After several chapters across the city, Cassia returns to central Auckland, opening a new permanent home, marking a confident return to the CBD for one of the city’s most celebrated restaurants, bringing one of Auckland’s most enduring dining institutions back into the heart of the city.
More than three years after being forced from its original home, when flooding destroyed its basement, Cassia returns with a mix of dishes that are reassuringly familiar, yet the restaurant itself represents a considerable shift.
Designed by Gerrick Numan of Millé, the new two-level, 120-seat restaurant takes a lighter, more open approach, with floor-to-ceiling windows connecting the dining room to Albert Street, alongside exposed brick, industrial detailing, warm lighting and three private dining rooms.
The restaurant’s most-loved dishes have returned, too, including the pani puri and alongside the much-loved Mughlai lamb chops, crisp eggplant sev puri and Massimo’s burrata with pickled chilli salan. Sahrawat has also introduced new dishes, including a tandoori chicken xacuti inspired by Goa. The dish combines smoky tandoori chicken with an aromatic xacuti of cassia, black pepper, star anise and dry red chilli, finished with the distinctive tang of black vinegar.
The timing feels particularly apt. As Albert Street enters a new phase ahead of the City Rail Link opening, Cassia’s arrival places Cassia firmly back in the heart of the city, ready for the next chapter to begin.
Open seven nights from 5 pm, with all-day dining from lunch on Thursdays and Fridays.
58 Albert Street
Auckland
