TOP 10 BEST Restaurants in New Zealand - Updated November 2024

Empress Garden

81/100 (939 ratings)

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Serves Alcohol

Parking Available

Takeout

Dinner

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Mid-range

"..."

Christine

"Best Chinese restaurant in New..."

Zein

"Friendly staff. Duck is always a must have there. The 3 course Peking duck with half lettuce and half sesame pocket for the second course and the..."

Sorry_vonguenumber

"When we’re craving for peking duck, this is our go-to-place. They serve, by far the best duck in Auckland. A little bit expensive but definitely..."

JeannePTang

"This is the most perfect Peking duck I've ever had so far crispy skin, moist meat and getting it over three courses I'd highly recommend! Four of us..."

Kurt Williams

"Hidden gem in the central of Auckland, definitely i found the best peking duck ever.. very yummy and high up my standard of food.. cant afford to eat..."

Erin - Gold Code For 20% Off : CATH6386

"We've been dining here since 1984. Yes 1984. Last night could not be faulted. Eight of us had an amazing dining experience. We had Peking duck done..."

Sonny Gough

"The Peking duck is Super delicious! It is a must to order when dine there. My family loves the duck so much that we have to go dine there before we..."

Justina Lee

"We literally come here 1 every month or so for our family dinner. Sooo obviously the food is amazing!!! We normally order 2 courses of duck where the..."

#fatlyfe

"If you haven’t had the Peking Duck from here, can you say that you’ve really dined at Empress Garden? The price for the duck might be..."

G1k

"Came to try the peking duck as heard good things about it. Its pretty good but not exceptional like others may have said. Still enjoyed the food...."

Alice Ma

"Came here for our Grandma 70th birthday. Ordered feast of peking duck two ways, steam tofu, noodles, whole fish, crunchy chicken, salt pepper prawns,..."

“Dailee” 25% Off Zomato Gold

"Still the best roast duck in Auckland during these years. Always remember to order one before u go. And please order the duck bone soup as the second..."

LuNa The TuNa

"..."

Joyce Xu

"The restaurant is in a residential area. We went there about 6ish on a weekday and there were almost full house! The service was good, food was very..."

Tanz

"Their signature dish - Peking duck was one of the best we had in Auckland. Crunchy and crispy skin, the meat was so tender and flavourful and the..."

888bing888

"Definitely lived up to the hype of “Best Peking Duck in Auckland”, as far as I tried. We were able to get Peking duck with a reservation made..."

Saphic Chan

"If you r after quality Chinese food and exceptional service go there. Relax atmosphere, clean kitchen end bathroom. 13 years of exellent food and..."

Katerina

"One of the best Beijing duck I’ve had so far. This place is always crowded so we were lucky on that day when having a table without booking in..."

Quinn Mai

"BEST PEKING DUCK IN AUCKLAND!There really is no better. Thick fatty cuts of duck. It doesn’t get better than this. A must if..."

Tony Ma

"We stumbled across a Chinese restaurant in Herne Bay tonight which turned out to be an eatery that specialises in Beijing cuisine. Empress Garden..."

Annie Ren

"We've been dining here since late 80's. It's a bit pricey compared with others but if you want the best you pay for it. Always packed and always..."

Sonny Gough

"Its always packed in here located at the edge of Herne Bay. Waitresses are very helpful. We started with Peking Ducks which came beautifully roasted..."

Mei

"Great place and super friendly staff who go out of their way with service. Very authentic food with distinctive flavours if you love your chinese..."

S B

"Been here countless times. Always great food but like most Asian places when they are busy you have to really wave and shout to get thier attention,..."

Jared Ransom

"Came here after hearing of their award winning duck. Three course was absolutely delicious, although no one cared enough to finish the third course..."

Thom

"Looking for the best Peking duck in town so I brought some friends here to try it out. Ambience and service are standard. We had the 3 courses, the..."

Jeffie

"Because we love Peking duck so much, our friends took us here to have a try. It's like a Cantonese style for fried dishes, I do not really..."

IMwatermelon

"Love duck 🦆? I do.You have to try "Peking duck" at here. It is a Chinese dish just in case you don't know which is shaved roast duck with..."

Chico

"We were looking for a Chinese resto near MOTAT and found this.First, the place looks like a residential unit turned into a restaurant. It..."

Benz Chan

"Best Chinese in Auckland. This place is an institution! The food is always amazing and the service is great. We often dine in and get takeaways, it's..."

Ziggyscratch

"Peeking duck is the tastiest, done perfect and the meals taste homestyle and not much oil Peeking duck three course great value! Carpet a..."

Nina

"First time coming back to this establishment since I don't know when (ages ago). Still the same layout, same decor as before. Haven't changed a bit...."

Patrick Tong

"I went here years ago ordered a banquet for four people we had three courses each the Peking duck was definitely the highlight, will be going back..."

Heidi M

"Really great place for peking duck but you do need to order in advance. Crispy skin and lots of duck breast for your pancakes and plenty of filling..."

Alexandra

"I was driving around for work yesterday and by chance saw this place. We dropped by today. We didnt try the duck menu but rather went for..."

Eric Mendez

"Consistent, predictable, solid delivery. Have been a regular since the late 90s. Still ordering the same items- sesame prawns, cold chicken and green..."

TonyF3

"Felt like eating Chinese for dinner so had to try this place. We were welcomed warmly, and shown to our table. We were offered some Chinese tea which..."

Shaazia Sayyed

"If you wanna try the best duck in Auckland this is the place! Wonderful atmosphere and interior, friendly and attentive staff, great tasty..."

Anastasia Lobareva

"Good food and service. Perhaps could use a bit if renovation and seems slightly overpriced. Not sure if I'd go again, but if am in the area, may be...."

Andrey Ku

"Great dining experience at Empress garden restaurant. Delicious crispy Peking duck! Booking essential for Peking duck, will definitely come..."

Tina Huang

"Just another peking duck place Good - very fast and prompt customer service. My water glass was filled up very quickly whenever it was..."

Jay

"Came here for dinner last night on Chinese New's Year meal based on the reviews seen here and elsewhere. A very quaint location in Herne Bay in a..."

Ivan Koay

"The best place in Auckland for Peking Duck, in my opinion. It's better to go with a bigger group to take advantage of the 3 courses offered, although..."

Harriet Reader

"I've been here twice and every time I left with a happy stomach ☺️ I think this place is the definition of Chinese finest cuisine, comfort food..."

Linh 💛

"I was taken here for a surprise on my birthday! The dishes were all ordered by my two friends but we had two courses of Peking duck, the normal wraps..."

Sheena

"One of the best Peking duck you can find in New Zealand. Nice and cosy place, the service was great. The other dishes on the menu are pretty basic...."

Ronald Tan

"We went tonight and luckily found parking straight away, EGR was packed so we decided to order take out instead, the staff were whizzing around like..."

Vitale Eti

"Very tasty Chinese food with a huge menu to choose from. I was part of a group of 9 and there was no problem with delays in getting our food. ..."

Kerry Kirwan

"I have been here countless times over the years and can happily say that this is my one of my all time favourite restaurants. The staff are..."

Lauren

"Best duck soup ever tasted in Auckland!!! The milky color and fresh taste can tell you they really do some work about it. The sauce with duck is plum..."

Mu

"A long standing icon in Herne Bay, this Chinese restaurant (only one in the Herne?) looks like it has been there for decades, with its olde world..."

Frank

"By far my favourite place in Auckland for peking duck! Empress Garden offer different peking duck courses and bring out the duck to show you. The..."

Rojas

"Fabulous place amazing Peking..."

Denys McEneaney

"Empress Garden is excellent and a great place for a big group.The Peking duck is the most great food there, then you must try and feel the real..."

SH Kim

"Whenever there's a special celebration to be had, our family head over to Empress Garden for their AHHH-MAZING peking duck. These guys know how to..."

Manic Diner

"Nice setting and food. Excellent service. Had 2 course Peking duck menu, provided with the duck skin and pancake, with the duck meat cooked with..."

Kevin Kantono

"We went here for a family dinner on a Saturday night and the place was very busy so be sure to book and order your Peking duck in advance. The Peking..."

Keith

"The service is sketchy, the rest of the dishes on the menu are decent without hitting a high note. But go for the duck, it is glorious. Empress..."

Gus

"Actually a little better than very good. I've ever tried Peking Duck in Beijing, Shang Hai and Hong Kong. Comparing with them Empress Garden serves..."

Whitecat X

"Had a wonderful evening - shared a number of dishes. Tasty and fresh. Restaurant was busy but did not mind waiting a bit.Enjoyed the..."

Jerry Hart

"Visited this fantastic restaurant for the second time this evening. The Peking Duck is delicious and great value! The service is excellent as well...."

Michelle Lee-Brown

"This is my family restaurant where we have celebrated many, many G8 occasions be it with family or overseas whanua. Where everybody has raved bout..."

Orca1

"Had many recommendations to go to this restaurant to try their Peking Duck. My partner and I went there for lunch yesterday and found the Peking Duck..."

Wayne Bevins

"The Pecking Duck is A DEF MUST TRY..."

MistressOfSpices

"Empress Garden is excellent when you're in big groups--even really big groups (imagine two circle rotating tables combined into one). The staff is..."

YellowBlankets

"The restaurant is located on the corner of Jervois and Herne Bay Roads. They do have a small parking lot behind the building but we ended up parking..."

Benedict Uy

"You can have the Peking Duck, 1, 2 or 3 courses. The sesame pockets for the 2nd course is worth a try. This restaurant is famous for the duck, but I..."

William Lin

"My first time dining here and I was quite pleased with the standard of service and food. Menu is quite extensive and although some of the dishes we..."

Rachel Spencer

"Must try to get there during lunch time!! Best food and service when people were not busy. Whole peking duck will be cooked slowly to get better..."

李小木

"5 star for the Peking duck! Without the duck I would have rated 4/5. Good for large groups as well - we managed to get a table for 13 people (was a..."

Michele Wong

"You don't come for the atmosphere that's for sure. You come for the food. And it's quite delicious. Must order the Peking duck Hotplate..."

Darren Ren

"One of the best roast duck I have, the two courses duck coat $75. The overall environment is old but keep in good condition. The staff are helpful..."

紐西蘭吃喝玩樂 Vincent in New Zealand

"We ordered a whole 1 course Peking duck and combination vegetables. The duck was delicious with crispy skin and the vegetables were yummy..."

C L

"Had a Peking Duck banquet. The duck was juicy and crispy. The food was a little bit salty. Love the environment and..."

A K

"A ground breaking experience that will be felt across oceans, he does not come to fill his stomach? Thus he must be here for thy soul to feast, when..."

Sir Howard RFK Hobertson

"I had 2 course meal and few other menus for side and the duck was really good, nice crust with juicy meat. The signature duck was good but the rest..."

Gimin Y

"Amazing food. Peking duck was so good - pre ordering necessary! Had the two course Peking duck and then three mains afterwards - good amount for six..."

Olivia T.

"Nice dinner spot and sour all time favourite. Best duck you can get in Auckland and the sauce is one of the best. Highly recommend if you are a duck..."

Ronald Tan

"We came here to celebrate dad's birthday yesterday. The best Peking Duck in Auckland! It's not too oily and very crispy. My husband never tried a..."

Melissa Kartahardja

"Another great night of delicious food, was a big group tonight which was an added bonus. Got to try a lot more dishes. Prawn and coriander dumplings..."

Dhiman Bhana

"I've been here for nearly 15 years. Never had a bad experience. I noticed getting a bit tatty but always satisfied with the..."

M B

Jolin Shanghai Restaurant

78/100 (930 ratings)

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Chicken Wonton Soup

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Dry Noodle with Pork Mince

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San Huang Chicken

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Lemon chicken

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Soup Dumpling

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Reservations

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Cheap Eats

"Delicious food for good prices. Came here early and service was attentive. Got fried buns and xiao long Bao. Would go back..."

Punky Brewstar

"The best xaiolongbao Ever! - I legit ordered then watched the chief walk past my table and out of the restaurant to the grocery opposite, he came..."

Jake Sames

"The food in this restaurant are served with large portion and reasonable price. The noodle is simple however I like it. The original steamed bun..."

Chifan Chifan

"Friendly service, lovely interior decor and lighting with ultra fast serving time, decent prices and portion sizes!Sizzling beef came out..."

The Scarfoodie

"Good foods, reasonable prices, fast & friendly service. Authentic Shanghainese cuisine, we have been coming here for years. Love their Braised Pork..."

Michele C

"One of the reasons we ended up here was because they have a carpark out back. You can then enter the restaurant from the backdoor, just look out for..."

Benedict Uy

"Friendly staff, love the xiao long baos here! Must try if you’re craving some good quality shanghai food! We’ve had the fried baos too and..."

Devika Naik

"Been here awhile ago and back again last night, more of like a cafe style restsurant. Friendly service and very accommodating as well. Food wise are..."

Roger DD

"Usually portions are generous and taste consistently good. Xiao long bao and soup dumplings are delicious. Service and cleaness have room to improve...."

Rachel Liew

"The mrs was craving some dishes here so came in for a casual dinner. Service and ambience is standard. We had the sweet & sour pork chop, long beans,..."

Jeffie

"We started off the week by watching travel shows on Taiwan which set off our tastebuds. Came across Jolin and they served all the buns the show..."

Bobby Anderson

"I have been waiting to have some crab or crayfish for a month but for some reason it was not happening so today I made up my mind and ventured..."

Riddhima Paul

"Perfect xiao long bao and pan-fried dumplings (can't remember the name but they have sesame seeds on the bottom). We go several times a year. They..."

Jamie Blackman

"One of my favorite place to come for lunch! Not only their price are cheap but their food are so good! The xiao long bao is only $9 and it so..."

Adventure Foodie

"This place specializes in shanghai food - sweet & sour deep fried fish, soup buns and fried pork buns etc. They have great lunch options under $10..."

Teddyfamily.

"Service is not the best as the waitress doesnt do much and doesnt look too happy, bowls and spoons arent all that clean, but the steamed xiao-long..."

4yaniii

"This place does special dumplings. I also love the Chinese burgers which come in beef or lamb and are great filled up with a bit of cucumber..."

Christina Hibbard

"Pan Fried Pork Buns, Soupy Pork Buns... great price and yum!They are made to order and served piping hot. Each little parcels are full of..."

Rachel Hui

"糖醋排骨真的超好吃口感非常好有种入口即化的感觉又有适当的嚼劲味道酸甜非常好吃..."

MiRi Lee

"I find with most eateries, it's not a helpful exercise to expect everything to be on point, instead celebrate each place for what they're great at...."

Fuudie

"Awesome chines food went there with my office colleagues for the lunch. Tried so many items and all the items are upto the mark. Definitely..."

YumYum

"Great food and great service! I got the vegetable noodle soup and the flavour was delicious.. the portion sizes are huge for the price, I got two..."

Jordyn Witika

"Very authentic Chinese Shanghai restaurant. I highly recommend you try the shanghai steamed pork buns as well as the beef tendons which are their..."

Nzpeach

"I've been here a few times now, and I keep going back for the pork soup dumplings. They're like a massive mouthful of deliciousness! The other food..."

Emma Gils

"I need to come back and dine here and try more on the menu but last night I ordered some of the classic pork Xiao Long bao dumplings and they were..."

Charlene Weaver

"Food :We triedSoup dumplings - Delicious. The best dish of allFried pork buns - Very soft but lack of flavor.Pork Dumplings -..."

ACO

"Ordered the Fried Pork Buns (Sheng Jian Bao) and the Stir Fried Rice Cake with chinese veges. The fried pork buns were so nice and juicy! I advise..."

Kirsten

"Been here multiple times, the xiao long bao is amazing best I have found in Auckland. Have also tried their version of sweet and sour pork which is..."

Ky

"I always wanted to try xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) then I heard that this place does the best xiaolongbao in town so I went to check it out. The..."

Jay

"Finally! A chinese restaurant that sells a decent xiao long dumplings! We ordered the pork and crab xiao long, pork and vege wonton soup, and sticky..."

Sabrina Chae

"One of the best places to go to for a Pork or a Beef dish! I enjoyed going here so much! The staff were super helpful, gave us forks and also wiped..."

Rohit Victor

"The qingdao beer sold there definitely worth a shot. The cuisine is sweet base. Not classic per se but taste can represent the style of Shanghai..."

Jeff Wei

"Came to this place with some mates on a Friday night. Pretty full but got a table easily. We had spicy beef soup, black pepper beef, gong pao chicken..."

Josh Law

"Best soup dumpling I've had in Auckland. I've had some overseas and still this place have better one.Also come here for their braised pork chops,..."

Bryan Chan

"I have been to this restaurant many times. Just been back again. I must admit that the taste of the food is always consistent. They are tasty. ..."

Tony Wan

"Awesome little restaurant down a quieter stretch of Dom road. the last time we went as a group of four. The staff are friendly and attentive, and the..."

Diyani Desilva

"Got tricked into coming here by mi madre, who had tried it in the afternoon and said it was soo good (can't trust her opinion again :P). But if you..."

Melissa

"I was craving Shanghai dumplings and my friend actually recommended another place on Dominion Road which was closed unfortunately (I went at around..."

Misty

"Having found a place that serves pan fried dumplings, which I had been craving for ever since having these delicious babies in Shanghai, I just could..."

Rosemary Young

"Nice shanghai food. I like the egg plant dish very much. Good presentation. Four of our girls went there, ordered 5 dishes, the amount was just..."

Zoe Huang

"I love their spicy pork noodle and steamed xiao long pork bun, It's very tasty. The food come fast, I never experienced long waiting time with this..."

Thanya

"One of the stars of Dominion Road, in my opinion. I'm a die hard fan and connoisseur of Xiao Long Baos, and Jolin consistently ranks very high in my..."

Gentlepig

"I have been meaning to try this restaurant for quite some time to try their xiao long bao and finally this weekend I managed to go... and I wasn't..."

Giu

"Came here for the Xiao Long Bao (steamed pork bun). Not bad! Juicy, watch your tongue, they are hot!! Many people like the buns from Ding Tai Feng,..."

JJJiiiiAn

"One of few places in Auckland serves authentic shanghainese cuisine. Of course not as good as the restaurants in Shanghai. Still give you a bit taste..."

Sabrina Zhou

"Went in around lunchtime on a Tuesday, was reasonably quiet, no problems with staff.I definitely recommend going to Jolin Shanghai for..."

Auckland Food Tours

"The first thing that most people think of when Shanghainese food is mentioned is xiao long bao, otherwise known as soup dumplings. Jolin Shanghai..."

Carmella @ Easy Food Hacks

"Good Chinese restaurants with some semblance of ambience are hard to come by in this city, but Jolin breaks this mould. When you’re finally sick of..."

Cheap Eats

"Friendly service, lovely interior decor and lighting with ultra fast serving time, decent prices and portion sizes! Sizzling beef came out very..."

Rosie

"Well let's face it, we don't go to dumpling eateries for the service. I came here because it was on a 'must-try' list. We tried both the steamed and..."

Kim Tuhega

"First time trying here. Coming from a Shanghai background, I am familiar with the Shanghai food taste. The wonton here are pretty good, meaty and..."

Wilson Shum

"The best traditional Shanghai restaurant in New Zealand. I have been there every week since I moved to New Zealand. Even my mom agreed that! She..."

Friday Lily

"One of the reasons we ended up here was because they have a carpark out back. You can then enter the restaurant from the backdoor, just look out for..."

Benedict Uy

"I was blown away by the dishes. All the ingredients were fresh and deliciously prepared. Service was friendly and fast too. This was a truly..."

Sue Menon

"visit here for dinner on 5/13/2022 we ordered fried sheung joan bao and xiao long bao and also sour veg fishes soup., quality and taste are good..."

Cat Chui

"Wonderful first time experience! Food here is absolutely delicious! The menu has a great range of Shanghainese dishes. The spicy chicken in..."

Phoebe C

"This is a pretty famous franchise in China, and the food was pretty authentic. We were allowed to BYO beer as well! Although, it was weird that they..."

Rocky Yuan

"As an original Nanjing-Shanghainese lol, love this spot!! Good place for casual dinner with friends and family or some Chinese people keen for..."

Vera Yao

"The Ao Zao noodles is great. It’s been 20 years since last time I had it in KunShan, the origin of the dish. My son also loves his..."

Zongjian He

"Food here is very delicious and service is fast and friendly. My son’s favourite is Sweet and Sour Pork..."

K S

"The food was incredibly delicious and truly authentic to Shanghai's local cuisine. Every dish was prepared with precision and care, and the flavors..."

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