Restaurant in Auckland, New Zealand
La Liste-ranked Pacific seafood. Book now.
Ahi is Auckland's strongest Pacific seafood fine-dining option, holding 90 La Liste points in 2026 — up five from the year before. Booking is currently easy, making it a practical choice for a special occasion without the extended lead time of harder-to-get Auckland tables. The drinks program is worth treating as a destination in its own right.
Ahi is one of Auckland's strongest arguments for Pacific seafood as a fine-dining format. Holding 90 points on the 2026 La Liste ranking (up from 85 in 2025), it has demonstrated consistent upward momentum at a time when the city's dining scene is getting more competitive. If you've been once and enjoyed it, that five-point improvement is reason enough to return — the kitchen is moving in the right direction. For first-timers weighing options across Auckland, Ahi earns its place at the leading of the seafood consideration set. Booking is currently direct, which makes this an easier decision than comparable venues at the same tier.
Ahi sits on Level 2 of Commercial Bay, the waterfront retail and dining precinct at 7 Queen Street in Auckland CBD. The location is deliberate: a Pacific seafood restaurant positioned above the Waitematā Harbour, with the city's commercial and cultural centre immediately at hand. For a returning visitor, the context matters less than what's on the plate — but the setting does give the drinks program a particular logic. A cocktail list built around coastal and Pacific ingredients reads differently when you can see the water.
The drinks program at Ahi is worth treating as a destination in its own right, not just a support act for the food. Pacific seafood restaurants at this level tend to pair naturally with wine, but Ahi's position at Commercial Bay , a venue that draws both pre-theatre and long-lunch crowds , means the bar needs to perform across different occasions and times of day. If you're returning for a second visit, consider starting at the bar rather than going straight to the table. That's where you're most likely to encounter the more expressive, ingredient-led side of what the team is doing. The drinks program anchors the experience in place and season in a way that a standard wine list doesn't.
The La Liste scores tell a clear story about trajectory. Moving from 85 to 90 points in a single year is not incremental improvement , it reflects a kitchen and front-of-house operating at a higher level of consistency. For context, La Liste aggregates critic scores and review data globally; a 90-point result puts Ahi in a competitive bracket that includes restaurants with considerably more international profile. The 4.6 Google rating across 1,074 reviews adds further weight: this is not a venue coasting on a single strong review cycle.
For a regular returning to Ahi, the practical question is: what's different this time? The answer, given the scoring trajectory, is likely in the details , a more refined drinks pairing, a seasonal ingredient shift, a tighter edit on the menu. Pacific seafood as a cuisine type rewards repeat visits because the ingredient base changes with the season. The kitchen at Ahi has shown it can keep pace with that. Come back with a specific focus , the bar program, a particular seafood course, or a different seating time , and you'll get more from the visit than a repeat of the same experience.
Internationally, the closest reference points for what Ahi is doing are venues like Le Bernardin in New York City , where seafood is treated as the primary vehicle for technical ambition , and Lazy Bear in San Francisco, which similarly uses a defined culinary identity to anchor a broader hospitality experience. Ahi is not at those price points, but the philosophy is recognisably aligned. Within New Zealand, Amisfield in Queenstown and Elephant Hill in Napier represent the same tier of regionally-rooted fine dining, though with a wine-country emphasis rather than a seafood focus.
Address: Commercial Bay, Level 2, 7 Queen Street, Auckland CBD. Reservations: Currently easy to book , no extended lead time required, though booking ahead remains advisable for weekend evenings. Booking difficulty: Easy. Awards: La Liste Leading Restaurants 90pts (2026), 85pts (2025). Google rating: 4.6 from 1,074 reviews. Price range: Not confirmed in available data , contact the venue directly or check current menus online. Dress: Not confirmed; given the La Liste positioning and CBD location, smart casual is a reasonable baseline. Good for: Special occasions, returning diners, solo diners at the bar, pre-event dinners given the Commercial Bay location.
For more on eating and drinking in Auckland, see our full Auckland restaurants guide, our full Auckland bars guide, and our full Auckland experiences guide. If you're planning around a stay, our full Auckland hotels guide covers the city's accommodation options. For wine-focused dining beyond Auckland, our Auckland wineries guide is a useful reference.
Ahi sits alongside a strong Auckland cohort. Cocoro leads in Japanese cuisine and is the strongest alternative if your preference runs toward precision-cut fish over a Pacific-focused menu. Paris Butter is the city's most talked-about New Zealand-cuisine destination and worth comparing directly. Forest offers a plant-forward alternative at a similar quality tier. Onemata Restaurant covers Māori and Pacific-influenced dining if you want to stay in that culinary register. Cassia is the right call for modern Indian in the CBD. For a more casual evening, Dante's Pizzeria by Enis Baçova offers a sharp contrast in format and price. Beyond Auckland, Charley Noble in Wellington and Chameleon Restaurant in Wellington Central represent the capital's equivalent fine-dining tier, while Wharekauhau Country Estate in Featherston is for those willing to travel for a destination-dining experience.
Specific menu items are not confirmed in available data, and the menu likely shifts with the season given the Pacific seafood focus. As a returning visitor, your leading approach is to ask the team what's currently at its peak , that's where a kitchen at this level (La Liste 90pts, 2026) will be concentrating its attention. The drinks program is worth exploring intentionally, not just as a pairing afterthought.
No confirmed dietary information is available in current data. Contact the restaurant directly before booking if you have specific requirements. A kitchen at this calibre generally accommodates dietary needs with advance notice, but don't assume , confirm it when you book.
Booking difficulty is currently rated easy. That means you don't need weeks of lead time, but weekend evenings at a La Liste-ranked restaurant in Auckland's CBD can still fill. A week's notice is a reasonable buffer; for a specific date or occasion, book as soon as you know you're going.
For seafood and Pacific-influenced cooking, Onemata Restaurant is the closest thematic alternative. For precision seafood in a different register, Cocoro is the Japanese-cuisine answer. If you want the city's most-discussed fine-dining room regardless of cuisine, Paris Butter is the comparison to make. See our full Auckland restaurants guide for the wider picture.
Yes. The La Liste recognition (90pts, 2026), consistent Google rating (4.6 from 1,074 reviews), and CBD waterfront location make it a credible choice for a celebration dinner. The relatively easy booking window is an advantage , you can plan a specific date without fighting for availability months out, unlike some of Auckland's harder-to-book venues.
No dress code is confirmed in available data. Given the La Liste positioning and the Commercial Bay setting, smart casual is a safe call. This is not a venue where you'd show up in beachwear, but it's also unlikely to be as formal as a traditional fine-dining room. When in doubt, err toward the smarter end of casual.
Bar seating availability is not confirmed in current data. That said, for a returning visitor, it's worth asking when you book , the drinks program at Ahi has its own merit, and bar seating at Pacific seafood restaurants at this level often gives you a more informal, ingredient-focused experience than the main dining room.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahi | Pacific Seafood | La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 90pts; La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 85pts | Easy | — |
| Paris Butter | New Zealand | Unknown | — | |
| Cocoro | Japanese Cuisine | Unknown | — | |
| The French Café | New Zealand | Unknown | — | |
| Tala | Unknown | — | ||
| Dante’s Pizzeria by Enis Baçova | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Ahi measures up.
Ahi's menu centres on Pacific seafood, so lead with whatever the kitchen is doing with local catch — that's the format's strength and the reason the restaurant earned 90 points on La Liste 2026. Avoid building your visit around a specific dish; the menu moves with supply and season. If Pacific seafood isn't your priority, Cocoro next door in the Auckland fine dining tier will serve you better.
Specific dietary accommodation details aren't documented for Ahi, but a restaurant operating at La Liste 90-point level in a seafood-forward format will typically have kitchen flexibility for common restrictions. check the venue's official channels before booking if allergies or dietary requirements are a deciding factor — don't leave it to the night.
Ahi is currently easy to book with no extended lead time required, though booking ahead is still sensible for weekend evenings or special occasions. For a La Liste-ranked venue in Auckland CBD, that accessibility is a genuine advantage — comparable rooms in Sydney or Melbourne often require weeks of notice.
Cocoro is the strongest alternative if Japanese precision matters more to you than Pacific seafood. The French Café suits longer, more formal occasions where European technique is the draw. Paris Butter is the call for a relaxed but polished dinner without the fine-dining commitment. Tala works well if you want something newer and less established but with clear ambition.
Yes — La Liste's 90-point ranking in 2026 (up from 85 in 2025) gives Ahi the credibility to carry a birthday, anniversary, or client dinner without needing to justify the choice. The Commercial Bay waterfront setting at Level 2, 7 Queen Street adds occasion without feeling stuffy. If formality is the priority over setting, The French Café is the more traditional Auckland option.
A La Liste 90-point venue in a contemporary waterfront precinct like Commercial Bay typically sits in smart-casual territory — think clean, put-together rather than black-tie. Specific dress code details aren't confirmed in the venue record, so if you're unsure, call ahead rather than overdress or underdress.
Bar seating specifics aren't documented for Ahi. Given the venue's position inside Commercial Bay's Level 2 dining floor, a bar or counter option is plausible, but confirm directly with the restaurant before arriving without a reservation and expecting that format.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
