Sunday, 10th May, is the one day of the year when a “thanks for everything” text simply won’t cut it. Fortunately, Auckland’s best restaurants have risen to the occasion with set menus, special offerings, and the kind of considered hospitality that will make you look like the favourite child. Here’s where to book.

Andiamo

The Herne Bay Italian is pulling out all the stops with a three-course set menu for lunch, running from 11am to 3pm. Think entree, main, and dessert, with a glass of G.H.Mumm Grand Cordon Rosé on arrival to set the tone before anyone has even unfolded a napkin. At $99 per person, it’s the kind of afternoon that earns you serious goodwill. A kids menu is available for the little ones, and for those who prefer an evening celebration, the full à la carte menu returns from 5pm.

Offering: 11am–3pm (set menu) | From 5pm (à la carte) | $99pp
Book here.

Azabu Mission Bay

Azabu’s Mission Bay outpost is serving a special all-day set menu for $95 per person, featuring a sharing-style selection of Azabu favourites. It’s the kind of meal designed for reaching across the table, and for convincing your mum that you do, in fact, have excellent taste. A kids menu is available for guests aged 12 and under. Note that all seatings are limited to two hours.

Offering: All day | $95pp sharing set menu | Kids menu available (12 and under) | 2-hour seatings
Book here.

Trivet

Trivet is going big for Mother’s Day with a Kai-Moana-Pasifika buffet lunch that draws on the flavours of Aotearoa and the Pacific. The spread includes a fresh raw seafood bar, umu-style meats, and comforting staples like pauasami, roasted lamb leg, and kumara, the kind of food that feels like home whether you grew up with it or you’re discovering it for the first time. Mum gets a complimentary cocktail on arrival, which is a strong start to any Sunday. Gather the whanau and settle in.

Offering: 12.30pm–1.30pm | $95pp | Complimentary cocktail for Mum on arrival
Book here.

Somm

Somm is offering a three-course set menu across both lunch and dinner at $80 per person, a price point that leaves plenty of room to add a glass of G.H.Mumm Marlborough Brut Cuvée at a special $13 per glass. The à la carte menu runs alongside the set offering, though pizzas won’t be available on the day, so plan your orders accordingly. A kids menu is on hand for younger guests.

Offering: Lunch & dinner | $80pp | G.H.Mumm Brut Cuvée $13/glass
Book here.

Metita

This is the one to watch. Named after chef Michael Meredith’s mother, Metita is bringing back a very special Toana’i, a Pacific Sunday feast steeped in family, memory, and the flavours of home. The menu draws inspiration from her profound influence on Michael’s upbringing and honours her legacy through each dish. The offering includes bubbles or a non-alcoholic drink on arrival, followed by a three-course sharing menu. At $110 per person with a minimum of two guests, this is Mother’s Day dining with genuine meaning behind it.

Offering: 12pm–5pm (last booking 4pm) | $110pp, minimum 2 guests | Includes bubbles on arrival
Book here.

Jervois Steak House

If your mum is the type who appreciates a properly cooked steak and a glass of something celebratory, JSH Auckland has you covered for lunch service this Mother’s Day. G.H.Mumm Grand Cordon Rouge will be poured at a special price of $20 per glass, which is as good an excuse as any to raise a toast to the woman who raised you.

Offering: Lunch service | G.H.Mumm Grand Cordon Rouge $20/glass
Book here.

Soul Bar & Bistro

Soul is open all day, from 11am through to 10pm, with its full à la carte menu available for both lunch and dinner. The standout offer here is a champagne upgrade: order a bottle of G.H.Mumm Grand Cordon and it will be upgraded to a G.H.Mumm Cordon Rosé, which is the kind of gesture that pairs well with the warm, impeccable Soul service the Viaduct institution is known for. A kids menu is available at $25.

Offering: 11am–10pm | Full à la carte | Kids menu $25
Book here.

Advieh

Advieh is offering two ways to celebrate, and both are worth your attention. The first is a Mother’s Day High Tea from 2pm to 4pm, a refined spread of delicate savouries, seasonal sweets, and signature Advieh touches paired with a glass of Ruinart Champagne. At $89 per person, it’s a limited-time debut designed specifically for the occasion.

For those after something more substantial, a specially curated three-course banquet menu is available for both lunch and dinner at $119 per person, with a glass of Monmousseau Crémant Rosé on arrival. The menu moves through yellow split pea hummus, John Dory on the bone, and a spiced artichoke cake, the kind of dishes that feel generous and considered without trying too hard. Book one or book both, your mum won’t complain either way.

Offering: High Tea: 2pm–4pm | $89pp (includes Ruinart Champagne) | Banquet: Lunch & dinner | $119pp (includes Crémant Rosé on arrival)
Book here:

Bravo at Cracker Bay

If Mother’s Day with young children sounds like it requires military-grade logistics, Bravo at Cracker Bay is the venue that makes it easy. The waterfront setting does most of the heavy lifting, with a fenced play area and an arcade room keeping the kids occupied while the adults settle into a long, unhurried meal by the water. The everyday menu is available all day, from breakfast through to a relaxed lunch or dinner, with a dedicated kids menu to keep everyone happy. No special set menu here, just a genuinely family-friendly spot where your mum can actually sit down, enjoy her food, and feel celebrated without anyone having a meltdown.

Offering: Breakfast, lunch & dinner | Everyday menu | Kids menu available
Book here.

Azabu Ponsonby

The Ponsonby original is running the same $95 per person all-day sharing set menu as its Mission Bay sibling, with the same two-hour seating window and kids menu for guests 12 and under. When booking, specify the number of children in the booking notes.

Offering: All day | $95pp sharing set menu | Kids menu available (12 and under) | 2-hour seatings
Book here.

Ebisu

Ebisu is going all in with an unlimited sushi, sashimi, and Japanese-inspired buffet from 11am to 4pm. At $85 per person (half price for kids), the offering spans market-fresh sushi and sashimi, a noodle station with soba and poached prawn cocktail, a rotating selection of hot dishes including Big Glory Bay salmon, market fish with yuzu miso, and teriyaki roasted beef, plus desserts like honey coconut custard and chocolate brownie. Last sitting is at 2pm, so book accordingly.

Offering: 11am–4pm | $85pp (half price for kids) | Last sitting 2pm
Book here.

Gilt

Gilt is open for lunch this Mother’s Day, serving its all-day menu of favourites, think King Crab Pappardelle, Sicilian Crudo, and Chocolate Torte, alongside a few specials created for the occasion, including a Tortellini en brodo with mortadella and Parmesan. Secure your place in the good books while you’re at it.

Offering: Lunch | All-day menu plus Mother’s Day specials
Book here.

Huami

Huami is offering two ways to celebrate. For lunch, a bottomless yum cha from 11.30am to 2pm, where the whole family gathers around the lazy susan for an afternoon of endless dim sum and dumplings, from prawn dumplings with wild bamboo shoot to the signature Tabasco prawn toast and Shanghai xiao long bao. Each guest starts with a soup on arrival, plus a crispy duck salad and fruit platter for the table. Bookings are required, with a 1.5-hour dining window.

For dinner, a four-course set menu at $99 per person moves through dim sum, Buddha jump wall soup, crispy duck salad, charcoal-grilled beef ribs with Manuka honey, and a citrus dessert of lemon confit, mascarpone cheesecake, and mint sorbet. À la carte is also available.

Offering: Lunch: 11.30am–2pm (bottomless yum cha, bookings required, 1.5 hours) | Dinner: 5.30pm–9.30pm ($99pp set menu or à la carte)
Book here.

Non Solo Pizza

Non Solo Pizza’s Italian Long Lunch is back for Mother’s Day, and at $55 per person it’s one of the most approachable ways to treat your mum to a proper Italian spread in Parnell. For those who’d rather order their own way, the full à la carte menu is also available for both lunch and dinner. Either way, it’s the kind of afternoon where the table gets loud, the wine keeps flowing, and everyone leaves a little happier than they arrived.

Offering: Italian Long Lunch $55pp | À la carte also available for lunch & dinner
Book here.

Masu

MASU is welcoming families for Mother’s Day with its full à la carte menu of Japanese favourites, from maki rolls and crispy tempura to fresh sashimi and beyond. If your mum’s idea of a perfect Sunday involves exceptional Japanese food in a striking dining room, this is the booking to make.

Offering: À la carte | Sunday 10th May
Book here.

Origine

Origine’s Mother’s Day set menu is built for sharing and priced at $69 per person, which, for what you’re getting, is quietly one of the strongest value propositions on this list. The menu opens with a duck liver parfait with Hawke’s Bay apricots, manuka honey, and hazelnut alongside a lamb and cheese pie with Mahoe Farm mature gouda and truffle oil. The main is a slow-cooked Greenstone Creek beef cheek bourguignon with potato puree, homemade mustard, and buttered leeks, the kind of dish that earns a long silence at the table. To finish, Origine’s chocolate mousse is served tableside with EVOO and pistachios. French comfort food with New Zealand provenance, shared across a table with the people who matter.

Offering: Sharing set menu | $69pp
Book here.

Oyster Inn

If you really want to earn favourite-child status, skip the city altogether and take your mum to Waiheke for the day. Oyster Inn is open for a long lunch or a relaxed dinner, with the full à la carte menu running alongside a few Mother’s Day specials, the standout being Skull Island Tiger Prawns with nam jim sauce. The kind of dish she absolutely will not want to share with the rest of the table, and honestly, who could blame her.

Offering: Lunch & dinner | Full à la carte plus specials
Book here.

Cable Bay

If your mum deserves more than the city can offer on a Sunday, Cable Bay makes a compelling case for the ferry. Head Chef Tim Lumsden has designed a five-course seasonal menu available throughout the day, moving from delicate canapés through vibrant seasonal dishes, line-caught seafood, and premium cuts to a shared dessert course. Mum gets a complimentary glass of Nautilus Estate Marlborough Cuvée Brut on arrival, Antipodes water lands on the table, and the ocean views and living sculpture gardens do the rest. At $95 per person, five courses with this setting and this level of cooking is quietly one of the best-value Mother’s Day offerings on the list. A children’s menu is available at $35. Seating is limited, so book ahead.

Offering: All day | Five-course set menu | $95pp | Kids menu $35
Book here.

Bar Albert

For something a little different, Bar Albert is hosting a one-off Mother’s Day High Tea in collaboration with New Zealand skincare icon Antipodes. Perched high above the city with sweeping harbour views and skyline backdrops, the afternoon includes beautifully crafted sweet and savoury high tea bites paired with a signature honey cocktail inspired by Antipodes’ Manuka Honey range, while live music and a roaming bar cart (with additional beverages available for purchase) set the mood. The parting gift alone is worth the visit: each guest takes home a curated Antipodes gift bag featuring full-size Manuka Honey & Orange Blossom Shampoo and Conditioner, plus a mini Manuka Honey Face Mask. At $149 per person, it’s an afternoon that covers all the bases, food, drinks, live music, a view, and something lovely to take home. Tickets are limited.

Offering: Sunday 10th May | Seatings at 2pm & 3pm | $149pp | Tickets limited
Book here.

Onslow

Onslow is keeping things elegantly simple: join for a long lunch or dinner on Sunday 10th May and let the kitchen take care of everything while you focus on what actually matters, spending time together. Whether you’re celebrating your mum, a grandmother, or someone who has always shown up, this is a meal worth sitting down for.

Offering: Lunch & dinner | Sunday 10th May
Book here.

Bar Magda

Bar Magda is leaning into the long, unhurried afternoon with a three-course sharing menu designed for that sweet spot between late lunch and early dinner. Bubbles on arrival set the pace, and at $75 per person with a minimum party of three, this is the kind of relaxed, communal meal that suits a table of generations. For those who’d rather keep the evening going, the regular à la carte menu is also available from 5.30pm.

Offering: Sunday 10th May | 2pm–7pm (sharing menu) | From 5.30pm (à la carte) | $75pp | Minimum 3 guests | Welcome bubbles included
Book here.

Esther

Esther is doing high tea its own way this Mother’s Day, which is to say, less doily, more Parisian dessert trolley. The afternoon begins with a glass of G.H.Mumm Champagne on arrival, followed by a spread of sweet and savoury bites that lean Mediterranean in spirit, with unexpected flavour pairings alongside the nostalgic notes you’d expect. The dessert trolley is the centrepiece, piled high and delivered with a touch of theatre that will have your mum reaching for seconds before she’s finished her first. Tea and coffee are included, but the real move is upgrading to bottomless Prosecco for $20 or bottomless G.H.Mumm Champagne for $45, because one welcome glass is lovely, but a free-flowing afternoon is how you properly say thank you.

Offering: Sunday 10th May | 12pm–2pm | $89pp | Upgrade to bottomless Prosecco +$20 or bottomless Champagne +$45
Book here.