Baduzzi

There’s been a Renaissance (of sorts) of Auckland’s waterfront area, and one of the key players in that area’s rebirth is Baduzzi – the acclaimed Italian restaurant from local chef Ben Bayley and proprietor Michael Dearth.

Baduzzi is a stylish and slick operation, a hybrid: a cross between the traditions of authentic Italia and what you’d expect to find in one of the more stylish parts of NYC, with a few nods to our own Kiwi culture as well.

Baduzzi means ‘food for the people’ in Italian, and so it might come as little surprise that plates are designed to be shared. Handmade meatballs are the piece de résistance of the menu. The restaurant in fact describes itself as a meatball restaurant, but it’s so much more than that. The handmade pasta is not to be missed. In fact, there’s nothing on the menu that ought to be missed.
Lunch service kicks off at 11.30am and rolls late into the evening, so long leisurely lunches are very much provided for. Wine offerings are particularly impressive and provide good coverage of both New Zealand and Italy’s wine making regions. Wine comes priced by the glass (at affordable prices) and bottles are broken down into 40s, 60s and 80s (and priced accordingly).

With outdoor and patio seating, beautiful décor and immaculate service, there’s not much that misses a beat at Baduzzi..