Bar Magda is hidden below street level at 25B Cross Street, close to the energy of Karangahape Road but deliberately removed from its rush. Chef Carlo Buenaventura and bartender Matt Venables founded the venue around an equal commitment to food and drink. The low-lit basement suits an intimate dinner or a late cocktail, yet the cooking is too substantial to treat the place as merely a bar. Modern Filipino ideas and seasonal New Zealand produce give the room its defining voice.
The opening plates show how Buenaventura connects those two places. Cheddar and parmesan custard arrives with purple ube pan de sal, while lechon pork becomes a taco with preserved red onion and salsa. Tuna siyagul fills an empanada, and lumpia encloses Waikawa crab and scampi with plum sweet chilli. These dishes do not simply reproduce familiar forms; they draw Filipino flavours into carefully layered snacks that can begin a drink-led visit or build the first stage of dinner.
Further into the menu, smoke, fermentation and the grill add depth. Purple kūmara is served crisp with pickled beetroot, crab rice brings together king crab, salmon, rouille and nori, and lamb ribs take on the dark coconut and spice of pyanggang. Charcoal steak with soy brown butter provides a rich centrepiece. Two Magda Feast options turn those ideas into a shared banquet, letting the kitchen choose a compact two-course spread or a longer four-course journey for the table.
Venables' drinks programme is designed to meet that food at full strength. Cocktails lean into old world spirits and liqueurs while still making room for tropical and savoury notes, and the wine list is chosen to work beside the menu. Desserts remain shareable, moving through chocolate, tres leches and mango with coconut. Food, cocktails and wine therefore feel like parts of one conversation, whether the evening lasts for a quick pre-show meal or stretches well beyond dinner.
Address: 25B Cross Street, Newton, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
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