Review Tucks & Bao Newmarket - Auckland Central

jayleana king

My family and I had the privilege to have booked out the courtyard for a gender reveal. Was a beautiful experience. The food was amazing. Myself and my partner ordered the low and slow belly bao lunch deal for $15 and definitely left us feeling full. Everything was flavourful and the portions were just right! We ordered a range of platters, beverages, chicken wings were super yum!! Kids meals are filling also. Reasonably priced and no hire fee to book private! I had family running late to the event but it was no hassle at all to extend the time which took a lot of stress away. Communication was spot on and wasn’t a hassle to book!! They also cleaned up our confetti canon mess prior to me arranging that we would clean up! Awesome experience, Lovely customer service and delightful food. my family loved it and will definitely be back again. Thank you tucks and bao for the lovely evening.

Nupur Raut

Really enjoyed food here. It is asian fusion and done right! The dishes are to share. Some are small and some larger. Depends on your appetite, we had 4 dishes between 4 of us + dessert and that was enough for us. All the dishes we tried were delicious, they had their own unique flavours. Really enjoyed the wontons and the pad thai both had a tangy flavour I like. Definitely give it a go!

Amynot - Spotify: 不想往前

Great Finger Food with lots of fun! I would highly recommend this place as I use to work across the road. Parking isn't tricky and free after 6pm. Fun Asian fusion with me eating all my verges as well. Came with my family, nice clean environment, friendly staff and great tasting water my wife thought. Would go again soon! Thanks Tucks and Bao! Quality: 4/5 Quantity: 5/5 Service:4/5 Price:4/5

Taylar W

I lunched in at Tucks & Bao in Newmarket and was immediately impressed by how bustling the ambiance was with several groups of varying backgrounds and ethnicities inside. The restaurant has several dining areas ranging from indoors, to the patio, outdoors and in the bar area. Staff was very friendly and diverse and I was seated and had my ordered taken very efficiently. I enjoyed the Filipino pulled pork Bao and Korean slaw, accompanied by a glass of Barossa Shiraz. My food and drink was fantastic and I’d like to visit here again trying other items on the menu. Prices were very reasonable.

Maria Rial

It’s our second time here because my teenagers just love these baos, particularly the pork belly, yum! The service is great too, conversational and fast. Today I tried the Vietnamese drip coffee, if you like condensed milk, this is your kind of coffee!

Vanessa H

Hidden a few blocks from the center of New Market! This little eatery makes delicious bao burgers and is super cute inside! As a 3 person party, we got a bao burger each (one of which was turned into a meal with fries) and 2 sides to share and it was the perfect amount of food! The baos were gorgeous and delicious, the chips were thick and crispy and the sides were fairly large too! Being just after lunch we were one of 3 tables occupied so it is definitely a good quiet lunch spot! And look at how cute it is!

Sarah B

Super cute asian fusion with plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options. The staff were so lovely and helpful and even bought us a free frozen margarita for ordering drinks during happy hour! Lots of on street parking and both indoor and outdoor seating options. Perfect for an intimate dinner with friends while you're in New Market. Right behind the cinemas so ideal for a bite pre or post movie. Will definitely come again!!

Michael Davidson

Food here is absolutely amazing! Portions are a bit small but for the most part the price reflects the portion size. Would recommend if you're looking for something different.

Taz Karim

Their food is delicious but just that the quantity can be bigger. Their service is wonderful, no doubt. Excellent restaurant ambiance and very tidy. Their desserts are to die for. You would need to visit this place to enter that decadent dessert world.

Nay X

Lovely dinning place! Friendly staff and impressive food! The tofu slaw was delicate and the crispy pork belly bao was so tender (could do with less hoisin sauce cuz it’s a bit too salty)

Jeffery Chan

We ordered the pork ribs and spicy chicken wings. It was tasty and satisfying. Ribs were tender and moist. Portion was average.

Aimee Dickenson

We were promised a bottomless brunch for $38 that included bottomless dumplings, chicken, edamame and drinks. The dumplings were unsatisfactory and unpleasant. You paid for 1.5hrs of bottomless service but 20 minutes before our time was up, the waitress would not come to serve us and then stated our time was up. The food was not amazing and the service was even worse.

Jason Ruri

Poor lunchtime experience > We were happily accepted into restaurant however was not made aware they were down a chef and there will be a long wait for food > Time from ordering to delivery of food 55 minutes > Tables were sticky and restaurant smelt like a deep fryer > Overpriced - $40 for two bao, fries and chicken bites. The fries were the best thing. The bao was the $9 equivalent of the McDonalds Bacon and Egg muffin with a hash brown. The chicken bites reminded me of a ready cooked supermarket chicken that had been broken up, coated and deep fried

Renee Singh

My mum and I went to eat lunch here this weekend and the food was very delicious! The service however, is another story. Because it is now winter time and is cold and windy outside, my mum and I kindly moved three times to different areas to sit which we were fine with because the draft coming through in our area was unpleasant. However, when two pakeha woman came into the restaurant, they were asked straight away by an Indian waitress if they would like the door closed and if they wanted heaters turned on in the area they were seated. Even though she specifically saw my mum and I move three times because we were cold and uncomfortable! Very yummy food but very poor service from that waitress. Not good enough.

Ariel

Food is good, dinning environment is ok, but customer service could be improved - I felt not respected by them when they found me as a Zomato Gold member.

Fooooood

Yuuuuummmmmmmmm

Ati

Tucks and Bao have been on my visit list since they first opened, but somehow it’s taken me three years and my favourite Swedes coming home for me to finally take the leap. I ordered the BAO Boy and Andrey ordered the Cheese Bao-ger. I honestly had such mixed expectations coming into Tucks and Bao and was pleasantly surprised with what I found. The Bao Boy was absolutely delicious, the shrimp were 10/10 bangers. They were crunchy, seasoned to the nines and gave off a lowkey caramelised vibe which I loved. The sriracha mayo was a beauty and I would happily bathe in her and all her glory (but like seriously, sriracha anything is such a yes for me if done well). The buns were fluffy and could 10/10 bounce back from anything (one day I hope to be as resilient as the mighty Bao). I loved the fresh salad and the generous amounts of lettuce 😋😋 The guy who was working was actually the best. V// chilled and pleasant to interact with (he also gave off the coolest vibes and had such an aesthetic). I will most certainly be returning to Tucks and Bao many more times in the future, so stay tuned and let’s get a comprehensive understanding of their menu together 💪🏼🦑

Mercy

Really nice service, super accommodating too. Every time I've been here it's been a pleasant time. Food is also pretty good. Tucks > Baos though. Sometimes the food takes a while to come out so don't come if you're in a hurry. Do not recommend the Korean coleslaw... the hulk is a better vege dish

Cmys001

We ordered the tofu bao, vegan gyoza and the Thai me down salad. The bao was good. The rest were below average. Honestly the place is nice has a nice ambiance. Unfortunately the food was below par. Also pretty expensive for the portion size.

Joohee Grace Park

Went on a Saturday at around 12, the place was completely empty. The food was very average - probably wouldn’t come again. The spicy wings were dry and the calamari was soggy. On the bright side, the baos were good as expected :)

FoodieBadoodie

Great food and awesome service! We were the last ones to leave the restaurant on a Tuesday night and David was very accommodating to our needs. Will definitely be back again.

Baljinder Singh

Great place and the service was really good.

Sanya

Great food and lovely service!!

Lum Lum

The safer options of fish and chips (a salt and battery) and ribs (pork fiction) were not up to a good enough standard. Maybe I’d come back to try their baos, but it’s very unlikely. Such a shame since I’d heard that this place was decent and whatnot, maybe we came in on a bad day? Servings of fish were very underwhelming. For $19 you’d expect to get more decent servings of fish and chips. The ribs also did not impress me at all.

Ruby Cui

Great place. Not that busy when we came in. And the service was really good. Love the spicy chicken wings. Worth trying if you are a gold member.🤩

LV.N

Hey pretty tasty....not totally authentic but can’t go wrong with bar bites (perfect for sharing)..the crispy pork bao was DELISH....the pork itself deep fried and crunchy get goey. Service just a tiny bit awkward but hey not bad

Kim

This place is amazing, have great taste of food and lovely staff. Definitely be back to try some more options on the menu.

May Hung

This place is awesome, let us in the pub area as it’s getting cold outside with our little dog, he also bring my dog some water and a bowl of cooked chicken meat! Our food is great and tasty as well, even though it’s Christmas Eve, they still accept zomato gold! Honestly it makes such a big difference to be served by nice staff! I would recommend this place in a heartbeat! 👍🏻

Micheal Yong

The Baos was so tasty... definitely I will come back to this place

Rachel

So disappointing and the worst experience recently :( over priced but small portion and low quality ingredient as much as better having KFC for chicken menus.

Tanz

The place was pretty busy but service was not bad and the food came out quickly. However that is all I like about my visit. Somehow food from this branch were not the same taste and quality as I had in Takapuna. The korean spicy chicken were not spicy at all and had full on hoisin sauce on them - I expected kochujung taste when it comes to korean fried chicken. The nibbles are so tiny and dry. Pork ribs were too dry as well and the sauce was just too confusing for my taste. We also had sweet and spicy calamari on rice. The dish looked good but the taste was just bad. Only sweet that my preschool kid could eat easily, where was the spicy part? I don’t think I will come back to this branch as the food I had were not good at all.

Mino

Popped into Tucks & Bao after a movie with a friend. Staff were really friendly and came out with correct order with no major delay. There were four other people in the restaurant at the time (mid afternoon around 3pm). Decor was great, outdoor area very cool. Ordered Pork Belly bao and Bao Boy (shrimp) and some fried shrimp. fried chicken. For beverages I have a Vietnamese Drip Coffee and my friend had a frozen margarita. Bao Boy was good as well as the pork belly bao sauce, delicious brown sauce. Fried shrimp also very good - highly recommended. Fried chicken however unfortunately very under-seasoned and tasted bland and was not a crispy or crunchy. Frozen margarita came out the server must’ve left the frozen back in the freezer because it was a liquid cocktail. I would come back here if there was an event held here, but I wouldn’t come back on my own accord. Food underwhelming for the price you pay.

Adrianna

Second time here now... First thing I noticed is the friendly restaurant manager. The second is the state of the table and chairs... Both felt very unclean and very sticky. Food is great and tasty. Service could be faster. Zomato Gold makes it so worth it. Good place to eat lunch or with a bunch of friends. Will be back.

Tbroadley

I came here not too long ago for the first time and I really enjoyed the food. The calamari was thick but small pieces and was really yum. The boneless chicken was real good but the star was the pulled pork bao. Delicious insides and lovely soft bao. There were a couple of things that could be better such as being given napkins earlier as the bao (all the bao my group had) did have liquid pouring out and we had to go get our own napkins. Also there was no dessert available as nobody told us the microwave was broken before we ordered so we waited a little while for nothing. I would still recommend visiting though. Beware of parking as there isnt much available outside but there are a few parking garages close by.

Nourishingmei

Posted on Instagram food reviewing account as well @nourishingmei Date night at the Newmarket @tucksandbao last night! We ordered to share and between us we ordered the sweet and spicy chicken noodles, wok this way and mr chips. First off the chicken was amazing! Literally blew me away as it was perfectly cooked and the sweet and spicy sauce which kind of resembles the well known sweet and sour sauce that you usually see in asian restaurants was the right level of hotness (not mild but not rip off your tongue hot) and the noodles were the right texture as they were not too hard and not too soft. The wok this way (fried rice) was perfectly fried as I found it had the right amount of oil in it so it was not greasy at all and the chicken was cooked well and so was the broccolini was so so good that I had to steal it from my bf 😏. The side of chips (Mr chips) we got was amazing and was not too salty and was cooked in the right amount of oil which is defo a plus because I do not like overly greasy food so this was so good! Overall service was excellent and the staff member that served us was very friendly. This is the first time I have given a 5 star but honestly 5/5 and I am definitely coming back here again 😍!

Aireena Omar

Nice place to have drinks with snacks. Please snack on the chicken nibbles they’re yum. Only would pick a bone with the price of the bao’s vs size.

Pig Cat

Grabbed some snacks between lunch and high tea. Ordered pork belly bao and bao boy(fried shrimp) with my friend. Liked their sauce and filling in the bao. Liked their blue tone decor as well. Staffs were also super friendly to help. Great value with Zomato gold!! Nothing to complain about.

Hannah Lee

Yummy but a bit overpriced

Aalok Singh

Loved food, staff was very friendly n willing to go beyond to help.

K

Came here for a quick dinner before settling down to study. The service was great - fast, friendly and polite. However the food was so underwhelming for the price. I ordered the crispy fu and a friend ordered the pork. The tofu merely filled half the bao and the salad inside was anything but generous! Tofu was also quite lukewarm considering crispy tofu is meant to be hot and crispy. There was so much sauce that the crispy layer sogged up during the 5 mins I walked with it to my eating spot, but I suspect that this is because the tofu was already made. Overall, the meal was probably around 60% bao, 20% tofu, 10% salad and 10% sweet chilli sauce. Finished in probably 3 minutes. Quite steep and disappointing ngl. I'm not a critical eater, but this place was average at best.

Teo

A great venue for a small family birthday celebration..

The Happy Foodie - Use YUEW1128 To Get 25% Off

The staff was very nice and friendly. The decor was good too. I didn't quite enjoy the food for two reasons: 1. The pork ribs - good flavour, but was burnt/dry. 2. The spicy chicken on rice was not well prepared - pretty much just Thai sweet and chilli sauce on top.

Teresa Chiong

Love the taste of each dish represent a unique asian recipe. A must try restaurant for everyone ! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

David Chen

The atmosphere was okay but nothing special. The fish and chips needed more fish but the pork ribs were excellent. The baos just didn’t seem to hit the spot and there are places that do better for baos.

Shabana Angez Begum

The staff non attentive and very slow. On top of that we got overcharged. After asking the waitress/cashier to split the bill in 3 she splits it in 4 and then charges us an extra 7 dollars each. We asked about Zomato Gold and our waitress told us yeah it will be fine and to just let the cashier know. Yes we did not read the fine print that it was not for drinks so we were ok with it, but staff are nonchalant and not aware of deals or promos from Zomato. Food is mediocre at best

Jess Freedom

Everything we ordered was absolutely amazing!!!! Would definitely come back here again!the only problem was that the waiter forgot to give us the water we asked for and didnt give us plates when she probably could've guessed we'd be sharing.

MagicDamon

We went couple of times with good food and service but this time is a bit disappointed. We ordered fish bun, beef bun, fried chicken...we waited nearly 30mins for lunch. Only one staff there to serve 5 tables, she’s quite nice, she told us there was a pre-ordered table after we waited a long time. That’s alright, but the food was really bad, meat is definitely not fresh, beef hard to chew and chicken not juicy, you can taste that they’re not fresh, not sure if it because we told them we have Zomato Gold, worse than before! Not recommended

GG

Hum shakes are too sweet and the Pork Belly Bao sauce is really really salty.

Sid

Very impressed with this place. Greeted with a smile and loved the rustic but clean and comfortable decor. We ordered: the Bok Bok Bao which was excellent - light and fluffy with honest flavours that wasn’t overpowering. Miss Piggy was yummy - sticky roasted pork with a perfectly contrasting vermicelli salad. The Hulk was a great green vege stir fry that was both healthy and tasty - who knew that was possible?! And a freakshake to satisfy the sweet tooth in me. Food came very quickly and the service was excellent. If you’re after a meal with genuine food in a relaxed and enjoyable environment, definitely give this place a try.

Kiki Zhan

Service was good, but the interior was very dimly lit and stuffy. I had a low and slow bao and it was practically unedible - the pulled pork was extremely dry and tasteless; the fresh salad (inside the bao) was a single piece of lurk warm lettuce with a few sprinkles of onions. I asked the waitress what they had for herbal tea and I was given the list: green tea, jasmine tea, English breakfast, and earl grey.... which... really weren't herbal teas at all?? Never going there again

Izzy Lees

Fried chicken was so average, would avoid next time

Carl F.J. Non

Service was ok, booking great, my only complaint was the salt on the fries. Way too much of it, that it made it so hard to eat. Not great to end the night but overall, it was ok

Sorry_vonguenumber

Nice decent place for a meal. Friendly service. Fried rice was good. Full of big pieces of meat. The ribs were sweet and a little hint of heat. Fall off the bones.

Lizzie

The bao was a generous size but there wasn’t enough seasoning, the chicken was bland. Then calamari had great seasoning and costing but it was a weird soft texture. Service was fast though! Just a bit disappointing that food was so great

TK3116

Hey! Spent a great evening last week 16/7/19 at the NEWMARKET Tucks and Bao with our team and some guests. Big group for dinner but really well managed by wait staff over the night. Food was primo, pork belly everything - Bao, sliced in Asian salad etc. Shout out to Garage Project Pernicious Weed was tops! Good match for the food. Busy night and good vibe throughout... And managed to make smoky eyes with someone who made the whole dining experience go to a whole new level. Hoping she will read this and get in touch... long shot I know but worth a try. Thanks Tucks and Bao for an unforgettable night, food, atmosphere and potentially another visit together with this girl in green...X Peace and love y’all! TK.

Jade Francis

Staff were friendly and got fast service. I ordered a freak shake which cost $10.80, such a rip off. It was just milk and chocolate syrup and they were cheap on the chocolate with whipped cream and a flake and I think mms. The wings were good. Nice kick but not overly spicy. The salt and pepper squid was a bit soggy, the batter didn’t have the crunch you would expect. also the the pulled pork bao, meat was good but “salad” was just chunky iceberg. Overall a bit disappointing.

Deadwin

closer to 3.5 the setting and idea is great, perhaps not the best value for filling you up but the options are many. when I came in a group of 5 and ordered eight different dishes, only one was below par in taste quality

Sharon Louie

My friends and I came to Tucks and Bao for dinner on a Saturday night because it offers Zomato gold perks (1+1 food). I ordered the belly bao and we also got the spicy chicken wings to share. I honestly felt for the price, the portions were a bit small. However, the bao was really airy and the sauce complimented it well. The pork belly was really crispy and I enjoyed it. The portion of the chicken wings was small for the price, however, the taste was really nice. Service was average, no one refilled our water. I would come back again because the baos weren’t bad but I definitely think there are things that Tucks and Bao could improve on to do better in the future!

MCP

little restaurant in new market, food portion is on smaller size with the price; their bun tasted of but not filling, staffs were very friendly .

James

Small serving size on the pork belly and poor flavoring on the tofu salad bowl. Even with Zomato Gold it wasn't worth it. The waiter guy didn't seem to care or want to be there.

Johl Brown

Went for lunch in a Saturday. Very quiet and easy to get a table. Lacked a little atmosphere, but that could have been due to the lack of people. We both had the Wok Bowl. Good size and great taste.

Petitesweetsnz

It's been a while since we've been to this corner of Newmarket and it's our first time at Tucks and Bao. It was quiet and unassuming with a nice airy space at the back of the restaurant. J ordered the Bok Bok which is their signature fried chicken with truffle mayo sauce in a steamed bao bun. I had the pork belly bao and it was so meltingly delicious. We shared a plate of fried chicken and guess what? We polished it all off - super moist and juicy, best fried chicken I have had for a while. Best of all, they are gold partners with @zomatonz and with the 1 +1 deal, it meant that we had one of the dishes for free!! #goldhiddengems. Give it a go - use my code PETI8024 for 20% off the membership. #goldhiddengems #collab #zomatonz #zomatogold @zomatogold @tucksandbao . . . #bao #friedchicken #truffle #porkbelly #petitesweetsnz #nzbloggers #foodphotography #foodblogger #instafood #f52grams #feedfeed #buzzfeedfood #eeeeats #nomnom #forkyeah #eatingfortheinsta #onmytable #beautifulcuisines #thekitchn #lifeandthyme #vscofood #heresmyfood

Wapatino

Went for dinner using zomato gold, good value for money! The green veggies dish was really good and so was the pork belly bao. The fried chicken wasn’t as great. We weren’t fans of the batter specifically. The staff was very friendly. Would like to go back and try more things off the menu :).

Png605

Meh was expecting a larger serving size lol. But i love the idea of this resto as they really do make mixed asian flavors and people plz order filo sauce stuff u wont be disappointed

Tiffany Kit

The food was delicious, the staff were super friendly and it was such a nice place to dine. Would definitely go eat there again. The meals are worth the price you pay.

Princess Norain Luzon-Marcial

We celebrated our MAY birth month with my friends, they accomodate us even without prior booking. Nice place to catch up with friends. Very accomodating and friendly staff. Will definitely will come again.

Ginger Taduran

We love the food and service here! The Belly Bao is a must-try, as well as The Prawnbroker and the Wings of Fire. They serve their beer really cold, which is absolutely perfect. Staff is really accommodating. Will definitely come back.

Tina Coles

We had our Mothers Day dinner here last night. First time for myself and Mum and we were impressed with the service first and the food was all very fresh and tasty. Mum uses a walker and as soon as the young man saw us approach the door he rushed over to make sure she could get through the gap and found a suitable table for us all. The only problem we had all night was not being able to fit all the food in. We certainly gave it our best shot, the pork ribs were full of flavour and the fish was so fresh. Brilliant night thanks to great staff and great food. Will definitely be back, especially as it's a Zomato Gold place

Louise Meng

Excellent service and delicious food. Our order arrived within about 10 minutes and the staff were very attentive. Highly recommend the pork belly bao.

Guy Richardson

Fantastic service, great prices and amazing food. Large and funky interior with some great outdoor spaces too. Good wine and cocktail list - this place always hits the spot!

Kelsey Rowe

Always amazing service here. Super friendly, accommodating, never bat an eyelid if using Zomato Gold and good comes out quick and hot. Would highly recommend!!

Chris

Wow this place had excellent food and service. The bao buns are amazing. Would definately recommend this place for dinner and will be back soon.

Adriana Ferdian

Tucks and Bao has such potential, cute name, cute little store in a bustling office area, great staff doing great service. The food is a little bit confusing though, unfortunately. I ordered the Wings of Fire ($15) - not spicy at all and suuuuuper sweet. Also ordered the Sweet n Spicy $19 noodles with chicken, also sickeningly sweet. There’s no personality to the flavours and you can’t tell what cuisine it is, just.... pseudo-Asian, or rather, what someone who doesn’t know what Asian flavours should taste like thinks is Asian. Sorry team, cause I really like you guys, but man the cooking is almost unbearable. Ate one wing and 2 bites of the noodles, did not finish. You might wanna talk to your chef cause the food may cost you business :(

Flora

Grate place. Been there at noon, and sat in backyard-sunshine is beautiful. We ordered crispy chicken Bao, lemon-pepper calamari and Korean style fried chicken. Calamari is crispy and fresh, chicken wings is yummy and juicy and Bao is good start to share.

Alannah Joy Green

Delicious pork belly options and fried chicken. Portions are quite small for the pricing making some of the dishes not worth the cost. Bao burgers are delightfully soft and delicious!

Jack Whitfield

Good service and fantastic Bao. The indoor dining area is really nice. Will be a regular stop for a quick Bao or drink stop. Handy location as close to central Newmarket.

Almo Wong

Service was amazing. The baos are the perfect blend of east meets west. Fusion food is sometimes a little overwhelming however these guys have the fusion spot on!

Jedediah J

No lie this place had some mean music, vibes and great customer service. I will definitely come here again maybe for drinks instead. Unfortunately the food was a big let down for me I just did not like the seasoning or sauces used. The food came on time but I was very disappointed with the ribs. They were extremely chewey and felt I was forcing myself to finish it. However, most other dishes ordered from my group were okay and the service was pretty good so I'm giving them a 4/5. (Just a heads up the portion sizes are pretty small apart from the ribs)

Annie Low

Ordered pork belly BAO and .... it was very disappointing. The sauce is WAY TOOO SWEET which make it very hard to eat :/ As an Asian I used to love BAO but this place is just not right for me 😂 overrated BAO place.....

Maesian

Food was delicious. Definitely enjoyed ‘the hulk’ which is the asian greens and the crispy fried chicken. We initially thought the serving size was disappointing, but food was flavoursome and just enough to make you make you full. Good for small gatherings.

Alex Wadman

Such a good place. Great atmosphere. Had the chicken bao and pork bao and chips. Chips and aioli was amaaaazing. Great mojito too. Lovely staff

Aleisha T

Definitely recommend the Frose in Happy Hour. Friend and I ended up sharing our dishes which was a bit meat heavy. Ribs were amazingly tender and had great flavour. Gonna balance it out next time with a vege dish!

Phạm Phương Thanh

Me and my boy friend was having dinner couple of days ago. We love the Asian fusion food here, we order couple of steam buns, wings of fire, miss piggy and Thai me down salad. All the dishes were reasonable price, delicious and the service was excellent. It has been a lovely night for two of us. We will be back.

It's Me

Ordered the Low and Slow - delish (but left me wanting more), Vietnamese Drip Coffee (different, but nice) and the Cookie Monster (average, just a hot cookie with ice cream and m&ms sprinkled over the top)

Greg Potter

I tried this place when it first opened and really enjoyed my experience then. However I returned last Sunday and the standard was not the same. The staff were friendly and helpful, but the food was not so good. I had the belly bao and the money bags. The piece of pork belly was on the smaller side and was quite dry. I also think that the size of the bao in general has shrunk since I last visited. The money bags were really oily and didn't have any flavour to them. At the price point of both these items I would expect more.

LuNa The TuNa

Pretty good asian fusion restaurant at the corner of new market. Not big but very delicate. Food are nice and fresh, environment really clean with lovely decor. Service polite and friendly

MG Corcuera

Tucks & Bao had great vibes and a good range of stuff in their menu. Everything was very tasty, pork belly bao was so soft, the wings were succulent and not at all dry. My friend enjoyed the prawn bao also. The fried tacos were tasty but were very messy to eat. Fell apart almost instantly. Nothing seemed to match up the price range though. Too darn expensive for what you get. Left the place not at all full. Probably would only come back after I’ve had a full meal....but then why?

Angelica Peralta

The food and drinks came out under 10 minutes and was delicious. Our waiter is the reason for the 5 stars. She was super friendly and made sure we were comfortable :)

곰정안

3.5/5 Taste 4/5 Display 3.5/5 Quantity 4/5 Customer Service Decent Whitewashed Asian Restaurant Good place for drinks and snacks! Baos were slightly bigger than I though, tasted great too. Tucks were alright, comparing with other bar snacks and food they were decent sizes.

Pukeko

One of my favourite restaurant I've found here! Bao was tasty. The bottom of the bao bun was wet and soggy because of the sauce of the meat. But still, I love it! Definitely I will be back soon!

Jacynda Darmawan

A nice dining experience. Good food. Good ambiance. The fried chicken was delicious. It was not like the usual fried chicken with super crunchy and thick batter, but I actually dig this one! Very flavorful. The pork belly was a bit dry, although I like the flavor. I used my zomato gold. The Clucking Good became complimentary and I ended up saving $16.

Alyse Seekup

Was reluctant to try it out after reading some negative reviews but thought we would give it a go as we could walk from home. Food was tasty, on the spicy side. We had the fire wings (hot but not too hot), the ribs (surprisingly spicy although did not mention spice on the menu), the prawn dumplings (wouldn't get again as very small and lack of flavour) and a pork bao (I love any bao, the bun was fluffy but the filling lacking). Overall we enjoyed our meal and would possibly go back. Give it a try for yourself!

Ming_Angela Y

Great little find in Newmarket, on the road parallel to broadway (behind the gym and pools). The atmosphere is thematic, and they’ve clearly put in effort and thought so the place feels and looks good. This was one of the best Bao’s we’ve had in Auckland, and we’ve been to a few different places. The Bao’s feel fluffy and soft, and the ingredients were well seasoned. During our meal, we felt like this was a place we’d be happy to come back to. The place doesn’t seem to get as much exposure as other popular bars and restaurants that have more street exposure before you see Tucks and Bao. But this place is worth checking out :) (Found out about this place through Zomato Gold)

Geoff

Good food they have Bao's (Chinese filled bun things) and Tucks which are like mini sharing dishes. We only had the tucks with 4 different ones to share for 3 of us and left pretty satisfied in terms of hunger and taste so all around a good meal!

Ruby Jang

We ordered the miss piggy and terigotchi between the two of us. The flavours were nice but not exceptional. Portions were pretty small for the price but we dined on zomato gold so still great value. Good vibes with friendly service.

Abhi R

The food here tastes pretty good and the staff are friendly. Portion sizes for their "tucks" is too small and description for the pork belly didn't state it came on a bed of noodles.

Tanibee

Ordered Miss Piggy and A Salt N' Battery. Miss Piggy is cooked well and I liked the taste of veggies with it. The only downside is the sauce, it didn't compliment the dish well. Maybe that depends on your taste but I'm Asian so I like the sauce to have a stronger taste and aroma. The fish in Salt N' Battery is nice but only 2-3 pieces and the rest are chips.

Nisheeka Lal

Me and my partner loved the customer service, atmosphere and most importantly the food. We would recommend the pulled pork bao and the pork ribs.

Felicia

Nice little place with delicious food. We took our one preschooler and one toddler along which in hindsight was not the best idea as there were no walls (it was opened to let air and light in) and the kids kept running out to the footpath outside. A lil stressful but the food was good so we will come back without kids next time. :)

SeaLam

we didn't enjoy this restaurant all the dishes were either too salty or too Not happy Will not go there again Please do not go You will waste your money

Channelle Bennett

Long wait for 2 bao and pad Thai, belly bao amazing flavour with coriander and hoison sauce highly recommend, low and slow bao not for me! Pad Thai portion was small I have had way better for much cheaper price.

Food2belly

Great food and atomsphere, very vibrant restaurant for a great Friday night drinks spot with great food. I would be keen to try their baos next time.

Emma

i got the tofu bao bun and chips and absolutely loved them!! the slaw was delicious and the tofu was done perfectly. the seasoning on the chips was great and they were done really nicely, i really enjoyed my meal!! and would definitely recommend this restaurant

Gian Carlo Pascual

Nice cosy place in Newmarket, and pretty decent baos. Was slightly disappointed considering that half their name is dedicated to baos but they aren't quite up to scratch, hence the missing star. The pork belly crackling is never quite crispy enough, and the chicken is a bit bland. The popcorn prawns are delicious though and the drinks are cheap and fun. Not my first choice for Asian-fusion style but still a good place nonetheless.

Vanessa Gao

I came here for an early lunch with friends and was eager to try their famous Bao’s, which were larger than I expected. The flavours were nice despite the odd combination of some. The best one was the pork belly as it was cooked really well. However the bun itself felt quite flat to me but when combined with the filling was good.

SpoonMe

Came here once for lunch during the week. We sat outside which was fine. After hearing good this about this place I had high expectations but the food was so average. I got two mini naps with a side. There was nothing special about it. If you want a good Bao go to chinoiserie don’t waste your money here.

Riddhi

Went for a birthday dinner Sunday night around 6pm and we organised the area out back. There is no booking fee for their function room and no minimum spend which is really good. We ordered from the catering menu and had the pulled pork lettuce wraps, tofu lettuce wraps, spicy fried chicken, platter of pork belly bao and fried chicken bao, edamame beans and fries. The food was cooked really well, everything was super flavoursome. Highlights were the pulled pork wraps as well as the lemon pepper seasoning on the fries. I also had a ginger and lime moctail which tasted like a mojito and was super refreshing. The service was faultless, really attentive and super friendly. The food came out really quickly, and wait times for drinks were barely existent. Loved how they also gave the birthday girl a free dessert, was super lovely. Absolutely spot on food and service, really keen to try some other dishes.

Ria22

Quick service which is great for lunch during work hours, enjoyable atmosphere with a nice outside area and tasty food with good variety on the menu.

Azura Lane

I felt so uncomfortable being served old pork which was clearly cooked at a later date. They had put sauce on the part you could see and the coriander was so old I left it out. I felt really sick that night and skipped out on dinner at home. Really disappointing because I had driven across the city to give it a go. Not to mention, the two women were gossiping right behind the counter. My only regret was not speaking up at the time, I hope other people don’t have a similar experience.

Grace Huang

I had a voucher for this place so I decided this place was worth a try even though the prices are so high. Service: 8/10 We made a reservation so we were immediately welcomed and seated upon arrival. The waitresses were all very friendly and helpful. They often came to check on us and clean away our dirty plates. It was a little hard to get their attention though since they were quite busy. The food was served quite quickly, even the ones that said they required 15 minutes only took 10 minutes. Food: 2/10 We ordered the cluck norris, the prawnbroker, pork fiction, belly bao, great white, drunkin beef and baonut. The pork fiction was tender, and the sauce was sweet and spicy. The cluck norris was crispy and rice was aromatic. The prawnbroker was soggy and tiny, quite a disappointment. The belly bao was flavoursome but the crackling was a little chewy, and the bao was okay. The fish in the great white was small and soggy. The bao was badly steamed causing the bottom to be wet. The drunkin beef tasted only slightly pickled. The bao was dry and hard on top. The baonut wasn’t crispy but the cinnamon sugar coating tasted pretty good with the ice cream. All of the portions were very small so the bill can get pricey if you want to leave satisfied. Ambiance: 8/10 Tucks & Bao provides a more modern pop bar setting great for having a chat with your mates. The wooden tables and decorations with the green plants create a natural outdoor atmosphere in contrast with the blue modern tableware and furniture that have a more modern style. This helps create a more fusion environment where traditional fits in with urban. The fairy lights also make the restaurant stand out more. There is hip music playing to bring an upbeat feeling to the diners but you can’t really hear it as it is quite noisy. I wouldn’t recommend coming here unless you have a voucher since the prices are so high, the portions are small and the quality isn’t high. We paid over $90 for three people and we were barely full. I would rather go elsewhere for a good Gua Bao.

Husk Creative

With beautifully prepared fusions of Greek, Malay, Chinese, Thai, Korean and more, this place is still making our mouths water – the flavours where genuinely incredible. We loved the attention to detail with every plate and, to complete the scrumptious cuisine on offer, we were immersed in an exotic fit-out boasting water fountains, bamboo walls and even a mini gong signalling the wait staff that food was ready to go. Nice touch. If classic cafe fare is getting a tad tiring for you, Tucks & Bao is definitely a worthy contender for your next team outing. The huskies each had a bao each and shared the following: Clucking Good - Tucks famous fried chicken with sesame mayo Miss Piggy - Crispy roasted pork belly slices with hoisin dip Mr Bean - Edamame soy beans with chili rock salt The Hulk - Fresh stir-fried greens with shallots, garlic & soy For individual food reviews go here: husk.co.nz/lunches/tucks-amp-bao-february-2018

Emma Clegg

Staff were very friendly and ambience of environment was lovely. Service was quick. Sadly it ended there. The beef bao was very salty with no sauce so felt dry and the chicken bao only had one piece of chicken in it! The chicken pieces were reminiscent of chicken nuggets and sadly lacked flavour. We're bao and chicken enthusiasts and came away disapproved and still feeling very hungry. Some more seasonings, sli bigger portions/fillings could easily turn this around.

Tom Wong

The food here is tasty and flavourful and with Zomato gold the price is pretty reasonable. Definitely worth checking out!! I recommend getting a frozen margarita

Calvin

Tucks and bao has a good range of baos and other dishes, the food was good but didn’t leave any impression on me. The uniquely named menu brings laughter to the table, and the outdoor area is beautiful at night. Food- 7.5/10 Service 7.5/10 Aesthetics 8.5/10

Honeyy Daniels

Highly recommended. First timers. As soon as we stepped foot in the door we were welcomed with the choice of where to sit despite our booking we were late for, the zen garden was a great choice. Wasn’t a long wait at all till we were served with fresh aromatic dishes we couldn’t wait to dip into. Loved the menu with its quirky puns. The ‘wings of fire’ a succulent pick complimented by the side truffle mayonnaise. ‘The Hulk’ although it could’ve been stir fried a minute more were a great treat. ‘Mr Bean’ being a fav were simply perfect. ‘The prawn broker’ and ‘Miss salt & Mr pepper’ were also good choices. ‘The Belly Bao’ was nice too. To top it off nothing better than to have lovely staff. We walked away with full bellies and smiles from ear to ear. The ‘Frozen Margaritta’ may have added to that. Thank you Harry, Paola and team.

Little Borneo Girl

Love this restaurant. Been there quite a few times. Ambience is really nice and warm 5/5. Food is quite nice 4/5. Prices are reasonable too. We tried their fried bao with ice cream for desert. Tasted like a doughnut and was huge too. Highly recommended and is enough to be shared by two.

W111

we had late dinner before watching a flick. ordered 3 different types of bao along with spicy korean chicken and 2 glasses of cocktail. stuff inside and bao were not harmonised. cocktail tasted very cheap with no taste of alcohol whatsoever. spicy korean chicken was not spicy and crispy at all but salty and soggy.

Debi Barrett

Gr8 service, food came really quickly, Drunkin Beef Bao was favourite, food delicious. Beautiful surroundings. Only negative our table was sticky, needs sanding back as not off food or cleaning sprays.

Michelle Ma Belle

Asian fusion is my favorite cuisine, so I was excited to try out Tucks and Bao. I loved the interior design: it was simplistic, yet quirky and fun, with lots of blue and wooden accents, finished with fairy lights. The service was attentive too. Since baos were their specialty and the size only serves one person, highly suggest ordering a Bao each, and a couple of tucks to share. The baos were perfectly soft and spicy. The pork belly one was definitely the group favorite - with crispy skin and a sticky and sweet hoisin sauce. The peanuts added s crunchy element. The pulled pork was slightly dry in my opinion, but the flavour was still nice. The tucks were enjoyed by all. I would recommend the salt & pepper squid, prawns, sesame chicken, and the ribs. They were all impeccable. The only downside was that all the dishes were quite small for what they costed, and you would definitely have to order quite a few to feed the group. My favorite was the Korean spicy chicken wings - it was tender and smoky, with just the perfect skinny of heat! There were 10 wings, so perfect for sharing :) All in all we enjoyed our experience at Tucks & Bao, just be prepared to spend quite a lot of when dining here :)

Shell

Ordered the fish bao after reading a review that it was good. It was not enjoyable at all.. the bao was dry and not light and fluffy as it should be. The piece of fish was very small, a bit disappointed. Went back a 2nd time and tried the pork belly bao and that was so much better! Really good flavours, soft bun and lots of hoisin 😊

Adeline

Customer service is second to none. Parking aroud the area is hard. Ambience was so so - very sticky tables. Could do with a bit more light too. Having said that, food was so-so. With the increasing number of restaurants offering shared plates, funky-named menu items, fusion kiwi-asian food and cute cocktails - it's a tough game to play the scene any differently. We ordered the Miss Piggy (crispy pork belly - possibly my most fav dish of the night), fresh stir fried greens ( broccoli stir fried in a generous amount of butter), braised beef bao (very salty unfortunately) and salt and pepper calamari (nothing special). The frozen pina colada was also quite refreshing.

Nicole Kingi

Couldn’t be more impressed with this place. Every time I go they are consistent, polite and friendly as well as serving up amazing tasting food. I’d love to keep these chefs in my pocket!!!

Helen Lee

Came here on a weekday night - it was pretty quiet. I ordered the pad thai and my friends ordered baos. The Pad Thai was probably THE worst I've ever had, did not taste like pad thai at all. It was drowning in this really dark sour sauce. Pad Thai is meant to be a balance of sweet, sour, spicy and savory. The noodles were super wide. The portion was too small for the price. I could've had a much better experience at MoMo Tea around the corner for less. My friends thought the baos they ordered were decent. Service was lovely too.

Sanchit Kaushal

Good place and ambience.. asian fusion theme. Had some good beer to start with. Later tried some thai, korean fusion and loved it. The beef rice was a bit too tangy, but all in all good experience. Will come back again

Matadors

Tucks and Bao is situated in Newmarket behind the Olympic pools. The menu is a bit limited and although the dishes were yummy they portion is small and quite overpriced.

Ray TheRealist

Great atmosphere! Very chill made me feel like I was in Williamsburg in Brooklyn. All the bao’s are worth a trying and practically did try them all between my wife and I. The favourite by far was the pork belly bao and the bilgogi brisket - I recommend those to all!

Jason Shi

Always loved the Bao after first having it in Sydney when I was studying back in University. This was a chinese style Bao isntead of a Japanese style, which i had in Sydney. The highlight was actually the Pulled pork Bao and the Pork Belly Bao, and lastly must give the half kilo pork ribs a try, so amazinly flavourful with sweet tangy sauce and it is very well marinated.

Brit Abroad

Food was really tasty, had 2 pork belly buns and tasted great! Had a espresso martini, but it was tiny, overpriced and not too great. Great food but maybe don't bother with the cocktails

Mobb Dinero

Absolutely appalled. I have no words.I wouldn't rate this place a 1 but in order for this review to be submitted I had to rate it. Terrible service and food, when I complained and said that the food was not up to scratch, the waitress replied, "yeah, we get that a lot" .......... obviously even the staff are aware the food is of bad quality.

Karan Kapoor

Great food , great taste , great presentation and friendly staff. The location of this restro is really great but i guess this place needs to promote itself a little more because the bows are in trend and many place are promoting it.

Hasiba Zareh

I enjoyed Tucks and Bao over all, its stylish and spacious. I will probably go back just for the wings of fire tho. This place has the best wings I’ve ever had! They have actually got a good spicy kick to it! The sauce/ marinade was delicious and honestly I would love to buy a bottle. The pad Thai was really disappointing, it wasn’t even pad Thai it was like pasta with cashews and bean sprouts. Possibly one of the worst pad Thai experiences. We got two snack size baos, the chicken was really bland however since I’m ratchet I just dipped the bao into the wings of fire sauce lol it was super taste with the sauce. I’m definitely heading back here again to try some of the other dishes and ofcs the wings.

Jason Yang

Pros: food is top notch, ambiance is lovely, service and speed is second to none. Cons: there is only one restaurant. Come here if you want to try the best Asian fusion baos in town and get tipsy with margaritas .

Tashee

I heard so much about this place and the pictures always looked amazing on newsfeed. But the food in reality (when we were there at least) were bland and everage. The baos were dry with boring fillings. We ordered korean fried chicken which was tasteless and lukewarm. The sauce tasted like cheap quick packaged sauce. I wanted it to be good but unfortunately it didn’t deliver. We went there during the long holiday so wondering if it was a one time thing.

Sakshi Chadha

I was really excited about going here because it has been on my list forever. Well, it’d be fair to say that it’s v average. I did have a good time but the food was bland af (I ordered the crispy tofu, which ironically wasn’t v crispy). The drinks were a 7/10 which is not too bad. We sat at the bar, I usually love those high seats. The ambience was an 8/10. In a nutshell, don’t expect too much but not bad for a one time visit.

Xsteapoon

The entire outdoor covered garden area was booked for my hens lunch but when we showed up the waitress said there was nothing in the system. It wasn't an online booking glitch as the booking was done via phone. Food was ok we all had plenty to eat. Frose was not a proper frose you'd expect it to be a slushy but there were just clumps of frozen chunks. We had some drinks before ordering lunch and overheard the waitress complain to kitchen staff that we were taking ages to order. Waitress also tripped and fell twice. Beers took ages to arrive. All in all a less than average experience. Would not recommend.

Melissa Paet

My friends and I came here for lunch on Saturday. The restaurant environment was lovely in terms of decor. Staff were friendly. Our food came out quite fast. Very impressed by the restaurant.

Mun Clair

Absolutely delicious!! My partner and I came in around 12pm on a Friday and from a far the place looked closed with chairs still up etc. However, we tried our luck. Firstly, the service was a clear let down. The waitress seemed uninterested and wasn't welcoming at all. The tables were sticky and wobbly which is why I won't give this place a 5. But!! I can look past all that because the food was so SO yum! We tried the Eurasian (wonton taco), the money bags, Bok Bok (chicken bao), low and slow (pulled pork bao), fish bao and the crispy chicken. Everything was simply amazing! My fave was definitely the fish bao. I will definitely be dining here again to try more of the extensive menu!

To Be Honest

Had the ribs, cluckin good chicken and tofu slaw. Ribs were a bit over cooked, tough to eat. Chicken was really well flavoured and would definitely recommend. The slaw was a bit boring but the tofu was sweet and delicious. Vibes of the resturant were great and played a lot of throwback music. Portions were decenlty priced for the size given and overall would recommend this place for a casual get-together with friends but definitely nothing fancy and not a must have when visiting Auckland.

Ashleigh Michelle

Tucks and Bao is a super cute restaurant which would be perfect for a date night or just catch up with friends! The fairy lights and modern decor make it a very warm and inviting atmosphere to dine in. The menu itself has good variety which made it hard to choose. The cocktails are well priced. Like others who have reviewed here, I think the food is slightly on the pricey side for what you get. I've had Bao's from other restaurants nearby that are better quality in my opinion and slightly cheaper.

Erica Meredith

Good food and flavours, do have to say though that the specialities are a little expensive when the portions are quite small? It says good to share when really it could be for one person. Would suggest increasing portion size or decreasing prices. Also if the pork belly bao is really popular I would suggest getting more as the lady said they had been running out which was a bummer.

Sheila Putri

First time getting Tucks & Bao and order got skipped, waited about 30mins for take away. Plus the Tofu Bao burger that I got tasted plain. Maybe other flavours would have tasted better, but I wouldn't go back.

Julius Tang

Came here on a Thursday night...It was relatively busy but most people are having drinks Service: needed to wait about 10 mins to order our food.. feels like they are under staffed? Food did arrive pretty quickly though once we ordered. Food:. I ordered 2 baos , and the chicken with garlic rice..Portion is really good and while they didn't blown me away, they were definitely good Environment:. The decor is good but for some reason there were so many flying insects!! I spent most of the time trying to get them away! Ended up covering the rice with a tissue while we were having the baos Overall if it's not the insects i will give it be 3.5...

Scott Young

Went to tucks and bao for a takeaway order, incredibly slow waited over 40mins for a couple of baos. Restaurant was quite. Not sure what was happening in the kitchen

Jane Keeling

Happy casual dining, Delicious bao and kids food. Great spot for a relaxed drink and bite to eat, especially at happy hour! Friendly accomodating staff especially manager.

Rebekah Cancare

The food was amazing! The staff were lovely. we will definitely be back! Recommend the Bok Bok and the Low and Slow Bao they were so amazing!

Nisha Choudhary

Went for celebration which turned out not so delicious. Drinks weren’t good too. Haven’t had that bad a margarita before :( Miss salt n mr pepper dish supposedly having calamari, tasted real bad

James

Brilliant food, full of flavour. Had the pork belly, prawn Bao, crunchy chicken, money bags, and prawn & porn dumpling. Perfect for sharing the small plates or having a bigger one to yourself. Friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Queena

Came here for dinner with a colleague from Aussie and everyone's said good things about this place so had to take her here! Nice little place. Good vibes. Great service. We ordered a cocktail each. Ordered a bao platter(?) each and a main each. The bao's were definitely delicious. My colleague got this Nasi Goreng rice dish. I got the "wonton more" which was real disappointing. I was expecting more... Not literally 9 wontons in what they call a "sauce". The wontons itself wasn't very delightful either. The meat filling (pork and prawn) was very mushy and the pastry itself was quite thick and seemed like it wasn't cooked thoroughly. Did not enjoy that meal at all 👎🏽 I think I'd only come back for the bao's to be honest. And maybe try out the dessert too.

Lenlen Agustin

My sister celebrated her 21st in the private conservatory area :) Very cute space (fairy lights & water fountain), good food, great service! 👌🏻

Jess Kingi

Really disappointed with our lunch. We should have taken the warning that no other diners were there, but gave it a go as we love baos. I saw that it was really overpriced (with the pictured being $36). Disregarding the price, nothing tasted nice (although the fries weren’t terrible I suppose). I had a try of each item and then had lunch elsewhere afterwards.

Wawman

Perfect for an afternoon delight! Their Manager, Sarah was amazing, very accommodating and helpful!👍🏼 ribs were flavorful, pad thai was good for sharing and their bao is a must try :)

Real Chef

Chef & Owner speed eaters! (YouTube it). If only the food matched the "photos" & real reviews were posted. Poor kitchen would be flogged if making bao buns on site. Sad day when chips get the best review! Another outsider entering the industry that will chew you up & spit you out - excuse the pun.

Holly Grey

Great food on top of impeccable service! Very warm and inviting atmosphere and great to go with friends to catch up with. We ordered the edamame and wonton as starters, I got the pork belly Bao with hoisin and coriander we also got dessert, the Cookie Monster to finish. Tasty food, only minor hiccup was a bit of a wait for the Cookie Monster, but this was understandable as the cookies are freshly made! Thanks for a great, chill night tucks and Bao. I'll be back :)

Julia Louise

Decor and service was great. We thought the food was a little overpriced for what it was, but it was still tasty and served promptly. Good wine list and good gluten free options.

Puss C

cute place with nice decorations. i sat in the courtyard and there wasn't enough ventilation in my opinion as it was a hot day and it was roasting. i got the ribs and some calamari and the ribs were dry and tough and chewy. the calamari wasn't bad but was quite bland

Charlie Barker

We got a takeaway from here on a Saturday night, so the experience might have been different to those dining in with the service and ambience to improve the experience. That said, the food was very disappointing. With the price taken into consideration, the situation goes from bad to worse. There was hardly any calamari for the $16 price tag and it was tasteless. The two No Bulgogi bowls were average in terms of taste and very skimpy on the meat. The Crispy Fu Bao tasted better and was better value for money. Would be willing to dine in and see what it is like with the service and ambience but wouldn't get a takeaway again. .

Jessica Li

It's a super cute place in new market! I love the decorations they have around the place :) I got the Bao boy lunch box and shared some fries with my friend. The food isn't bad but it's a bit expensive for the quality and quantity in my opinion.

Vanessa

Ordered a few baos and some sides to share. Flavors of the baos could have been better but it was rather bland and nothing special about the flavors. One of the chicken wings side dish was too salty and overall after having lunch here, my whole family and I was thirsty throughout the whole day. Had tried better bao in Blue Breeze Inn, Ponsonby than at this place. I suppose the only redeeming dish is the prawnbroker where the dipping sauce is spicy and nice.

Crackerjacker

Went here for lunch today and was very very impressed, it wasn't too busy which was good meant that our food came out more promptly. I really wanted to try most things but ended up getting the crispy chicken bao burger, the prawn and something dumplings and also the chicken taco. When I saw someone else order the bao burger I didn't think it looked too big that why I got more food to go with it, but it was actually quite filling, but definitely needed a little bit extra so maybe one side would have been good. OMG the dumplings were heaven!!! The flavour of the meats inside were heavenly and also the texture of the outside was the same, absolute delight. I would recommend everyone getting these if they tried this place. The baos were also amazing, the outside was fluffy, just as you would expect. My friend ordered the pork belly one and commented that it was a little dry, and she also got the lettuce taco with pork which said was even more dry. I would definitely be coming back here soon

Cathy Fan

Went here for Father's Day and it was a pleasant experience! We got a bun each and I highly recommend the pork belly flavour! All baos definitely tasted like what they were described as in the menus. We went there at lunch time the waitress told us that free chips came with every bao! Not sure whether it was only for during lunch time but it saved us $4.5 each! I thought that the baos were also reasonably priced because it was definitely very filling, if you have a small appetite then you might not be able to finish one!! Also tried their Cookie Monster dessert and it was very nice also with the combination of freshly baked cookie and icecream and toppings on top-definitely reccomend! One downside was that their toilets were very very dim. Pretty sure it was like that purposefully to match their restaurant setup but I thought that it was just too dark for women especially if they want to apply makeup or something. Overall thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would definitely come here again with friends!

Kiwi Eats Asia

Decent food, though I find the prices a bit painfully high. Bao more dry than the gua bao it's modelled after (I prefer kiss kiss or kai eatery for something closer to gua bao) but the pork belly inside was delicious with it's chewy and soft combo and had nice flavourd. Pork Ribs were nice but the sauce was a bit intensely sweet and salty to eat a lot - share if you can. Some had big chunks of fat (I guess just that cut of meat). Chips were really nice and a big serving, more like wedges. Korean fried chicken wings were ok, but got cold quickly and were a bit on the spicy and soggy side for me since they were bathed in gochujang it seemed. Atmosphere was very friendly and decent wait staff. Real let down for me is the price so I don't think I'd come back without a voucher.

Alex Murden

Had the yummiest food when I went on Saturday. The pork belly bao was amazing!!!! The staff were really friendly too. I Will definitely be going back 😊

Mgn

The atmosphere and decor of the place is really nice, we went on a Sunday night at 8pm so the place was really quiet. The staff were attentive though a waitress paid a little too much attention to her cell phone while guests were waiting to pay. The food is amazing, there's so much flavour. We ended up ordering more. The bao were so soft and perfectly steamed. Definitely can't wait to go back and try more of the menu.

Stacie Liston

We have been here atleast three times now and have always enjoyed it! The service is good, friendly and the staff offer great suggestions from the menu. It's a fantastic place to have a group dinner and some drinks, definitely a social vibe and the food is easily shared amongst the table. The menu has a few items which are a little hit and miss but the food that we keep coming back for is the baos! I highly recommend getting the duo bao sliders as they're small enough to have more than one and share amongst the table. Top picks are the Bao Boy, Low and Slow and the Crispy Fu. Other dishes we enjoy are definitely the Gangnam Slaw (10/10) and the waffle on. Great place that we will continue to come back to.

Pamela Pauline

Food was good served on time, staff were very polite, courteous and friendly. Ambience of the place was good, not too noisy on a Sunday night. Overall was a lovely dining experience.

Murray Boucher

After having gone a previous evening and really enjoying our food. I'm a little peeved to say this evening didn't go so well. We ordered, a bao, dimsum, and crispy tofu salad. The tofu was good, but the dimsum came out cold, and the bao was very soggy. The service made up for it at least. The ambience was still good, and the drinks menu was very good.

Ronald Singh

Tucks and Bao you'll for sure see me coming back to you're restaurant! Loved the look and the atmosphere, customers service was on point! And not to forget the delicious food we had 10/10, HOT, FRESH, and TASTY! Thank you for the amazing experience!

J Jones

Customer service is great, very friendly staff. Food are totally over priced and doesn't taste that great. It seem that the food on the menu are made up and randomly and weird.

Isabella Penrose

Really good I went there for my 16th birthday, the staff are so friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is great, the lights are pretty and the food is too. Would recommend the 'bok bok' and the belly bao.

Paul C. Burns

It was my first time to New Zealand this year and after a long day of sightseeing in Auckland I stumbled upon Tucks & Bao. What a find. I was quite hungry and even with generous portions I finished off the 'Bok Bok' and 'Belly Bao' with ‘Gangam Slaw’. All were delicious. A great selection of Kiwi Beers, couldn't try them all though but managed a few George IPA's. The staff are very friendly and superb service. Highly recommended. Thank you for the great food & experience.

Lorna Eckhardt

This restaurant never ceases to impress me when I come to visit Auckland. I visit Auckland a few times a year and always make a point to visit Tucks and Bao. It has a really chilled atmosphere (like the whole of NZ really). The staff are friendly and can't do enough for their customers. My personal favs are the Bao-ger, the Belly Bao and the Great White. The pork fictions ribs are a real treat washed down with the Alan Scott Resling. All I say is A+ and bring your appetite as the portions are very generous.

Deborah Lenihan

I ate here recently with my family(2 children included)...there was a quite a few of us so the lovely manager gave us the outside area...we practically had it to ourselves. We had the best night...great food, great atmosphere and of course great wine and beer. We had the BEST night...and so reasonably priced. can't wait to come back. ❤❤

Isabella Croft

Honestly really miserable food and what appears to be very rushed service. Our bao buns were just slapped together with far too much sauce, and the contents were falling apart. A great deal of improvement is definately needed - this place used to have a big buzz but has now fallen way short of the quality it used to serve.

Christo Van Der Walt

Great food and service. Nice atmosphere in a cosy space and interesting foods that are not too expensive. Recommend the pulled pork Bao and the Eurasian wontons

Elle McDonagh

Omg I'm in flavour heaven. My work colleagues and I decided to have dinner last minute and stumbled on this place. What a find!!! We shared 6 plates and loved every one! Great ambiance and service. Will be back for sure!!!

Eatnz

Asked the waitress how filling the lettuce cups were and was told it was quite substantial and showed with her hands quite a large portion (the size of the plate on the bottom), so I ordered it but ended up getting just a quarter head of lettuce and a small bowl of rice- for $16 which I thought was overpriced. There were also other issues with the payment and the manager.

Izabella Pinker

Average food, calamari batter odd and flavourless and somehow always soggy (ordered on three seperate occasions with the hope of it "improving") the pork belly Bao is ok but would be better in a smaller bun and not as a burger Bao. The chicken Bao as a burger size works a lot better. The burger Bao buns go very soggy also. Love the idea but Happy Boy in onehunga execute it a lot better. Also staff are really inattentive.... our food was waiting and she walked past it fiddling with cutlery and other tasks that could be done after serving the food. Lacked common sense, our whole table had bets going how many times she would walk past before noticing the food. It was 5. 5 times

Anita Zahoor

Really nice place if you're looking for somewhere relaxed. Delicious bao's and decently priced. The pork bao was to die for. Friendly staff and relaxed atmosphere.

Brent Knight

I think that this place was a real discovery. Wanted a casual dinner out for two with good food and wine to accompany. Food was fabulous - very fresh, very tasty and generous portions. The bottle of wine we chose was great too and not expensive. The service was not obtrusive and very friendly. All of this made for a really cool, casual dinner in comfortable surroundings. Definitely going back and would thoroughly recommend.

Sid

Beautiful place to go to at night. I went there for a friends 21st. The staff were so friendly. The restaurant is nice and clean. The food is on the pricer side, however it is located in new market. The food is good. Would recommend.

Hungryfoxbb

Average food, tasty but nothing extraordinary. Felt like their food was overpriced and serving sizes were pretty small. It has a cosy atmosphere but I don't think I will want to come back.

Jaffa

Have given this place a few shots but not to much success unfortunately. This place did get a refresh and we had high hopes for the small bar-but after one time running out of cold beer and being given a warm beer with ice in the glass-can't say I was happy! (Note beer and ice do not mix well!) I have tried the buns/Bao and the pork belly bao is good with the sauce to make it tasty and moist-but the chicken (Bok Bok) version was dry and chewy for my liking. I do like the quirky name for everything on the menu... but have been amazed by food or drink service. Hope they can improve.

Jett Bucu

Loved the PORK BELLY Bao Sliders Platter, goes well with beer. The vibe of this resto was a huge bonus - stylish and neat; makes you want to linger. We will be back for sure!

Dennis Kee

We had pork belly bun and fish bun. The fish bun was better than the pork. But overall I think the food was average. We were there for late lunch, there were only three tables of clients, not a busy time at all but we still waited more than 25 mins for our food. The food was then sitting at the counter for at least 5 mins. There were lots of flies flying around the food before it got delivered to us. I saw everything because I was sitting at the outdoor area at the back where the kitchen was. That really put me off the food.

Jessica Thomson

Unfriendly staff. Had the salt and pepper squid which tasted like frozen bait for fishing. So rubbery and tasteless. Never going back here again. Very disappointed

Divya Nagappan

Nice food. Like I enjoyed my experience and it was very nicely decorated but the food took a very long time to come out and it wasn't even that busy. We paid about $36 pp and we had mains and desserts. Not a bad experience overall

BonZ Loves Food

Food and Flavour: 4/5 Ambience: 4/5 Seating: 4.5/5 Service: 4.5/5 Value for Money: 4/5 We ordered the Belly Bao and Wonton with Siriracha sauce. the sticky crispy pork was out of the world and the wontons were crispy and had a tangy sauce to add value to it . Loved the experience of this lil place tucked away from the buzz.

Chico

Good location & friendly staff. I loved the sinful milk shake with hidden vodka👌 However it took more than a half hour to have drinks & food which ware too slow. I saw few customers left during I was waiting for my order. I am a big fan of Bao and tried them at many different places. Unfortunately the pork was too dry and source was too sweet. The chips were crispy and delicious but the dipping mayonnaise was too runny.

Dipesh

Went here with colleagues, table reservation was changed, Took time to get our order. Milkshake is highly recommended. Spicy chicken is also good.

Yara

This is a little jewel in NewMarket. I am happy we decided to dine in here. The place is cozy and the staffs are friendly with some great recommendations. We had the Korean BBQ beef and the General Tsao chicken with coffee. And oh so so yummy!!! We definitely love to go back here.

Ashley

Buns we soggy and yuck, the only good thing on the menu was the squid. The service was terrible and the place was quiet. Wouldn't recommend it at all.

Amy @ My Dining Journey

Located on the corner of Davis Crescent and Carlton Gore Road is where you’ll find Tucks & Bao – an Asian fusion street food eatery that was newly opened in November 2016. Asian fusion is without-a-doubt an enormous trending style of cuisine that has been going strong in Auckland and eateries offering their interpretation of this trend have been proven to be quite successful with Auckland diners.

S&G Take Auckland

Had a great time here, I ordered the beef burger, the buns I presume are rice buns and are really yum. The guy that served us was very nice. I think that if you're going perhaps it would be good to order a few items as the portions aren't too big.

Shelley Blair

came in on a Wednesday night with a friend after event cinemas in Newmarket. We got the tucks margarita, a frosé and a desert (the bao nut) to share. Very much enjoyed! Nice refreshing drink and something sweet with cute low lighting in the bar made a nice end to the night. Staff friendly and helpful. Need to come in to try the food next time!

Alexia Corezzo

I had a Dinner here last night with my girlfriend and we had Eurasian pork, Wings of fire, Tucks margarita. I can say that was an amazing dinner with her. Peaceful environment also warm and such a good staff. We just arrived and had the order already, the food was ready less than 10 minutes also very taste, fabulous food actually. I highly recommend it! We will be back very soon. Thanks Tucks and Bao you guys are amazing! Loved It!!!

Fernando Salomao

Staff was amazing. Food was amazing. I loved my time dinning there and will be back in the future. I can say best dinner I've had in a long time.

Maira Karen

Absolutely yummy! (Belly Bao and Bao-ger) love it! ❤ 😋 Those are my favorite one also excellent environment, friendly staff, amazing people! Good job guys! I will definitely recommend it and come back 😉 Thank you!

Verônica Apelle

Awesome place, environment is friendly with a pretty good staff. The food was amazing, I had pork ribs(best I've had), waffles and Eurasian chicken. Everything perfect and I'll be back soon.

KG

a girlfriend and i went here one day after work. we had the frosè (frozen rosè). the drinks were amazing. we didnt get food this time round but will definitely be returning and trying some out!!

Maria

Came here for dinner and drinks on a Friday night. It was not busy, yet the waitress looked confused about where to seat me when I arrived by myself and explained a friend would be joining me shortly. In the end I was seated at a not-so-cosy table next to the bar. Lucky in a way, since later on in the night we needed to keep going to the bar to order drinks, no one bothered to come to the table to ask if we wanted some. Every interaction I had with a staff member was with a different person, so it really didn't feel like anyone was looking after us at all. I could have lived with the below average service, but the food was just not good. My friend ordered fried chicken and dumplings, and she barely touched either. I'm a vegetarian so didn't try her food, but I could see the dumplings were doughy and unappetising. I ordered a coleslaw with crispy tofu and the pad Thai. The slaw was the highlight of the night, in that it was perfectly inoffensive. At $18 it was massively overpriced (as was everything else on the menu), and didn't have any particular Asian twist to it (apart from the not so crispy tofu on top), but it was edible. The pad Thai was terrible, though. Soggy noodles that had no other flavour except a nondescript spiciness, no vegetables to speak of. I like spicy food, but this dish had no depth of flavour, just the taste of too much chilli powder. Neither of us are picky eaters, and we were hungry, and we still couldn't finish our meals. While paying for our meal we were asked which dish was our favourite. My friend responded with "the wine". I definitely agree with her.

Edith

These friendly people Happy to look after our big group, great food, amazing drinks! Boa was fresh n soft, wings were spicy as promised! Perfect atmosphere for an adventurous bunch!

Stephy_NakiGirl

Service friendly & welcoming. Lots of great areas to sit inside & out no matter what the size of your group. Staff very knowledgable of the menu so able to make good recommendations. We tried the pork belly bao which had crispy skin & good flavour. Also the pulled pork with Filipino BBQ sauce. Fries with mayo were nice & crispy on the outside, & soft & fluffy on the inside. Good drinks options & there is an $8 happy hour if you arrive earlier in the night. Looking forward to our next visit

Bruna Ponzoni

Such a nice food, good environment and the waitress was nice, and the good thing is that, the people working in there is not just from one country, is from worldwide. It was a good experience and will come back with more people in there. Thanks guys. :)

Daphne Margarette

Dropped by for a quick lunch and ended up staying for more than an hour. The service was on point and makes you feel at home. One of the best coffee I have tasted, the wings of fire was amazing! And oh, check out their yin yang mousse coz it's heavenly created. I will definitely come back one of this days with my girlfriends😘

Mandy C

Lots of hype about this place to decided to check it out.. we walked in and it was a quiet day. No one was at the cashier or greeted us so we grabbed our own menu and sat ourselves down. After 10 minutes, we finally saw someone come out however she didn't approach us. 10 more minutes later we decided to go up to the counter ourselves to order.. food was average.. we ordered some baos and dumplings. We ended up eating half and leaving.

Lin Hua

Had the Pad Thai and chocolate milk shake. Wouldn't say it's the best I've had but it had a good level of spicy but that's about it, everything that a pad thai needs. Although the bowl was a bit too small to mix everything in. Milk shake has a chocolate flake in it and a milk lolly on the side!! Very cute. Overall experience was wonderful, staff was amazing. Recommend coming with a small group or a date!

Elliot Keyes

Absolutely epic, pork belly bao is out of this world. Been twice in 3 days and will be back again soon! Service is always great and being located in central Newmarket means loads of parking!

Sharon Shankar

Must try Eurasian tofu and the Bao sliders. Love the home made sorbet in the Yin Yang mousse as well. Great service and friendly staff, definitely one of my favourite place for a feed.

Ibd D

We were in the garden area out the back which had a really beautiful atmosphere! The food was good and came out quickly considering we were a group of 20+! Great food great prices!

Lucia Florence

Firstly, I love Bao and trying new places, so when I heard there was a new spot specialising in Bao I was super excited. Unfortunately our experience was pretty disappointing. The restaurant is in a great location, I liked the interior and I have to give a huge shout out to all the staff doing an amazing job. Everyone was really friendly and helpful and this was a redeeming feature of the establishment. We had the pork belly bao and the fried chicken bao and spicy chicken wings. I tried both baos and the pork belly was cooked well (nice crunchy skin) and had a generous serving, but lacked flavour. No salt, soy or heat. The fried chicken bao was very tasteless, the batter is very thick and flavourless and the texture was off, I think it was over cooked as it was very dry. The sauce on the chicken bao was boring and didn't seem like the right flavour match. Overall it was just below average food and the most expensive bao I've had, maybe because they have tried to make them more like burgers size wise? If you go down this route the baos need to deliver on flavour and filling as a burger always satisfies. The wings had much more flavour and a nice spice, however we were not happy that they were not reheated properly. One of the wings was half hot and half cold. The staff handled the situation really well and ended up taking the item off the bill as we had to leave and could not wait around for the dish to be fixed. Not reheating chicken properly is terrifyingly bad for any establishment and I wouldn't have risked food poisoning eating any more of that dish, though my partner has an iron stomach and probably would have braved it. I felt quite sad that the kitchen was letting down what could be an amazing establishment. Really hope these guys improve, but unless I hear they have I won't go back.

Oones Connor

Yummy food. Great selection. The baos are delecious. Cool set up great tunes. Cool place to go with mares for a chill meal. 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

Darko Matic

Most disappointed dining experience ever. Staffs are impolite and impatient. Seems like they hated their job LoL. Food was below average. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

HeronLady

Went here for a friend's birthday and loved it. We ordered Pork belly (delicious), pork ribs melt in your mouth (yum). There are some great vegetarian options like Eurasian tacos with tofu. Also had pork dumplings. We had five dishes between 3 of us and it was generous portions and we took some home with us. Nice friendly staff and good service. Decor was Asian fusion influence and nicely done. We highly recommend it. Japan/USA/NZ diners all enjoyed.

Dondon3000

My last day working in Newmarket, for my last supper I chose this place after partaking in the eating contest which I lost in the first round, but it was fun. It's nice to see someone pushing boundaries and having these food challenges. So I ordered 15 slider baos with fries. I could choose so I left it in the capable hands of the person in charge. I was impressed with the presentation of the food and I fries was really good too, i think it has lemon salt and pepper in it. I picked it up and the food was amazing, just amazing, usually when baos get cold it sometimes get abit firm but these ones didn't. Together I got 3 prawn, 3 fish, 3 chicken, 3 tofu and 3 pork. Man to tell you the truth I could not pick my favorite as they were all amazing. Only one i didn't like as much is the popcorn chicken because it has coriander in it. I still ate it. From the phone call to picking up the food was a wonderful experience. If you want catering done, do drop in and see the crew there. You will not regret it! Support this place so they can put on more eating contest!

Resh Chetty

Was very excited to check out this new place. When we got there everything seemed fine however was very disappointed with service and food. I ordered a rice paper roll dish and found a large piece of sharp plastic in my mouth after taking a bite. When I told what looked like the owner (was wearing a suit) he was very unprofessional about the situation. We left right after entrées as we were disappointed with the whole experience. Also adding the food in comparison to other Asian fusion places was average from what we tasted.

J.T547

After a lot of hype of this new joint Tucks and Bao, needless to say I was very excited to check it out. Unfortunately I was a little disappointed. I came here with a friend for lunch and it was pretty quiet. The service wasn't too attentive and we had to sit ourselves down and it took a while to get our order in and pay at the end as no one was around. The Bao were nice and packed with flavour, however I felt these were more like a burger than a Bao. We also ordered Tofu wonton tacos which were delicious and an interesting twist. I would be willing to come back here and try some other things on the menu.

Leonardo Law

Saw this place on Uber Eats and happened to walk past after going to the movies in Newmarket. The place looks quite wonderful! Service was pretty good too!

Camilla Souza

One of the best vegan burgers in Auckland!!! Forget about the idea that tofu doesn't taste anything, Crispy Fu is delicious and full of flavors... more than recommended!

Joseph Taleni

Went to take the other half out for din din and i must say disaapointed. On arrival, we almost had to sit ourselves, get to our table and it was sticky (but to be fair realised that it was more the type of wood and varnish was like the pub....hence the sticky feeling). The waitress was awesome (hence my 2 not 4 rating) and we ordered. The food took so long and it was drip fed. It wasn't until what looked like the owner came to the kitchen till we started getting our dishes. The cooks looked depressed and SLOW. The poor wait staff looked so concerned about dishes not comming out right that they would ask the cooks if they included this sauce and that garnish before taking it to tables. (We were seated within sight and sound if kitchen staff) The upside was when the owner finally comming in shouting at the staff for taking too long in their service levels and snapping at them for not sending out all the dishes together (our main came befor our side). What we ordered 1 x bad boy bao burger - Was good 1 x clucking good - No flavour, we complained and they gave a a decent sauce which made it nicer 1 x pork fiction - Sauce lacked flavour, abit bland 1 x miss piggy & mr krabs - crab was terrible, pork belly mediocre and abit too fatty 1 x fries - Was sadly the best dish...BUT really good I must say my only reason for the 2 instead of one was purely the customer service and ambience...on point. I hope one day I can come back here again in the distant future and that it has improved. Although based on the reviews I suspect that the food quality might be correlated with the cooks on shift at the time. Only because there seems to be extreme high and extreme low experiences. All the best for the future Tucks and Bao

Natalie Dolan

Four of us went in yesterday night for dinner at about 9pm and we were seated in the back, which was super ambient and lovely. While my partner and I ordered the belly bao, our friends got the bao-ger, and we all got some of the thick cut fries to share. The banana milkshake we ordered as well took good while to get out but was nice, and the food was so good! I loved the belly bao, though it could have used a tiny bit more sauce. The thick cut chips were so nice as well. Our friends also really enjoyed their bao-gers, although it should be said they're pretty difficult to eat. We were all pleasantly surprised and had a lovely night out at Tucks and Bao. Will be back!

Benedict Uy

They have quite a selection of different items on their menus. they have baos, including the baoger, and tucks, smaller side dishes. We grabbed a bao each and shared a few tucks. I had the baoger and that was alright. Toasted bao with beef patty inside which was a bit too cooked for my liking. We shared the popcorn shrimp and the wings of fire. Both were nice. The wings weren't super spicy though. A fairly large amount of seating area. Food was ok.

Maria

I arrived a little later after some friends had ordered thinking I could just top up my meal with some sides - a bowl of rice, some veggies on the side and lotus chips. Thirty minutes later they still hadn't arrived. Rather than apologise for the wait and make a gesture to compensate, when I asked where they were excuses were made before cold lotus chips were finally delivered - I dictating they'd been made but forgotten about. Unimpressed - I don't normally make bad reviews, but when someone orders plain rice and veggies you really don't expect it to take that long. The unapologetic response; "you ordered after our other guests" was just not good enough. I won't be venturing here again.

Thang Ebrahim

Tucks and Bao will make you coming back for more. The ambient is homey and the staff are all warm and friendly. The foods are so tasty and just blended with perfection. Try their gangnam slaw and chicken waffles😘

KP

Very poor and disappointing. Where to start. The cluckin chicken was over fried and very dry. Ordered nuggets and chips for our daughter. Ridiculously oily chips, almost inevitable, and the nuggets were very bad, and you can definitely tell they were bought and fried from one of the bulk catering packs. Not what you'd expect at a restaurant. Guess it's my fault for ordering that from the menu. Baos I guess were ok-ish. And surprisingly took an age for the food to come out. Will not return!

ShoRt

Unfortunately, the food was okay but only if u have the time and the wit to stand your hunger. We waited for nearly an hour-ish for our food. We were also slightly neglected as they felt understaffed. They were lovely but too busy to provide attention. We ordered the cocktail slushy and I would say only get the green one of you really love mint and medicine ha! Now the food, the servings are bigger than expected. The bao is massive! Was more like a burger with Asian bun! Lol. Not as fluffy but quite yummy. One of this filled us up. Lol. We also got the tofu with lemon pepper.... Quite refreshing! And a salad which is the pork with lettuce cups... Prebook if you can as gets busy and lovely ambience for a chilled night.

Joy Go

Staff : friendly Food : Wings of Fire : the korean spicy wings were 5 pcs for $14. The taste was good but serving size to price isn't that worth it. Drinks : we ordered the 1 litre flask to share for $28 (instead of $9 per 250 ml glass) and when it arrived, it did hit the 1000 ml mark (halfway on the flask) BUT it looked suspiciously lacking to be a litre. We asked the server but she stood firm that it is how they serve a their litre drinks. I went to the restaurant next door and bought a bottle of iced tea, poured it in the now empty flask and lo and behold, its just actually 500 ml. I dont know how many customers have ordered this drink just to be served half of what they are paying for but we complained again and the guy in charge apologized for the "miscommunication" they have with their staff as to how much the flask is supposed to be filled since it has just been on the menu supposedly for a week. He said the drink wouldnt be charged and offered us free drinks on the house which we politely declined. Hopefully they will get their measurements right in the future before overcharging customers for half the advertised amount.

Emma Patricia Katili

The servers here are very friendly and accomodating. Service is super fast and efficient. The price is great and the food is really good. I would definitely recommend the baos.

SJ

Friendly staff. Nice little outdoor area to sit in. Was a big fan on the gong used to alert waiters that the food in the kitchen was ready. The baos were delicious. A little hard to cut through but still delicious 😋

Toby Jug

According to their website, "Tucks & Bao is ready to take Auckland foodies to another realm", wow, what a mighty claim but one that failed on every front. Where do I start....okay, the food, the most important part of your dining experience. After waiting for nearly hour we were all looking forward to our promised feast but what we had was a just huge disappointment. The Low & Slow pulled pork was okay but lacked flavour and tasted like the meat had been mixed with a low grade sauce. The eagerly awaited Bok Bok (fried chicken) consisted of a few tiny pieces of fried chicken that lacked crunch. The slaw looked like it was a basic mix of coleslaw with no Asian taste to it. The service was non-existence. If we needed something we had to ask which was a shame as the staff were friendly once you engaged with them. We all agreed the heavy rock music was really annoying and did nothing to create a good ambience. But when you read the reviews, diners repeat the same faults with this restaurant. It looks like the owners couldn't give two hoots to what diners think. Anyway, there's plenty of excellent restaurants across Auckland that serve this genre of food. A couple of places that come to mind is Kiss Kiss in Balmoral and Chinoiserie in Mt Albert. Staff are friendly and enthusiastic, the food is tasty utilising lots of fresh herbs and spices and the atmosphere is cool.

Paige Venter

This place was disappointing. The service was good, however the food itself was not. We ordered chicken waffles, a chicken bao, and some dim sum. The chicken waffle came with a cashew sauce, but it was bland and underwhelming (surprisingly considering this is essentially fried chicken on waffles). The bao was the same, barely any of that fresh flavor that we were looking forward to. The dim sum was the worst dish of the night. It consisted of a pork bun that was still frozen inside! Overall Tucks and Bao has good potential, the staff are lovely and the atmosphere is good, however the food really lets it down!

Foodie Jane

Four of us stopped in for a quick bite on the way to a show last night. Seated right next to the kitchen we got a first hand experience of the utter chaos, non-existent service and below average food. Ten minutes after sitting down we went in search of the sole waiter and asked to place our food and drinks order. Once ordered, it was another long wait ... we managed to flag him down again and chase up our drinks. Short story, first drinks arrived 25 minutes after we sat down. We quickly figured out the problem. Uber Eats deliveries were swamping the kitchen and staff and takeaways were clearly taking priority over the orders of seated restaurant guests. After watching 12 orders get packaged up and collected for home delivery we, along with the table next to us were becoming increasingly hungry and agitated. When we threatened to walk out, (we needed to get to the show) yells from the chef confirmed the chaos in the kitchen. "Just get table 1 out NOW!" When it finally arrived, the food had clearly been thrown together quickly and carelessly. A manager eventually appeared and offered us a free round of drinks. Reading other reviews it seems like they've had good ratings in the past so I'd say the advent of UberEats has meant seated customers now come second to to takeout orders. Based on our experience they haven't geared themselves up to handle the pressure of both, and it's destroying the food and service. Unless restaurants like Tuck and Bao can manage the demands of both seated and takeaway customers, they could find themselves solely in the UberEats business.

Zoe Bowker

Having read some good things about this new eatery, it’s Newmarket location made it the perfect location at which to catch up with local friends on my most recent trip to Auckland. I previously worked just up the road from this venue, and knew it’s previous occupants well – I still remember Market Kitchen’s stellar eye fillet, celeriac and watercress dish fondly. I have to admit the venue has always seemed a little ill-fated – off the beaten path from the Lumsden Green eateries, and plagued by building issues over the years. After Market Kitchen, it was home to Miss Saigon for around a year – and the new occupant has kept the Asian theme and fitout. I’m hoping Tucks and Bao is going to turn this venue around.

Amesirv

Excellent food and service. The rice paper rolls were nice and refreshing, and the 'crispy fu' bao was flavourful even if it was a bit messy! Left feeling very full and would recommend this place as great for group dinners, and sharing plates to try a taste of everything.

Ollie

This place contains all the modern and fun vibes with amazing fresh food! I ordered the Bok Bok Bao and a half portion of chips. The Bao had the fresh greens, crispy chicken and mayo sauce that balanced everything out. Also loved the lime mayo with the chips! Was pleasantly satisfied with the friendly customer service and nice low lighting with fairy lights. A must for evening drinks and meal!

Benedict Hefford

Food comes out quickly and is consistently superb. The service is always friendly and helpful. I love the ambience with fairy lights and water features and hanging plants too.

Charlie Reese

Went here with a friend and absolutely loved the food. Great mix of Eastern and western flavours, with the added bonus of the food arriving well before we expected it too. The staff were friendly and very helpful with recommendation and answering questions. We will definitely be back :)

Sam

Had the pork Belly Bao, and I was so confused by the whole dish. The Bao itself was soggy thick and heavy. The pork itself was dry, and tough. I was disappointed at the absence of crispy pork crackling. The veges in the bao were literally one piece of lettuce and 3 cuts of onion. Had the Lotus Chips as well, which was slightly burnt and bitter. However, Service was good and friendly, so they gave it a good atmosphere.

Daithi_Lacha

Excellent! Amazing choice of unique and delicious Asian fusion food - so many favourites to choose from. Friendly staff. Chilled romantic ambiance. Convenient location.

Kimberly Karoline

This place is magical, Day time and night time. The design is really creative and unique. If you ever get the chance to go to Tucks and Bao I assure you it is gonna be memorable. Good vibrations, friendly staff, delicious food. My number one recommendation anytime.

Igor Macopi De Oliveira

Amazing place! The staff members are really kind and friendly, the food is great, specially the Eurasian Chicken - my favourite dish in Auckland right now. Also try their Smoothies and Milk Shakes, perfect.

Dougal

The place has a nice aesthetic, but the food was sub-standard. I had the Crispy Fu (Tofu Bao), would have been better called Soggy Fu. Wasn't crispy at all and was completing lacking in flavour. One of my colleagues had a noodle dish, which I tried a bite and it was awful. Would I go back? No, I can make tastier food than this at home.

Bryan Chan

Service - Overall service was bad. Dirty tables. Waiters were not very attentive. We had to seat ourselves and had to wait a long time for someone to take our order. Food - It was a let down. Belly Boy - The chunk of pork belly was too large to eat like a bao, the meat was also very tough and tasted like it was dumped in a deep fryer. Over powered by hoisin sauce and had no balance in flavors. Samurai Pork - Nothing to wow about. Pork filling did not taste asian at all. Miss Piggy & Mr Krabs - Just like the Belly Bao the pork is very tough, soft shell crab was unseasoned however the salad underneath it was very nice and had a refreshing tasted to it. Clicking Good - The batter for the chicken was very thick, the batter was also very bland. Lotus chips w/ wasabi mayo - Slightly too cooked for me as it had a burnt taste to it, not much wasabi mayo for the amount of chips. Let's Mango - Disgusting. Tasted like I was eating sugar syrup with sticky Rice. Had not fruity mango flavor which I was expecting, also had no coconut flavors. Instead of coconut cream it had coconut flakes. Overall disappointing experience as I was looking forward to it. Was also denied some items as they didn't have any in Stock.

Petey Wang

Awesome food, great staff. Was very enjoyable ! Fried chicken was absolutely unreal. Flavours were on point. Food came really fast aswell 100% recommend!!!

Roslyn Hefford

Great food, I love the pork belly and spare ribs. The bao's are awesome and the deserts are to die for. You must try this new place in Newmarket you won't be disappointed.

Miura Elikana

This place has a modern vibe to it. It's cozy and ideal for catching up with friends. I ordered the Belly Bao which was delicious. The pork was moist and the hoisin sauce was just the right amount. My friend ordered the Bad Boy Bao-ger which she found to be filling. Basically an Asian twist on a burger but with more flavours. We also ordered the short & beefy and I recommend this. If you're craving meat this is perfect. You may want to order a side dish with it. I didn't because I wanted the Bao as well. I also ordered the Monster Cookie and it comes out warm and is so sweet. For those with a sweet tooth, this hits the spot. The service is great and the staff are friendly.

Sheeks

Loved this place! Great service, atmosphere and amazing food. We ordered the wings, tofu slaw and tacos wow just delicious. Can't wait to go back and try the rest of the menu

Michelle Chua

Didn't know about this place till my sister told me about it. I normally just walked pass the restaurant thinking its some other shops. Hahaha so , guys open ur eyes wide and look out for tucks and bao. Really enjoyed the food there. Staff were attentive and the owner or the manager asked us how was the food. It's good knowing that they love getting feedback from customers cause it seems that they care and they want the best for the customers. That gave me a really Good impression. Really enjoyed the names of the food on the kids menu. U will get me when you see it if u do go and try . HAHAHAH Ordered the Bok Bok , great white , belly bao and samurai pork. I really enjoyed the belly bao and the great white belly bao : u can taste the authentic taste of the pork belly and with the sauce they use, it taste Amazing. Recommend : 8/10 great white : the type of fish they use is not really to my liking however it was deep fried and the sauce they use makes it taste better. 7/10 bok Bok : seemed to be like the specialty for the restaurant. However , it didn't taste that delicious after having a bite of belly bao. It could be a clash in flavours from two bao or it could be just my personal taste. Recommend 6/10 Samurai pork : just order it! Recommend 10/10 Overall. I had a good dinner at the place. 😁

Ffionachua

Tucks and bao is a quaint little restaurant tucked away behind Newmarket event cinema. An Asian fusion that specialise in baos (also known as steamed buns or better known as man tous), Tucks and Bao is definitely one to try. There were 3 of us that went to Tucks and Bao for a light-ish dinner : we ordered 3 baos (pork belly, chicken and fish) + wontons. This cost us $52 and left us filling satisfied (not too heavy, not under portioned). Each bao dish that you order comes in two pieces (they're cut in half), so it's great for those that likes trying a variety of dishes and sharing. We really enjoyed the fish and pork belly, but unfortunately bok bok / the chicken bao was quite underseasoned. I wouldn't recommend that bao until they adjust their seasoning and flour to chicken ratio. (I love my deep fried stuff and the flours, but at one point while eating the bok bok bao, my "chicken" was all flour. Wontons are delicious, and cooked to perfection. Might b a little salty, but otherwise good. We didn't get any drinks this time but they seem to have a fun drinks menu. Also had the opp to meet the owner and he's a lovely guy. Do check this place out if you're nearby. Will try the steamed dumplings and fried rice/ noodle next time.

JT

Tried Tucks & Bao for the first time today. Great little place. Nice bao. Just 1 little bit of constructive critcism - I bought the pork belly bao and it just had far too much hoisin sauce, which ended up ruining it for me. Hoisin is such a rich and intense sauce, I don't know about others that have tried them but I had to scrape alot of it out because it was just covered in sauce and dripping out the side. The friend I was with also did the same.

Farshid Hakimi

For start I love the cocktail menu. It's just intresting to read ingredients and funny. For start we had some chicken and pork bally mini berger. It was juicy and tasty. You taste all flavor . On main we had some rengdan beef. Meat was super soft and with a lot of flavors. And I tell you what you defenetly need to share that one. It's too big for one person. Of course we had to try their cocktail too. We had margarita and mojito . My mojito was average however margarita was good. It wasn't much of customer service though. But I would defenetly come back here.

Avi

Average food. Tried chicken bao, dumplings, spicy wings, pad Thai, beef Rib, tofu, chicken tacos. Tofu was probably the standout. Bao very average. Beef rib flavour was good but overall a bit tough and chewey. Dumplings are terrible - no flavour and fell apart. $180 for 3 adults 2kids no booze. I found it too expensive for average flavours. Unfortunately I won't try again.

Bridget Thompson

Overall pretty disappointed, I had heard good things about this place. The Bao was way too big and not cooked properly, it looked and tasted a bit like a dry flaky bread bun. It basically just looked like a big burger with an cheap bun. The fillings were nice but I think it was just too much they should be smaller and cheaper! The pad Thai was completely off, the sauce was like a sweet chilli or something? And it had jalapeños in it...what the.? The pork steamed wontons were nice. Lastly a guy who looked to be the head chef or maybe owner stood in the courtyard yelling and telling off the staff and barking orders through a hole in the wall into the kitchen. He was so loud right by all the diners outside and a lot of people kept stopping mid convo to look, it was seriously bizarre and off-putting when you are trying to have a conversation! $50 (it's overpriced) not well spent, wouldn't recommend.

Raymond Tiong

Their menu had a good range, but only people who can handle spicy sauces will be able to fully appreciate their offering. My Gangnam Slaw was fresh and not too spicy. Loved the silky soft tofu, which was freshly fried and contrasted well with the cold salad underneath. Didn't realise this was such a massive portion! My Bok Bok Bao was delicious – although awkward to eat at times. Surprisingly filling as well. Pretty friendly service, but I noticed that 3 ppl asked about their fries (which were taking ages to come out). Not sure if this slow service was a one-off or not. I was fortunate enough to get a table just after 12pm when it opened, as it started getting busy pretty quickly.

AJ

Came here last night and really enjoyed it. The inside dining area is a little small and quite dark, we would have preferred to sit outside under the fairy lights. Got the low and slow pulled pork bao and shared the thick cut chips. The Baos are delicious, could have done with some sauce but very fulling and well worth the $12. The chips were the best I think I've ever eaten. The menu is so big, will definitely be back to try more

Breadzania

We had high expectations due to the huge write ups. The flavours of the bao are ok. Probably passable for people who haven't had the real thing overseas. The dumplings are packet bought not handmade which are quite expensive for $14. The Korean spicy wings are drenched in too much stuff but good size though. I really wanted to give a good review but unfortunately just an average place for me.

Jenna

Great food for sharing, let down by a poorly managed restaurant and terribly trained staff. We had the pork bao, crispy chicken, prawns & Vietnamese rice rolls & all of the food was very good. However when we entered the restaurant we walked into the bar & were ignored by the two people behind the bar (who at the time were not busy serving anyone as far as I could see). When we walked into the restaurant part we had to make first contact with the staff behind the register - and even then he was not very welcoming. Then we found a table & ordered drinks. When they were delivered the waiter didn't offer to take our food order & we had to ask him to do it. When the food arrived it was served but without cutlery, which I had to go and get myself. Then when we were leaving (none of our finished dishes were taken away & no desert menu was offered) the guy at the register didn't seem sure which table we were at and asked multiple times. But then billed us without even checking that he was charging us for the correct meals. Leaving the restaurant there were no farewells from any of the staff who served us during the evening that we walked past either. I did think the food was great. However not sure I'd return based on the lack of service (while we were eating another couple came into the restaurant but left because they were waiting so long for their order to be taken too & made a comment out aloud about the fact).

Lily Chow

The food was alright. Didn't quite gave me the wow factor. I had the pulled pork Bao which was bigger than I thought it was. $12 for a bao was a bit steep. The crispy pork with soft shell crab was a bit disappointing as it tasted bland and wasn't worth $28. The service was ok. Even though we were waiting for more than 30 mins for our food we were told nicely that it was coming. Twice!! There's room for improvement I would say

Tony Ma

Great Finger Food with lots of fun! I would highly recommend this place as I use to work across the road. Parking isn't tricky and free after 6pm. Fun Asian fusion with me eating all my verges as well. Came with my family, nice clean environment, friendly staff and great tasting water my wife thought. Would go again soon! Thanks Tucks and Bao! Quality: 4/5 Quantity: 5/5 Service:4/5 Price:4/5

Emma Gils

Food took about an hour to arrive at the table and was exceptionally disappointing. The bao were flavourless and doughy, the steamed wontons over cooked and rubbery, and the fresh spring rolls, well, I do better ones at home. Service was lacking. Atmosphere was good. Will not try this place again.

Karyn

I don't often write bad reviews, but my experience here over the last two days has left me speechless. Both days I was part of a group of 12, that had booked weeks ago, so it should not have been a surprise that they were going to have to cater to large groups. Yesterday the food took an hour and a quarter to come out, and was delivered over a period of about half an hour, to the point where a colleague ended up getting her bao put in a bag to take away. She's pregnant, and having to take it away meant it was cold by the time we got back to work and she couldn't eat it. Yesterday for the most part the food was good, but today took it to a whole new level. It started with drinks orders, when one of our party asked for water and was directed to a cooler in the corner. 1 hour 45 minutes to get our food, while we sat and watched other groups who had arrived after us get their meals. When it finally arrived, some of it was inedible. Salt & pepper calamari had four pieces of very bland calamari on a pile of lettuce, steamed wontons were dry beyond belief and the crispy chicken looked like it had been in the fryer for the whole hour and three quarters we were waiting. The only redeeming feature was that at least some of the baos were very good. The wait staff were clearly embarrassed and hugely apologetic but badly let down by the kitchen. Not good enough - really need to lift their game but I doubt I (or any of my 23 colleagues) will be back to check.

I Zomato Like It's My Job

I was super keen to see what this new joint was like so me and three friends decided to go there in our one hour lunch break. We arrived at 12:30pm and were seated promptly at one of the high tables opposite the bar. We quickly put in our food and drink order. We received our drinks right away but as 1:30pm drew closer I asked how far away our food was, the waitress went and checked with the kitchen staff and came back and told us we would have to wait another 1/2 hour!!! We said that we would have to cancel our order as we needed to get back to work, the waitress was very apologetic but unfortunately that doesn't put food in our bellies. When we paid for our drinks I asked the waiter if they needed more chefs on and he replied that they had two chefs on but that they had two large groups to serve. I mentioned to him that other people from work had been to Tucks & Bao previously and had experienced the same long wait for food. His response was that the food is great and that they just didn't expect as many walk-ins today. I said that I was just giving him heads up. I feel that he should have said that they needed to work on speeding up their food service rather than being so defensive! It's December, close to Christmas and they don't expect to have walk-ins?! I can't even rate the food as I didn't even have the chance to taste it. I won't be dining here again and it's a shame that they have only just opened but are already getting a bad rep for taking too long to serve food.

Peter Swanson

Had a work lunch here yesterday with team from work. Have to say this was my worst service experience I'd had for quite a number of years. Waitress took our drinks orders and then drip fed drinks to the table one by one over the next 40 mins. Very odd in that one person would get a drink then ten minute wait for the next, and then got order wrong as well. It got so bad it became entertaining so we got a laugh out of the experience - bit like faulty towers! Food was slow but finally arrived and was ok but not great. Overall disappointing experience and wouldn't recommend. They really need to sort out their front of house systems - completely random approach to serving will just lead to chaos, as we experienced.

Lillian

Awesome bao but fairly disappointing in the other menu items. Booked a table for four but unfortunately the tables at the back in the bright courtyard are all booked too so we couldn't swap even tho those tables haven't arrived yet. We all ordered a bao each, I got a Bao Boy (fried shrimp) which was excellent and very filling. Everyone was happy with their bao and we all ended up ordering different ones so safe to say they are all pretty good. We also got a number of items to share - Clucking Good (crispy chicken), Prawnbroker (lemon pepper coated shrimp bites) and Miss Piggy & Mr Krabs (pork belly & soft shell crabs). I'm not sure if we were bad at ordering but the first two items are pretty much the same, fried chicken bites and (small) fried shrimp bites. The pork belly and soft shell crabs tho was decent, altho I thought they'd be more awesome being two of my fav things. It was also a bit harder to share. We also ordered a couple of milkshake, while it tasted good it was not as big serving as I would have imagined for $8. Finally the dessert - Let's Mango - supposedly mango sticky rice pudding. The rice was too stodgy (my friend questioned if it was sticky rice/glutinous rice) and the mango felt like they were from a can. Not recommended at all. It's a fun environment but the food need to step up to match.

Eric Tan VersionTwo

I finally got to try this place after only recently coming back from America, ordered bao boy box; friend went with good ol fish and chips. My order I'm going assume is like shrimp po-boy (ones in New Orleans are massive and since I only came back from there recently was using this as a comparison); it's fairly clever fusion but the bao didn't have right consistency for me (I'm OG asian and bao ninja) and it held together terribly for me with shrimp constantly just falling out everywhere made it difficult to eat; and I couldn't help but feel bao should have been abit firmer; it probably would held together better if it was sandwiched between two bao instead of folded. Chips were good in my opinion. My friend also made comment that fish and chips shouldn't have come in basket as it made it hard to eat which was a fair comment. Service gets a+ for effort but you can tell they were quite young inexperienced wait staff; I noticed several tables including us requesting napkins wasn't biggie but ever little thing makes the experience (also fix that table in front of counter; it's wobbly). Overall the place is actually quite good and i personally feel the food at least has alot of potential and brings something different in area; decor could do with update; I think it inherited stuff from last place? I would try this place again mostly because my work is like 3 minute walk away and I'm still curious about rest of menu; I'm hopeful of getting a better experience next time so please bring your A game next time :)

Herah

Went here with my coworkers for lunch. The restaurant itself is really nice with a lovely courtyard and lots of beautiful twinkle lights. The menu is asian fusion, featuring the ever trendy bao with clever names and punny titles and I was really looking forward to trying the menu. However, the eponymous bao was disappointing. I ordered the pork belly bao lunch box and was surprised by how big the bao was when it came out. But that was 80% bread. The cube of pork belly in the bao was delicious but needed to be at least three times as big to match the massive amounts of bread. Chips were a little soggy. I really should have ordered something with a salad because bao and fries were way too much carbs together. Other dishes ordered included the prawns (which is a ridiculously tiny portion for $14) and chicken wings, which I didn't try personally but my coworkers reported that they were nice. The waitstaff were friendly and service was great, however, it couldn't make up for the underwhelming food. Food was a little slow to come out but we were a table of 8, so that's understandable. Probably won't return, you can get much better bao elsewhere.

Eating Party

Food is great, popcorn shrimp is addictive! Although the tofu in my bao was amazing the bao was a wee bit soggy but still delicious. Reasonable prices, so many choices. Four very happy customers. Also the cocktails were great, best margarita I've had in years.

C & J

Ambiance was welcoming with a modern touch to the place. As we went at a quiet time on a Saturday around 3pm, we were seated straight away. We ordered the Lotus Chips with Wasabi Mayo, Bok Bok Chicken Bao, Low & Slow Pulled Pork Bao, Moral Choice and a Chocolate Milkshake. Service was fast however we were disappointed that our Lotus Chips were not fresh, however they still had a crunch. Next was the Moral Choice Tofu which was even more disappointing as it was a whole bunch of leaves with 5 Tofu pieces. The Baos arrived and had quite an appealing look. The chicken Bao tasted average however the Pulled Pork had a good balance of flavours. Lastly the chocolate milkshake came, again good flavour of chocolate. Overall we had an okay experience.

Rebecca MacDonald

Tucks and Bao is a new place tucked behind the Olympic gym in Newmarket. The menu is Vietnamese street food and split into Tucks and Baos. We had the Bok Bok Bao, beef short rib and the cabbage steamed wontons. I also had a cheeky chocolate milkshake. The food was delish especially the short rib! I love the fit out of the place and the bar side was pumping. There were a few issue with the service but it was our waitress's first night and they were no biggie. I definitely want to head back and try the sweet Bao!

Michelle Hwang

How joyful time I spent there! All raw materials were fresh with good quality. The Crispy Chicken presented a fantastic mouth feeling. Serving size of rice paper rolls were much bigger than I imagined with photos on Zomato before. And for the beef bao, actually it was new style burger. They use Chinese style sweet white bread instead of regular burger bread. More sweetly and more soft. Staff were friendly.

Charlene Weaver

I noticed this place while it was being built and renovated, and thought what a great idea it was to introduce Asian fusion cuisine to Newmarket’s growing restaurant and food scene. Located on a corner site, ‘Tucks and Bao’ is hard to miss! I love the interior and ambience, dim lighting, fairy lights along the walls in the courtyard, simple but chic décor to give the place a casual, relaxed vibe. Once we entered, we were seated promptly and waited a few minutes for someone to take our order. Staff are very friendly, but not very attentive, we eventually had to wave someone down to take our order for us. We got the crispy chicken bao, pork belly bao, spicy Korean chicken wings, steamed pork wontons and the cookie monster to share. The wait for our food was quite long, I think around 40-45 minutes. I enjoyed the chilli pork wontons, however the description mentioned ginger, and I was hoping for a ginger flavour burst but I couldn’t really taste the ginger at all. They were also a tad undercooked and not as soft and silky as you expect wontons to be, but overall a nice dish to start with. The spicy Korean chicken wings were my favourite! Seriously good. The spicy sauce on it was amazing and the chicken was soft. The baos were good but not the best I’ve had. The bao itself was perfectly fluffy and soft but the pork belly was a bit tough. Overall, it was yummy but needed a bit more punch! The cookie monster was 2 pieces of cookie with a scoop of ice cream on each piece with chocolate sauce and m&ms. The cookie itself was really tasty, who doesn’t like cookies and ice cream!! However I think it would have been better with a soft gooey cookie rather than a hard one. Overall, it’s still a very new restaurant so no doubt, they will only improve. I would love to come back in a few months when they’ve settled into things. Definitely worth a visit! Quite different to other Asian fusion restaurants I’ve been to and the menu boasts a lot of different dishes to try!

Qian Yan

4 for food and 2 for service. They did not reserve table for us, even though we called in advance. We ordered water 4 times, but eventually we bought water somewhere else. The food is worth a try though.

SW

Truly awful. Considering the name, one would hope you could safely assume the bao were going to be a hit. Think again. Doughy, dry filling, the pork belly had two cubes of pork among some lettuce and a sprig of coriander. The beef bao was an overcooked beef patty with grilled cheese. We made the mistake of ordering the steamed wontons which after one taste remained untouched. They were gelatinous. How places like this survive when there are so many great restaurants in Auckland serving far superior food is beyond me. In short, keep walking.... Maybe head to Tao around the corner instead.

Sophie Mclean

Huge disappointment. The menu looks amazing but when the food arrived the only edible thing was the lotus chips. The pork belly bao was like eating a ball of string- the driest, toughest meat I've ever had. Rice paper rolls fell apart as soon as they were touched. To the waiters credit he did give us a voucher for a free bao but won't be returning.

Luke

The food looks a lot better than it tastes. The menu is promising and very appealing, unfortunately everything was under seasoned. The dumplings were not properly cooked and I found a piece of bone in mine. The squid was okay but they left the sauce off the plate. Bao was good and the shrimp was fresh but once again lacked seasoning. Pork belly was also dry and a bit tough. The waitress couldn't answer basic questions and the service was pass mark. With a few tweaks and some finesse this could be a great restaurant, but sadly it misses the mark.

HJ

Newly opened and with an appealing menu it was a no brainer to give this place a try! Walking in, there is a nice relaxed vibe about this place. Reasonably busy for a Saturday night, it was a good thing we'd reserved a table. Once seated we were eager to get some food rolling. We sat waiting for some menus... 10 minutes later after catching eye contact with the waitress she came over. 'Are you guys ready to order?' she asked notepad in hand. After saying we were yet to see the menu she quickly got some for us. She also arrived with two glasses of water, soon to realise we'd already got them ourselves from the self serve dispenser. That aside it was smooth sailing from there. We ordered four dishes between us and they were all delicious. The Crispy fu Bao was well portioned with a good amount of tofu. The bun wasn't pretty! But don't judge a book by its cover..it was thick, fluffy and soft just as it should be. We are pan fried dumpling lovers but the 'No beef here bro' steamed dumplings were so good. We will definitely be ordering them again next time. Tasty filling and more than just 'cabbage' as the menu suggests. The tofu in the Gangnam slaw was the star of the night. It doesn't sound like much on the menu but the tofu is caramelised in a seriously good sauce which works well with the slaw. Moral choice was a nice and refreshing salad. They don't go easy on the lemon pepper so if your a fan of that combination, this dish is for you. With many more appetising dishes on the menu we will be back for sure. Hopefully the service will step up, but overall we were impressed with the food here 👌🏼👌🏼

Bulking Steerco

Hit this new spot with crew as the hype starts to build. Funky corner spot in newmarket and nice finishing touches on the place. We got a couple baos each and a few small plates. The Belly Bao was good and the bun was incredibly soft, my only feedback would be to have a thick slice of pork belly rather than small pieces. Clucking good chicken was crunchy and hot when it came out, was expecting a bit more flavour or punch to it but overall decent. Defs recommend if in the area. Will be back to take on the Bao Challenge!

Alysha Maree

Came down for a drink and a wee snack after an exam and it was the perfect atmosphere - real chill and welcoming, we sat outside it was fab. I got the calamari which was delish and I got heaps for $16! Also got a mojito and it was mint (literally) and nice and tangy and strong da bomb! Will defs be back!

Bryony Sian

Great atmosphere at this new spot, slowly working my way through the menu and loving it :D today I shared the lemon pepper shrimp bites and a mojito, was delicious.

Ryan Wiltshire

Most enjoyable indoor-outdoor flow, with amazing food and cocktails. They have an amazing style and cater for every ones needs. My new go to in New Markets

Linda Zisser

what an atmospheric restaurant ! great Asian fusion food...a bit different from other fusion restaurants. service is very friendly and efficient without being invasive. highly recommend the chicken ka-pow and chef Devo does an amazing pork belly.

Benedict Hefford

A fun, cheerful bar/restaurant wth fantastic food and a relaxed vibe. It's great to find a place where the little touches make you smile (check out the menu and you'll see what I mean!).

Emma Lee Johnson

Yummy Food, Yummy Drinks, Great atmosphere, Great customer service, My fav is the Low and Slow Bao, Soooo Good with caramelized bacon pieces Mmmmmm. Definitely recommended!

Val Christev

Found this place completely by chance, and I'm glad I did. The food here is delicious, excellent service and we even got a dessert to sample on the house! Would definitely come back!

Nela Zisser

Amazing food, fantastic atmosphere and lovely staff! All of the dishes are delicious but I recommend the "Belly Bao" and "Short & Beefy". The shakes are also crazy good! The chocolate one is my favourite, tastes like heaven and is definitely instagram worthy :)

Christophe Pereira

I was really excited to try this place out! The menu looked fun and different. The small plates were good, the Bao was ok! Way to much bread for my liking personally. Not a bad place for a few drinks and a snack