I work next door to this great little restaurant.
The food is great, very authentic and really cheap.
They are incredibly friendly and helpful.
I’ve just had Laksa Lemak for 10.50 and it was fantastic full of fish chicken and prawns loads of noodles in a really rich and spicy sauce, excellent.
I’m a big fan, the place is simple a little old fashioned but a true local
gem!!!!

I have enjoyed both the attentive service and excellent food EVERY time I have been at this establishment. Its quiet enough to talk, warm and friendly to the eye and the soul – and HIGHLY recommended as one of my favourite ‘home away from home’ comfort places…

One of the old restaurant.
Decor seems dated now. Still holds very authentic look.
Food is simply delicious. I just love Nasi Lemak.

Food was little spicy for us but thoroughly enjoyed it.

Service was prompt. Worth visiting.

A favourite casual eatery that we keep going back to. Best dish? Well, we have about 6 dishes we really enjoy. Good service and friendly staff. Money bags and Ikan buka are good ones, sizzling platters, Rendang etc, and some of the best Roti around.

Simply the best in NZ. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the awesome experience. Meet Roy the owner chef ..he gave us such a dinning experience that surpasses any restaurant owner has ever provided. He comes to your table and asks on the quality of food and suggests dishes to suit your taste i.e he blends new dishes to your liking and believe you me you won’t be disappointed. He is well liked in the community of Ponsonby and his customers comes from all corners of Auckland. Even David Tua is his favourite patron ..who has given him a personal DT t-shirt ask Roy to show it to you …Dine at this Malaysian Rest its is THE BEST especially the service and great food from ROY.

Everyone knows that Malaysian Food is awesome. But Mutiara Malaysian restaurant is best amongst all other Malay restaurants. I love Mee Goreng and Money bag….that is incredible delicious.
@roy..thank you so much for your wonderful service.

See you soon

5 star plus!

Fabulous food with friendly service and good ambience.

Roy and his team have looked after us for the past 15+years and we look forward to this continuing for many more years.

They have never failed to provide us with excellent food and service and we have always left feeling 100% satisfied.

p.s. If you like chilli crabs give them a call and see if they can organise it for you – they are a favourite with us.

As we read the reviews and found out that Mutiara is probably the oldest Malaysian Restaurant in New Zealand based over 12years ago. The consistency of food is supposed to be superb as Roy the owner is the Head Chef since the establishment ofthe restaurant.

Went there for dinner recently with my mates.
The deep fried whole prawns looked yummy in the photos so ordered some for entree. The presentation was beautiful and the colour was beautiful golden brown showing very good deep frying skills. Girlfriend ordered money bags which were so good as well. Found out that they are not using European deep fryers but fresh oil frying in a traditional wok. (Hence the colour and oil free yummy taste)
The mains arrived just after finishing entree. We ordered Mee Goreng and some beef curry with roti. I would say the best Mee Goreng in New Zealand! Before unused to think that no one can beat the Mee Goreng of selera cafe(New Market) buy Roy’s Mee Goreng is superb!
For desert we had some banana fritters which were just amazing!
The bar is at the front and the manager made superb shandy with properly measuring beer and lemonade then pouring them into another glass offered with ice. Very Organised!

Overall I’d say the best Asian food in Auckland CBD area with suberb location at Ponsonby Rd followed by great service by the staff.

I tend to eat here mostly for lunch, although have been here a few times for dinner, the food is probably the best Malaysian food around & the service is second to none. Spice is offered to how hot you want & the staff are always welcoming & friendly. I will be back soon!!

Mutiara has been my family favorite restaurant for years. I am Indonesian but I love Malaysian Food as its ingredients are very similar with ours. The waiting staff have always been friendly and most importantly the food is always delivered with good quality. The chef, Roy is super friendly and always made his time to ask us and all the guests around us whether we are happy with the food (of course we are happy!!! they’re delicious and authentic!!!)

My husband and I brought our visitor from England and my mother in law. My visitor was so impressed with the food and cannot believe how friendly the chef and how great the service is.
My mother in law and her husband are the regular by now. In fact everyone that I have recommended to go to Mutiara has always been satisfied with the food and the service. They have been consistently Great!!

My favorite dishes are the Deep Fried Snapper in Spicy and Sour Sauce, Double Fried Beans and Kum Heong Har (Aromatic Prawn) but whenever I brought new visitors around, amazingly the Double Fried Beans, Lemon Chicken and the Aromatic Chicken are also the winners!!!

Definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who seeks to experience authentic Asian Food with good value for money.
LOVE you Mutiara!!!!

Me and my wife have been going to Mutiara for a few years now and the food and service have always been excellent.

Tonight I had the lemon chicken, double fried beans, and beef with black bean sauce.

I definitely recommend the double fried beans. Yum.

The atmosphere is relaxed and it was great value for money because the dishes were so full of flavour.

I recommend Mutiara to all my friends who are looking for some good quality Asian cuisine.

Terence and I have been going to Mutiara at least once a month for the last 12 years and we’re shocked to read bad reviews which we feel are totally unjustified. We feel that Mutiara is like our second home and are treated by Roy and his staff very well. We found the great reviews written about Mutiara on the Finda & Eat Out websites were exactly how we felt. May all good things stay with Mutiara.

The most amazing food we have had in Auckland. Great service, friendly staff and a tour of the kitchen proved the food was fresh and standards were high.

Roy the owner was fun and welcoming. He has a great business and a great talent as a chef.

This is now our new local and favorite place to have a delicious and reasonably priced dinner or lunch. To top it off we were able to bring our own Otago pino, as it’s BYO.

Well done Mutiara, meaning The Pearl. You are the pearl of Auckland, if not NZ.

See you very soon and thanks for a memorable and special evening.

Samantha & Dave

We had our staff party here a while ago and we had a great time, the mango juice is amazing. Its hard to actually find mango juices available in other restaurants.
The variety of food in our table was unbelievable!! I love Malaysian food and I will definitely be back to Mutiara when I want a delicious Nasi Goreng.

I came here for lunch today and had the most delicious chicken curry.
Every time, without fail the food is great.
Not only is the food good but you get a lot for your money.
I will continue to come here for great food and service.

Best Malaysian in Auckland- and we’ve tried most!
Lunch is outstanding- the Chicken Claypot in particular is amazing. Dinner perhaps even better, the Lamb Shank curry and Eggplant Sambal exceptional. Great service and the BYO option mean we are regulars at Mutiara.

Superb service ..superb food..we come here regularly and find the food / service consistently good. Lots of specials like Otak Otak Gurnard baked in banana or Asam Masak Merah, Nyonya fish, Butter prawn and great roti. Very authentic food ..Excellent location in Ponsonby Road ..Rob

The customer service was horrible, the person on the phone taking the booking was too arrogant, the food was the worst i have had in Auckland, if you want to have good malaysian food, I recommend santhiyas, KK, and the Atrium on Elliot Food Court

Food was average. If you are a Malaysian, it is below average. Service was non existent. The waiter who served us was rude. We asked the price of a double portion of fish and he replied “I’m not here to discuss price”. He was very unhelpful and seemed uninterested. We were in a group of 8 and we are Malaysians. We will definitely NOT be returning. There are many other excellent Malaysian restaurants to go to where the service is great.

My Husband and I discovered Mutiara some 14 years ago and we have been going there on a regular basis ever since. Every special occasion we come to Mutiara…..why? well this is the best Malaysian food in town, and we have tried many. Our all time Fav is their Clay pot dishes, I have never tasted any thing like it anywhere else and MAN OH MAN its good.

My Dad who is the biggest critic of restaurants (and is never pleased with food he gets) loves Mutiara and is always ready to go there.

The owner Ray has always made it a point to come out and have a chat with us when ever we are there, and is sooo very helpful with group bookings. Though the Restaurant is small it is cosy and cute….I LOVE IT!!

We are going there again for a small 50th birthday celebration this weekend, I cant wait.

I love Malaysian food and Mutiara has now become my favorite Malaysian joint, especially for lunch. Their lunch specials are super great deal and the food is divine. Every dish tastes different and my absolute favorites would be Char Kway Teow, Nonya Fried Rice and Claypot Noodles. Worth a visit for some good Malaysian eat.

Went there for lunch the other day, the lunch menu was cheap, delicious and ample. Happy to recommend it.

I just returned from my OE & have a friend gathering at Mutiara a few days ago. They have keep the standard of food as good as before. I have tried their new menu – Otak-Otak & Ayam Masak Merah. Both was sooooo beautiful! I can’t wait to go back again. Mutiara remain one of my favourite Malaysian restaurant. I will not hesitate to recommend to everbody.

Having lived in Malaysia for many years I am always on the lookout for good food from the area. Mutiara is far and away the best I have come across in New Zealand. One of my yardsticks has always been the classic Rendang Daging and Mutiara’s is simply the best I’ve ever tasted. I just keep going back and back and I have recommended it to so many friends and clients. It is very reasonably priced, the staff are an absolute delight, and the food is exceptional. I must say I have to be very sceptical of the origins of the couple of negative reviews above. This remains absolutely my favourite Asian restaurant of any kind in Auckland.

Excellent service,great food and good wine selections.The Ikan bakar and the Egg plant with salted fish,and the mee goreng was a hit for us.Will certainly be back to try out more of what Mutiara has to offer.

Place was pretty cramp, and food was served pretty slow. However, the service staff were nice and friendly. I ordered nasi goreng which came out less than desirable; the rice was all wet, sticky and not very well flavoured. I would definitely hesitate to return here and order something else, given the fact that they could not get the basic nasi goreng right.

Nothing great of a place, we went there for dinner and was greeted by the senior waiter. Everything was in order, except the food. I would not eat there again, just, reason being, food is not that exceptional.

Delicious food and wonderful staff, we are regulars here and love the option of BYO too. The laksa is amazing.

Not much keeps this away from 5-star rating: food quality and the attention of the staff justify it. Mutiara is one of Auckland’s secrets; something which suits its many regulars, but hasn’t enriched Roy, its owner. The menu is terrific: just as Malaysia is a blend of cultural influences, so does the menu represent a variety of influences. Popular standards such as Ayum Kapitan, Rendang, Re-fried beans with chicken, are all cooked to an exceptional standard and to a moderate price. Go now before Mutiara becomes Auckland’s most fashionable ethnic cafe… Good wine list, real beers, fabulous roti!!!

Nothing has changed over five years since I wrote the above, except that bad-tempered Asian customers waving obsolete vouchers have had time to vent their spleens. Mutiara is different: most Asian restaurants are staffed by cooks who can throw the same old things around in woks; Mutiara is run by a formally-trained chef who can create dishes which properly represent any aspect of Malaysian cuisine culture.

(And I’ve upgraded the rating)