Five years after leaving Queen Street, Uncle Man has surprised loyal customers by announcing that it will be reopening in the heart of Auckland CBD.
First opened in 2014 on Karangahape Road by the late Malaysian restaurateur Najib Othman, the branch at Lorne Street will become the fifth Uncle Man eatery, five years after its food court stall at SkyWorld closed.
Najib’s eldest daughter, Amy, will be running the CBD branch, along with the chain’s Wynyard Quarter outlet.
“I’ve looked all over Auckland for a place where we can have consistent and sizable lunch crowd of office workers, students, and tourists, and Auckland’s CBD is still the best place to be,” Amy said.
“The City Rail Link is also nearing completion, and construction works are coming to an end, so I feel this is the right time to reopen.”
Uncle Man has gained a reputation for its classic home-cooked Malaysian street food dishes, with everything from nasi lemak, mee goreng, laksa, nasi biryani to satay, and mee Maggi goreng.
However, the most popular are their freshly made Malaysian roti canai and teh tarik, or pulled milk tea.
Amy describes the food at Uncle Man as “wholesome Malaysian home-style and street food”.
“These are dishes you get pretty much anywhere in Malaysia,” she said.
“For many of us who are from Malaysia, these are dishes that take us home. But for others, these are flavours that will take them to the streets of Malaysia.”
Uncle Man can be a Malaysian food lover’s dream come true, without actually travelling there. The offerings showcases some of the best Malaysian street food fare, and Malay specialties.
“We are really excited to be coming back to the CBD, and to bring our food to those longing for a taste of Malaysia in the heart Auckland city,” Amy said.
Amy and her family were originally from Muar, Malaysia, where her grandparents ran a small road side stall serving roti canai.
When her late father Najib opened Uncle Man in Auckland, he aimed to bring the authentic style here.
Najib taught Amy and her siblings Azlan and Nadia the art of rolling, flipping and cooking roti canai on hot griddles.
“I learned it from my dad as a little girl, and never did I imagine that today, I’d be teaching others to do it,” she said.
The Malaysian flaky pancake is served with a bowl of curry or lentils and is best paired with teh tarik.
The image on the logo is that of her grandfather, whom people call Uncle Man - short for Othman - and Najib created the logo as a tribute to his dad.
Najib said in an earlier interview that his father was his inspiration, and like how his parents’ little stall had put food on the table for his family, he hoped Uncle Man restaurants would put food on the table for his children here.
Uncle Man Lorne Street will open this Friday, 7 November 2025. Amy is planning $3 specials and discounts for three days to commemorate it being the third Uncle Man she has opened - the other two being Wynyard Quarter and Eastridge.
“It is a milestone for me, and we can’t wait to open our doors for people to come enjoy our food and $3 teh tarik through the weekend,” Amy said.
The specials - 15% discount off the entire menu - will continue through 30 November 2025 through ChowLuckCard.
Uncle Man Lorne St 33 Lorne Street, Auckland Central, Auckland
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