5 of the Best Italian Restaurants in Auckland 2026

This guide to the best Italian restaurants in Auckland will help you discover everything from cheap and cheerful Italian takeaways, amazing food-fired pizzas in Newmarket to Italian fine dining across Auckland. Below I have listed some of the best Italian restaurants in Auckland, obviously this list isn’t exhaustive as I’m sure there are many other Italian restaurants in Auckland I have not yet discovered.

Italian dining is the best way to ensure everyone at the table gets a meal they’ll enjoy; from pasta’s with creamy or tomato bases, to pizzas with a variety of topping choices to perfect cuts of meat drizzled in sauces that make your taste buds pop.

Gusto Italiano, Ponsonby

Gusto Italiano is where you will find some of the most authentic Italian food in Auckland. Gusto was our original go to Italian restaurant and where our love for Italian dining in Auckland was ignited. Gusto Italiano is where you will find an intimate dining experience perfect for a first date, celebrate a loved one or even dine solo. The staff at this Ponsonby Italian restaurant are warm and welcoming, and if the conversation quietens down you can always turn your attention to the wood fired pizza blaring in the corner of the restaurant.

The menu at Gusto Italiano focuses on authentic and classic Italian dishes with fresh ingredients, featuring a fantastic range of meat dishes, pasta and Roman style pizzas. Serving gluten-free pasta options, Gusto is inclusive of dietary requirements where they can fulfil them.

Choose from wood-fired pizzas, delicious pastas or a selection of incredible cuts of meat and enjoy the atmosphere of an intimate Italian dining experience in Ponsonby.

Recommended dishes from Gusto:

• Pasta – Gnocchi Ripieni
• Pizza – Calzone

Al Forno, Takapuna

Al Forno is an extremely popular Italian restaurant on the North Shore and has always been a top contender for our date nights for the last 6 years. Sitting next door to Nippon Sake, this authentic Italian restaurant in Takapuna has a contemporary dining setting with attentive and friendly staff. Serving rich Italian and Mediterranean food using fresh and locally sourced ingredients, Al Forno should be on the top of your hit list if you’re craving puffy pizzas or the best cooked veal in creamy mushroom sauce.

Pair your meal with a choice of wine from some of the best regions in Italy, Australia and New Zealand, and finish your evening with an aperitif like lemoncello.

Recommended dishes from Al Forno:

• Pizza – Pollo, Calzone or Puglia
• Pasta – Gnocchi, Fettuccine Alfredo or Penne Pollo.
• Meat – Scaloppine Marsala, Pollo Albicocca or Filetto Senape.

Archies Pizzeria, Newmarket

Sitting on an unassuming corner of Davis Crescent and Short Street in the back of Newmarket is where Archies Pizza has called home for over 20 years. Open for lunch and dinner, Archies Pizzeria is the perfect pizza restaurant in Auckland to stop in for a quick bite for lunch or dine out for a celebration into the evening.

Archies is well-loved Italian restaurant in Auckland for its wood-fired pizzas of doughy bread with fresh toppings, but that doesn’t mean you should miss out on the pasta or meat options. Indulge in a prawn linguini or fettuccine pollo while have a pizza to share on the table. That way you get the best of both worlds!

Archies also supports BYO dining (Bring Your Own wine), for a small corkage fee you can bring your own bottle of wine to enjoy with your dinner. So i you’re looking for the best pizzas in Auckland then you should be considering heading to Archies Pizzeria in Newmarket.

Recommended dishes from Archies Pizzeria:

• Pizza – Al Salmone (my favourite), Pollo e Pesto or Alla Capricciosa

Amano, Auckland CBD

If you’re looking for Italian fine dining in Auckland, then look no further than Amano in Auckland City. Amano brings a rustic elegant dining option to downtown Auckland, sitting opposite the Waitemata Harbour within Britomart’s historic Seafarers building you will be dazzled with the large dining area that exudes a distinguished décor of marble bench tops and exposed concrete pillars.

Amano serves only seasonal and sustainable local produce from New Zealand growers and farmers, so you can feel confident that dining at this incredible Italian restaurant in Auckland means you are supporting farmers around New Zealand.

Recommended dishes from Amano:

• Pasta – Pappardelle or Spaghetti
• Meat – Duck Liver Pate or Venison Carpaccio

Amano Bakery

Since Italians are known for their love of bread and all things wheat, you can pick up a delicious morsel from the Amano Bakery next door to Amano restaurant. Everything from sourdoughs and ciabattas to tarts and pizzas fresh out of the oven. Purchase your morning coffee and a pastry to begin your day wandering through Auckland city.

Portofino

Established in 1980, Portofino has grown to be known as a great family-friendly Italian restaurant in Auckland and across New Zealand. The menu draws in inspirations from rich flavours of Northern Italy while using fresh ingredients sourced locally from around New Zealand.

Portofino has 14 locations around New Zealand and six of those being in Auckland – Portofino is a great choice if you’re looking for a great Italian restaurant to celebrate with a large family affair. From pasta and pizza and everything in between, there will be an Italian inspired meal at Portofino to feed even the pickiest of eaters.

I haven’t dined at Portofino in several years so I can’t personally recommend any dishes, but I do have a rough recollection of adoring their pasta.

Want to Get 50% off Your Next Meal?

If you are a little tight for money but want to treat someone special to a night out, this is when the website First Table saves the day! First Table allows you to dine at selected restaurants at selected times and you get 50% off your food! Over 453 Auckland restaurants are featured on First Table, everything from café delights to fine dining and hearty pub meals. Use my link to get $5 free credit!

First Table originally started as an idea to get people filling tables at restaurants early, hence the name ‘First Table’. As the program has grown, the conditions have evolved. Some restaurants have specific conditions in order for you to take advantage of the heavy discount; some only allow you to dine from the set menu (which is actually a bargain), while others have a condition that each person has to order one drink, and the drinks are all full priced. You can only book for a maximum of 4 people and there are specific times to dine as per the restaurants conditions on First Table.

First Table is a great way to explore new restaurants in Auckland and have a cheaper night out than usual. It is also a great way to support new and local Italian restaurants. So get booking one of the amazing Italian restaurants that feature on First Table!

Other Great Italian Restaurants in Auckland

Fortunately for my health and wallet, but unfortunately for my taste buds I haven’t indulged in all the amazing Italian restaurants in Auckland. Auckland has no shortage of incredibly authentic Italian food so be sure to support local and check out these following restaurants.

• Baduzzi, Auckland CBD
• Bivacco, Auckland CBD
• A Modo Mio, Auckland CBD
• Abruzzo Ristorante Italiano, Birkenhead
• El Greco, Campbells Bay
• Prego, Ponsonby

If you’re still stuck for ideas of where to dine, check out my other articles like the best Indian restaurants in Auckland or the best places to dine in Auckland. If you’re a cheap bastard (like me) then head to the website First Table for 50% off your meal, this way you can experience new flavours and not break the bank!

Other Amazing Restaurants in Auckland

Japanese Restaurants in Auckland

Check out these fantastic Japanese restaurants in Auckland to blow your taste buds with flavour, whether you’re looking for a fine dining restaurant or a casual lunch bar this list has them all.

• Masu by Nic Watt, Sky City
• Ebisu, Auckland CBD
• Mad Samurai, Auckland CBD
• Yume, Auckland CBD
• Tanukis Cave, Auckland CBD
• Ken Yakitori, Auckland CBD and Manukau
• Tokyo Bay, Takapuna
• Sora, Mt Eden
• Sakebar Nippon, Takapuna
• Takimi Mazesoba, Takapuna
• Renkon, Takapuna
• Tanpopo Ramen, Glenfield

Indian Restaurants in Auckland

These Indian restaurants in Auckland will leave you coming back for more, and probably unbuttoning your pants at the table. These are some of my favourite Indian restaurants so you can garuntee they are good.

• GOAT by Sid Chorpa, Auckland City
• Flying Rickshaw, Devonport
• Satya Chai Lounge, Sandringham
• KS Curry House, Birkenhead
• Hosbon Indian Takeaway, Auckland City
• Cassia, Auckland City
• 3 Nutmegs, Auckland City