Coming Soon: Aryeh Is Piha's New 89-Seater Beachside Eatery From Chef Lucas Parkinson

West coast beach town Piha has had its fair share of knock backs lately, with the area copping the brunt of the damage from Cyclone Gabrielle. This summer brings a win for the community, however, with the opening of the brand new eatery Aryeh.

As is typical with the beachfront communities on Auckland's west coast, Aryeh will be a predominantly summer restaurant, holding its first dinner service on Saturday, December 2, with lunch service starting Wednesday December 6. These hours will continue until late April, when the restaurant will shut for the winter and become an event space.

In keeping with the environment surrounding the restaurant, chef and owner Lucas Parkinson has named his new restaurant after the Aramaic word for lion, as reference to the cliff that towers above Piha, Lion Rock. As well as this, Parkinson will be choosing his menu based on what the weather is doing around him, with the menu changing as the seasons do, while sourcing top-quality New Zealand fruit, vegetables, protein and seafood from local producers.

On this changeable menu, diners can expect main dishes like prime cut organic Cambridge Mapari beef served with syrah bone jus, plus Fiordland venison with horopito sauce. For sides, choose between a range of options from honey-roasted carrots to beef fat-fried jersey potatoes.

As well as the a la carte menu, diners will also have the chance to try the three- and five-course set menus on offer. For those that truly want to get involved, head along to Aryeh's test kitchen, open for feedback on a Wednesday night. Guests will be presented with a five-course menu, served alongside a notepad and pen to leave their valued feedback.

Finally, on the other end of the spectrum, diners who are looking for a casual seaside meal can fill their boots on The Sun Deck, munching on mussels, chicken wings, and fish and chips to their heart's content. The restaurant seats a total of 89 diners, with 34 of those on the covered outdoor balcony and four cosied up by the coveted chef's table.

After closing his last successful venture Ode in Wānaka in 2021, Parkinson says he had a "very calm and still feeling" about his next steps. "I've settled into the mindset that this is my purpose in life, outside of being a father," he said.

"Wānaka was my training ground, and now I've returned to Auckland, my home city — to this, the first surf beach I ever visited, a place I have come to love. We invite our diners to relax and enjoy the magic of Piha, to slow down and savour every moment."

Aryeh opens for dinner service at 20 Seaview Road, Piha, Auckland on Saturday December 2, and is taking bookings now. It will remain open for lunch from 12–2pm Thursday–Monday and dinner from 5–9pm Wednesday–Monday until Tuesday, April 30, 2024, when it will shut its doors for the winter.

Images: Babiche Martens.