Bunga Raya Restaurant

Bunga Raya has easily been the best dining experience I’ve had during my time in Auckland! This Malaysian family-style restaurant absolutely nails it on every level. The food was simply outstanding—every single dish we ordered was packed with flavour and cooked to perfection. The chicken curry was rich, hearty, and perfectly spiced. The award-winning XO squid was a real standout—spicy, balanced, and incredibly moreish. Even the coffee pork chops, which sounded a little unusual at first, were tender and surprisingly delicious—the flavours somehow worked together beautifully! Beyond the food, what really made the experience special was the hospitality. The owner personally came over to chat with us and made us feel like family. It wasn’t the usual scripted service—you could genuinely feel the warmth, like talking to a beloved auntie who just wanted to make sure you were well fed and happy. That personal touch made the entire meal even more memorable. The homely, welcoming atmosphere combined with the incredible quality of the food made for a truly standout evening. It’s rare to find a restaurant that delivers both exceptional dishes and such a heartfelt connection with its guests. If you’re looking for a real taste of Malaysia with genuine hospitality that leaves you smiling, Bunga Raya should be at the very top of your list. I can’t wait to come back and try even more from their menu!

We had an excellent weekend lunch; reservations are highly recommended. The Hainanese chicken , Bunga Raya eggplant and KL fish are exceptional choices. The service was outstanding, with the staff readily accommodating custom requests. This is among the finest Malaysian restaurants we have experienced.

Ate at Bunga Raya today. We walked in and was lucky to get a table as the restaurant was already busy on Friday night. Very friendly service they even brought plastic plates and cutlery for our toddler without us even requesting it. We tried the Roti which was served with an exceptional curry sauce. Mee goreng was great. We got the normal version so kids could eat it so I'm sure the spicy version would have been out the park. The star of the show was the XO chicken. It was just too good. Service was super friendly and the food came out fast. Prices are on the high side around $36 per portion but in my opinion it is worth the value.

From Google, this looked homely and promising, but afer trying it out, I can't recommend this place for dinner unless you are super rich and come in a big group. You also need to book beforehand. If you don't, like us, you get put right at the seat next to the toilet and kitchen, where people keep coming in and out and it's super distracting, not to mention unpleasant. I can't count the number of times the waiter accidentally bumped my chair or shoulder. Service wasn't great, the waiters were extremely judgemental, and it felt like the whole place was judging you for everything you did. Food is OK but very overpriced. You get decent quality but not without compromises. We ordered a Wat Dan Hor which looked promising but most of the prawn was extremely overcooked, making it very dry and stiff to chew. The rice noodles were quite oily and had a bitter taste, and whole thing felt like there was too much msg or salt, leaving you feeling bloated and thirsty. It cost $36, and at that insane price, you would expect absolutely no compromises. The rest of the dish was good. Tea is also not free, it's $1 per person, and I feel that at that price point and with how diluted the tea is, it should have just been free. You get no choice in the matter either, they just give it to you and charge you. In the end we couldn't eat the remaining rice noodles because they were so oily and bitter and we started feeling ill. As we were leaving the waiter quipped: "Hah, you can't even finish the plate? Pathetic." Wow, I've never encountered such service where someone would say that. Maybe the reason we couldn't finish it was because there was something wrong with the dish? It also felt like we were getting rushed out - the moment we put our utensils down, they came over and said "are you finished"? They weren't particularly busy that night and it wasn't like all the seats were filled up, so that felt unnecessarily rude. We came as two people, and each dish was $30-$60, which we didn't expect and couldn't afford, so we only ordered one to share. None of the dishes come with rice, so it'd be whatever the cost of the dish, say $40, plus the cost of rice, which is like $4 each. You'd rack up a $100+ bill quickly even if you just come as two people. When we asked for only one dish, it immediately felt like there were laser eyes from the waiters on us. If you don't spend money, expect to be judged and rushed out. Obviously, this place is rated quite high and is popular, so maybe we're just not the target audience. The two waiters were visibly much nicer to the big groups of people spending money on a lot of dishes, talking friendly and making jokes, while for us we were given the cold shoulder even though we did nothing wrong. What I can say for sure is, there are Malaysian restaurants with better service, price, and similar quality in taste. Maybe the lunch menu is priced better.

We are from Karaka and was visiting West Auckland to check out the new track in Titirangi, randomly found this place with my mate. The food here is top notch, great flavour and auntie recommended the XO Chicken which is really really good! She told us that dish won an award recently how cool. Will definitely come back to try more dishes 😁

Warm hospitality and authentic flavors here. The owners are so lovely. We were greeted with smiles and a genuine welcome that instantly made us feel at home. The food tonight was a standout - perfectly balanced and absolutely delicious. The service was attentive and friendly throughout the meal. The shop is clean and well managed. The prices are reasonable. Highly recommend 👌🏻

Very authentic Malaysian food, good size servings and so delicious. Service is excellent too.

Food is good, boss is friendly. Make sure you make reservations.

John and Rita Lim are the proprietors of this 11 year old establishment. Originally from Malaysia, their restaurant has been a staple for Malaysian food in Auckland. The restaurant is typically Malaysian family style and therefore, each dish is sizable and is meant to be shared. Both John and Rita are very personable and it shows in the restaurant's efficient and friendly service. Being new to the area, Rita was quick to recommend the XO Chicken (of which she explains, stands for "extra ordinary"!), and Assam Prawns. I also added some curry puffs and an order of Mee Goreng. The food was very tasty and the portions were huge! We had it for dinner and breakfast/lunch the next day! In all, it was lots of fun having a chat with them, learning about the food, their restaurant and up coming holiday. Perhaps, I'll see you in Hawaii.

Great restaurant!! Everything was delicious. The roti canai was a hit! Curry was delicious and naan was fresh and flaky. The XO chicken was amazing and extremely full of flavor - be careful for bones though. Would love to try the XO shrimp next time. The house spicy noodle was amazing as well. Their portions are pretty big so it's best to go with a large party to taste a little bit of everything. They serve hot tea which helps with the heaviness of the food. Great food overall. Think I'll go back when I'm in New Zealand again! BYO alcohol btw!

I'm a huge fan of Malaysian and sort of thought I'd seen all there was to see in Auckland but it turns out I was wrong. Not quite sure how Bunga Raya slipped under my radar but it did. Until recently... We made the mish out West a couple of weeks ago. There were 8 of us - all newbs. Somewhat bamboozled by the omission of laksa on the menu (they serve it at lunchtime only), our hostess with the mostess, Rita, took the reins and ordered for the table. I was skeptical but she absolutely nailed it - punchy xo chicken, butter prawns, a beautiful fish curry, silky smooth tofu (that's made in house) and a generous side of green beans! We got talking to Rita and it turns out her and her mother-in-law, who is in charge in the kitchen, run the place. The use tried and tested family recipes passed down through the generations. Her enthusiasm for Malaysia and the cuisine is evident and infectious - she's tells us how the laksa from each state tastes slightly different and if given a bowl of each she could tell them apart. Rita also tells us that her cousin owns Mamak - clearly great cooking runs in the family! If you're a fan of Malaysian food and haven't been to Bunga Raya yet, you are missing out! Make a booking and set a date... Oh and it's BYO.

Had lunch here (Laksa). Did not like the food and wrote them a bad review on Google maps. The manager saw the review and tried to find me while I was at the restaurant. When she found me, she tried to humiliate me and make me uncomfortable by saying: "He did not like our food but finished his dish" (I always do that so that I don't waste food). Its better for them to make their food better and keep their customers happy instead of forcing them to like their food.

Family businesses are amazing - our host Rita was fantastic, enthusiastic and took time to explain the composition of dishes on the menu. I've rated them 4 stars due to my personal preferences - but would rank 5 starts on the authentic taste chart. We ordered XO (Extra Ordinary) Chicken and Prawns and Mi Goreng Noodles. Everything was hot and tasted freshly made.

OH MY GOSH!!! Is all I can say! This is the first 5 star rating I have given! I checked this place out because of all the great reviews that were given 'best Malaysian restaurant in Akld' 'will travel from afar just to eat there' etc Boy do I now know why! So grateful I live in the West not to far to travel! I am so big on flavoursome food .. That is the way I like to cook & I don't think I've gone to any other restaurant with great delicious flavoursome food - lot of grunt & it's not the hot spicy flavour (though I love that) it is truly authentic cooking that I could imagine tasting in their home country or a home cooked meal by a Nana with all those recipes handed down. Every dish we tasted was delicious like WOW!! I've never heard my husband groan over how delicious food was. We ordered the chicken xo, eggplant in a flavoursome sauce, fish, fried rice .. Can't wait to try some other dishes!! We went there to eat twice in a week. The front house host was excellent at helping us out with dishes & recommending different sauces we could try as alternatives! She's also great with kids. Definitely a place to go with a big group to share generous servings. Definitely is our top place to eat - They cook food with a lot of LOVE!

Dined here last night with friends (best way to eat at a place like this as you can get a whole lot of varieties to try together). It just keep getting better each time I am here. The hosts are the BEST in Auckland, no joke. It is like stepping into a friends place hosting a party - vibrant, friendly, knowledgeable and just perfect at their job. The food is fantastic and all our friends agreed - including one that east out alot and turned to me and said - "this is the best food I have had out in a long time". Highly recommend XO eggplant and squid, crispy honey chicken, the famous "silky smooth" tofu in a peanut sauce (pehaps the most popular amongst everyone), the amazing green beans, actually everything! I don't hink you will go wrong with whatever you order;)

A local delight in all aspects. Delicious food by all accounts and exceptional service. 8 of us ate family style with large dishes coming out quick fast with a fantastic "front of house" character who gave us the best services and the best dishes she knew all of us would love. I believe its BYO but we ordered tiger beers which washed down the fabulous food. The decor is pretty basic but who cares when the food is that good. Loud and boisterous, this place was full on a Thursday night with lots of locals. We'll be back.

Have eaten here a few times now and with a big group each time. Nice to have great options in New Lynn and so close to home so you'd want it to reflect the demographic but also consistently deliver great Malaysian food.. They are quite pricey considering bathe above points but unfortunately their meals didn't meet up to their high prices. I don't mind paying for quality but there seems to be something missing here?.. Great atmosphere though and the waiters/waitresses are always welcoming and helpful.. Decor is a bit dated but that never mattered because our dinner groups have always been joyful and loud! I would still dine here though but only for special group bookings where it's not actually about my requirements and more about the people you're dining with - in saying that, these guys could do a lot more to raise the stakes especially with Brickworks now fully operational in Lynmall.

What a great name for a Malaysian restaurant. It doesn't so much roll off the tongue as bounce around your mouth full of happiness & flavour. Just like good Malaysian food should. We'd heard good things about this place from locals, so decided to try it out on a wet Monday night. With visions of hot, spicy laksa and garlicky roti dancing in our heads, we navigated our way to this unassuming little spot. Be warned, although the address is on Great North Road, the restaurant is actually tucked around the corner on Memorial Drive. It's another one of these averagely decorated places that almost signal the food is gonna be great these days. But thankfully the linoleum has been replaced with carpet in this joint, and the decor looks slightly more like someone has given it a passing thought. And the rude waiters have been replaced with funny, informative, friendly staff who genuinely seem to a) know & b) care about what is happening in their kitchen. And they can even make wonderful suggestions! Our table of 4 loaded up with a chicken curry & satay chicken - since the locals had already come prepared to order their fave dishes - so us newbies went with the waitress' suggestion of XO Squid and Coffee Pork Chops. Sadly the laksa is only on offer at lunchtime. But our disappointment didn't last long. Oh my yum! Satay Chicken; well, let's just say there was a fight on our hands, as the visiting mini reviewer thought he had it all to himself. It was authentic, sweet but spicy, peanutty but not drenched in nuts. Possibly the best satay I've had. The XO Squid was sweet, succulent squid legs stirfried with chili & basil & the delicious XO sauce - according to our lovely waitress the XO stands for extraordinary! I'd sign up for that recipe. I'm sorry for over-using the word "sweet" throughout this review but it's hard to describe these dishes any other way. The Coffee Pork Chops were also sweet, as the coffee sauce they were soaked in was like a honeyed coffeed gravy served on a bed of sliced onions and lettuce. An utterly delicious dish and apparently a signature dish of Bunga Raya. While at dinner I commented on the blending beige tones of our chosen meals (with additional rice & a delicious, flaky roti). One the one hand I loved the fact that we weren't burdened with cheap seasonal veges such as celery, capsicum & the ubiquitous carrot that comes with most Asian dishes; on the other I was sorely missing my greens. Due to the portion sizes at Bunga Raya, a table of 4 would be more than happy with 3 mains & a vege dish, even with 2 growing lads at the table (we had one aged 30+ and the other 11, very similar appetites!) we had enough leftovers for doggy bag takeaways. The restaurant was packed with diners, and the sign at the door recommended booking for dinner. If it hadn't been a Monday, I think we would have been out of luck finding a table, so make sure you're pre-warned before you try to join the lucky New Lynn locals in trying out this spot. And bring your favourite bottle of plonk with you; this place is BYO.

Great place for the family to try some Malaysian style food. Must try is the curry chicken but the special dish of Hainan chicken you have to order the day before. Must get the rice that comes with Hainan chicken. Bit pricey though for asian food like this. Looking at $26+ for a dish to share. Definitely not your everyday takeaway.

The food was so good here. So good. I am thinking about it now while I am writing this review. Sorry, I forgot all their names. I was too busy eating. I remembered we had fish with this beautiful dark sauce. Prawn with cornflakes. Hai nan chicken, and veggies. But the veggie was a little bit spicy for us. Service was good, very friendly staff. The environment was ok, like most of the Asian places. Very relaxing. The location was good, a lot of car parks. What should I order next time? Haha

Lunched here twice in the last three days, as we love Malaysian food. What we experienced here in the Bunga Raya Restaurant in New Lynn was authentic Malaysian cuisine. The food here is beautiful. Their signature dish seems to be the "Fish Head Noodle Soup" as one in every two tables had appeared to have ordered it. Our other meal was the "Curry Chicken Laksa" dish which was very "hot". But what the Bunga Raya Restaurant really lacked was "service". The head-waitress who also appeared to be the owner was extremely grumpy and completely smile-less when taking our order. Its a real pity this happens as customers shouldn't have to put up with this. You get the impression the owners here should have retired over 10 years ago instead of coming in 6 days a week to make money. Customers shouldn't have to put up with crappy service. The only time we received a smile was when her cashier husband took our money!! We have never been back there again since . There are many other Malaysian restaurants in Auckland with equally good food and yet much better service!!!

This place is awesome!! Third time we have been here now. Firstly the owner lady and staff are very friendly and funny a very family oriented feel. Secondly the food was exceptional, real authentic malaysian food with huge portions and absolutely bursting with freshness and flavor. This time we had the XO squid(pictured) which is hands down the best squid i have ever eaten and the dish is well priced and can comfortably feed 2 adults. We also had the rotti bread(pictured) which was lovely and soft but still flakey and crispy but not too heavy and came with this beautiful sauce that was packed full of flavor. We also had some spring rolls (forgot to take pic) they were nice and not massive or too filling. Thirdly the owner was honest with us when we tried to order 3 mains between 2 of us, she told us the dishes are massive and we are not going to finish it and "save your money to come back again" which i thought was really neat and she was right. All of the above got us both full as a bull and rolling out the door. Total cost of the lovely evening $46. Would highly recommend to anyone but make sure you book as they are always busy.

Bunga Raya has been quietly doing business for years. Family business, you can see the old man keeping an eye on things. Eating here is all about sharing, and all about the food. Hence you will forgive the decor for being a bit basic. Very rarely can you walk in off the street and find a table, this place is popular. So book a table in advance, I'd recommend 3-4 people to try 3-4 dishes. The dishes are quite large, and all very tasty. I always get the Roti Canai as a side. Great thing about this place is going back to try different dishes. You'll be served green tea all evening to accompany your food for free. Some of the dishes need to be ordered in advance, and you can ask for dishes that don't appear on the menu. We always ask what is fresh as some dishes are seasonal.

This place is a hidden gem. It's tucked away off the main street of new lynn, and worth venturing west for. We first went with a group of about eight people from work, and I was really impressed with the attention the staff paid to particular dietary requirements in the group. They were able to advise which dishes were gluten free, and offered to make a popular dish slightly differently to make it vege. I recommend asking the staff to suggest dishes for your order - not only are they the friendliest staff ever, they know their stuff! Particular highlights are the XO squid, tamarin fish and the eggplant. the portion sizes are large, to the point where you can get away with two dishes between three people. For that reason, I'd recommend going with a group so you can try a bunch of dishes - a couple would definitely only need two dishes between them. And that would make ordering decisions very difficult. Also - byo! What a dream.

Only eaten there twice and had takeaway once, all three times have been good. I'm not to familiar with Malay style of food,find it a bit sweet rather than savory or umami flavour but you can taste the flavours that are genuine Malay. What makes this place memorable are the owners. The husband and wife team are something different. The first time I went was with five others of which none had eaten Malay food, the owners (wife) were extremely helpfull in describing the different dishes and recommending an assortment of dishes even though it was a full house, they didn't rush us and made us feel very welcome hence the fact that we've been back. The portions are huge, alright if your all big eaters but too much for me, doggie bag lunch the next day that's fine. Definitely be back there with a few people in tow.

Great food and good service, love to go there at lunch time, price more reasonable than dinner.

Clearly a popular place on a Friday night, but they were able to seat me since I was on my own. I give real props to this restaurant for the great service. They gave me some great guidance to find the kind if dish I was looking for. I ended up with a chicken curry that had great flavour, but as is often the style in Chinese and Malaysian restaurants the selection if meat includes a fair bit of skin and is a mixture of thigh meat. This might be authentic though and is not really my preference. Had it been leaner and better cuts I would go for 4-stars

After hearing from several reliable sources that this is THE NO.1 Malaysian restaurant to go to in Auckland, we finally made it . Kind of funny that has taken us so long seeing as this part of the city has been our home for quite a few years now. Anyway to begin I can definitely now say it is worth travelling from any part of Auckland to sample it's fare. It's not on the main street in New Lynn so you may drive past if you don't know where to look. We went on a Monday night , and were lucky to get a table as it does get busy for dinner and a sign at the door says so. Bookings recommended!!! Once inside it was a friendly welcome, service was good throughout and the food was delicious. They do have a good number of dishes on menu to choose from. We had the XO Chicken, Stir fry pork in satay sauce and Nyanya Sambai fried rice. As usual if you don't finish everything you can takeaway, it's BYO but you must pay an extra dollar for doing so and if you spend more than $100 you can pay using credit card. I reckon definitely worthy of the trip from anywhere in the city but make sure you book for dinner.

Ate here last Sat night with work colleagues, it was the 3rd time I'd been there; had not been there for a couple of years and was not dissapointed! From the moment I walked in, I could smell the delicious aroma and could not wait to eat. As soon as I sat down, a pot of green tea was brought to the table. The service was so quick, and the food amazing. Partucularly love the honey & garlic chicken, and assam fish...am looking forward to going back there again and try the xo squid. 2 thumbs up, will definately go back! Roberta.

This reastraunt is just utterly horrible from distasteful food to horrible customer service they straight up ignored some tables while being so rude to paying customers. Their wait times are also very unreasonable because we waited up to an hour for a simple dish of noodles. The played and bowls are also very dirty and should be washed again down even have chunks of food from the last patron. The reastraunt also has a very temporary vibe with plastic chairs and folding tables. The decor is also very lacking. The manager also just saw our group and just pointed us to a table and she threw the menus at us and immediately shouted ORDER READY? We were appalled with the customer service and food and would not recommend again.

Bunga Raya is one of those "secret" places that people will sort of sidle up to you and say "Have you been there? Please let's go together". It's pretty good here, but to be honest, I'm not sure if it's a five star for me, purely because they kept putting milk into my vegan friend's food, and she was a very regular customer before that. However, the food is very very good, and the service is totally individual and idiosyncratic, which is demonstrated by the fact that there are a number of dishes on the menu you have to order in advance (like two days before in advance) otherwise you're shit out of luck! Obviously they're all dishes that take a while to make, so I understand, but it's quite a funny thing for a restaurant to do. It's set up for sharing, so it's best to go in a big group so you don't get meal envy of your fellow diner's food.

This place is great my brother is a volatile type 1 diabetec and when we go out for dinner wich is once every 2 months we always come here it is delicious. Great service great food and 3 to 4 things feed 5 people highly recommend