Street Eats was today and there’s still half an hour to get yourself down to Shed 10 at Queen’s Wharf if you’re wondering what to do for dinner today.
I went early when there were no lines for food, though it filled out quickly and by noon, there were long quick moving lines snaking their way around Shed 10. Reports from my sister a few minutes ago confirmed that many of the prized dishes were sold out.
The ambience was delicious chaos and the music was surprisingly good.
There were many delicious things to eat. So many happy people tucking in to really good food. I kind of wished I could have fit more in my belly. I really wanted to fit in the Wagu Burger and duck fat fries (The Grill) but it was not to be. My friends and I managed to get through a few dishes and I ended up spending $21 on food and $6 on a beer. I spent more than last year but only by a fraction. With free entry, this popular event is friendly on the wallet too.
The restaurants represented were different from last year, though there were a couple of familiar ones. Dishes ranged from $2 to $10. A bargain and a fun way to try food from a bunch of different kitchens. All in all a great day with stunning weather and even better than last year’s event.
Some of the dishes we tried:
- Besos Latinos: “Huarache” foot-long taco and Mexican drinks
- Mexico: Ceviche
- Merchants of Venice: Bomboloni (Tuscan Doughnuts)
- Toto: Metre long pizza (by the slice)
- Orleans: Louisiana 3 Bean Chili
- Silver Fern Farms: Eye fillet, polenta chips and truffled mayo
- Ima Cuisine: Falafel shawarma
- Thai Street: Spring rolls and pork balls
My favourite dishes were:
- “Huarache” foot-long taco from Besos Latinos. Really tasty and the corn tortilla was so fresh and lovely.
- Ceveiche from Mexico. I’d had this dish at Mexico before but their Street Eats version was extra beautiful with fresh edible flowers and the addition of pork crackling or chicharrón. This might have caught people who do not eat meat or pork off-guard.
- Eye fillet, polenta chips and truffled mayo from Silver Fern Farms. All cooked perfectly. The polenta chips were impossibly creamy in the middle and the truffled mayo…OMG.
Here is a photo dump of the event.
Tips for Street Eats
- Bring an appetite
- Bring a friend to share dishes with
- Bring cash (the EFTPOS line is 9652 miles long)
- Go early, before noon, as many places sell out early
- Park in the Viaduct $6 all day carpark or take public transport
- Bring a camera, you won’t be the only one snapping food pics. I promise!
- Be patient and enjoy
Thoughts on Street Eats
- This would be a wonderful 2 day event. Fingers crossed for next year!
- More stalls = shorter queues, more variety
- Utilise The Cloud somehow. More seating or music perhaps?
- It would be great if we could have taken our drinks outside in the outdoor area between Shed 10 and The Cloud instead of having to finish them inside.
- Street Eats should be moved to the beginning of Auckland Restaurant Month. Like how the Comedy Gala is at the start of The Comedy Festival. Kind of like a taste test of the month to come and to get people inspired to book and plan the month.
Bunny Eats Design 
Wow your photography skill is amazing. I took some pictures but nowhere as up close and personal as yours. I tried the chicken waffle at the Orleans and they were absolutely yummy. I would have liked the portion to be bigger though. Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos.
I considered Orleans chicken and waffles but have eaten them before at Orleans. I managed to eat mostly at restaurants I have not eaten at before.
Loved Street Eats – what a fab event and what a superb day for it 🙂
I had the Ceviche, Pork Tacos (Mexico), Beef Sliders (Monsoon Poon), Steak (Silver Fern Farms), and Crepes (La Garde Manger) – Awesome!
Wow – what a visual feast!! My mouth is watering.
Such a great event with even better food!! Awesome photos too!!
I wanted to go but no one wanted to come with me. 😦 Too bad I missed it!
Oh you should have gone anyway. It is easy to navigate on your own, even though it means you try less dishes.
God, this is ruining my ambition to eat clean!
Damn you Genie!!!
Haha. My friend said the same thing. Don’t worry I told her I will support her clean eating next month. Yours too.
mmm hmmm, you’d better…
Oh and, I LOVE the new look of your blog!! LOVE!
Thank you Dana.
Yes girl!
It’s cleaner in a concise sort of way.
I’m diggin it.
Yes I was going for simpler. Let the photos do the talking.
Exactly 🙂
Are you going to be cooking though? I’m waiting for some new recipes from you..
Yes, more cooking and healthy decision making.
Adore your photos! Such lovely photos amongst the chaotic setting! Beautiful!
Thanks!
Great photos! Everyone looked like they were having a great time! We had the waygu with polenta chips, gnocchi with slow-roasted lamb, pork and fennel arancini balls, chicken satay sticks and mushroom pizza from Totos.
Thanks for announcing Street Eats on your blog previously. I managed to pop by and it was amazing; I wouldn’t have known otherwise! 😀
Glad to be of service and glad you enjoyed it. I’m just flicking through my photos, wishing the event lasted more than one day. I suppose that is why I take photos…to relive happy events.
looks very awesome, and great photos!
Looks like it was good! We didn’t manage it this year as the little one has erratic naptimes during the day. I did hear some criticism of it though, that people thought it should be truer to real street eats and food trucks instead of restaurants showcasing their food. What do you think?
I like a bit of both. It was nice to be able to nibble on restaurant quality food alongside meat on sticks. I didn’t prefer one type over the other. There were 2 food trucks parked outside, The Food Truck and The Roaming Drive. They were quite lovely visually, it would have been great to have a whole convoy of food trucks outside.