Mijita

Latin American culture is synonymous with fun and flavour. Lucky for Havelock North dwellers, the arrival of Mijita (mee-hee-ta) has significantly reduced the travel time required to experience a taste of the region.

Tucked down the laneway off Joll Road, Mijita opened in December 2023 in a mood-boosting space as vibrant as the streets of Chile and Cuba. As soon as you walk in, you’re met with a colour palette designed to right any bad mood, thanks to a warm red ceiling, sunshine yellow tiles, twinkling star-shaped lights, and walls dressed up with Peruvian rugs and bright prints from Colombia. Having the architects from RTA Studio upstairs has certainly come in handy.

Jade and Rafael, together with their business partner Alejandro in Colombia, are the people behind Mijita. The couple returned to Aotearoa, Jade’s homeland, after spending several years building a successful culinary destination in Filandia, a tiny village in the Quindío region of Colombia. They decided to make Havelock North their new home, translating their rich experiences and deep knowledge of Latin American cuisine into this latest hospitality venture.

The tapas style menu is a celebration of punchy and zingy flavours, designed to share with your mijita (basically Spanish for bae) or favourite group of friends. You’ll find the usual suspects like tacos, ceviche and guacamole (perfectly executed, of course) alongside a discovery of modernised traditional dishes. Local and seasonal ingredients take priority in the kitchen, flavour-bomb sauces are made onsite, and Hawke’s Bay producers pop out on the menu, including Matangi Angus Beef and Hands Down tortillas. The house-made chilli sauce is so good they’ve bottled it up – so don’t leave without one in hand. 

Like any good Latin American restaurant, cocktails get as much attention as the food. All of the mixers, from mint and cucumber to pineapple and cacao syrup, are made in the kitchen to form an exciting menu shaken and stirred right in front of you at the bar. Whether you like your margarita traditional or spiked with green chilli, you’ll be wanting more than one.

With an outdoor area that fills with friends in summer, a dining room that mimics the sunshine all year round, and the friendliest team around, we’ll eat our hat if you don’t have a fun night at Mijita.