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Dishes from four Mahurangi eateries have made it into the Top 100 Iconic Auckland Eats 2025 list released last week.
Seafood played a starring role in the local line-up, with fresh steamed mussels from The Bridgehouse in Warkworth, Leigh Eats’ fish & chips and The Glasshouse at Brick Bay’s Leigh skin-on snapper all making the cut, plus the chef’s loaded fries from Smiths Matakana.
They all earned their Iconic Eats status by being nominated by the public and then judged for the Top 100 by a panel put together by list compiler Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, Auckland Council’s economic and cultural agency.
Nominations are assessed on a range of criteria such as whether the dish is well-loved, representative of local culture and people, a timeless classic and/or a ‘signature dish’. As well as the food itself, the Top 100 also celebrates in-store/venue experiences, people, history, heritage and culture.
Tātaki Auckland Unlimited’s destination director and judging panellist Annie Dundas said Iconic Auckland Eats was a culinary showcase that had grown rapidly since it was launched five years ago, attracting more than 3100 nominations in 2025. Any dish can be nominated, whether it’s sold from a local bakery, market stall, food truck, café or fine-dining restaurant.
“We have very passionate people in all parts of Auckland who want to share food stories from their region. It’s been really nice to see how that’s evolved in the past five years and helped to boost the success of hospitality businesses,” she said.
“It’s wonderful to see how Auckland’s dining options offer such variety.”
The other judges were manager of The Kitchen Project Connie Clarkson and Restaurant Hub co-owner Mark Gregory.
“Iconic Eats is a love letter from the food lovers of Auckland to the cooks, chefs and their whānau who step up to the plate to deliver the food that brings them joy every day,” Clarkson said.
For three of the four local food providers it was their first time in the Iconic Auckland Eats Top 100, with only The Glasshouse having been featured before, for a lamb dish in 2022.
According to Infometrics, more than 150,000 people are employed in the hospitality sector in Auckland, or 15 per cent of the region’s workforce, in more than 32,000 food and beverage businesses.
