Brew’d Hawt Victoria Street

The Verdict

Consider your after-work feed, treat-yo-self lunch cravings officially taken care of—Brew’d Hawt has opened a second spot in Victoria Street in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s CBD. The quirky fried chicken and elevated comfort food empire is growing.  

A breezy indoor-outdoor flow, spilling out into its own laneway, invites all kinds of hankerings. Your post-work drinks with mates? Pull up a chair and get sipping. Want to nibble and gnaw the evening away over plate after plate? Consider it the place. Or simply fancy retreating from the world to demolish a handful of wings? You’re sorted.  

First things first, the chicken. It’s what Brew’d Hawt is known for, and in our opinion, are some of the best in Auckland. In line with what landed their Manukau post as an it-spot among chicken lovers, this CBD spot dishes up all the elevated fried chicken takes known, loved and worshipped. 

Szechuan pepper spices? A tangy ThaiThai sauce coated with coriander? Lemon and pepper? Coated with sticky Korean sauce? The world—or should we say, their wings—are your oyster. Or keep it classic with a Nashville or, the BH-darling, the OG spice, complete with their signature pickle mayo. It’s all fair game. 

The same can be said for their burgers. Who knew fried that chook could be jazzed up and slabbed between (very generously) buttered brioche buns in so many ways? It turns out Brew’d Hawt did, whipping up creations like a Bombay-style spice hit, Truff’d with cheddar and—you guessed it, truffle year-round—alongside the perfect take on the Nashville, OG coating or a Szechuan. Not to mention, at your choice of spice—yep, even the more tongue-pinching sounding coatings.  

Love mac 'n’ cheese? Then you’ll want to peep their secret menu by snooping around their order screens. Here lies the mother of all comfort food, the OG Mac. Yep, an OG chicken burger with a hefty spoonful of their signature stringy mac n’ cheese slathered in. 

Vegetarians, we promise you’re in good company here. The same panache they give to their chicken applies to Brew’d Hawts veggie options too (no chance of only ordering sides here).

A mean veggie burger with a savoury green pea and lentil patty and all the trimmings await. Then of course, the sides are a must and very veggie-friendly: gooey mac and cheese (we recommend having it topped with chilli oil) and fried pickles are on the cards. 

Speaking of sides, iceberg lettuce gets a new lease on life in the form of their loaded wedges. Not to be confused with the potato counterpart, these loaded wedges come garnished with herbs and trimmings, sauces and even parmesan cheese in the Caesar, Summer and Korean blends. They’re indulgent, fresh, nourishing and impeccable as a side or standalone snack.

Now don't you go skimping on dessert, okay? A heavenly smooth, light yet still mighty indulgent peanut-butter cheesecake is the piece-de-resistance. Crack the Whittaker's Milk chocolate halo and toffee praline pieces right off before scooping into the silky cream and base of Oreo cookies. Trust us, it pairs beautifully with a glass of their house prosecco or the Estrella Damm on tap just as well as it does a food coma. 

Image credit: Vanessa Zhao