MooChowChow

Moochowchow is fantastic. Everything from the cocktails, to the devoted staff and the food was immecable. A highlight for me was the soft shell crab and the pork hock, both of which were flavorful, perfectly cooked and delicious.
This place is also fantastic for those small groups in Ponsonby looking for somewhere great to eat at little notice, as they don’t take bookings for groups less than six people.
Highly recommended.

Great to be able to fit us in at such short notice. The food was lovely.
The cocktails — while delicious — where quite small for their price.
The whole table had actually talked themselves into eating desert, but instead of getting menus we were handed the cheque. So we left and had desert elsewhere.

I came here on a fairly busy Thursday evening with a coworker and had a great experience. The service was excellent, atmosphere was comfortable yet upscale and the food… amazing.
It’s tapas-​style in that you’ll get a few dishes to share which is perfect since it would be impossible to select just one item. For the meat eaters, do not miss the carmelised pork hock as it really stood out as potentially the best dish I’ve enjoyed in my short time visiting Auckland.
An easy five star experience and can’t wait to visit again.

I was taken here for a birthday dinner and it was devine. Would come back in a heartbeat.

I didn’t not have a good experience here.
It was very busy and the tables were very tightly packed. We came from the shore and we’re excited to try something new in ponsnobby.
The food was ok. Nothing special. The service average as it took a while for someone to take our order.
This was the icing on the cake… i ordered dessert and just as I received my dessert I was told by the owner to please hurry up as there were people waiting. He then proceeded to hand us the bill. No thanks. I will not be going anywhere near here again. One star is being generous

Awesome food, drinks, staff and atmosphere! I’d also recommend the pork hock and goat curry accompanied by a fresh horse and scorpion cocktail!

Fantastic establishment. I have sat both in the main dining area as well as the upstairs private dining room.
The upstairs dining room is fantastic for large groups and private parties. Not in the middle of the ambience, but if you are looking for a private party space in a cool sleek place with fantastic food and wine this is where it’s at! The service up there is great as well. You definitely are well looked after.
The food is delicious. Great fusion of flavours that are constantly changing. My favourites such as the papaya salad always remain, while bringing in new dishes to keep things interesting. Definitely a thoughtful wine and cocktail match for the food and the wait staff is very knowledgeable.
Would for sure continue coming to Moo Chow. It has become a Ponsonby icon for sure!
Word of the wise: definitely book ahead if you want to ensure a table. The 7pm slot always seems to be booked (even on Tuesday night the week before)

Love the menu here! Asian inspired food and almost completely gluten free bar one dish which is fantastic for this type of cuisine.
Love the soft shell crab and goat curry. Generous servings for sharing.

Had a great dinner here on Friday — went with work colleagues & had the banquet which was fantastic. Service was outstanding & wine recommendations excellent. Standout dishes were the pork hock & the goat curry. Only negative is the nerve-​wracking trip up the very steep stairs to the bathroom — and the trip back down!!!
Will definitely be back — the food is phenomenal!

Crazy, chaotic, noisy, buzzing, fragrant & vibrant. Just how Miss Moo likes it. This is not the restaurant for a romantic candlelit dinner; rather the boozy catch up with mates on a Friday night. Perfectly situated on Ponsonby Road, this villa conversion is often heaving with customers & never short on atmosphere. The waitstaff are friendly & attentive with just the right amount of cheekiness.
Moo Chow Chow has an Asian-​inspired menu perfect for sharing. They’ve recently gone 100% gluten-​free (with the exception of their pork rolls) so even the soy sauce is OK for those watching their gluten intake.
In my opinion, the best way to enjoy this place is to go with a big group & share, share, share. Standout dishes include the Crispy Soft Shell Crab, the Beef Rib that is unctuous & melt-​in-​your-​mouth tender and the sticky Caramelised Pork Hock. There are plenty of seafood, tofu & vegetarian options to keep the non-​meat-​eaters well-​fed too; check the menu which changes seasonally & try not to drool. The classic Asian flavours of ginger, garlic, lemongrass & curry feature predominantly, so if that’s your style, you’ll enjoy the food here.
The cocktail & wine list is not to be missed — Moo Chow Chow is one of those venues that is perfect for supping a minty fresh cocktail on a balmy evening while perusing the menu. With the doors wide open & the sun setting on the beautiful people of Ponsonby Road, you’re sure to have a good time.

Really nice place for a group of friends to catch up and share some delicious Thai fusion food.
Make sure you book ahead. But you may want to book a week in advance as they get pretty jammed in there. There are two section time either 6−8pm or after 8pm.
Must try the pock hock and soft shelf crab. Their unique cocktail is always good to adventure.

What can I say but fabulous darling! Everything was wonderful from making the reservation to the cocktails to the amazing food. Highlight was the whole chicken with tamarind and plum, wow! Love the décor and the service was great, everything was explained well and food was quick to come out even with a full restaurant. The only downside was the hike up Everest to the toilets but it was only minor compared to the rest of the night. Will be back again very soon!

Fantastic atmosphere and service. The placed looked modern and soon after 7pm, people started to fill up. We ordered Red curry of slow cooked beef rib ($ 30) which was just okay.
We had to send back the Asian greens stir fried ($ 10) as it was way too salty. The chef must’ve tipped over the salt bottle! Insane! But the waiter was kind and apologetic and we had our new dish within 5 minutes. Fantastic. The oyster sauce went well with the greens.
I was looking forward to this Five spiced crispyskinned chicken (half $ 20) but it was not what I imagined. Skin wasn’t soo crispy, there were too much breast meat which was a bit chewy and the vinegar flavor was too strong. We didn’t know why the waiter told us that these are small plates and he recommend ordering four dishes between two of us as the amount was enormous. I think this was meant to be a fusion Thai but nothing exciting happened.

This stylish and hip venue in Ponsonby has become quite popular and can be pretty busy on Thurs-​Sat. Housed in an older villa style building, MooChowChow is well appointed and the look, feel, and service definitely carries the air ‘elitism’ which you find in certain Ponsonby establishments (for better and for worse).
The seating is a mixture of private tables and larger bench style seats with sitting stools rather than chairs. It is possible that you can be seated at one of the bench tables with other patrons.
The food and menu here is aimed at sharing and the selection of food choices and preparation is quite good. The soft-​shell crab entrée and marinated prawns we tried had excellent flavours and the presentation was first rate. Finally, the selection of cocktails and wines are above average and my pre-​dinner cocktail was refreshing and well-​made.
While the prices were mid-​range I felt that it didn’t offer great value-​for-​money when you take portion size into account and hence the reason I feel like MooChowChow deserves more than 3-​stars, but didn’t earn a 4^th-​star from me.

Cocktails and service are fantastic.
Music and ambience great.
Food was a bigger letdown. But heh, not the only reason you go to restaurants right? It was the fact I’m allergic to seafood meant I was so limited in what I could eat and the chef wasn’t particularly helpful. But what I could eat was absolutely delicious. I will go back with friends for sure. I will probably just need a McDonalds before or after.

Great food for sharing, at mid-​range prices, in a great space — this is the kind of restaurant we have been looking for. No need for starters or entrees, we went straight to mains and had the optional dessert.
We ordered what the waitress recommended — caramelised pork hock & chilli vinegar — and was pleasantly surprised at the balance of strong textures and flavours. This was complemented by a massaman curry of wild goat and a spicy & sour green papaya salad. Unfortunately, the salad was too spicy for us. Afterwards we had their fancy tea and shared a unique dessert — ginger, magrood leaf and coconut milk brulée, topped with crispy bean noodles.
It was a busy Monday evening; service was quick and efficient in general. Although we had to wave our arms for five minutes before we got their attention to take our order. Tables are all shared among customers, which adds to the experience. Noise levels were tolerable and allowed us to talk about how great the food was.

Incredible food — especially the pork (with sweet cucumber dressing). Some of the staff seemed a little uninterested in being there (it was a Friday night) but apart from that it’s a great place.

If you want to impress someone, or just want a guaranteed successful night — got to Moo Chow Chow. Holy moly. I have only been here once (for the reason that i’m poor at the moment), but let’s just say if someone said they would take me out for dinner, i would go back.
The small plates suit my preferred way of eating and the cocktail list is sooooo good.
The service is really good. they know exactly what they;re talking about and are super professional. The night I went, my dining partner and I were a little overwhelmed by the menu and our waiter just said ‘leave it to me’. It was delicious. I highly recommend the pork hoc.
The ambience is awesome, and quite small which makes your feel special.
I would suggest spacing out your ordering to prolong the experience, and definitely go on a night when you;re keen to try some cocktails. Fun times.

Just went here to celebrate my mums birthday and really enjoyed our meal. The dishes are designed to share, and as a group of 5 we ordered four meals between us and that was more than enough. The dishes themselves are very tasty, especially if you enjoy the fragrant flavours of thai basil, coriander and lemongrass which all made an appearance throughout our meals.
The only niggle I have with Moo Chow Chow is that I did find the waiter service a little arrogant, I’m not too sure why it was just their manner. For example we were asked if we wanted some sparkling water which is totally normal but they assumed we wanted two full bottles which they had removed the lids on therefore we had to pay for them, also we wanted a jug of tap water but we weren’t allowed it? Only by the glass and since the food was quite spicy I kept having to ask for them. Also rice is meant to come out as often as you need it, and we had to keep asking for that too (it got forgotten sometimes) so we didn’t feel very ‘waited’ on as such, this may just be a one off experience however so I am willing to give it another try.

If youre in the market for a spicy, aromatic meal and a quirky cocktail to match, look no further than Moo Chow Chow on Auckland’s Ponsonby Road. Back in 2010, owner Mark Wallbank took the plunge and renovated popular hotspot Rocco, transforming it into a restaurant that fuses Thai flavours with fresh local produce.
Head chef Che Barrington is a big fan of Auckland’s Avondale markets and combines fresh coriander, lime and chilli with ribboned tofu to make one of the city’s most interesting vegetarian mains. For the meat-​eaters out there, try the slow-​cooked braised beef — its tender meat falls right off the bone and the herbaceous chilli seasoning provides just the right kick. Make sure you pair your meal with one of Moo Chow Chow’s unique cocktails or sample the restaurants ever-​changing «squishy» — a slushy-​style ice cocktail — will blow you away with its freshly-​squeezed flavours.