Metro Top 50 Restaurants 2017: O'Connell St Bistro
For the latest review, see the 2018 review of O’Connell St Bistro.
O’Connell Street Bistro
Smart Dining
After recovering from a kitchen fire that forced it to close last year, O’Connell Street is back in business and back in the Top 50 with a newer, softer space and an experienced team to run it. Three abstract, mixed-media artworks by Bill Snider inform the room’s new colour scheme, which is carried through to the details — the copper finish of table lamps, the binding of menus, the blue silk of waiters’ waistcoats. Few restaurants in the city have lasted the 20 years O’Connell Street owner Chris Upton has had to perfect these things. His steady hand still guides the ship, and executive chef Mark Southon’s eight months of menu testing and refinement bring a freshness to the menu of this Auckland institution. Beloved dishes of old, including
the steak tartare, can still be found, but there are new delights to discover, and the service and wine list remain impeccable.
A favourite dish
Pappardelle of wild Bendigo rabbit, applewood-smoked bacon, walnut watercress pesto and Parmigiano Reggiano.
What it offers
Fixed-price meals / Good seating outside / Free-range chicken and/or pork / Takes large groups / Private room / Bar / Craft beer selection
Hours—L Mon-Fri; D Mon-Sat
Bookings—Yes
Price—$$$
Seats—100
Chef—Mark Southon
CENTRAL CITY
3 O’Connell St
Ph 377-1884
oconnellstbistro.com
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