Gina's Story

"Gina's" owes its name to a gorgeous italian woman, Gina Maio. Originally from Calabria in south Italy, she ended up meeting and marrying her German husband Bodo Luckfiel in Melbourne. Together they moved to Auckland in 1973, opening their first restaurant in Mt Eden. Gina says her biggest challenge was sourcing basic ingredients like olive oil, which she initially had to buy from the pharmacy. Cheeses and Italian salami were sometimes smuggled from across the Tasman in a relative's suitcase.

Their second restaurant followed in the 1980s on Victoria St in the city, and their third in 1994 on Symonds St, where Gina's continues to this day. Like many italian women, Gina is a wonderful cook, and like many Italians, she is the epitome of generous italian hospitality. With their warm and gracious hosting - not to mention delicious food - Gina and Bodo introduced the beginnings of true trattoria-style dining to Auckland.

My friends and I became a regular fixture at Gina's around 1995. They were die-hard pizza fans and for me, well, it was the beginning of my love affair for all things Italian. The food, the culture, L'amore … I met my Italian husband Alessandro in 1996 and oh-my-god he was sexy… and he could cook! My friends and I would invite him over and he'd make pizza, gnocchi, spaghetti marinara - we all fell in love with him.

Then I introduced him to Gina and our fate was sealed. Alessandro and Gina hit it off immediately; he was the son she never had and she, the mamma he missed so much. When Bodo and Gina retired in 1998 they offered us their business. Theirs were big boots to fill, but we were up for the challenge. We continue their tradition of preparing warm, hearty Italian food served in a style that is generous and down-to-earth.

Thank you for visiting us online. We hope to see you soon … at Gina's!