From beef rendang to smash burgers to koko brownies, here’s how to eat your way through Glen Eden like a local, according to Aunty Tommy’s co-founder Marlon Rivers.

“I really love it here for the character – and the slight hint of danger,” says Marlon Rivers (Vaiala, Lepea, Safune, Sapapali’i), co-founder and director at Aunty Tommy’s. He lives locally and runs the company’s small batch Pacific cacao roastery from Glenmall, right at the heart of Glen Eden. “I generally roast our koko late at night, or early in the morning so I have seen plenty of after-hours activity,” he says.

Founded in 2021 in the west Auckland suburb, Aunty Tommy’s roasts 100% pure Pacific cacao in small batches. “We’re proudly (and maybe loudly) the only Samoan owned koko company in our lane,” Rivers says. The business champions Pacific-grown cacao, but their mission extends far beyond chocolate – they’re guided by the underlying belief that local communities should have a say in how their food is controlled, produced, distributed and sourced. “We come from the same place our ingredients do,” says Rivers. “Pacific and Indigenous food sovereignty is something that sits at the very core of our business model.”

For Rivers, Glen Eden’s food landscape is an extension of that same sense of pride, and love, for the local. “You don’t have to be in central Auckland to get fantastic food,” he says. “Glen Eden has all the same options. Maybe not on the same scale, but the restaurants we do have do what they do well.” Read on for Rivers’ edible picks in and around Glen Eden.

Three words that sum up the food in Glen Eden: Eclectic, unpretentious, affordable.

My most controversial food opinion about Glen Eden: There are too many bakeries! And they all make the exact same thing with varying degrees of success. I mean how many versions of a sausage roll do we need out here? I see the guys who come and deliver the flour going from door to door during the week and I always get excited because I think we’re going to get some awesome bread (and/or pastries) but they can’t even make a donut exciting, sigh.

Everyone has a dining out pet peeve. Mine is: I always feel a bit awkward when I’m asked, “how was the food?” Now I know it’s a courtesy check, and depending on the situation and context, also a rhetorical device…but I grew up in Samoa in the 80s and that’s not really something I was used to when my family dined out. When your meal arrived you just ate what was in front of you without fuss and you were grateful that you were at a restaurant which was a treat. Of course, it’s a lot more sophisticated there now but maybe because of my age I’ve carried it forward with me to other countries and restaurants overseas that I’ve dined at. I’ll often give the server a confused look and smile to acknowledge; “yeah, I’m here, this filo pastry isn’t cooked but I’m eating it anyway”.

The best restaurant in Glen Eden is: Silver Fern Sushi & Pho on West Coast Rd.

Why I love Silver Fern Sushi & Pho: It’s the atmosphere and of course the food. It’s cosy and very welcoming. No hyped up menus or influencer endorsements, just good solid food served to our Glen Eden community. It’s a neighbourhood favourite and certainly ours. The owners are so great and often greet me in Samoan, which at first was a surprise, but now I just love it when they do. As a result, I end up buying more than I can eat.

My go-to order is: Beef phở. They slow cook the beef which makes the broth for the phở otherworldly. It’s so addictive and we can’t get enough. The sushi is always good and makes for a great pick-me-up between our koko grind sessions. We always feel a bit special because the owner, Yong, delivers to our back door and he always puts extras in there – now that’s community supporting each other. My staff and I can’t get enough.

A recent food discovery I can’t stop talking about: The Smash. They took over the space where Crafty Baker used to be. Love this place. Finally a decent burger joint in Glen Eden. The much-loved Rosier Burgers closed their physical shop a few years ago, so I’ve been looking for a new burger spot ever since.

A place I’ve been dying to try is: Green Café. It’s on my list and I always stare at it when I’m driving into our shop. It’s a Persian restaurant and the food looks glorious. Friends and family who’ve dined here said it’s really good, so I need to go and check it out.

Celebrating with a group? Book a table at: Settebello. I know it’s technically New Lynn but it’s still west Auckland – and very, very close. My favourite local pizzeria Napoletana. I make up any excuse to eat here with my wife and daughter. I’m particularly partial to the homemade pasta. Always satisfied after a visit.

Pub or bar of choice: I don’t really drink any more but on the rare occasion that I do, I go to the local Glen Eden RSA. Our business association has their mixers here so it’s always a great environment and just a short walk from our roastery. It’s right next door to the Glen Eden Playhouse so after an evening of arts and culture, pop in next door for something to eat and drink.

For a late-night food fix you’ll find me at: The Burger King drive-thru. Not gonna lie and pretend I only go to the fancy trendy places. My go to coupon code: B23. That’s a WHOPPER Regular Value Meal. What could be better when you’re heading home after midnight to re-watch The Wire and you don’t want to get out of the car?

Glen Eden’s best…

Breakfast: Humbug Café. I’m a fan of fuelling up in the morning for a long day, so when I can, I go big: eggs, meats (any kind), beans, bread, and potatoes. Throw in the Miller’s Coffee they serve here and pow, I’m ready to go. I have to keep moving though because the breakfast is heavy so I tend to burn it off by moving the cocoa sacks around the roastery.

Coffee: Our local spot at Latte Tei. The MCOFFEE beans (formerly Meebz) are incredibly good. But the company and service are even better. We like to pair our coffee with a Latte Tei favourite – Koko Samoa brownies. Nothing like a double hit of caffeine to spike the blood pressure; then a deep, dark and rustic slab of koko brownie to bring it back down. Lisa’s brownies are the best out west hands down.

Sandwich: Dear Deer Glen Eden. These guys are serious coffee roasters; they obsess over coffee like we do over koko. My first introduction to them was getting coffee and food from their cool little Onehunga location. Roughly a year ago they opened a Glen Eden branch. There are five toasted sandwiches on the menu but my favourite is a simple toasted sourdough pork belly sandwich that comes with a spicy miso dipping sauce. An honourable mention also goes to the bacon jam sandwich and the rump steak sandwich, all have a 3-cheese blend melted together. I think it’s awesome.

Noodles: Kampung Style. My favourites here are the stock standard Malay offerings so I generally go for the classic street food char kway teow (rice noodles with chicken, prawn, fishcake and squid). Beyond noodles I also like the beef rendang with roti and rice (this dish is the only time I’ll eat rice because I’m a noodle guy). If I’m feeling splurgy here, I’ll order the Hainanese chicken, close my eyes, and pretend I’m eating the Tian Tian version from Singapore; I walked in 30+ degree heat to the Maxwell Food Centre to find it and it didn’t disappoint.

Pie: Crafty Baker, but they up and closed the Glen Eden branch and now make me go to Titirangi for my pie fix. I’m a creature of habit and my needs are basic so steak and cheese all day long. The steak wins in the steak to gravy ratio in each pie. Everything they serve here is seki.

Fish and chips: Glen Eden Fish Stop. My guy Bob has been making us fish and chips since we moved into our roastery five years ago. Their grilled snapper and chips are a winner. If you have dietary restrictions, they don’t discriminate, gluten free options are available.

And the best place to unwrap and eat them is: We’ve only ever eaten them on our roaster cooling tray which doubles as a staff table; but if I did unwrap and eat them somewhere it would be the Blockhouse Bay Beach Reserve. Gotta keep it warm till you get there though.

If you’re after spice, make a beeline for: Kathmandu Kitchen. Current favourites are their momo (Nepali-style dumplings) and the aloo tikki which is like a deep-fried potato patty that has ginger, garlic and onions with a tamarind sauce. For curry, I keep it straight, so lamb korma or the chicken tikka masala. When I lived closer to the city, I used to love the dumplings at TAMA which was a Nepalese place on Upper Queen Street just off Karangahape Rd. So happy we can get a version of that in Glen Eden.

My favourite grocery shop: New World New Lynn. I live closer to the Kelston Countdown but they’ve started forcing shoppers to use an app just to get free parking. I like this New World because I tend to gravitate to the bakery section when I’m shopping. I still don’t know why the jam donuts here cost the same as a specialist baker when they control most of the ingredients. Bit of a scratch your head situation.

For the best produce, I stop in at: Fruit World New Lynn. While not technically Glen Eden, it’s close enough and it’s my local. It’s like the golden mile here because we can get fresh produce, then pop next door to the Aussie Butcher for meats. You gotta time your run on a Sunday though, it’s really busy especially after lotu (church). The local Samoan and Tongan church congregations descend on the Margan Ave shops after Sunday service.

For outstanding people watching, go to: Glenmall Place, IYKYK, I’ll leave the rest up to your imagination.

A restaurant I would love to relocate to Glen Eden: Wok’n Noodle Mt Eden. My wife and I have been eating here since 2008, and she makes fun of me because I’ve been ordering the same thing for 16 years – mee goreng chicken. I have actually tried everything on the menu, but Lee knows I only ever get the mee goreng.

Also Butter Baby for their cinnamon buns. I’m a cinnamon roll addict. For a long time, I used to complain that cinnamon rolls were hard to find in Auckland. For me a good cinnamon bun has to be baked just-so – not too doughy. Also, you don’t have to shower the bun with icing. My gold standard growing up was a family bakery back home called Aunty Lanu’s in Vaitele, owned by uncle William Keil. I’m a cinnamon bun snob and there are only a handful of places in Auckland that have come close to my ideal version of a cinnamon bun but Butter Baby is one.

Why I love eating in Glen Eden: It’s got just enough variety that you forget you’re in a working-class west Auckland suburb. It doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not which I hope never changes. As the population evolves, so do the food options. We’re still missing a local Samoan food joint though. I still have to go to Avondale, Kelston or Henderson to get my fa’alifu, mamoe, kale moa and sapasui.