Cotto

Modern Italian cuisine shines at Cotto, a perpetually busy eatery along Karangahape Rd. On the shared-plates menu, highlights include spinach and goats' cheese dumplings with fried sage leaves, and grilled eggplant with whipped feta cheese. Enjoy a cocktail in the ramshackle-chic interior. Queues are frequent on weekends, so aim to get there when it opens.