The Best Food & Drink In Sandringham, According To A Local Expert

You can eat your way around the world here, without leaving the suburb.As dusk settles over Sandringham Village, the fragrance of spices roasting, naan baking against the clay tandoor and cardamom-spiked milk scalded into thick chai masala drifts down the strip. The heart of the village, between Halesowen Ave Sandringham Village Eggs & More The emphasis here is definitely on the more – forget plain boiled, scrambled or sunny side up. The many egg delicacies on the menu are redolent with spices and herbs, rich with cheese. Then there are Indo-Chinese delicacies that you’ll want to save space for, Nepali momo and a wide range of chowpatty, Mumbai-style street snacks.Shubh Punjabi family cooking is at the heart of this popular spot, opened 15 years ago by the family matriarch Mrs Kaur. More than 20 types of vegetarian curry are cooked from scratch daily, snapped up by smart regulars who know such bold flavours and consistent quality are rare at such reasonable prices. If you’ve time to dine in, grab a thali – two curries (point to what you like from the bain-maries), rice, roti, yoghurt and pickle for just $14. Or pick and choose favourite curries and roti, snacks like samosa, and thick mango lassi to take away.Satya and Satya Chai Lounge Satya Chai Lounge in Sandringham. Photo / Anna King ShahabSatya began educating local palates in South Indian cuisine in the late 1990s when Swamy and Padjama Akuthota opened their first eatery in the city. Its food was a revelation to a population of taste buds previously numbed by overly sweet, gravy-based curries. It turned out people love more complexity in the flavour and texture department: tart tamarind, cooling yoghurt and comforting mashed potato facing off in a crisp pastry shell in dahi puri; green beans kissed with grated coconut and a symphony of spice; chicken coated in heaps of ginger and garlic and fried with a generous scattering of curry leaves. The Akuthota family is known for giving back to the community and has hosted free lunches on Christmas Day for many years. Dine in at the restaurant Satya, or venture down next door’s dark alleyway with its canopy of cans to discover Chai Lounge. There, a shorter menu of South Indian street food is accompanied by a banging drinks list that hinges on hundreds of craft beers by the can.Paradise Paradise in Sandringham. Photo / Anna King ShahabAfter putting Hyderabadi cuisine on the map in Auckland, Paradise has grown into a mini-empire with half a dozen or so outlets in the village (dine in, takeaway, buffet, party spot, kebab joint, savoury and sweet bakery – it all gets a bit confusing!). To strip it back to basics and taste what sparked the passion, head to Paradise and choose the dine-in restaurant or takeaway side. Don’t skip ordering naan or tandoori chicken, which you can watch chefs cooking out front throughout the evening. The Hyderabadi dum biryani, chicken 65, and bright green hara bhara chicken are all signature dishes to try before exploring the extensive menus further.Bawarchi Bawarchi in Sandringham. Photo / Anna King Shahab.A few doors down the strip, Bawarchi also specialises in Hyderabadi fare with a menu similar to Paradise. Many Sandringham regulars prefer one over the other, or rate certain dishes at each (for me, the lollipop chicken at Paradise is the best; the dum biryani at Bawarchi has the edge). Auckland Indian Sweets & Snacks If your experience of Indian snacks is a pack of mild bhuja mix that’s been languishing on a supermarket shelf for months, the fresh-made mixes at this snack and sweet shop will blow your mind. You buy by the gram so you can afford to try a few selections to gauge favourites. The same goes for the sweets – explore whether you’re more enamoured with cardamom-spiked barfi or toffee-sweet jalebi. Food Trucks Food trucks in Sandringham. Photo / Anna King ShahabAs the sun sets, the pop-up food trucks perched near the corner of Calgary and Sandringham Roads come alive, forming a micro-hub for food so fresh it’s handed straight from the fire into your lucky hand. Currently, there are dosas, biryanis, Mumbai-style chowpatty (an extensive range of snacks), steamed and fried momo, vada pav, and fragrant cups of masala to wash it all down with. Madras Cafe Madras Cafe in Sandringham. Photo / Anna King Shahab. Madras Cafe in Sandringham. Photo / Anna King Shahab.Named for the former capital of Tamil Nadu (now Chennai), this cafe deserves an award for the largest menu served in the most petite spot. Dozens of dosas are filled or crisped up in ghee, served with requisite sauces – or perhaps you’re in the mood for appam or uthapam instead? Or explore the range of curries which you can combine with rice or paratha (the chicken with mint and coriander with paratha pictured above is dreamy). Sip on a mango or rose falooda as you go. So much of the menu is vegetarian, but with meat also on offer, this is a great spot for groups with mixed needs. 580 Sandringham Rd, Madrascafe.co.nzSt Anthony’s St Anthony's in Sandringham. Photo / Anna King ShahabSri Lankans take the art of snacking seriously, with a repertoire of what’s known as “short eats”, a beloved part of the food culture. All the favourites are on offer at St Anthony’s, including soft buns stuffed with various fillings, roti, crumbed and fried rolls and cutlets, samosas and deep-fried wade patties. Priced between $1.50 and $4.50 a pop, you can afford to explore; just be aware, many short eats pack a heat punch. Also on offer are ready-made meals including rice and curry, idli and sambar, string hoppers and pittu, a must-try if you like coconut: steamed coconut and rice flour cakes to dunk into rich gravy. 507 Bar & Eatery A trusty brick-and-tile home on the edge of the village has been converted into a stylish, licensed bistro with an extensive terraced dining area. It’s open from breakfast to dinner, and the owners are determined to price meals to encourage families to head out for a treat. Pizzas land around $22 (the paneer tikka pizza is a favourite), a 400g rib-eye steak, by some magic trick, is sent out to your table for just $40. Screens make it a popular pick on game days.Lord KitchenerLord Kitchener has all your British-inspired pub favourites. Photo / Babiche Martens“The Kitchener”, as locals know it, marries UK pub nostalgia with a leafy greenhouse atmosphere, and a food offering that quietly punches above what you might expect. Hearty steaks and burgers come on wooden boards; there’s even a gammon steak, from nearby Pirie’s butchery, proudly served with a fried egg and pineapple. The rotating Sunday roast with roast veggies and trimmings is so popular you need to book in for it. And Ireland has entered the chat – if it’s a spice bag you seek, you shall find it here. 6 Kitchener Rd, lordkitchener.co.nzSandringham South Tianze Where busy Sandringham and Mt Albert Rds cross paths, look for the bright red frontage to find the locals’ favourite Chinese joint, Tianze. Its Sichuan and northern Chinese dishes are particularly good – juicy dumplings and steamed buns, glistening red mapo tofu, and double-cooked pork slices, a much fancier version of sweet and sour pork, with none of the glug. 695 Sandringham Rd, facebook.com/tianzedumplingWesley Market Despite this market running for more than 30 years, even many Aucklanders have never heard of it. That’s partly because it’s a weekday affair, running every Tuesday and Friday from 7.30am until 1pm; but if you’re not tied to the usual nine to five, this is a great market to shop regularly at. It’s nowhere near as large as counterparts like Avondale and Ōtara, yet has whatever produce you’re looking for, and much more. Among the colourful bustle, with a siren beats soundtrack, you’ll find spray-free Northland citrus, mud-flecked freshly harvested potatoes and tomatoes from Drury, beans from an African grower, shelled on the spot. When cherries start to hit their stride, they’re here in huge boxes at unbeatable prices, and in late summer the market is buried under mounds of watermelon. Dozens of stallholders with just one meagre table proffer bunches of homegrown herbs, from rosemary to Thai holy basil.Sandringham North Everyday Coffee Everyday Coffee in Sandringham. Photo / Anna King Shahab.This cute cafe feels like the living room of your coolest auntie or uncle. Its back wall is dedicated to reading material and vintage vinyl, while up by the counter, an array of tasty products made in NZ and the Pacific: from Niue honey to Aunty Tommy’s Koko, Spill Tea and Thea Ceramics. The cabinet features springy focaccia with toppings, and hearty cookies baked in-house. Bagels filled or schmeared are the mainstay, and if you opt for the Stan Deluxe, the quantity of pastrami, kraut, cream cheese and drippy mustard will fill you up for hours. Okra Okra cafe in Sandringham. Photo / Anna King ShahabOn the corner of Ethel St, Okra has been playing the cafe game for decades, and a recent glow-up has given it a lovely earthy palette and mid-century vibe. On a sunny day, the tables on the north corner are the ones to bag. The menu covers all the cafe classics, with occasional Vietnamese surprises – the beef pho shouldn’t be hesitated over.Zood Zood in Sandringham. Photo / Anna King Shahab.Zippy, zesty flavours from central Thailand are the star of the show at this bijou eatery. Boat noodles are the signature: a deeply aromatic, herbs-and-spices-rich broth packed with tender beef or pork, springy meatballs, and delicate rice noodles – order for one or grab a crew and get the sharing portion with three types of noodles. If you covet dry noodles, don’t miss the spicy pork with egg noodles – generously loaded with pork in several forms, with a dark, sticky, sweet-spicy sauce that coats the noodles just so.Silverlake Deep Fried Bread Those in the know cross town to get what they consider the best youtiao around. These Chinese fried bread sticks are made fresh daily and sell out, so don’t dilly-dally. Complete the breakfast experience with a bowl of Taiwanese-style congee to dip the bread into.Private Indian Food Walk Perzen Patel, a food writer and purveyor of the Dolly Mumma range of curry pastes and spice blends, runs a Sandringham walking tour for keen food lovers, bookable for two to 12 people. Grab a group of friends and let Perzen walk you through the village after dark, tasting your way through different Indian states and learning about the history of dishes as you go. Perzen is an engaging and knowledgeable host, and even those who think they know the village will learn plenty.More neighbourhood dining guides