Alma Britomart Review: The Table That Hasn’t Slipped
Image: Alma Restaurant Auckland
Alma has been part of Britomart’s dining landscape for years now. But unlike other Auckland waterfront restaurants, the standards haven't slipped.
Set on the corner of Gore and Tyler Streets, the room is layered with exposed brick, hand-painted tiles and an open hearth that drives the menu. By day, light moves across the tiled bar. By night, the coals take over.
The layout isn’t perfect. Some tables sit tight against the glass, others close enough that you’ll catch the conversation next to you. But the food is strong enough that you stop noticing. If you can, book the large back table for groups. On a clear day, ask for a seat outside.
The fit-out, designed by Jack McKinney Architects, avoids heavy-handed theming. It feels organic rather than overstyled. Brickwork, tile, timber, and that open fire grounding the space. It’s a room built for Auckland's rainy Winter nights.
Image: Alma’s bar area
At the helm of Alma’s kitchen you’ll find Chef Jo Pearson. Named one of the Top 50 Women in Food & Drink Aotearoa New Zealand. One of the country’s most respected female chefs, she has long championed farm-to-table cooking.
At Alma, that translates into Andalusian-influenced dishes built around seasonal local produce. Alongside partner Natasha Parkinson, Pearson earned two hats at the Cuisine Good Food Awards and continues to shape one of the most consistent kitchens in the city.
Image: Crayfish tail, al ajillo
We started with the Tuna crudo with piquillo pepper. It was clean and punchy. The anchovy and tomato tostada is still a must-order. Salty, rich, and perfect with a Spanish red. If you don’t order it, you’ll watch another table do exactly that.
Meanwhile the Queso fresco empanada with honey and rosemary balances savoury and sweet without tipping too far either way.
Image: The lamb with tahina, and Potatoes with chilli and aioli
From the larger plates, market fish with fennel escabeche and mojo verde is handled properly. Light, fresh, and citrusy. Chicken with harissa carries more depth with a moorish ajo blanco sauce. The lamb with tahina, beetroot and zhoug is the dish to build your order around. Smoky, melt-in-your-mouth meat, generously served.
Sides matter here. Tomato with yoghurt and pimentón. Potatoes with chilli and aioli. Order both. The potato with chilli and aioli is one of the best vegetable dishes in the city. Soft-centred, lightly charred, layered with heat and lifted by aioli. It looks simple. It isn’t.
Dessert is slightly hit or miss. Rhubarb with citrus and meringue is bright and well balanced. The chocolate and espresso tarta delivers if you want something decadent to finish. There’s also bay flan, syrupy, sweet, faintly herby. Personally, I’d take the espresso martini over the flan any day.
For groups, there’s a $95 per person set menu, typically featuring tuna crudo, anchovy tostada, queso fresco empanada, market fish, chicken, lamb, tomato salad and potatoes, with dessert to finish. A solid option if you’d rather leave the ordering to the kitchen and spend the night yapping over wine.
The wine list is decisively Spanish, Manzanilla, Fino, Palo Cortado, Pedro Ximénez. A proper line-up. If you’re ordering anchovies and tostada, start with sherry.
Cocktails follow suit. Tomato with Manzanilla and vodka. Orange with gin, saffron and oregano. Espresso with PX. You could default to Rioja, and you’d be fine, but Alma is one of the few places in Auckland where sipping on Spanish varietals makes more sense than playing it safe.
Alma remains one of Britomart’s most reliable tables for a social night of Spanish reds and serious food.
When to go: Saturday lunch or early evening before the room fills.
Perfect for: Long lunches, group dinners and anyone who orders anchovies without hesitation.
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