Review Lokanta - Auckland Central

Etomia Wilson

Had a Christmas gathering here. The food was mind blowing. This place has the best food in Auckland, a variety of food for all the tastes on our table. Great portion sizes, the drinks were incredible too. This place is a must visit. It is a little expensive for three courses but well worth it. I would save up and go.

Safak Aslan

Had a good dinner with my friends, but could be excellent. Obviously it was not really beyond my expectations. Ordered beef on smashed potatoes, and was delicious but could be tastier. Before ordering my meal, I checked the reviews and decided to have this because it was looking like so good. But when I received, it was not like in the pictures. dressing of the plate was poor, and it affected the taste in downside. Staff and atmosphere was excellent. Recommended but don't keep your expectations too high.

Pete Mayes

The flambé grilled halloumi is amazing beyong belief. I have been to many places for meals, but it's been a very long time since I have come across such fresh ingredients so beautifully presented. This is a great place to be at sunset, the light is angled so perfectly you'd think they had arranged that too.

Anona Pak

Booked first table for 3 at Lokanta. We ordered the halloumi and chargrilled octopus shared small plate, both were cooked beautifully. For mains we ordered a goat dish and eggplant. Both were wonderful. Staff were wonderful and attentive

Vipul Jotania

Such an amazing Mediterranean restaurant. Every dish is superb, fabulous and delicious. Suggestion would be to focus more on small plates because they are just awesome. The best dishes were:- 1. hummus bi tahini 2. Gallipoli bombas 3. Smoky eggplant dip 4. Flaming saganaki 5. Icarus pizza 6. Circassian chicken. Service was outstanding. Thought we went their at their closing time but didn’t even felt that we were rushed. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Helen Joe

Such a gem! Beautifully cooked Mediterranean food. Every dish was delicious with generous portions. The goat was amazing! Highly recommended!

Anna

Came here for dinner and sat in their cute little outdoor courtyard and enjoyed the last of the evening sun. We ordered a number of dishes to share 1. The smoky eggplant dip - really nice and a good level of smokiness 2. the Gallipoli bombas - this was nice but felt quite expensive for what it was 3. The bbq octopus - this was truly terrible. Honestly not sure what was going on here as I’ve never eaten octopus that tasted like this. It was like floury and weird? Definitely not fresh. Normally if octopus is over cooked it’s rubbery and chewy and it wasn’t like that but it was super weird. Would def no rexommend and would not order again 3. The goat main - this was amazing. Super delicious and tender! A really standout dish. All elements on the plate were on point 4. The melting eggplant - also really yummy The mains were really good value and super delicious but the small plates / starters felt quite expensive and the overall bill was quite high (although we did order a lot and definitely could have done wirh one less dish). Should really be a 4.5 star review - was really just the octopus which was really bad and the kind of expensive starters that let detracted Enjoyed overall and would highly recommend, especially the mains

ELÆN

We enjoyed our meals and drinks outside on one of the large tables, while inside was busy and vibrant. The food was really tasty and loved the authenticity. However $10 for a small bowl of rice as an extra was a rip, and the staff weren't very friendly so maybe work a little on customer service as it goes a long way. But I'd definitely come back.

Lili Mann

The food quality was excellent. Like most Mediterranean food they use a lot of olive oil, I ordered the lamb casserole which was delicious but slightly too oily for me. All the dishes tasted authentic, small menu but well prepared. We went with first table for an early dinner, and the kitchen did the prep very well, never had to wait long for food. Staff were also very professional. Main reason to come back is their baklava dessert though - best dessert I've had in a long time!!!

Nupur Raut

Went here to celebrate my birthday. What a delight! I cannot praise the staff enough for their attentiveness , they were just so caring, it felt like you were a host at someone's home. The food was divine! I would highly recommend the halloumi starter, it was absolutely delicious! The portion size was generous too. Ambiance was just so authentic. I really can't fault this place 10/10

Christy Trigg

My husband and I tried this restaurant through a recommendation. Everything is great here. The food was absolutely delicious! Staff were super friendly and helpful and loved the atmosphere. Would highly recommend and I will be returning very soon!

Dora The Food Explorer

This is the reason why you should broaden your horizons and try new cuisines because you never know what you will find! I was pleasantly surprised by Lokanta, absolutely adored their Beef Cheeks, they were super tender and practically falls off the bone. We also had the garlic pide with eggplant dip - delightful! The Stuffed Cabbage roll (Sarma) with rice, onion, dill, currant, tzatziki, was so homely and comforting. The chicken livers were amazing, a must try if you like livers. They were cooked in a creamy rosemary sauce and served on a warm pide. Lastly their Baklava was to die for - they're quite rich so best for sharing. Gorgeous food, great service and lovely ambience. I would definitely be back again. Next time for their Octopus and stuffed peppers.

Bluecrush

Left this place feeling nothing but full and fully satisfied! Service was so good! 2 ladies working the whole floor ! They were attentive and took orders all at great times etc. food was 10/10 for me, well worth the money. First time here and definitely will be back! Completely happy with visiting here again service was amazing! Food 10/10 the whole dinner experience! Thanks lokanta :)

Queena

Beef rib is excellent! octopus is not my favorite.

Chan Can Eat

Love the family style vibe of this restaurant. It feels homely without feeling dowdy... if that makes sense The menu is great, as it’s food you normally wouldn’t be familiar with - say on Ponsonby road We had the slow cooked beef, octopus and buffalo mozzarella on tomatoes. Fantastic food!

Lovefoodie

Taste # 5 Quantity # 4 Price # 4 Service # 5 Ambiance # 5 I am not fan of Mediterranean food, but Lokanta changed me. I cant describe about their food, because its Amazing !! Every single dish served, we were satisfied and couldn't stop make sound, basically they are hilarious. Staff ? Wow, this is the real service staff, they know what they are talking about, and also recommendation skill is there. They decoration is calm, cozy, brown-ton and good to catch up although chat sounds is over the music, but i guess that makes us to talk more ! Retune? DON'T YOU MENTION *No offense, either positive or negative opinion, just this is my own personal taste, as everyone have different opinon and this review meant to be leave as personal opinon.

Jemma Lee

Amazing food, Lovely staff and warm atmosphere. Highly recommend everything 🤗 including the cocktails. Will definitely be back. Best Greek food, I have had in a long time.

Kat

My FAVOURITE comfort food restaurant in Auckland!! Service is very attentive and the food is always amazing! Never fails to disappoint! Also recommend the stuffed flat bread, courgette fritters and Greek salad 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

Tina Yu

Fantastic swordfish, never knew you could even get swordfish in NZ. Lovely service, excellent food, tasteful decor. Cosy place, gets a bit rowdy but I think that adds to authenticity – happy people is a good sign

Jonathan Copete

Lovely place and delicious food, they have a vegan menu with a great selection of plates, the sharing plates can perfectly serve just one person. Great wine and nice staff. Highly recommended

Lisa

Although it was a busy evening, the owners were very accommodating and welcoming. The interior and atmosphere is homey and humble, and the food is delicious and packed with flavour. The dishes were authentic and earthy and arrived promptly. Would definitely go back!

Imperius Malekith

The food quality was excellent. Like most Mediterranean food they use a lot of olive oil, I ordered the lamb casserole which was delicious but slightly too oily for me. All the dishes tasted authentic, small menu but well prepared. We went with first table for an early dinner, and the kitchen did the prep very well, never had to wait long for food. Staff were also very professional. Main reason to come back is their baklava dessert though - best dessert I've had in a long time!!!

Camilla Dadson

Very friendly staff. The lamb casserole was tasty and huge. My partner's swordfish was moist. The fig brulee was superb and generously proportioned. A very good meal.

Abhi R

Food was great, but what makes this place outstanding is their service. Friendly would be an understatement and not to mention their attention to customer needs. Cannot wait for our next visit!

Emily

A very cozy and friendly neighborhood restaurant. We saw good reviews and went to give it a try on our wedding anniversary, we were all very satisfied by the food, services, atmosphere and everything else. Every item we ordered were so delicious. Highly recommend Papoutsakia (the eggplant and green beans) and the grilled fish from the daily special.

Rex

The food and service at Lokanta are both so good!!! I have tried many things on their menu and I can't fault anything at all.. From entree to dessert. This is now one of my favourite places to eat, love it and I highly recommend!!

Leanne Schou

Found Lokanta online by accident actually and was curious. You know, you hear the likes of Pete and Manu on MKR over and over again telling people to cook what they know.. this family does just that and it shows. The octopus was delicious and cooked well, the lamb ribs were to die for and fell of the bone, the goat was rich and plentiful. And you must get the Turkish rice pudding.. top marks. Service was prompt and efficient and Ali the owner is a friendly host. There is a huge photograph on the wall and it’s Ali as a small boy in his hometown. This is where his passion comes from and it shows. Go for a great comfort home cooked experience.

Emma W

There have been many restaurants in this location but I hope this one improves and survives. It has a really lovely atmosphere and the Mediterranean menu is a welcome change to the Auckland restaurant scene. The waitress was attentive but she was new and not very knowledgeable. All drinks arrived except a beer and then all meals arrived except one. We had calamari, lamb ribs, souvlaki and the "street pizza". The meals that did arrive came out quickly despite the restaurant being busy. The missed meal also arrived not long after the mistake was realised. I really liked this place so I hope they can sort out their issues so they can stick around.

Emma

Lovely friendly service. One of our guests was significantly allergic to garlic. They were gracious & accommodating without making her feel in the least awkward. Every single one of the dishes was delicious - we all ended up getting food envy & stealing food off each other’s plates (family event).

Natalie Lloyd

We went to Lokanta for the first time on Saturday evening with friends who live locally and who have eaten here before. It did not disappoint! The atmosphere is relaxed, friendly and very typically Mediterranean - warm and inviting. We shared several dishes as starters and did the same with mains. What a treat! Divine flavours, tender flavoursome meats and garden fresh vegetables. Stunning wine list - we enjoyed the delicious McManis Petite Syrah. Their baklava is the best I’ve eaten - totally moreish and not too sweet! Highly recommended dining!

Gabi

Authentic Mediterranean food. We ordered a few different mezze all very good but the seared tuna, haloumi and pistachio dip and taramasalata were fab. Fresh and definitely worth a visit

Praneal Badal

Lakonta hits the mark as a place to eat that feels like you are eating at a friends place with awesome atmosphere, intense Harissa Prawns and delicious breads with great Croucher beer and top service from staff who are genuinely interested in enhancing your dining experience. Prices are reasonable and portions focus on quality. You will not be dissapointed(I hope)! Their desserts are to die for! Auckland needs to learn from these folk!

Rach Waalks

Absolutely delicious food - can't wait to go back so I can try the rest of the menu.Nice atmosphere, amazing wine list, and lovely service. Best restaurant in the neighbourhood - highly recommend.

Eatawayallday

Very friendly service. They do a happy hour with cheap wine and snacks. Great value for money. Don’t have high expectations and you will enjoy your time

Vanessa Morris

Really nice great tasting food but very noisy and the place wasn’t even full. Waiting stuff were good but even they repeated our order a few times just to make sure they heard it right. Overall, if you like Turkish food, check it out.

AD

I was thrilled with our dinner at Lokanta yesterday. The topkapi oxtail, and coffee and fig mousse were honestly stunning. The saganaki and stuffed flatbread were also favourites. Warm and friendly staff, lovely environment – I’m really looking forward to eating here again.

Anne Mikhailiadis

A group of us had a great evening at Lokanta. After starting with small plates we decided to order more and they provided a deliciously authentic Mediterranean meal. The baklava was outstanding! The atmosphere was warm and relaxing and the service was helpful without being intrusive.

G R

Great food, authentic Mediterranean and ambience fantastic for casual small group dining. We had a selection of small plates and shared desserts. Good range of vegetarian and non-veg to meet all needs.

Corinne King

This restaurant was new to us to visit. We were welcomed in and shown to our table by a lovely young lady called Irena who was very informative of what foods to try and when we asked if we had enough food for a table of 8, made a few suggestions which turned out to be superb. The flavour of the small plates was great and would go this way only next time we visit, due to the great selection. The main meals were just as nice. Not sure about all the desserts though, the fig dessert, Im told was quite a strong coffee flavour and maybe could have a little Kahlua instead. Nice casual relaxed atmosphere and was never rushed. Well done to one and all that work here.

Sara Eichmann

Delicious, authentic Mediterranean food and friendly service. Highly recommend the Saganaki and the Eggplant dip. One of my favourite restaurants in Auckland right now.

Temptation Cakes Auckland

Not a lot for vegans so went for swordfish it was so look good other visit I had the mozzarella tomato salad great good and atmosphere awesome staff gluten free friendly also which is a plus will be back again 😊

Isabelle Bouchard

Wow! What a beautiful surprise to discover that restaurant! We had an absolutely beautiful night at Lokanta. The restaurant has that warm and cozy feeling to it, which we really liked. The service was impeccable, we received really good advice on the menu and specialities of the restaurant. And what about the food… it was above all expectations! We had the octopus, the beef tongue and the goat, all difficult meal to cook...And to our surprise all of them were cooked to perfection. Also, the Greek wine the waiter recommended was an excellent combination to the meal. We are definitely going to come back.

Sam Stewart-Anderson

rate it, chill place good for a few drinks, nice wine list - yum menu. Few greek classics on the menu and some more adventurous options for diners which makes for an experience. Good place for a table for 2, cant really complain; service was updea

Duncan Allan

Great service from an attentive and helpful waiter. Wonderful atmosphere - a warm and friendly vibe. Yum - the food was delicious - every dish. Very reasonably priced. A delightful evening - will be back

FoodieOodie95

■ Great for groups ■ Lovely service ■ Good menu Came here for a friend's 21st birthday dinner a little while ago. I dont have much experience eating at Ponsonby but I definitely wanna explore it a little more! It has a really exciting range of dining options and Lokanta happens to be one of them. Its in a quiet part of Ponsonby central and it was a really cold night so as soon as my friend and I stepped into the restaurant, we noticed how warm and cosy it was! The menu is concise and designed to be shared around a big table. My friend had sorted out a set menu beforehand so throughout the night, we got to try a variety of different dishes in small portions. The cuisine here is Greek/Turkish/ Mediterranean and the flavours were simple but cooked to a perfect fresh quality. Our dishes included bruschetta, flatbreads, an amazing chicken risotto, a sweetcorn dish and a few others I cant quite remember. Not to mention the phenomenal service!! The guy looking after us constantly made sure our glasses were topped up and kept asking what we thought of each dish along with reminding us that there were more coming hahaha. There was a another group celebrating a birthday at a close table by us and so the whole restaurant was buzzing that night! All in all, Im happy i got to stumble across this place 😊😊

Garrick

A fantastic and homely eatery for us located a short stroll from home. Have visited twice now. Great cosy atmosphere and friendly but efficient service in this relaxed eatery. Our fist visit was stunning - the octopus and lamb meatballs (a special) being a standout. Oh and the Baklava is to die for (not sickly sweet either). Unfortunately on the second visit the Goat was over salted to the point of inedibility. Hoping this was just a slip up though the chef should really be checking up on these things. Will be visiting again.

Foodathon

If you're after good authentic Turkish/Grecian food then this is the place to go! We ordered the rare tuna, street food pizza and slowed cooked beef rib (my fav) and was all delicious. Service was really friendly and almost felt as if you're invited to someone's home for dinner. Check out their menu, would definitely recommend if you like branching out.

Joshandshi

Fantastic meal. Felt like we were back in the Mediterranean. Everything was very authentic. Can't wait to go back and try more of the menu. Auckland needs more restaurants like this.

Dimitrios Konstantopoulos

OK this is the greatest news for all these who have been looking for a genuine Greek/Turkish/Mediterranean cuisine. Locanta ticks every box. The food is delicious. The decoration takes you straight to the Aegean sea and Greek Islands. The service amazing. The menu just Awesome. You will not find anything missing here. I will definitely be back. Must have: Octopus Goat Kingfish Lachmatzun Beef Greek red wine. Keep it up guys Very well done...

Jacinta Duncan

Hands down one of the best restaurants I have been to in a long time. Was hard to choose, everything sounded amazing. We got flatbread, tzatziki and Fish dish. For desert we had their legendary Fig mousse, delicious. Everything we ordered was amazingly fresh and super tasty. Tasted just like home cooking, filled our tummies with love. We tried the Greek Vino it was ok. I have been frequenting this spot for years. These guys have done a great job on decor and the food fabulous. Feels so good to have a Med/Greek restaurant in the hood. Can't wait to try the rest of your delights. Bravissimi 🙏

Justine

Yay! Finally an amazing Greek place in Auckland...and one that does octopus! Get in quick though, we were lucky enough to get the last serving of it for the evening at 7pm. The goat was the nicest goat dish I've ever had...sooooo tender. Also loved the swordfish and the street pizza. Will be going back very soon!

Jennifer Austin-Mannes

Went to our newest local for dinner last night, Lokanta. Mediterranean and Aegean cuisine - so delicious. Smart menu with plenty for everyone and a new twist on favourites. Everything was delicious, staff were lovely and efficient. Such relaxed and friendly ambiance while still being efficient. Our starters were so yummy we reordered the street pizza which you roll and eat with rocket and fresh tomato. The smoked egg plant dip was divine. Hubby had goat which he declared gorgeous and I had spatchcock which was very tasty. Reasonable too! Its casual, tasty, delicious food delivered with bravura. We'll be back as its only two minutes walk away !