Upscale specialty food is the name of the Christmas game at SkyCity Auckland this year. The casino will be closed for Christmas but feasting will still abound! The signature restaurants outside and around the casino will still be open and serving up elegant Christmas Menu packages for Auckland’s local and visiting well-heeled.
Upscale dining for Christmas? That’s an easy ask at SkyCity Auckland.
©Jay Wennington/Unsplash
What’s Open When
The Casino and its restaurants and bars will be closed on the big day, from midnight to midnight on the 25th December 2023. But its “signature” restaurants outside will be open and thriving with tasty Christmas menu offerings. Come Boxing Day SkyCity Auckland will be open again, along with all but one of it food and entertainment venues.
Andy’s Burgers & Bar will open its doors from 11:30am on the 27th. BLACK, Baccarat Room, EIGHT, Flare, Food Republic, Fortuna, PLATINUM on 3 and PLATINUM on 1 will be closed all Christmas Day but will reopen to sustain the public through their Boxing Day sales battles. Upscale restaurants outside SkyCity Auckland will still be open and able to serve up the public’s every Christmas meal need on the big day.
For a stylish and elegant Christmas meal, the Casino’s upmarket restaurants have packages available. It is advised to book early to ensure a place for your party. The premium restaurants open for this year’s Monday Christmas are; MASU by Nic Watt, Orbit 360° Dining, and Fortuna Buffet Restaurant.
It’s All Happening at The Grand
Across the road from the casino, at The Grand Hotel, is Metita, a restaurant specialising in Pacific cuisine with a modern spin. Aotearoa Chef Michael Meredith says, “Metita is a coming together of my Pacific heritage, my food journey and passion for fresh and seasonal flavours and ingredients.” Tastes of mango, coconut, papaya, pineapple and taro, along with traditional Western European Christmas flavours will be on the Special Menu.
King of the Castle
250 metres in the air is The Sugar Club, high up in Sky Tower. The ritzy bar is also flaunting a Festive Menu. A fusion of Western and Central European, Japanese and Pacific tastes (along with a NZ$230 per head bill) could be yours for Christmas. Sky Tower’s Orbit 360° Dining is next door, a little higher in Sky Tower. It won TripAdvisor’s 2021Traveler’s Choice Award. It is New Zealands’ only 360 degree rotating restaurant and cites a “kiwi-inspired” taste. Its Kirihimete Menu starts at $195 pp (and keep in mind the 15% public holiday surcharge for extra drinks).
Masu by Nic Watt is another Travelers Choice Award-winner, along with a host of other awards. October saw Masu celebrating its tenth anniversary. Featuring foodie favourites from the last decade, Masu’s “greatest hits” menu, is available through to January. The Masu KurisuMASU Menu is available at $195 pp on Christmas Day. Chef Nic Watt personally prepared the Menu, which features fusion Japanese and European tastes, and modern Japanese recipes.
Huami is another multi-award winning restaurant and bar that SkyCity Auckland has made possible for Christmas Day feasters. It boasts the largest range of traditional Chinese spirits in New Zealand, especially Baiju. Baiju (Maotai) is a specialty spirit of Guizhou province, in the southwest interior of China. It won’t be open for Christmas, but visitors should check out its specialty bar on Christmas Eve.
Budget Buffet
Fortuna Buffet Restaurant is the most affordable for Christmas Day. It is family-friendly and children under 3 eat free. Brekky is $55 a head for adults and Lunch and Dinner are $119. All dishes are prepared fresh. Christmas Day could see you munching on Fortuna’s salads, hot and cold meats, soups, pastas, breads and desserts. Unlimited drinks are a bonus!
Whatever your style or preference, SkyCity Auckland has festive Christmas food for everyone.
