Ghost Donkey — Restaurant in Waitematā

i’ve always wanted to travel to mexico to indulge in their delectable, celestial cuisine, however the current cost of living crisis has been holding me back from my nutriment fantasy. by word of mouth, ghost donkey was presented to my pining ear. eager to indulge and desperately starving, i made a booking. i endured 3 sleepless nights in anticipation for this quest to commercial bay, by the time friday came to fruition i was positively frothing at the mouth.

we made our way into the location, adorned with fairy lights and blasting authentic, traditional latinx music (bad bunny), with our maître d, matthew, leading the way into what we would soon discover was nothing short of an artisanal delight. as soon as myself and my throuple sank our behinds into the plush burgundy booth seating, we began our mouthwatering journey. the menu was filled with endless possibilities of nourishment, so much so we were unsure quite where to first embark, we had to keep requesting the attentive wait staff to return at a later time so we could fully yield to the wonders this establishment had to offer. once we finally came to a conclusion on what we would each be indulging in, the fabulous lauren took our order and set us off on our voyage of mexican delight.

by the end of our meals, which was nothing short of utterly spectacular, we concluded that not only must we return as soon as we were financially able, but that the white guy with a man bun and his assistants simply must be of mexican origin, as there is absolutely no feasible way this nouvelle cuisine could be made by anything other than seasoned latino hands. this was nothing short of an euphoric food experience. the cocktails were what i can only describe as a mouth watering vision of what all cocktails are any enterprise should aspire to be, you could almost taste the ecstasy and zest of the bar staff curating these masterpieces. i wish to show my public appreciation for the astonishing wait staff; matthew, claudia, lauren, taylor, and maisie of which we share a name, the phenomenal bartenders, jo, alex and liam, as well as all three chefs breaking sweat in the kitchen crafting mexican perfection, all of which i and my throuple thanked personally once our taste bud journey was complete.

this experience was simply utterly divine with a fantastic atmosphere to boot. there are not enough stars in the sky to rate this establishment with the review it truly deserves. i implore you to visit this hidden gem humbly tucked behind a burger burger joint, and simply surrender yourself to the euphoric wonderland that is the ghost donkey mexican cuisine. i’m no christopher colombus, but i think i’ve discovered...

Went to Ghost Donkey to have a drink on Friday night, other than a wine at dinner - had not had anything else to drink that day. Being Asian, any amount of alcohol in my system means my face flushes red, and so does my eyes. I bring drops to mitigate this but it cannot be helped. The bouncer working the door (around11 - bald Caucasian fella with a cap) started berating me for having red eyes. If he were to not let me in that would be fine. But when explaining this is something I cannot help and my fiancée offered to show on my phone what “Asian flush” was he replied “I ain’t never heard of that” and dismissed us completely. I can understand that he may have initially valid concerns - I am not naive. But in a multicultural city perhaps some education to the doormen may be necessary. As a local resident, it’s pretty disappointing to see as I have heard similar feedback from my international friends when trying to have drinks in this area. Given Ghost donkey is a new drinking spot, I had made the assumption that this type of backwards approach (charged with ignorance and aggression) to door keeping would not have been a problem. I’m not saying the doorman was racist. I’m saying he was comfortable in...

Ghost Donkey – Modern Mexican with Heart (and Heat!)

Tucked into the heart of Auckland, Ghost Donkey serves up bold flavour, big portions, and a whole lot of soul. It’s modern, yes – think neon vibes and spicy margaritas – but with a nostalgic warmth that makes you feel right at home.

We used to own a Mexican restaurant, so we’re not easy to impress. But this place? It hit the spot. From the moment we slid into our cosy little booth (private enough for a good convo, close enough to feel the buzz), we knew we were in good hands.

The service? So friendly it felt like we were regulars. The barman and waitress made the experience feel effortless – like they genuinely love what they do.

And the food! Generous portion sizes (a rare gem in modern spots), layers of authentic flavour, and a dash of creativity. It brought back memories of our own kitchen, but with a fresh, city twist. The spicy margaritas were perfection – just enough kick to get the night started.

Yes, we probably spent a bit too much… but it was worth every nostalgic, flavour-packed bite.

Highly recommend – for lovers of good food, good vibes, and a little Mexican magic in the middle...