Named one of the world’s “coolest streets” in 2022, Auckland’s Kārangahape Road, commonly referred to as K’Road, is a bustling and eclectic destination where the action spills over into side streets to create an entire precinct for hospitality, culture and shopping.
It wasn’t always like this though. More than a decade ago, the area was a grungy red-light district known mainly for its club scene, but recent years have seen it flourish to rival its longstanding neighbour, Ponsonby Road. Despite the gentrification, K’Road continues to wear its bohemian heart on its sleeve and is known as a safe place for the LGBTQ+ community and for welcoming locals and travellers with creative eateries, hip art galleries and heritage buildings.
One of the first businesses to regenerate the area was Italian-inspired restaurant and bar Coco’s Cantina, opened by sisters Renee and Damaris Coulter in 2009 when the area was still a red-light hub. “When we opened Coco’s, people thought we were a bit crazy,” said Renee. “Ponsonby Rd is where all the restaurants and bars were; K’Road had a few eateries but was mostly about late-night clubs and bars. Back then, we’d often have to get in the car and drive because there just wasn’t anything around here [for coffee or lunch]. Now, I’ll walk out the door and have to decide from dozens of options all within a few minutes’ walk.”
Over the years, Coco’s has helped pave the way for other small businesses to open and has inspired a sense of community among them. Here, Renee shares some of her favourite things to do and see in the area.
Renee Coulter opened Italian-inspired Coco’s Cantina in 2009 with her sister (Credit: Anna King Shahab)
1. Explore St Kevins Arcade
In Auckland we’ve done a good job maintaining heritage in our private housing, but in commercial and public spaces, old buildings are a novelty. St Kevins Arcade, near the Queen St intersection, is an exception. It used to house tearooms; today there’s a mix of shops and eateries, the seating space at the back end is shared between them [with] big windows that let light and sun in all day. The view, across the treetops of Myers Park to the city skyscrapers, reminds you we’re on a ridge.
An ancient route
K’Road sits on a ridge and runs east to west, cutting across the city’s main commercial thoroughfare Queen Street. Its history as a thoroughfare predates the European settlement of the 1800s; tangata whenua (the original people of the land) traversed the ridge to cross the isthmus from harbour to harbour.
I like to meet people for brunch at Bestie Cafe – the menu isn’t all boring eggs on toast but it’s not crazy and expensive either. It’s great for people-watching; you see the full gamut while you’re enjoying your breakfast and the menu has something for everyone. I might go early to browse the shops and read the gig posters. Afterwards, take the steps down from St Kevin’s Arcade and you walk into Myer’s Park, which is a lovely way to get into the CBD.
2. Do a spot of shopping
There are lots of good second-hand stores; Coco’s staff members are always coming back from breaks with finds: vintage clothing gems from Vixen; preloved fashion from Paper Bag Princess. The army surplus place is a treasure trove; I bought woollen blankets there and turned them into curtains. The corner of K’Road and Pitt St is a good place for a browse, with second-hand books at The Green Dolphin, locally designed streetwear at Checks, and the record store Flying Out. Crushes boasts an array of books, jewellery, soaps and fragrances from local makers, and it runs a “social club” with workshops and events you can book into.
Head to Vixen for a wide range of vintage clothing (Credit: Anna King Shahab)
3. Eat fast and flavoursome food
Next to us, Angie has been running [Malaysian restaurant] Sri Pinang for more than 30 years. It’s BYOB – grab something at the basic bottle shop across the road, or for something a bit more special pop into Everyday Wine a few minutes’ walk away. Portions are generous and service quick; it’s great before a show, gig or match. I love the laksa, which is so big I can never finish a bowl.
For lunch I often pop into Uncle Man’s, where my daughters like to watch the chefs working – they make the roti to order, flipping, twirling and stretching it. Fort Greene makes huge, flavoursome sandwiches with sourdough they bake before dawn each morning. For a quick lunch meeting I’d go to Fort Greene – their sandwiches are not fussy, with names like “the fish one”, “the reuben”, but they’re delicious, [made] with sourdough they bake before dawn each morning.
4. Enjoy a relaxed Friday lunch
Apero is a wine bar run by partners Mo and Leslie; it’s only open evenings apart from Fridays, when it also opens for lunch. Leslie is the chef; her food is not showy but tastes amazing, from charcuterie and fish crudo to vegetable dishes like pickled mushrooms and roast cauliflower. Mo is one of the city’s best hosts – he reads his customers, knows who wants to talk and who doesn’t, takes all the pretentiousness around wine away and focuses on giving the customer enjoyment. Mo’s wine list isn’t driven by trends, but I’ll often find I’m drinking something obscure, varietals I didn’t even know were around.
St Kevins Arcade is home to an eclectic mix of shops and eateries (Credit: Anna King Shahab)
5. Dip into culture
There are 12 or 13 galleries in the precinct. Some are obvious from the street frontage, like Michael Lett, Artspace, Melanie Roger – but there are always more pop-up style places to stumble across, so just keep an eye out as you walk. The Charlotte Museum, a lesbian museum, has recently opened at the top of Howe St where it meets K’Road; it’s a purple-painted space highlighting the sapphic history of Aotearoa. K’Road has a long rainbow history and I love that there are more permanent, present anchors for this.
6. Take in cocktail hour
Madame George started as a cocktail bar with a bit of food but recently opened a beautiful new dining room and new Peruvian and Mexican chefs are bringing a Latin influence into greater focus – the tiradito and ceviche dishes are always so punchy and satisfying. Owner Pablo is such a great host; always there serving customers, shaking drinks, chatting. Don’t miss the pisco sour and the Peruvian negroni. All the cocktails are interesting – the bar and kitchen work together on flavour components and to minimise waste. Madame George was already winning awards in its smaller iteration, and I’m excited to watch what happens next.
Madame George celebrates Peruvian and Latin flavours in both its cocktails and its food (Credit: Anna King Shahab)
7. Catch a gig or show
My main job isn’t to keep customers at Coco’s for longer, but to encourage them to enjoy more of the area by heading somewhere else after dinner – in hospitality we’re all in a battle against Netflix.
Across the road from Coco’s and beneath Cotto (another great restaurant), Anthology regularly has gigs on – mostly jazz nights but occasionally there’ll be something the youth scene is really into – we try to guess what’s on based on what the crowd is wearing. Whammy Bar and Wine Cellar in St Kevins Arcade is where you’ll see indie bands before they make it big. Neck of the Woods is also prolific, with local and international hip hop, funk and dance music acts.
Club Burlesque is a burlesque show that pops up in a former strip club on Friday nights. You can do the show only or there’s a dinner and show package – guests arrive at Coco’s for prosecco and pizza or pasta. One of the dancers, Kiki, chaperones guests over the road for the show in a flurry of feathers, then they come back here for tiramisu afterwards. It’s a really cool thing to do in winter.
If you’re hungry after a gig, The White Lady is famous for burgers. It first opened as a pie cart in the 1940s, [today] the St Kevins Arcade shop is open until 04:00 on Friday and Saturdays.
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