Best Cheap Eats 2015: New Lynn
HAPPY JAPANESE
3113 Great North Rd, New Lynn
Happy Japanese has moved from Kelston, which has made people in the know in New Lynn very happy indeed. The menu is simple and familiar — don buri through karaage and sashimi — but everything is done so nicely. The curries are a highlight.
Japanese
MR ZHOU’S DUMPLINGS
3130 Great North Rd, New Lynn
Mr Zhou used to own New Flavour, but when that got a bit tiring, he sold up and moved to New Lynn for the quiet life — at which point dumpling obsessives started heading west and Mr Zhou found himself as busy as ever. The classics are all there: lumpy handmade dumplings, cucumber salad, the shredded potato. Just go now.
Northern Chinese
PAASHA turkish kitchen
3120 Great North Rd, New Lynn
Zeki Bay and Tracey Jamella Farry have owned umpteen restaurants in London, Sydney and, um, New Lynn. It doesn’t look like it, but what sets this place apart is the charcoal grill and the house-made sauces (tahini is standard), which elevate the humble kebab to its rightfully glorious status. They also have another Paasha at 444 Glenfield Rd, Glenfield.
Turkish
SETTEBELLO
3/1 Rata St, New Lynn
Owner Francesco Acri scored top marks in his pizzaiolo exams in his hometown Naples this year, and has also just won a spot competing in next year’s World Pizza Champs in Parma. His dough is proved for 20 hours and cooked in a blistering manuka-fired oven. Pizzas here are generous in both girth and toppings, and the early-dining deal ($15 for pizza and Peroni) is unbeatable value.
Pizza
Eastern suburbs, Mt Wellington, Otahuhu and Waiheke
Epsom, Mt Roskill, Newmarket and Royal Oak
Kingsland, Eden Terrace and Mt Eden
