La Spiaggia Ristorante is a gorgeous Italian restaurant in Murrays Bay on Auckland’s North Shore. It’s one of my favourite places to eat out in the city. Every visit is the same in the best way possible: it’s always busy, there’s a warm, cosy atmosphere, and the mouthwatering smell of wood-fired pizza makes it hard not to demolish the entire menu.

Now, I won’t pretend to be an authority on Italian authenticity (given that I’m not Italian). It's more traditional than some Italian places in Auckland, but not so much that they’ve ditched their creamy chicken spaghetti carbonara (yes, made with cream, not egg yolks). However, authenticity aside, the food is exceptional.

One thing that genuinely sets La Spiaggia apart is how effortlessly they cater to dietary requirements. As someone with a few (okay, a lot), I can’t tell you how nice it is to dine somewhere that’s accommodating!