The Kimchi Project








MondayClosed.
Tuesday11:30 am – 2:30 pm, 5:00 – 8:30 pm.
Wednesday11:30 am – 2:30 pm, 5:00 – 8:30 pm.
Thursday11:30 am – 2:30 pm, 5:00 – 8:30 pm.
Friday11:30 am – 2:30 pm, 5:00 – 8:30 pm.
Saturday11:30 am – 2:30 pm, 5:00 – 8:30 pm.
Sunday11:30 am – 2:30 pm, 5:00 – 8:30 pm.
This is possibly the most wonderful cafe/restaurant you will go to this year. The Kimchi Project offers Korean inspired breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner with a menu full of delicious surprises (without forgetting more classic meals for the dedicated conservative).
Re-imagine food- ‘waffle fries’ = pan-fried kimchi, sriacha yogurt and bacon, or experiment with classic Korean desserts- red bean puree, vanilla and lychee. Crab buns, mushroom buns, tempura chicken buns and off course- pork buns. They also offer a kids menu with some less daring options.
The restaurant looks like a small CBD cafe from the entrance, and there are a number of tables in the front in a café style layout serving delicious Red Rabbit coffee, smoothies, matcha lattes, and Noble and Savage tea. But if you venture further, you’ll find a courtyard out the back with an open glass roof and walls covered with foliage with an air of an oriental paradise.
You’ll be looking for any excuse to get taken to Kimchi- work functions, birthday parties, quiet dates, coffee catch ups, breakfasts, anniversaries, desserts, cocktails. Tuatara beer, Garage Project cans, Asahi on tap, and a range of wines and cocktails are available in the beautiful courtyard bar.
The perfect spot for those trying to uptake the intake of probiotics- there’s a million ways to eat kimchi here- and the spicy delicious fermented cabbage is sprinkled all over the menu. But don’t fear if that’s not your appeal- there are many other Asian fusion dishes on the menu. Worth the trip downtown for those dwelling in the suburbs (you may find yourself coming from as far as Orewa)- there isn’t anything like this in Auckland. No one can get enough of Kimchi.
Words by Abigail Egden & Photography by Sable Heath
Information not correct? Report an error
Location
20 Lorne St, Auckland
Nearby Places
Hotel Britomart

Contemporary and chic, The Hotel Britomart opened in October 2020, but its journey had started long before.
Best Ugly Bagels Auckland

Another culinary gem hidden in the labyrinthine City Works Depot.
Similar Places
Bowl and Arrow

Nestled in the Orakei Village Complex, Hannah Bryan and Leisha Rae are making their delicious smoothie bowls, juices and healthy baked treats at Bowl and Arrow.
Culprit

Tucked away up a narrow central Auckland staircase lies Culprit, a trendy and sophisticated inner city hideout serving nostalgic New Zealand cuisine with a modern global edge.
Little ‘Lato

Even in a city full of ice cream spots, Little ‘Lato is worth crossing town for.




