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“Fine Dining at West Auckland's Best Kept Secret”

Chikos Restaurant and Cafe
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Ranked #1 of 51 Restaurants in Henderson
Price range: $20 - $50
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Restaurant details
Dining options: Reservations
Description: Chikos Restaurant and Cafe is an exciting elegant casual dining restaurant located in West Auckland. Pacific Rim Fusion cuisine with New Zealand's finest and freshest produce complimented by friendly service in a warm inviting atmosphere in modern decor design with Japanese influences, surrounding an open kitchen allowing you to view the creation of tantalizing dishes in front of your eyes
Reviewed 8 August 2023

The restaurant that we initially wanted to go to for lunch was fully booked, so we decided to look around for somewhere close by. By chance, I had seen this place on the way and we decided to give it a go.

The first thing that strikes you is the number of plants, both outside and inside. It is great to see plants used this way. The decor was strongly Japanese influenced, interesting and pleasant. As you entered there was a glass display case showcasing their desert selection. Nice!

I was a bit confused by the menu. Was this a Japanese fusion place, Mexican / Latin American fusion or something else? There was mention of "Pacific Rim" flavours. We ordered one entree (Pinegar - beef sirloin and soba noodles) and Pata Grande (crispy pork knuckles) - to make room for dessert.

The server asked if we were sharing and brought sharing plates. This is a nice gesture as most other places we have to specially ask for sharing plates.

Any concern about the menu was soon put to rest when the food arrived. The Pinegar had multiple levels of flavour. The steak cooked medium. The server didn't ask how we wanted the steak but medium suited us well as I like mine rare and my wife likes hers well done. So, she had the more cooked sides and I, the less cooked middle.

The Pata Grande was even better. The slow cooked pork knuckle was tender, yet with a crispy skin. Nicely accompanied by intricately pickled daikon and a coconut shrimp paste with an unami hit! We ordered the potato chips option but I think this would equally go well with the rice option.

It is such a pleasure to see a bold chef creating layers of deep flavours and textures that challenges established norms. What a breath of fresh air! We would definitely go back to try the other items on the menu.

Lastly, we ordered dessert. This was equally bold with literally multiple levels of different ingredients, ranging from coconut ice cream and shaved ice to custard. I have to say this one didn't quite hit the mark but I still appreciated the effort and thought that went into it.

Date of visit: August 2023
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Thank Ace_Traveller_NZ
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviews (269)
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8 - 12 of 269 reviews

Reviewed 17 July 2023

I came by for lunch to try it out since I was in the area. There is a parking lot for the shops in the area. It isn't very big but there were a fair number of parking spots. There are two doors into the restaurant but it seems that the one on the left is the main entrance. The doors slide open but it's not automatic. They do have a fair number of tables on both sides of the building.
The menu was quite interesting, with a range of Pacific and Asian inspired dishes. I grabbed the satay of the day as well as the pork belly inasal. The dishes were quite nice to look at. There were multiple components which made the plate a bit busy but the flavours were nice. The satay was lamb and it was grilled quite nicely. I enjoyed the pieces of wanton wrappers around the dish as well as the sticky black rice turon which was like a rice spring roll. Very interesting and nice with the satay. The pork belly inasal wasn't very fatty, which I was disappointed about. However, it was also quite juicy and not dry despite the lack of fat. It was reminiscent of a roast pork dinner with the root veges and mushroom sauce. They also did have a dessert cabinet but I had already left the table so possibly for next time.
It was a really nice place for some tasty-looking and delicious dishes.

Date of visit: July 2023
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank Acineto
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 7 July 2023

Love love love this restaurant. Best food in the country.Have never been disappointed.I bought avtakeout lunch of 2 items.
For $22 I had enough for dinner.Both dishes were packed with flavour and delicious. Everything on the menu is done with style art and passion. .

Date of visit: May 2023
    • Value
    • Service
    • Food
Thank Disibterested
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 10 June 2023

Wow. Mouth watering menu with plentiful servings. The chowder is delicious and filling, so go hungry. Shared mains allowed us to try multiple delights and we savoured every morsel. . Highly recommend.

Date of visit: May 2023
Thank Greynomad1965
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 17 December 2022 via mobile

Have been wanting to try this restaurant for a long time. Back in Kumeu for weekend and booked. We were certainly not disappointed, from the moment we walked in the staff are amazing and very knowledgeable about the menu. Wow the small shared platter, then our mains incredible. Unfortunately no room for desert. Next time we will just share a meal so we can fit in desert as they looked amazing. Food went perfectly with a Roaring Meg Pinot Gris.
Highly recommend this restaurant is a gem in the West.

Date of visit: December 2022
Thank redunn55
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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