Seafood Central

The place is nicely situated across from the fresh seafood market. The central open eating area is comfortable. It’s not fancy at all, so very welcoming. The wait in getting our order taken was slow, but I’m from los Angeles where everything is so fast-​paced, so that might be a cultural thing.
The menu is robust with seafood options for every taste: raw, fried, grilled, fish, muscles, prawns. There are also some meat options.
We ordered appetizers and main courses. The clams in beer were too salty for me, but perfect for my uncle who loves salty food, squeezing ridiculous amount of lemon on everything seafood, and washes it all down with a cold beer. He wanted more. The clam chowder is different. Has a yellow tinge and tastes like spices of curry were splashed in it. Very delicious in my opinion. We then ordered the steak with prawns and the steak was very succulent, even though it was ordered well done. The whole market fish was ordered fried and left it easy to debone and eat. They also put curry-​type spices on it. The fish and chips were made well. The salmon plate with grilled veggies was the smallest of all. Kind of a disappointment. Price-​wise… I realize seafood is expensive, in general, but this place did seem slightly overpriced. Again, this could be my bias coming from another country and knowing where the good, cheap eats are. So i’ll leave it to your judgment. clam chowder $ 25 (small bowl), the fish and chips $ 24 (2 pieces of fish), and the salmon at $ 29.50 (4−6oz). the steak was fine at $ 35 (for the quality and quantity) in my opinion. Okay, so I might not go back to this place on this holiday, but I’m glad I tried it and even happier that my family enjoyed their meals.

Just outside the Auckland Fish market is Seafood Central, the restaurant that serves up the seafood from the maker in the center courtyard.
This was suggested to me by a local, and while fried seafood is not really my thing, I went, I saw and I ate!
It was a fried food bonanza! They have a seafood platter for 2 for $ 60 that my friend and I split. On it were mussels, shrimp kabobs, fried shrimp, fried scallops, fried calamari salmon, whitefish, French fries, a small salad and bread. Be sure to, ask for tartar sauce as this only comes with lemons as a condiment. You can also order your favorite wine or beer to go along with it.
The ordering process is simple. Sit at a table with a number and grab a menu from another table if there isn’t one. The server will come along and take your order. The food is delivered and you pay up at the bar before you leave. Not sure why the server doesn’t take the money but she didn’t so don’t sit there the way I did waiting to pay.
Also– know that the restrooms here are quite clean as well (located behind the bar) so it’s a good stop all the way around.
Maybe it was what I ordered, but I thiught the food was just okay. I expected more for a place associated with the fish market. I should have bucked the trend and tried something other than the fried food platter but since everyone had been raving about it, I went with th group’s suggestion.
Take a time out and grab a cold beer and some seafood at Seafood Central. Its a good break in the wharf area of Auckland.

Seafood Central… Eat-​food Central?!
Jokes aside, Seafood Central is not only one of the few wet markets in Auckland stocked with a multitude of fresh fish and seafood, but now houses a revamped courtyard space, which offers an alfresco dining experience away from the hustle and bustle of the main waterfront area in Wynyard Quarter.
A glorious winter’s day made the courtyard restaurant a great spot for lunch. The partially-​covered area has a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere: simple wooden tables, giant umbrellas, outdoor heaters, surrounding greenery, and live jazz music accompaniment (weekends only).
The courtyard restaurant specialises in the fruits of our sea, boasting a menu that makes use of the freshest and best quality seafood. The Seafood Pappardelle ($ 19) weaved wide strips of pasta with a few pieces of prawn and squid, a couple of chunks of fish and one mussel in a bright red, tomato-​based sauce. Not sure if the pasta or the sauce were homemade or not, but this was just a ho-​hum pasta dish slathered with way too much sauce. Served next to a simple garden salad and a side of scrumptious thick-​cut chips, we chose to get our Seasonal Fish ($ 18) — which happened to be gurnard that day — crumbed then fried. The bountiful portions of gurnard fillets were fresh and flaky… all it needed was a squirt of tartar sauce! Ditto the fancy fillet of grilled Salmon ($ 20), accompanied also with salad and sautéed new potatoes: a generously sized piece of fish cooked a perfectly medium rare. Based on the three dishes we had, I definitely recommend the fish fillet dishes because this way, you really get to taste the uninterrupted freshness and quality of the fish, the restaurant’s strong suit.
Service was alright; friendly but it did take a bit of waving down for them to come take our order and get our drinks topped, albeit not a terribly busy Sunday afternoon. Other than that, the lovely ambiance and pretty delish seafood fare at quite affordable prices will see me returning!

I am always excited when I encounter a resteraunt that I can take my busy two and a half old to and feel like he will be entertained and happy whilst I also enjoy myself too.
On the hunt for a good child friendly eatery, I was driving around Auckland, and decided that near Silo Park would suit, and that the courtyard at Seafood Central would possibly be the best choice.
I was right! arrived to find that not only was there a sandpit with kids sand toys, there was also a mini bouncy cancel with slide.
It was like the gods were out to help me that day. I was more than happy, and so was my son.
The menu is full of delicious seafood, I decided on the salt and pepper calimari, and because it was so devine I was able to enjoy the meal twice sharing it with my guest and child.
My guest ordered the scallops but was disappointed at the size of them, they came out as a main, but at the size of an entrée.
The pinot gris wine, to match with the seafood, was perfect.
I asked for a high chair for the boy, which they have available, and also some crayons and colour in drawings to keep him happy.
Staff were jolly and helpful, so no complaints here.

Don’t rush, enjoy the day here with a glass of wine or two!
We ordered a seafood platter and a whole fish — reasonable price. The seafood was fresh and nothing to be complained. However, the seafood platter is too overly buried with fried food e.g. fried calamari, fried fish, chips, fried scallops… um. only one item was raw and its the oyster. The sauce that came with it seem to be out of the bottle mayo.
Its a great place to hang out for a sunny afternoon for beer and fries… :)
Maybe I did back for live Jazz music though. haha