TOP 10 BEST Restaurants in New Zealand - Updated November 2024

Ima Cuisine

84/100 (1779 ratings)

Restaurants

Gluten Free Options

Vegan Options

Middle Eastern

Israeli

Kosher

Vegetarian Friendly

Arabic

Mediterranean

Middle Eastern

Arabic

Israeli

Gluten Free Options

Vegan Options

Kosher

Vegetarian Friendly

Breakfast

Dinner

Lunch

Brunch

Falafel Plate

Lamb

Tuna

Meat Balls

Fish

Arabic Coffee

Pastry

Hot Cross Buns

Chicken Schnitzel

Rice Pilaf

Shakshuka

Knafeh

Kunafa

Hummus

Mezze for Two

Tips

Falafel

Omelette

Lamb Platter

Beef

Latkes

Mixed Appetizer Platter

Vegan Main

Pancakes

Malawach

Halloumi

Eggplant

Lebanese Lamb Shoulder

Cakes

Home-Made Baked Beans

Lamb Shoulder

Salad

Sit down

Middle Eastern

Mediterranean

Arabic

Israelí

Highchairs Available

Full Bar

Accepts Credit Cards

Outdoor Seating

Takeout

Accepts Mastercard

Accepts Visa

Accepts American Express

Reservations

Wheelchair Accessible

Seating

Table Service

Serves Alcohol

Wine and Beer

Brunch

Breakfast

Dinner

Lunch

Mid-range

"Would recommend the shakshouka, this was a belly warmer on a chilly day. Service was friendly and atmosphere was warm and..."

Katie Delaveau

"Love Ima, relaxed environment great home style..."

Aanahera

"On a cool winter's day nothing better than a hearty Shakshuka here for breakfast, watching the local office crowd arrive for work. Nice recent..."

Murray Chandler

"Came here early in the morning and got the malawach which was nice and buttery and full of flavour. The cabinet food looks amazing, the various..."

G

"Had dinner with friends here the other night after hearing so many good things. It is mostly a sharing concept so its handy to be know ahead for..."

Niamh Slattery

"We are back to level 1 and with that comes a whole plethora of lunch options. Thought I'd give the ol faithful a welcome back visit and boy oh boy..."

Amindha Fernando

"Delicious food, beautifully served. Will bring friends here..."

Tushar Sharma

"Everything’s so delicious. We had the lamb shoulder and goat suniya, both turned out to be super tasty. The lamb shoulder was well cooked which was..."

LilianMonaghan

"I love coming to Ima for a wholesome and filling meal. I’ve come here a few times now and every time has been a pleasure. Pictured is sides for 3..."

Kylie

"Had dinner here last night. Staff are friendly. Excellent service. The food was delicious. We had the lamb shoulder, goat Suniya and the chicken...."

Praveena

"Hummus 🍽Just great tasting fresh food. Just good freaking food. But abit harsh on the wallet. But its worth my money!..."

S2Psycho

"Staff were all friendly and the place had super cute decor. I wanted avocado on sourdough but they’d run out of avocado so I settled for the..."

Megan Browne

"I’ve come here many times for breakfast and lunch. The platters are the best, there is so much food you could share these between three people...."

Shannon

"Ima tell you my favourite things about this place! Firstly, it’s the kind of eatery that you return to time and time again, with either friends or..."

Sarah Katherine

"Palestinian and Jewish cuisine is one of those cuisines I don’t really try a lot, not that I don’t like it but it’s quite rare to find..."

Ang Sarap

"Amazing place to share food, really delicious. Especially recommended is the lamb and the hummus. Service was slightly off, waitress kept on for..."

JJ

"What a lovely place! Homey setup, welcoming staff, and yummy food. I don’t know how they do it, the food here doesn’t have strong flavours but..."

CHIFAN.EATS

"Went on a Friday evening, around 6pm. Me and my 4 years old daughter were very warmly welcomed and she also got some toys to play. It made her very..."

Luz !

"Loved the cinnamon and walnut loaf! It’s got a lot of layers and also a lot of fillings, quite big as well. Though, the crust is abit too sweet for..."

Ceicei Luk

"Thoroughly enjoyed my first time at Ima Cuisine last Saturday night. All 6 of us left this family dinner feeling full and happy without overeating,..."

Raymond Tiong

"I've only tried their cabinet food before work and every piece is well made and delicious. I enjoy their sone and croissants, and am always looking..."

G1k

"Omg the hummus in this place is just heaven!! Their lamb is also delicious and tender. Also their coffee is amazing as well. Definitely recommend..."

FoodiesTable

"Went to Ima to try their weekend brunch menu and we were not disappointed. Food 🥐 : We were spoilt with the choice the menu presented..."

Shibani Timblo

"Was here to celebrate a friend’s birthday! The restaurant had a nice and relaxing vibe, great for an end of the day wind down! The staff..."

Carley Peng

"We booked in for a nice saturday dinner. Right off the bat, we were welcomed by the friendly staff. The overall service are nice, the servicer are..."

Zinan Mo

"wow. I love this place. Everything from the decor to the friendly staff and the food. we were seated promptly even without a booking on a Friday..."

Dora The Food Explorer

"Used Zomato Gold 2+2 drinks here. Was advised the kitchen was closed but was still able to order drinks. Service was 10/10, will definitely be back..."

Girl On The Move

"Excellent ambience, feeling homeThe food was great especially the Sabich sandwich it was great I wish they sell Falafel ( as a..."

AJ Hijazi

"Amazing food done by amazing people. Atmosphere was homey and warm. Food is high quality and beautifully done. We also booked in some Hot Cross Buns..."

888

"Came here as a group of four and ordered two of the shared platters. Generous portion size and delicious flavours! Meat cooked beautifully and lots..."

Hannah Roberts

"I came here for their famous Hot Cross Buns, and wasn't disappointed!, I did have to come very early to get them and they were a tad pricey ($5.50)..."

Tom Wong

"Middle eastern cuisine. Ima also serves fresh pastries daily. Restaurant was buzzing at lunch time. We ordered the lunch meat platter to share, and..."

Adrianna

"Absolutely amazing!! The place reminds you of a cozy family style restaurant where the food is the star. The food was simple and delicious. We..."

Pritika

"The best hummus I have ever eaten, boy oh boy is it delightful! Will have to take my uncle here some time. My uncle is the reason I love hummus since..."

Grant

"Dinner was delightful at Ima. The service was friendly and helpful in explaining their dining style. I liked the family style sharing. The entrees..."

Marnelli

"A very warm and friendly place. The food was very delicious especially the lamb. Would highly recommend to friends and visit again. The Arabic..."

PPN

"AMAZING FOOD! Quirky decor and friendly staff. Ima Pinot noir delicious! Although was busy, we weren’t waiting for food. Healthy light and..."

Sheena Singh

"Went for breakfast with my two daughters. Great to have something a bit different. I had the Shakshuka - delicious and filling. Recommend it. Nice..."

Peter

"We had a company dinner at Ima today. The food was outstanding right from the platters to the lamb, fish, salads and desserts. The staff was friendly..."

Hemant Wagh

"I love this placeIsraeliHas a loyal followingThe food is terrific without exceptionGreat coffeeStaff seem to love working..."

Glenn Town

"We loved the 4 salads for $13 per person that we ordered with the roast chicken. Everything was super tasty. The staff were friendly and we felt..."

Camilla Dadson

"Great service great food.First time eating Israel food.One of the lady taught me how to eat this and it was delicious. Would definitely go..."

Samuel Kim

"Impeccable service and stunning home-styled Mediterranean food.I have not tried Ima Cuisine before, but year after year, reviews of their..."

Jade Lim

"I liked it from the minute I walked in. Albeit I had already checked out the menu so was in the right mood already. Short black was well made, not..."

Simon Wordsworth

"Felt like a very nice Israeli woman adopted me as her son and fed me dinner.Whole snapper looked like it actually wanted to be eaten. Side..."

Matthew Yang

"I love everything about Ima! The food is amazing, the decor is homely and welcoming and the staff friendly and down to earth. This was my third visit..."

Julia Louise

"This is a quirky place and the first thing you'll notice is the chairs - I'll say no more. The food was top notch and the Korean waitress was..."

Jay

"Lovely food, we were sharing a big meal between 18 people, could have had more food to share if you look at the price, friendly staff, nice wine, and..."

Rita Ribeiro

"Eaten here many times, very fresh mediterranean tapas like fare - nice dips and bread platters, friendly staff. Had one bad experience on the weekend..."

Clove

"One of the best place to go if you are in city or around fort street , we ordered couple of platters and they were outstanding. Someone with a..."

Chirag Tailor

"Lovely food with decent quantity. Attentive staff and only took a star off as it can get expensive when you add couple of sides. I ordered Sabich..."

Amit Tripuraneni

"Love this place. Coffee is really good. Interesting place. Will be definitely coming back. Love the option of breakfast here. Simple toasts to..."

Deepinder Bahia

"Best Falafels. Fantastic crunch and a tasteful texture, the best Falafels I’ve had anywhere in Auckland. Absolutely bustling on a..."

Medium_Rare

"Coffee was outstanding. Service was impressive - we had a super friendly and helpful waitress who helped us with our orders by recommending which..."

Adeline

"I love western food and heard a lot about Ima Cuisine.The falafel and the hummus were great, but regarding the rest of the meal nothing..."

Diogo Reck

"Great choice in that area in the weekends as nothing is opened. Very spacious and good service. Food was good but not spectacular. No parking around...."

SMINT400

"Absolutely delicious. Great lunch spot, beautiful restaurant with great service. Great offerings had their goulash a few days ago it was yum...."

Thom

"I heard so much about this place before I went, and although the food isn't bad or anything, I didn't think there was anything special about it that..."

Yuko Saito

"Great food! Tapas style food, great for larger groups. I went for a work do, and I was stuffed after all the food finished coming out! Highly..."

Emma Willie Wilson

"We were lucky enough to dine here in a group so we could share and try lots of dishes. We got salads for the table, chicken, fish, lamb and..."

Emma W

"Came here with a few friends om the first day of winter for a nice little catch up. It was storming but our hearts were warmed by the comfort food..."

Charmaine

"Ima is FABULOUS. Fresh, varied salads, accompanied by delicious meats. Then arab coffee and turkish delight (the ultimate pairing, try this..."

Sonia Giles

"Went in today for a birthday breakfast-- the incredible server was so attentive and the food, as always (in the last 10 years I've been coming here)..."

Meredith Bean

"The staff were great very friendly and knowledgeable about everything the were serving. We had the mezze for an entree between the 4 of us which was..."

Greg Brown

"Great space, Great for large parties without feeling too crowded. The style is sharing plates and they had good options to help larger crowds order..."

ShoRt

"First time trying Middle eastern dish! Amazing! Something different and definitely as a foodie, hahaha I will eat anything that's nice ...."

Michelle Chua

"I've always had fond memories of ima before it moved into its newer location (which is by the way much bigger and not cramped, although it does take..."

Ffionachua

"First time to Ima and as we went early there wasn't many people. Staff was friendly and very detailed when explaining how the dining process..."

Vanessa Gao

"SO IMPRESSED! I have had this bookmarked for ages and I was so pleased with the place, it's been added to my all-time favourites. The concept of the..."

Tanya Engineer

"The food here was tasty (the lamb, fish and sides), but we definitely don't feel that their sides are worth the price, especially for three people...."

Daniel Kinnoch

"Went here on a Saturday night. Left them an email for reservation, they got back to me right away and were able to reserve us a table on the same..."

B

"Fantastic beef rib. I tried the lamb and fish and their brunches before they were great as well esp. the fish. However，the beef rib is my..."

Poppingcandy

"I enjoyed everything about Ima. Tasty food - chicken meschan and lamb shoulder with combination of sides. The meat was so tender and the rice was..."

Brandt.sj

"Dined here a few months ago on a cold winters Sunday for lunch.We came just as lunch was starting to be served. There are some interesting menu..."

Miss Kiki

"Simple food kind of feels like home cooked food. Good concept but didn't wow me. Flavours I'm not sure if totally authentic but good try and nice..."

Travels4Food

"We tried out Ima since friends recommended it hard out, so we give it a try. The food was yummy but a bit let down by service. After entree we wait..."

Ryan Wong

"Came here for a friend's birthday dinner. We got the side dishes and also tried the lamb and chicken which were both balahdy good. Beautiful smoky..."

Lucyeatsakld

"Hadn't been for a few years so was pleased to return for a colleague's leaving lunch. I ordered from the a la carte menu, although my colleague..."

Bridgee

"Went here for dinner and it was delicious! Between two of us we ordered the mains Free Range chicken, Angus Beef and sides (plate of salads which was..."

Foodathon

"Had the shakshuka and was amazing, my friends didn't enjoy the platter serving size but I was happy and would recommend it for sure. Decor is nice..."

Ryan Wong

"Ima has moved since the photo above, but its quality and popularity is the same as ever. Ima used to be on my list for ages before I could finally..."

Vivi S

"This is not a cafe, but an experience. As I walked into this fine establishment, I was taken back to the days when I was a young boy in the..."

Jews MakeTheBestPizza

"We came here for dinner after reading the review in the NZ Herald because we're interested in middle eastern food of the Levant. Nice seating at the..."

Maha Shakir

"WowWow and Wow...beautiful food...fantastic flavours...awesum service....enjoyed every bit of our evening @Ima.......,............."

Cdeep

"After a long time I had some middle eastern style food. The braised lamb was tender and great taste. I like the wine selection . Ended up with..."

Globalfoodlover

"Didn't even know this place existed in the city! Food was delicious and surprisingly filling (and healthy). Friendly staff and a really nice..."

Debbie Lockart

"Really tasty! I would often walk past Ima and thought it looked intriguing, and smelled great! I held a dinner for a group of 7, and Ima is great for..."

Kristen

"Food was really delicious and the restaurant was beautiful, really ambient - however there were a couple of issues that if addressed would've made..."

Nikki S.

"We ordered the usual side which is $13 per person plus the Brick, fish of the day (snapper), rib steak and chicken. We were told that food can be..."

Anna Fern

"The food here was spectacular. We had some meals to share. Started with appetisers of bread and dip with vegetables, which was very necessary,..."

Austin Ibarra

"Always wanted to try IMA but got put off by their "sharing plates" as I never had enough friends to go with :'( luckily, I managed to try this cool..."

Annie Ren

"Went out for lunch with workmates, and had a great time. Food was lovely and fresh, and the service was really friendly. The place was packed with..."

Rose

"This weekend I finally got to eat at Ima! After months of randomly walking by but not getting a seat because they were always booked out.. We finally..."

L.E.N.S

"First time I had set foot in this restaurant. I had come to meet one of my good friends here and hadn't seen her for a while. She had told me that..."

Jaya Soma

"Lovely meal here good service and atmosphere. Definitely worth a try. Lamb, chicken and salad all yummy the Turkish delight was divine. Washed down..."

Girlygirl

"Been here on Wednesday night and it was pretty busy which was a good sign. We had large mezze and fried herby prawns for entree. The mezze was really..."

Tanz

"Really enjoy the deli and the choice of freshly baked treats early morning. The brioche is just so rich. Also very strong coffee. Service good with..."

Fylde

"I haven't been in Ima ( the restaurant ) but I have been in Ima Deli 5 times al least. I go there because they have roast chicken 1/4 or 1/2) that..."

MommyYummy

"The first time I had Ima Deli I ordered the Chicken Noodle Soup - it was massive and comes with great bread. I followed up my meal with a feijoa &..."

Sarah Marie Reynolds

"Really nice atmosphere, had the salted Carmel donut and a flat white, both were lovely. The service is wonderful and is what really makes it stand..."

Simone Halstead

"I went here between meetings the other day and it was lovely. I had a great hot coffee and an amazing cake. The staff were really friendly. Will..."

Fiona M

"One of the many exciting new eateries along the recently cobbled Fort St. Very inviting with its soothing dark interior and spacious layout. Friendly..."

Frank

"Metro put this little cafe on their list for a reason. That's the good flavour. Shakeshuka is impressively delicious. I'd love to try every egg..."

KWH

"I had an absolutely lovely experience at Ima Cuisine, surpassing all my expectations. The restaurant’s ambiance perfectly complements the..."

Tammy-Jade Collymore

"Came in for lunch during work after walking past many times before. The restuarant has a nice ambience, and the staff were able to accommodate 9 of..."

Karne Steel

"ridiculously good lebanese; family-run but neighborhood restaurant in the heart of the cbd… they had no business being so welcoming to us. side..."

Christina Curtin

"Had the mezze platter along with most of my table, we were brought endless plates of absolutely delicious pickles, breads, falafel, olives, dips, and..."

Charlie

"OMG what a hidden gem in the Auckland dining experience.. Food is par excellence.. Host was courteous and helpful and interiors has been designed to..."

Mohit Gupta

"This place is fantastic !! Some of the best food we have found in this great city. Fresh produce cooked with imagination and love. The hardest..."

Conrad

"Some of the best authentic Middle Eastern food you'll find this part of the world. The owner is an absolutely charming lady too. Well worth multiple..."

Al

"We visited this place for lunch with work mates. The ambience is nice and cosy. The food options are nice, but only a few for vegetarians. The salads..."

Raghav Abbhi

"Had the most beautiful meal here with parents and grandparents. Comfy seating, lovely and friendly space, attentive staff, and the food was..."

Cherie Reid

"Food was sensational! Was our first time here and we went with no expectation to be left blown away by the food, how quick the food came out, the..."

Ariana Stephens

"Really healthy delicious food with thoroughly enjoy the chicken and all the sides that came with it the Atmos were fantastic and excellent..."

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Israeli cuisine: the best places to taste it in Auckland Central

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