Review Candela - Auckland Central

P G

Fantastic food. Candela was on my to go list for a while now and finally, way too late I got there for dinner. We had some oysters, flatbread with burrata, blood sausage, lamb skewers with salsa verde, fried cabbage and basque cheesecake. Everything was top notch. I personally don’t really like lamb, but always try to give it a go. This one was great, I could eat it every day. Great service too. Highly recommended!!

Johnny Gilbert

Have come to Candela several times over the 3 years it's been around and it never disappoints. Incredible wine list, the staff are all well educated on the wines and food so you never have trouble knowing what you're in for. Perfect for a couple bites and a couple glasses of some wines you won't usually get in NZ.

maria ma

We have been here for our anniversary. The food is amazing, they are all cooked with heart and soul. We have lamb belly as starter, grilled cabbage (we never imagine cabbage can be cooked this way), the meatball is soft and juicy and very strong fennel which I loved. The best is the octopus!!! They are so soft and charred and seasoned!! Great selection of wine. The cocktail looks great too, will try it next time Fantastic food! And we will sure come back on another day.

mike spencer

Food was outstanding! We had tapas to share (Lamb belly in particular was delicious). Wine list is top tier with some very interesting Spanish/Latin Varieties - Staff are attentive, knowledgeable and most importantly having fun which adds to the vibe. GO, if you haven’t

Jordyn Hall

I honestly cannot recommend Candela enough! With so many incredible options in central Auckland to choose from, it’s hard to pick but Candela never disappoints. And now I don’t go anywhere else. Every birthday I bring my family here and as much as the menu may change with the seasons, the standard and quality remains the same. There is a reason they won restaurant of the year! Head chef Matt is so creative and It’s exciting trying new dishes, I’m never too scared to order something new each visit. The wine menu is curated with perfection and staff are always happy to help you pair it perfectly with your meal/evening. I brought my Spanish friend here when she was over visiting and she could not believe how authentic and beautiful the atomism here was, she obsessed over the wine menu and tastes that felt like her home deep down in the South Pacific. There is really no comparison. If you wish to dine out in Auckland you will always leave smiling and full in the best way, from Candela

Lucy Bater

We had the pleasure to dine here on their 3rd birthday. They had a limited tapas menu on offer which we made our way through. Twice! All the dishes were incredible but the stand outs for me was the sour zucchini and the salmon crudo which was served on potato. Delicious. My partner favoured the lamb and flat breads. It was busy and noisy - all added to a great atmosphere and evening. Our service was great. Can't wait to bring my friends from overseas here.

Richelle Gott

What a fabulous food oasis. We were recommended and very happy. Excellent service and a very cool vibe. The lamb bellie, eggplant and flat breads were stand out yummy dishes. Will be back.

Jeannette Hogg

What a taste sensation! We had heard about Candela on the radio as a food blogger was asked where his go to was in Auckland and said that he frequents Candela. So we had to make a booking and drive up from Hamilton to experience it firsthand. We ordered the 'Olive Lemonade' which was extremely refreshing with a nice bite of lemon in there. The $85 set menu was amazing! Everything plate that came out was well presented and looked tantalising. Every single flavour on each plate complemented each other so well from freshness, to heat, to spice, to sweetness, to creamy-ness, to crunchy-ness to tenderness! What an absolute treat to experience so many flavours! We would definitely come back and eat at Candela a hundred times over! Thanks heaps for an awesome experience.

Kylie Huang

A lovely dining experience overall. I was not expecting to be stuffed at the end but I definitely was. My favourites were the ceviche, skewers and the cheesecake but everything was quite good. I’d really recommend everyone to try the menu del dia if it’s your first time or if they’ve just changed the menu, just so you can get a good variety of all the dishes and explore your tastes. We got stuff we wouldn’t usually order and it was really good! The staff were lovely, service was good despite being a busy Friday night.

rebecca ross

Amazing food, atmosphere and service. Ceviche was our favourite dish closely followed by the cabbage and octopus - although all dishes were to die for. We were a table of six and opted for the set menu which was great as we didn't need to bother with ordering and the food just kept on coming and coming!! Highly recommend and will be returning ASAP.

R Jai Fernandez

This time after all the lockdowns and restrictions I kinda find it hard to try a new restaurant that will meet my expectations. But Candela is not one of them, the food is reasonably priced for what you get. Everything that we've ordered were bursting with flavours, the texture of every dish was amazing and the sauces for each one are just *chef's kiss*. The drinks menu is another thing, they have broad offering of wines from local to European wines. The spanish wine that we had was recommended by one of the waiters and it was so beautiful and complementing each and every dishes. Service is 10⭐ out of 5. Everyone was so friendly and so attentive. Very knowledgeable on what's the menu and they even bespoke a cocktail for my friend who doesn't drink wine. Thanks to Noah and Nico who's been so fun and helpful while attending our table. I'm sure we'll be back!

Andy Smith

The service here is amazing. Such lovely, friendly, attentive staff. Also, the place is dog friendly (outside): the staff made a real fuss over our dog ‘Obi’ which he loved. We had two different wines by the glass, both reasonably priced for the quality at $16. Cheaper wines were available. We had the ceviche as a snack and it was outstanding - seriously good flavours and it looked amazing.

Amanda Butland

Fantastic new discovery for me. The service was slick, professional, knowledgable and friendly and the food!! The food was next level quality. The Oysters are plump, fresh and delicious and the anchovy tostadas are super moreish. The wine list is interesting and varied. Totally recommend this place - Great vibe!

Lisa Kleiman

I lived in Spain for 11 years and was keen to go to a Spanish restaurant in Auckland. The food was great, although fusion style, and the dry sherries were excellent. Cool interior and vibe and good service. Would like to go back to try more dishes.

Raynil Laxmidas

An interesting take on Spanish food. Would high recommend, I came with two others and ordered the Padron Peppers (7/10), Trevally Ceviche (8/10), Tiger Prawn Paella (9.5/10) and Pork Scotch (9.9/10), Charred Beetroot (9/10) and Cheesecake (9/10). Only negative comment I had was unfortunately, I wanted to try the octopus too but it was not available at the time. Service was really quick, and the waitress had a good wine recommendations!

Barbara Crawford

We love this restaurant and always make time to come each time we are in Auckland. A small menu allows them to really prepare top quality, tasty dishes that are as good as any we had in Spain. Don’t skip dessert—the Basque cheesecake is a must—light, creamy and served up with a side of berry sauce. We look forward to coming again!

Frasier Cho

A vibrant Spanish eatery in the heart of K Road. Must have dishes include the lamb belly pinchos on skewers that are coated in a flavour bomb of a salsa verde, and the white anchovy olive tostadas that are bite sized deliciousness. The grand selection of Spanish wines is impressive and exactly what you need in a place like this to match with the food and vibes. @candela_krd

Helen Joe

Really delicious food, we enjoyed every dish. The octopus dish is on the small side and the lamb rump was so tender and perfectly cooked. We found the music on the loud side making it difficult to have a conversation. I was unable to make a booking, as they don’t answer phone or email! But still rating it a 4 due to the delicious food!