A vegetarian restaurant serving modern Asian plant-focused cuisine. Chefs representing Japan, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka take inspiration from the near and far East. The menu consists of bites, small plates and larger dishes all designed to share, some of which are vegan. The drinks menu features organic and vegan wines, bespoke cocktails and sustainable New Zealand craft beer. Open Mon-Sun 11:00am-10:00pm.
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63-67 Nelson St, Auckland CBD, Auckland, New Zealand, 1010
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Last update on 24 Aug 2022 by Tiggy
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Added by deadendjob on 13 Jan 2021
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52 Reviews
First Review by renatedesully
rajordan1997
Points +21
Great vibe, great food! - Edit
Food was really nice, and the vibe of the restaurant was fantastic! A little bit more expensive than other places.
Read moreOnly down side was the waiting staff were constantly watching you to see if you needed anything. It would have been nice to enjoy the food without eyes on you constantly!
Updated from previous review on 2024-10-17
Guest
Heretic68
Points +123
Sensational Asian Fusion Eats - Edit
Incredible array of plant based Asian dishes with influences from around all great Asian cuisines. Modern dining experience with generous servings and fantastic flavour combinations. 2 dishes use eggs but that is clearly labelled and can be removed.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-09-01
Guest
FreyaT
Points +613
Great place for a fancy meal out - Edit
We went for the "Trust The Chef" menu to get a bit more value for money (the prices are a little steep). All food was excellent, though not massive portions. The venue has a nice ambience and staff were friendly and attentive. They even decorated my dessert because we'd mentioned it was my birthday when booking 😊
Read morePros: Quality of food, Ambience
Cons: Cost
Guest
missionbee
Points +53
Yup, so far my favorite... - Edit
Agree with all the top ratings here 👍
Read moreGuest
oliviasbrooke
Points +156
one of our faves - Edit
amazing vegetarian (and mostly vegan) restaurant
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-12-20
Pros: lots of small sharing dishes to try , almost everything is amazing! , get the ginger shiitake and gochujang cauli ❤️
Cons: a bit expensive
Guest
AddisonMorris
Points +162
Amazing bao buns and dumplings! - Edit
We visited on a special menu day, so I’m not sure if these are always available, but the bao buns and dumplings we got were to die for. So many incredible flavor combinations, good prices, and great ambience.
Read moreGuest
SuitableCoconut
Points +293
Incredible - Edit
Had the Trust the Chef (all vegan!). It was incredible. Best meal out I’ve ever had.
Read moreGuest
LC70PZJ70
Points +703
Great food and service - Edit
Food was tasty and service was good. More expensive than other restaurants, however the quality produce commands this.
Read moreGuest
SaraNorlin
Points +3541
Lovely food - Edit
There was some confusion when I walked in. First they said they were full. Then they said I could sit at the bar. Then they tried to move me to some high top tables. Then they said I could stay at the bar. Then they said they'd prepare a table for me if I'd only stay one hour. Then they prepared the table but forgot to seat me. Then they tried to move me to the high top tables again. Then they sat me at the table.
Read moreThe food was very very good though. Highly recommended. Maybe make a reservation though.
Guest
vannyy.o
Points +1697
Delicious Thai Food - Edit
Fancy restaurant, nice menu. I ordered the Pad Thai without egg, very tasty. The Massaman Curry with Tofu was also very delicious!
Read moreGuest
Claire1*
Points +100
Fantastic - Edit
The food at East is delicious and 75% of the menu is vegan. The portions are very generous and perfect for sharing. I found the price to be very reasonable for the food we were served.
Read moreThe restaurant ambiance is great and the staff friendly and knowledgable about the dishes.
I have no hesitation in recommending this restaurant and hope to visit again during my visit to Auckland.
Pros: Variety of vegan dishes, Portion size, Ambiance
Guest
abipatterick
Points +2098
Are there more stars I can give? - Edit
We came here on our first night in Auckland, which was New Year's Day. We struggled more than we had anticipated in finding somewhere to eat and were super relieved when I found East on Happy Cow and they said they would be open. Also super relieved that they didn't charge a public holiday surcharge (never seen this in a country before being in New Zealand / Australia)!
Read moreThe food was amazing. Particularly rated the bao buns. The staff were helpful in recommending dishes that were new/ different and how many we should order. The food itself is amazing - I wish I could bring you home with me!
Guest
vegandinosaur
Points +386
Amazing - Edit
Very good food. Reservation recommended, unless you got at off-peak hours by yourself.
Read moreGuest
JonathanBarnes
Points +67
Best black pepper tofu I’ve ever had - Edit
Cool spot. Good ambience, well decorated and the food was incredible. I had the Caramelised black pepper tofu, kimchi and a the salted caramel tart. Staff were super friendly. A little higher end in terms of pricing, but worth it imo.
Read morePros: Quality, Environment, Staff
Guest
JessicaChambers
Points +120
One of my Auckland favourites - Edit
I love East! Delicious food, pleasant atmosphere and always friendly service. A must visit.
Read moreGuest
Kate__3
Points +16
Yum - Edit
Great options
Read moreGuest
Vegesaur2020
Points +311
Great food, but not cheap - Edit
This is a top restaurant. If you are looking for fancy and quality this place has it all, but it comes at a high price.
Read morePros: Good food, Quite a few vegan options
Cons: Expensive, Awkward location to get to
Guest
spise01
Points +949
Delicious! 4 stars because they serve some egg/dairy - Edit
Everything was great. I had the Penang curry which was sweet and delicious, the wok Asian greens which were good but only bok choy, rice of course, and tried the chocolate tart and key lime kaffir. Both desserts were delicious but I highly recommend the chocolate tart.
Read morePros: Almost fully vegan, Friendly service , Delicious!
Guest
phynal
Points +164
Eat at east - Edit
We found most dishes were vegan and staff very knowledgable and helpful with choices. Highly recommend the gochujang cauliflower.
Read moreGuest
Lunatarius
Points +341
Amazing Vegetarian East Asian eats - Edit
Amazing selection of both vegan and vegetarian dishes, beautiful presentation and ambience. A bit on the pricier side but well worth the visit.
Read morePros: Lots of vegetarian and vegan dishes, Good service and ambience
Cons: A bit on the pricier side
Guest
DHAMLYN
Points +100
Tasty. and many vegan options. - Edit
Hot, fresh, tasty and fast vegan dishes. If I lived here this would be a regular dining spot.
Read moreGuest
Meiga
Points +51
Best kimchi ever! - Edit
I had lunch there recently and I was impressed by the food. Most of the time it's difficult to get good Asian vegetarian food, but here the choice was really big. I especially liked the kimchi, it was literally the best I've had outside Korea.
Read moreGuest
VeganBLS
Points +116
great food and vibes - Edit
we booked at the hotel and only found out that the restaurant had great vegan options on arrival. we’ve eaten here twice and tried lots of the menu now. everything has been amazing, but the stars of the show include:
Read more- the shitaake mushrooms
- the aubergine/eggplant special
- the salt and pepper tofu special
Pros: lots of vegan options - almost all, nice vibes in the restaurant , good wine and beer selection - all vegan
Cons: a little on the expensive side - but worth it!
Guest
ilikevegg
Points +350
A classy establishment offering vegetarian & vegan food - Edit
It's wonderful having a classy vegetarian restaurant in Auckland! (Finally.)
Read moreEast has some fab vegan options, but I would love to see them switch to all vegan. I believe they use eggs in their noodles so they're not vegan which is upsetting.
Most of all the dishes I've tried have been really impressive. The mushrooms, cauliflower and curry dishes are all very good.
Sometimes service can be pretty slow, and it's not uncommon that your cocktail will come after you've already finished a few starters.
Overall, I would recommend East and fingers crossed they'll go vegan!
Pros: vegan curry
Cons: Slow service
Guest
yumchadong
Points +5539
Mediocre - Edit
Sadly, like so many restaurants in NZ, East also suffers from excessive use of sugar in their dishes.
Read moreWe tried 4 different dishes: pickled cucumber, bang bang mushrooms, spicy eggplant, and their monthly special. The pickled cucumber must have been marinated in syrup. I didn’t enjoy it, but it was nothing compared to the (bang bang) shiitake mushrooms which felt like they should have been part of the desert menu. The spicy eggplant was not spicy but rather on the sweet side of things. However, if you eat it after the shiitake mushrooms you won’t notice it so much.
The monthly special (bean curd mince) was the best dish. I loved the Thai spicing of the mince and that it was not sweet. The original dish came the egg on top but we asked it to be replaced with vegetables. It was served on top of white rice which is kind of random given that the dish doesn’t contain any sauce.
Note that all dishes are pre-prepared. Before ordering we inquired if they could prepare the dishes without added sugar which wasn’t possible.
Also, they add charge 2% fee for paying with card. Apparently if you have a physical debit card issued in NZ you can avoid this, but it doesn’t help you much if you are just visiting.
Guest
SaveTheKiwiBird
Points +74
Best meal I’ve had in ages - Edit
Everything was delicious. Lovely atmosphere. Staff was great. We had the crispy cups, the ginger caramelized shiitake mushrooms, sticky jackfruit bao buns, mushroom and truffle steamed dumplings (Out of this world! You know the scene in Ratatouille where Remy’s brother Emile experiences the fireworks of mixing flavors? It happened to me eating these dumplings!) papaya salad (fresh and fantastic!), spicy garlic eggplant (I hate eggplant but someone else in our party ordered and I ate two, big for me) and ended with the salted caramel chocolate tart (I don’t like sweets but someone else ordered and it was very good). Don’t you dare set foot in this restaurant and miss the truffle dumplings, they are a bit of heaven melting in your mouth. You will not regret it. You’re welcome.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-01-02
Pros: Tons of vegan options, Delicious food, Elegant atmosphere
US Kiwi
The meal was absolutely fantastic!
Read moreGuest
US Kiwi
Points +136
Absolutely fantastic! - Edit
One of thee best restaurants I have been to in a long while. The food was absolutely fantastic and the drinks also so tasty and well presented. You MUST try the dumplings! There was not a thing on the menu we tried that we didn’t like. #Veganuary
Read morePros: Amazing food, Awesome drinks , Great staff
Cons: They keep the recipes very close to the chest….
Guest
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