RFK Rankings · Auckland
Best Restaurants for Private-Dining in Auckland (2026)
Private dining rooms · Auckland · 6 rooms ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published March 19, 2024 · Updated June 12, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Auckland's best private rooms are fine-dining parlours and brick-lined hotel spaces, not generic function suites. The choice runs from a kauri-table room inside the Hotel Britomart to a relaunched fine-dining house on Symonds Street with two private rooms. These six, ranked, are where to put a board dinner, a milestone or a closing celebration when the room has to do real work. Figures are food estimates before wine, in New Zealand dollars.
1.Sid at The French Cafe
Sid Sahrawat's relaunched fine-dining house with two private rooms; book it for the city's most serious private dinner.
Chef Sid Sahrawat and Chand Sahrawat took over the landmark French Cafe and reopened it as Sid at The French Cafe at 210 Symonds Street in Eden Terrace, a relaxed fine-dining room. The Indian-inflected degustation and the a la carte are the draw, with the tasting menu around NZ$165 and private dinners higher.
The restaurant holds two private dining rooms, so it scales from a small board dinner to a larger group within a kitchen long rated among the city's best. It carries the pedigree of the old French Cafe with the Sahrawats' cooking on top. Book either private room through the events team and let the degustation carry the evening.
2.Cassia
Sahrawat's modern-Indian room with a 22-seat private space, relaunching in a CBD home this August; book ahead.
Cassia, Sid and Chand Sahrawat's award-winning modern-Indian room, served its last SkyCity dinner in June 2025 and reopens in a standalone CBD home on the corner of Albert and Wyndham Streets in August 2026. The contemporary Indian menu and a dedicated private dining room seating up to 22 are the draw, with dinner roughly NZ$90 to $130 a head.
The private room takes groups from eight up to twenty-two, the largest dedicated chef-driven private space on this list. Cassia has won Metro's Restaurant of the Year, so the cooking earns the booking. Reserve the private room through the new CBD venue once August service begins.
3.Kingi
A brick-lined private room with a raw-edge kauri table for fourteen; book it for a sustainable-seafood board dinner.
Kingi sits inside the Hotel Britomart at 1 Britomart Square, chef Tom Hishon's sustainable-seafood room. Kingi Private is a brick-lined space built around a raw-edge kauri table seating fourteen, with the day-boat fish and shared plates the order; dinner runs roughly NZ$80 to $120 a head.
The private room is one continuous table, so it suits a single board or family group rather than several scattered parties. The hotel setting keeps it quiet and self-contained. Book Kingi Private through the restaurant for a sustainability-minded dinner with the kitchen's full range.
4.Soul Bar & Bistro
The Viaduct's two-decade waterfront institution with a private room; book it for a harbourside celebration dinner.
Soul Bar & Bistro has anchored the Viaduct Harbour for nearly two decades on Viaduct Harbour Avenue, a modern bistro with one of the best waterfront positions in the city. The fresh fish, the steak and the long wine list are the draw, with a private dining room for groups; dinner runs roughly NZ$80 to $120 a head.
The private room trades on the harbour setting and a polished, unpretentious service that has kept Soul a fixture for celebrations. It is less chef-led than the rooms above but stronger on atmosphere and view. Book the private space for a milestone dinner where the waterfront is part of the gift.
5.Huami
SkyCity's modern-Chinese room with three private spaces; book a room for a banquet that scales to the group.
Huami is SkyCity's modern-Chinese room in the CBD, serving a refined Cantonese menu with Peking duck and a yum-cha range. It holds three private dining rooms: rooms one and two seat twelve each and adjoin to combine, and room three takes up to six, with banquet menus running roughly NZ$90 to $150 a head.
The three-room layout is the most flexible private setup on this list, splitting for a small group or combining for a larger banquet. The Chinese banquet format suits a celebratory or family-style dinner. Book the rooms through SkyCity's events team and order the set banquet for the table.
6.Esther
QT Auckland's Mediterranean room with a private space for ten; book Little Esther for an intimate group dinner.
Esther sits inside QT Auckland on Viaduct Harbour, a Mediterranean room with a wood-fired kitchen. Little Esther, its private dining room, seats up to ten in a Mediterranean-styled space, with shared mezze and grilled plates the order; dinner runs roughly NZ$75 to $115 a head.
The private room is intimate by design, built for a single table of up to ten rather than a large function. The QT setting keeps it stylish and self-contained. Book Little Esther through the restaurant for a close group dinner where the table stays one conversation.
Not for everyone
Famous, but not a private-dining option
Cassia at SkyCity. The original SkyCity room served its last dinner in June 2025, so do not book the old location. The restaurant relaunches in a standalone CBD home on Albert and Wyndham Streets in August 2026 with its private room; book the new venue, not the closed one.
Single-counter omakase rooms. Auckland's tasting-counter sushi and chef's-counter rooms seat one continuous bar and cannot host a true private group. They are a fine two-person evening but the wrong choice for a board dinner; book one of the dedicated private rooms above instead.
Generic hotel function suites. Several CBD hotels rent windowless function rooms with banquet catering, but they are conference spaces, not restaurants. For a private dinner where the food is the point, take Sid at The French Cafe or Kingi over a hotel ballroom.
How to book private dining in Auckland
Auckland's private-room density is highest around the CBD and Viaduct Harbour, where Cassia's new home, Kingi at the Hotel Britomart, Huami at SkyCity, Soul and Esther all sit within a short walk, with Sid at The French Cafe just up Symonds Street. Match the room to the headcount first: a board of twelve wants Kingi's kauri table, a banquet of twenty wants Cassia or Huami's combined rooms.
None of these restaurants publish a fixed per-head private rate, so the figures here are food estimates before wine, tax and service; ask the events team for a quote and any minimum spend. Reserve well ahead for December and the awards-season weeks, when the chef-driven rooms book out first. For Cassia, note the room relaunches in its new CBD venue from August 2026.
Frequently asked
What is the best restaurant for private dining in Auckland?
Sid at The French Cafe on Symonds Street is the marquee pick, the Sahrawats' relaunched fine-dining house with two private dining rooms and a kitchen long rated among the city's best. For a larger chef-driven group, Cassia's relaunched CBD room seats up to 22 in its private space; for a single board, Kingi's kauri table seats fourteen.
Which Auckland restaurant has the best private room for a large group?
Cassia's relaunched CBD room holds a dedicated private dining room seating up to 22, the largest chef-driven private space here, and Huami at SkyCity combines two of its three rooms for a banquet. For up to fourteen at one table, Kingi Private at the Hotel Britomart is the pick; for ten, Little Esther at QT Auckland.
How much does private dining cost in Auckland?
Expect roughly NZ$75 to $165 per person for food before wine, tax and service across these rooms, with Sid at The French Cafe's degustation at the top end and the bistro rooms lower. None publish a fixed per-head private rate, so ask the events team for a quote and any minimum spend for your date and headcount.
Is Cassia still open in Auckland?
Cassia served its last dinner at SkyCity in June 2025 and reopens as a standalone restaurant on the corner of Albert and Wyndham Streets in the CBD in August 2026, keeping its private dining room for up to 22. Book the new CBD venue rather than the closed SkyCity location for a private dinner.
Which Auckland private room is best for a business dinner?
Sid at The French Cafe's two private rooms suit a serious client dinner with a degustation, and Kingi Private at the Hotel Britomart keeps a board of up to fourteen at one quiet kauri table. For a larger corporate banquet, Huami's combined SkyCity rooms or Cassia's 22-seat space both work.
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