The 38 Best Restaurants in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland, New Zealand) | Eater

"Carlo Buenaventura is a well-known figure in Auckland’s hospitality scene, having worked all over the city’s kitchens, bars, and dining room floors before opening his own venue last year. Bar Magda is a bar and bistro where he cooks boundary-pushing food that references his Filipino heritage. Some of the offerings are raw, cold, and acerbic; some are comforting and cooked over charcoal. The through line is his use of local flavors and ingredients to create “seasonal dishes through a Filipino lens,” such as green-lipped mussel escabeche with green garlic and fennel. The cocktails here are given as much consideration as the food, and the subterranean location — down a long flight of stairs, with low red lighting and billowing curtains that divide the room — creates a romantic vibe that’s ideal for a date. — LJ" - Hillary Eaton