Mezze Bar

4_half star rating 22 reviews

Telephone 09-307 2029

9 Durham St East
Auckland Central
Auckland City

Cuisine:
Cafe, Mediterranean, Breakfast, Tapas
Hours:
Mon 7am - 10pm
Tue 7am - 10:30pm
Wed - Thu 7am - 11pm
Fri 7am - Late
Sat 10am - Late
Sun 11am - 10pm
DJ Josh On Decks

Jazz, Soul, Funk, Grooves
from Josh on Decks
Real Vinyl records
from 6:30pm
Saturday Evenings

Announced 2 months ago
Provided by business

Overview

Mezze Bar offers relaxed and unpretentious meals and drinks in the heart of Auckland’s CBD. From simple tasty morsels of tapas & mezze, to complete meals, you can also enjoy their legendary espresso coffee and cakes (all made in house), or a hand-selected range of wine, beer, etc, in the fully licensed eatery. Created two decades ago by Sal, Ed and Clare, the Mezze Bar has become an Auckland icon. These three kiwis returned home after their OE travels had taken them all around the Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa. Inspired by the tastes, sights and hospitality that they encountered along the way, the three launched the Mezze Bar (originally the Merchant Mezze Bar, formerly located further up Queen St, named after the stall holders who peddled their goods at roadside bazaars, markets and ‘souks’). “We loved the fresh, humble food that real people ate every day, and their relaxed way of dining for hours in the company of family and friends. The Mezze’s present location is a buzzing, handy place, ideal for pre- and post- show going, or even just a calming oasis from the city outside, with its homely ambience.

Photos

Photo of Mezze Bar
Turkish breakfast plate

More Information

Categories:
Wine Bars, Restaurants, Cafes
Takeaways:
Yes
Parking:
Pay, Pay & Display
Price Range:
Moderate, $15 - $25
Attire:
Casual
Good For Groups:
Yes
WI-FI:
Free
Alcohol:
Beer, Wine, Spirits, Cocktails
BYO/Corkage:
No BYO
Takes Reservations:
Yes
Dietary Restrictions:
Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Halal
Meals Served:
Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Late Night, Dessert
Payment Types:
EFTPOS, Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, Diners
Seating For:
80

Reviews for Mezze Bar

4 star rating
by Kate
19th May 2013

This place has good food and a cool atmosphere. not many in the city like this I reckon. The staff were pretty good and did a good job considering it was quite busy. Will go back again!

4 star rating
by Jenice A.
16th March 2013

Love this place! Their dishes are great and their coffee especially cappuccino are great too. Love their atmosphere at night.

5 star rating
by Monica C.
16th February 2013

Great place to go in town for food. I particularly like the Mezze dips with bread and lamb kebabs together which are both delicious and very filling. Food is well presented and quite unique with choices from tapas to filling meals. Service is good and the place has a cozy, relaxed vibe great for any occasion.

4 star rating
by Keith E.
10th February 2013

Very Mediterranean. Visited Mezze bar on a Saturday night. Was unsure when walking up to the door but once viewed inside it felt welcoming. A mixture of adult dinners with a relaxed vibe. Ate of the tappas menu sharing a variety of taster plates. All very tasty, well cooked and presented. Our waitress was very good, never pushy but always attentive. One of the most relaxed eateries in Auckland city that we have visited. Very good selection of beverages and no rush to leave the table once eaten. Did have desert that again was nice and good value. Have been lucky enough to visit Europe many times and Mezze bar brought back memories of relaxed evenings by the Mediterranean.

5 star rating
by KSW
13th December 2012

This is one of best places to go in Auckland City.

Great ambience, friendly staffs, delightful beverage options.

Strongly recommend sangria, this is one of place who does proper sangria.

I highly recommend, especially if you’ve been to Spain and have high expectations or someone who is looking for their new favourite place :)

5 star rating
by Aiman B.
2nd September 2012

I absolutely love this place!

After getting very disappointing patatas bravas and sangria at the Spanish restaurant in Mission Bay, I knew it was time to go back to Mezze.

Great ambience, great service and best of all, delightful food!!! There were 3 of us, and we ordered 4 tapas and 1.5 L of sangria. We got the patatas bravas, feta (came with the most delicious bread), tortilla espanola and the hummus one.

The sangria was exactly how it should be.

The waitress was very patient with us as she split the bill 3 ways, and they were great at taking away dishes one by one as we finished.

I highly recommend, especially if you’ve been to Spain and have high expectations. This is the best it gets in Auckland :)

5 star rating
by Louise B.
26th June 2012

Absolutely love this place. Never disappoints.

Great for brunch, a coffee & cake for afternoon tea or tapas style dining in the evening with the girls.

Warm & friendly, this place oozes atmosphere.

4 star rating
by Amy
14th June 2012

Went there for coffee and cake with a couple of friends today.

Coffee good, but the cakes are so so so good! We had the chocolate cake, carrot cake and berry and custard cake. I loved the berry and custard cake, carrot cake not too bad as well! Chocolate cake is ok for me.

Heard a friend say that their tapas and other foods are good too! But will definitely go and try their cakes again! Yum!

4 star rating
by sallybrown
29th April 2012

Great place for a coffee on one of those rainy days in the inner city that we are about to have lots of soon!

4 star rating
by ellie
28th April 2012

Have been here more times than I can count, as they are the only decent cafe style, sit-and-chat-in-pleasant-surroundings place in the city, really. Love the food (although once it was too salty to eat, when they refunded me) love the desserts, love the space. LOVE the hours, it feels like Auckland is a grown up real city when you can have a coffee after 8 pm. ( that isn’t from starbucks/esquires)
You may need to book a space if going between 5.30-8.30. Its really loud, so not so good for some people. You have to order at the counter, and this can take quite some time!
Last time I ran a tab, we moved tables, and instead of looking for us, I discovered when I went to pay that they had just decided we’d left and billed my credit card anyway. I no longer run tabs there.
Dishes start at about $12, and you’ll need a couple each. Or just grab coffee or wine, and a piece of the most glorious lemon tart ever. They specialize in sexy young Euro waitstaff, which is nice.

5 star rating
by Nyl C.
22nd April 2012

The only place I go for iced coffee. Truly the best in Auckland city – ice cream and real coffee. I’ve never tried their selection of tea before, but they come greatly recommended by friends. The selection of desserts is impressive, and the buttermilk chocolate cake is delightful.

Wil try their tapas soon!

Excellent ambience and great service too!

5 star rating
by Joni M.
26th March 2012

My absolute favourite place to go for tapas. So relaxing and unpretentious unlike many other tapas restaurants in Auckland. Quality ingredients, really tasty food, great service, great wine. Every time I visit I find something new to try and love.

5 star rating
by Selina C.
9th October 2011

This is quite a find and a really fantastic place to have coffee, chocolate, or lunch in town..cosy, good atmosphere, with a bit of a view over Queen St. The food is really good and it’s everything a casual bar should be.

5 star rating
by bonsai
9th June 2011

The Mezze Bar is one of my favourite places to eat in Auckland. I’ve been going there almost since it opened, way back when it was next to Real Groovy. While the service can be a little abrupt, the food always comes out fast and is reliably good. A lot of people dislike having to order at the bar, but for me it’s a blessing – I can grab a coffee and cake and disappear into a book during the quieter daytime hours and no-one hassles me. The chocolate buttermilk cake is especially divine, and the atmosphere is cosy yet cosmopolitan, with a view of some great, usually unnoticed, Auckland architecture. A home away from home :)

5 star rating
by Maree
31st May 2011

This is my partners favorite place and I LOVE this place now too… Yummy tapas… Great, friendly service… Lovely atmosphere :-)

This is not a quiet restaurant, but who cares, food is GREAT!!!! :-)

4 star rating
by Sam
21st October 2010

Love the vibe in this place, always busy, never full of people young enough to make me feel I should be out with my Zimmer frame! Gotta love that! Auckland clearly appreciates this great little tapas bar with it’s extensive wine offerings (by the glass) and scrummy food plates, and why wouldn’t they? A firm favourite. Try the Chicken Liver pate – delish!!!!

5 star rating
by orly
7th September 2010

the best place in auckland!!!

4 star rating
by Theresa C.
1st May 2010

My boyfriend and I went to Mezze Bar yesterday, a Friday night. It was packed and good to see that they do really reserve tables for people who booked. It’s a very casual and lively environment. The waiters and waitresses were very friendly. I ordered Spanish Meatballs and my boyfriend ordered Caesar Salad. It didn’t take long for the orders to arrive and they both tasted very good. The portions were just right.

Bear in mind that it’s not a place to stay and have quiet talks. It didn’t bother us much though because we were going to move on anyway.

Great place. I will definitely go to Mezze Bar again.

3 star rating
by han
9th March 2010

good place to go for lunch with a bunch of workmates. had a really good meal there.

5 star rating
by FP
2nd April 2008

Now this is what I call a great restaurant with delicious food. I’ve tried several meals on the menu, and so far they’ve all been really great. The different flavours are so well balanced and the Maroccan fish really tasted as if it was from Maroc!

Also the desserts are fantastic!

5 star rating
by Karen G.
27th April 2007

Fantastic food.
When I was overseas I used to dream of their famous chocolate torte, with berries on the side. Last time I had it, late last year, it was still just as wonderful.

I think I liked the atmosphere in the old Merchant Mezze Bar better (before they moved from the corner of Queen St & Mayoral Dr). . . however, the food is still as fabulous. And I guess the seats are more comfortable, the toilets are cleaner . . . and instead of wandering up the road to Real Groovy for a browse, you can wander into Whitcoulls.

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