There’s a reason Bivacco’s Sunday Feast has become one of Auckland’s most reliable weekend rituals. The waterfront setting, the sprawling Italian-inspired spread, the unhurried pace of an afternoon that refuses to end too soon. On Easter Sunday, the 5th of April, that ritual gets a seasonal twist, with the kitchen turning its weekly feast into a dedicated Easter celebration designed to bring the whole family to the table.
The format will be familiar to Feast regulars: an expansive buffet running from 11am to 4pm, anchored by Bivacco’s carvery, seafood station, woodfired pizzas, and the much-loved pasta wheel, where pipe rigate alla vodka is served to order from an aged parmesan wheel, a moment of theatre that alone justifies the trip to the Viaduct. Alongside these, expect the kind of antipasti spread that rewards multiple visits to the table. Cured meats, bocconcini, marinated artichokes, seasonal bruschetta. And a dessert station that leans hard into indulgence, from tiramisu and pavlova to a chocolate fountain with all the trimmings.
For Easter, the kitchen is adding a few seasonal highlights to the spread. A slow-cooked lamb shoulder with mint salsa verde and ricotta salata joins the carvery, alongside roasted Akaroa salmon at the seafood station. Freshly baked hot cross buns will be warm and ready throughout the afternoon, a new selection of cocktails has been crafted for the occasion, and Easter eggs will be scattered across the dessert offering for good measure.
What makes the Easter edition worth a special booking is what’s happening beyond the plates. While the adults settle into a long, unhurried lunch, ideally with one of Bivacco’s seasonal cocktails in hand, the younger members of the party can burn off energy with a dedicated Easter egg hunt, turning the afternoon into the kind of occasion that keeps everyone happy, from the five-year-olds to the grandparents.
At $85 per adult and $35 for under-12s, it’s priced for a proper family gathering. And with Bivacco’s DJs providing the soundtrack and the harbour as the backdrop, this is Easter Sunday lunch without the kitchen chaos or the coordination it usually demands. Easter Sunday sittings are limited, so gather the family and secure your spot sooner rather than later.
