Empress Garden

About

Empress Garden on Jervois Road is one of Auckland’s most enduring dining institutions — a Chinese restaurant that has been quietly doing things right for decades while the city’s food scene has spun through countless trends around it.

The space feels like stepping into a beloved relative’s home. Red lanterns hang from the ceiling throughout, rich reds and deep greens frame the entrance, and the restaurant winds through various rooms and sections that give it an intimate, lived-in character unlike anything you’d find in a modern dining precinct. First-timers might need a moment to find their bearings — just go with it.

The signature dish is Peking Duck, and it is extraordinary. Crisp, lacquered skin giving way to succulent flesh — one of the finest versions in Auckland, full stop. It’s the reason people keep coming back, and the reason this place has collected accolades quietly and consistently over the years.

One of those Auckland restaurants that feels like a genuine discovery every time, even if you’ve been a dozen times before.