Wilko's

Wilko's, Auckland is an Anglo-French bistro from chef James Wilkinson and co-owner Gareth Weaver. It is described as their first place, built around a part of Auckland they call special and easy to walk to in the evening.

Auckland setting

the restaurant takes inspiration from the traditional English supper house, with the idea of good food and long evenings around the table. The Denizen reports that Wilkinson’s background includes the Michelin-starred Black Swan in Yorkshire, and describes the concept through Wilkinson’s account of a table where someone cooks, everyone sits together, and nobody is in a hurry to leave. The project keeps that supper-house feeling while adding a proper kitchen, a good wine list, and more chairs.

Kitchen and menu details

The menu includes house gnocchi with watercress puree, roasted heirloom tomatoes, and glazed pine nuts. Other described dishes include pizzettes with toppings such as ras el hanout lamb, local cheese, and bush honey, alongside cheddar gougeres made with Kāpiti cheddar, crispy lamb sweetbreads, and bavette steak.

Meat is described as sourced from Neat Meat and dry-aged in-house, forming the centrepiece of a sharing-style menu built around gathering at the table and breaking bread. Reservations are listed for Monday and Wednesday from 2pm to 10pm.