdain would drool for) the highlight panko fried duck tongues. Ducks don’t have tongues according to dad, but damn son if they don’t pack some sweet sweet flavour! The salami’s off the chain, with familiar flavours & unusual unplaceable ones. It left me scratching my head wondering… Where can I get this!!! I want more!
A special mention a shout out too my families favourite a dish that we get no matter what… The turbot slider. Seriously good eats. So good my mum (who is not a big eater) wanted to get some more. Even after she said she was full.
The Main course. The pork shank aka pork hock. Usually the hock is just smoked & used as flavouring for your pea soup. What it can be used for is instead creating this amazingly succulent soft moorish pork & crunchy crackling. I first knew the pork shank could be used not for soup but for a meal from Nigella Lawson, but this was by far the best pork eccentric dish I had had. What made it was its accompaniments, a green apple salsa verde which cut the sloppy fattiness of the pork making for a terrific palette cleanser. But the show stopper was this unassuming white stuff, sitting two the left of the pork & Verde. Skordalia. A traditional sauce usually made with garlic and stale bread. Blitzed & served. This was refined, smooth, unctuous & AMAZING! Seriously, mum just ate an entire spoonful. I don’t know how they did it… But bravo chef! Bravo!
The last thing I will say is service. Service was amazing. Just brilliant. They were attentive, fast & patient at the same time. We went on a Friday evening at 6:20pm. My father uses a stick and they snuck us in on a table.
I really wanted to give Depot 5 stars. But the only thing stopping me was the price. Jeepers the costs are well & truly up there with some of the upper echelons of Auckland dining. My thinking is that they charge what they do because they can. Not because it reflects the cost of ingredients. As I said at the start… They are taking the unloved & making it into the sublime. I would reconsider my star rating if they took say my pork shank dish which was $ 34 I believe & lopped $ 7 – 10 off of it. Just a thought.

Luckily, we came here accompany a famous HK Gourmet. And Depot is his first stop in this food&wine journey. So you can tell the important status that Depot has occupied.
On this sunny afternoon, people rushed into Depot, for a drink, for a relaxing chat, for a bite with the sea essence or like us, for the fresh Oyster.
One of the greatest achievement that Al Brown has made is changing the way New Zealander eating raw seafood. Due to his efforts and his foresight, we can have this opportunity to sit here, enjoying piles of shell fish, oyster, raw fish presented beautifully in ice. Walk closer, take a deep breath, breathe in the true flavor coming from the sea, and then make up the mind to savor it all. In terms of civilization, we have made outstanding progress; however, when it comes to food and the way we eat, it is a different story. Sometimes the original primitive way for food brings out the human nature. Isn’t it?
I think our HK Gourmet Craig couldn’t agree more. Sitting down in a long table with little plates in front of him, he asked us to start this taste journey together with him. The Oyster from Tio Piont is definitely a good start. Squeeze drops of lemon juice, a bit of sea salt flakes, then send it directly to mouth. Hmm, here comes the sea breeze from Marlbourgh Sound.
The king fish crudo is another surprise. Pink cuite king fish aroused everybody’s appetite. Who wouldn’t? Take a bite, the fresh tender texture, with a bit sweet and sour flavor from the lemon was perfect. Blessed that Auckland is a city with seaport, we can enjoy this freshness from sea to table.
Yes, beyond all the sophisticated cooking techniques, best quality fresh food element is the key issue. Depot has presented a right way for people to understand this simple truth.

If you’re looking for a fantastic dining experience complete with delicious food, brilliant service and a great atmosphere, then head to Depot now!
We were a party of five on a bustling Friday night. It was incredibly busy when we (my sister and I) arrived at 6pm, so we were put on the waiting list. Due to our other friends arriving late, we didn’t sit down until 7.30pm. [Note that your whole group has to arrive before they seat you]. If we were at any other restaurant, we would have left, but this was Depot and we were all dead keen to try it out!
While waiting, you can find a table outside and order a few drinks. We had beer and cocktails [note that there is no cocktail list on the drinks menu, so just tell the waiter your favourite ingredient i.e. ‘something with tequila’ or ‘something fruity’ — trust me they did an amazing job!]. Also ordering a few snacks like their potato skins may be an option, and then you can stand back, relax and chat to people. A group of oldies even asked my sister for a marriage proposal — for their nephew!
Once seated, service continued to be friendly, professional and swift. We had a bit of a challenge deciding what to order and had to ask our waiter a lot of questions — three of us were meat eaters, one a pescetarian and one a vegan! The great thing about Depot is that their food is made for sharing — so we went crazy! We started off with complimentary pita bread, hummus and olive oil and then ordered the Tio Point oysters, Tuatua clams, zucchini flowers, smoked brisket tortillas, turbot sliders, Depot slaw with rutabaga (like swede) and macadamia nuts, and potato skins.
Everything was delicious — we honestly couldn’t fault any of the dishes. We particularly loved the Tio Point oysters! I have to admit that I have never been ecstatic about oysters, but since trying them at Depot, I am now a huge fan!
Other highlights included the turbot sliders (melt in your mouth fish with the most delicious preserved lemon mayo) and the zucchini flowers. Definitely something I haven’t seen on a menu before! They came served with Persian feta and pine nuts — mmmmm!
Of course, we couldn’t go past dessert — Depot’s ‘Sugar Pie’ (drool) with whipped cream and a block of White Rabbit Cacao chocolate. Both were sweet and naughty, but totally worth it!
So all in all, an amazing night at Depot, with plenty of food, drink and top service! Highly highly recommend!

Clairement une des meilleures adresses de mon voyage en Nouvelle-​Zélande! Je le conseille à vous tous amis voyageurs pour un repas classe, délicieux, agréable, dans un endroit sympa avec un service impeccable! Impeccable au point de nous offrir 6 huîtres pour s’excuser de né pas avoir demandé la carte d’identité de ma petite soeur avant de lui servir du vin (ce qui était plutôt note faute au final…) ! Parlons-​en justement de ces huîtres, je suis une grande amatrice d’huîtres, pour de vrai, je pourrais faire un repas complet simplement à base d’huîtres, et, sans exagération aucune, celles que j’ai eu la chance de goûter au Depot donc réellement partie des meilleures huîtres que j’ai mangées de ma vie! Pour le reste de la carte, pas de fausse note, le concept est plutôt axé sur le partage d’assiettes entre tout le monde à table et les cinq assiettes que nous avions choisies étaient toutes meilleures les unes que les autres, accompagnées d’un très bon vin à la carte c’était vraiment parfait!
Par contre, autant vous prévenir vous autres touristes comme moi, ici on se la joue plutôt à l’américaine, pas de réservation possible et plutôt une dégustation d’un bon verre de vin ou d’une bonne bière en terrasse en attendant qu’une table se libère. Mais né vous inquiétez pas, les néo-​zélandais sont très sympas et tout ce que vous risquez en partageant une table c’est de bien vous amuser !