Jesse Mulligan Reviews Cassia At Its New Albert St Location. Does It Hit The Mark?

It’s an ambitious move from Sid and Chand Sahrawat but has it been the right one?This is the third attempt from Cassia to find a suitable home and it’s my favourite yet. Has any other restaurant upped sticks twice? Has anyone done it once? And yet Sid and It’s an ambitious move. The restaurant takes up two floors of a big glassy corner site on Albert St. Remember Albert St? It used to be famous for the food hall, and then it was closed down for about 300 years while they built the City Rail Link and now it is operational again, even if most of Auckland hasn’t realised it. It’s in the middle of the city, yet you barely see a car. I approached Cassia feeling like I was in a scene from The Quiet Earth. New walnut tables and a stainless steel back splash set the tone of the new space. Photo / Josh GriggsBut inside the dining room it’s a bright and bustling vibe, a step up in energy from either Fort Lane or Federal St. There was a certain gloominess to those places but Albert St immediately feels more fun. The staff wear royal blue rather than undertaker black, the kitchen is more open and more central than ever and the waiters have a skip in their step. I visited a week ago and have since recommended it to three people looking for dining advice. I guaranteed them they’d have a good time.The food is and has always been spectacular – aromatic, intense and at times fiery hot Indian inspirations and tributes. At the SkyCity Cassia I complained that the guy spilled the pani puri liquid over my plate; here on Albert St (unrelated, I’m sure) I was supplied with a little jug to theatrically pour the coriander water myself. The waitress told me to put it “down the hatch in one go” and, look, my hatch is as cavernous as the next guy’s but I did struggle a little to fit the whole thing in. The tiny-mouthed might find themselves subject to unconscious discrimination here, in the way short men have learnt to live with permanently.The highly regarded pani puri at Cassia on Albert St. Photo / Sahil PatelAs you can see, a reviewer has to work pretty hard to find something to complain about here – like an art critic pointing out chipped paint on the frame of the Mona Lisa – but I have to make a small note about the gin cocktail, which was too syrupy-sweet for me. I don’t mind the passionfruit in a cocktail but India is home to the G&T and I missed the bitterness, while finding the botanicals got swamped by the sugar. A small kaffir lime leaf balanced on the top “for fragrance” actually didn’t smell of much until I scratched it with my fingernail. To Sid’s annoyance, I never quite got my head around his Ponsonby Rd cocktail joint Kol and this reminded me of that. I was much happier once I switched to wine.The last bill I paid at Cassia was eye-wateringly large but perhaps with an eye on the economic weather they seem to have made an effort to keep things affordable here. Their $95 tasting menu would have been good value 20 years ago; in 2026 it reads like a typo. Seriously, it pays for itself before you’ve even got to the main course and you’re a mug if you don’t order it as soon as you spot a waiter.Cassia offers a $95 tasting menu. Photo / Sahil PatelHighlights included a morsel of goat’s cheese, deep-fried and served with tamarind sauce; tandoor-chicken in a concentrated gravy of cassia (cinnamon bark) and black vinegar – a nod to the Portuguese influence on Goan cuisine; and my favourite dish from my last visit, a perfectly spiced “vege stir fry”, which is much more like a paneer curry but with enough of your 5+ to make the whole thing feel worthy.The menus of India have always borrowed from and traded with the Chinese chefs “over the hill”, and the masterpiece at Cassia right now is the Moreton Bay Bug Toast, a riff on the Cantonese classic that brings some real luxury to the dish. The chefs mix the lobster up with ginger and kaffir, then replicate the crunch of toast with a tempura batter. Hundreds of tiny chopped chives create a visual “lawn” on top of the structure and beneath them is a mayonnaise spiked with kasundi chutney. Hello Beasty now has a rival for best prawn toast in the city. Just don’t think about the food miles. The Moreton Bay Bug Toast, which Jesse hails as the restaurant's masterpiece. Photo / Sahil PatelThere’s a real pro in charge of the wine programme, though a surprising lack of confidence from the staff when he’s not around. I was there on week two so things will only go in one direction but a restaurant that is surely making a claim for the supreme spot in this year’s Top 50 will want to work it out quickly.Beyond that, there’s plenty to feel excited about. I’m looking forward to it filling the lower dining room and then the spillover bar area upstairs. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a group dinner, Cassia has exceptional spaces that will make your guests feel like they’re eating in New York. Auckland’s outstanding Indian restaurant just got a whole lot better.CASSIACuisine: Modern IndianAddress: 58 Albert St, Auckland CentralReservations: Accepted; limited walk-ins availableContact: 022 348 0055, cassiarestaurant.co.nz, @cassia_aucklandHours: Dinner 7 nights, 5pm–late; lunch, Thursday and Friday from noonDrinks: Fully licensedFrom the menu: Journey Menu $95Rating: 19/20Score: 0-7 Steer clear. 8-12 Disappointing, give it a miss. 13-15 Good, give it a go. 16-18 Great, plan a visit. 19-20 Outstanding, don’t delay.More restaurant reviewsAccording to Dining Out editor Jesse Mulligan.