Crazy metre long gourmet pizza and great staff may be a good start, but this location is huge! It…read moremay look small in the vastness of Nelson St, but it has so many levels which you can book out for entertainment. I filmed on the very bottom floor a short while ago - a huge basement where you could picture a real underground concert with a bar, dance floor and stage. The next level up is much like the restaurant but for private functions and then the very top is for your usual wining and dining. Very kool location and yummy food. :)

Excellent food in this classic Auckland restaurant…read more Vegetable spaghettini was delicious with charred asparagus, brocollini and olives. Creamy portobello fettuccine mmm. Delicious raspberry and vanilla creamer brûlée. Rich decadent sour cherry chocolate dessert. Great people watching, classy friendly service and a good wine list.

Lovely for the most part, we had a reservation but arrived at 6pm Friday to largely empty…read morerestaurant. I must say the Diamond Clam entree was "Off the charts" incredible! This is a must have dish! We also were fans of the Saltimbocca and Carpaccio that came with prosciutto. The pizza was decent but not a "have again". The most curious of dishes was the Linguine with Scampi. The scampi served in shell and halved were deliciously sweet. Unfortunately the scampi pasta appeared to be prepared earlier and just warmed for serving. The linguini was crispy, hard, dry.

Tried to find out a country-style Cafe&Eatery in Albany area. Suddenly the Wine Box came out…read more Renovated from a previous old house, or maybe an old chapel, the wine box stands out among all other buildings around. With a terrace facing the Main Street with shed, sofa and green plants, it could be a cozy spot to kill your afternoon leisure time. However, after walking in, sitting down, the whole space runs a bit out-of-time. It could be decorated better, with its original structure. I could sense the food might be a bit lagged checking the menu. So we just tried something quite basic. Flat white arrives, totally matching its name, flat and white... you can barely taste the coffee. Then the chicken live pate with manuka&cream sauce gives out some unpleasant flavor which I could not bear, the BLT came out fairly normal. I was a bit upset with the bacon not crispy, bread over toasted and dressing too plain. Then we just ended up having chips for making this lunch up. Maybe it was tucked so far away from the city, however, it should not end up offering food with this standard. Black Cottage Cafe is a good example for a country-style Cafe&restaurant. Try harder and do not let it fade away.

Cosy little spot and great food, Peppered Scotch with Mushroom Risotto is a must have! Plus the…read moreHead Chef is the Man!

Excellent meal all the way around. Started with a delicious…read moreginger-based Cognac and coffee liqueur cocktail. Not too sweet at all and delicious! Moved on to kingfish Andre/ appetizer which was served with a coconut/ cream and delicate sauce. The fish was raw but a delicious flavor combination Then the lamb !! Wow ! Served with a delicious, reduced glaze and delicious trimmings. The meat fell off the bow and delivered an amazing flavor The mane was venison medallion steak which Was served rare, but just tender as can be and also excellent. We finished with the caramel and cheese based little tart that you can see in the photo, which was really just amazing! We also had good chocolate dessert which was a little bit of a misnomer because it was mostly chocolate shavings and a little puffy sponge type chocolate thing. No heavy chocolate heavy flavor. Very interesting. The decor is plain andofern with a lovely garden outside Servers were knowledgeable and efficient - refined I would say A truly memorable meal

I ate at one of their special 'test' dinners over the weekend. I think they do these once a month…read morewhere it's a community table and they try out new dishes. I had gone to Sidart a few years ago and loved that tasting menu so was looking forward to this meal, even though it would be a completely different experience. I loved this as well - not all the dishes were amazing, but they were interesting and the overall experience at a community table was great.

I've been here a couple of times to eat. It's always a lovely place to sit, particularly at one of…read morethe outside tables, to watch the world go by. It's a popular eatery - the service is good but I haven't had any trouble getting a table. The coffee is good and there are lovely muffins for morning tea. I've enjoyed savoury cheese muffin and my companion had blueberry. For lunch, my companion and I enjoyed very nice Caesar salad each - mine with halloumi and theirs with chicken. It was all very nice - I would come again without hesitation. Thank you.caesar Salad

My friends and I went here after a book fair up the road and we had a lovely time. I've also been…read morewith family a few times as it's a favourite of my mums. The food is fairly pricey, even for snack food, although it was compensated by tasting delicious. Being right by the water is an added bonus to the atmosphere, especially if you're able to grab a seat in the front. They have a mix of high and low seated tabling for different occasions - whether you're just there for a quick beer or booked in for a sit down meal.

If you want to have authentic Greek food in Auckland then Niko's Pizza on the North Shore is…read moreperfect for this occasion. Located on Anzac Street a short walk from the busy Hurstmere road, is this awesome eatery that brings you tasty Greek food with flair. The happy and charming Niko was at hand for my first ever experience, full of laughter and entertainment. As my partner and I were the only inside diners that evening, he recommended a lovely bottle of Pinot Noir which was accepted. I really wanted to try the Greek Special Pizza- and accompanied by a Greek salad- I was happy to sit, and sip wine and eat pizza for a while. I felt like I could have been back in Greece, I was surrounded by Greek food, music, decor, and great service. I had to try the Kataifi for dessert and this recipe I was told came directly via Athens. A delicious Greek pastry filled with almonds, walnuts and pistachio. Just divine. I know there are not many places in Auckland like Niko's Pizza, you have genuine service from the owner, and you can sense his passion for what he does and the love of his home country.

I almost gave Niko's four stars because the owner (Niko maybe?) is so lovely but at the end of the…read moreday their pizza isn't amazing and it's quite expensive ($25 for a plain Napoletana) given the quality of the ingredients and the size of the pizzas. Don't get me wrong the pizzas are tasty - super thin crust with liberally applied, fresh ingredients but my Napoletana had way too much Oregano (which was dried, not fresh) and not enough basil pesto. Plus when we called to order our takeouts we got the answering machine, which told us to leave a message with our order but when we called back 15mins later to confirm they say they never got it. Plus we wanted delivery and they simply said they weren't doing delivery tonight. Perhaps it was too busy, it was a Friday after all! Judging by the wait time and how busy the restaurant was when we picked up our pizzas at 9:45pm, it's clear that Niko's is a local favourite but for me, i'd rather make the hike across the bridge to Dante's or Toto's!

Ehhhh... I've gotta say, as a (now) Dante's devotee, this just wasn't up to scratch. Takeaway only…read more(again) and I didn't even go to collect it, so I'm going solely on food here. Pizza was not that large, but at $18 (or not even) a pop, that's okay. The dough is a little bland, and the sauce... Where is the flavour! Dante's pizza sauce is so rich, so full of tomato and garlic and everything I love, this just went nowhere near that. The cheese was mozarella, but not the beautiful fresh buffalo mozarella I've now come to expect from my Margherita. It's great for a local, and it was ready within 10 minutes. After a couple of wines, it's nice not to have to drive, but... If I hadn't had those two wines, I would be spending my money at Dante's. There's nothing particularly wrong with it, but if you love food with a flavour that packs a punch, I would head elsewhere.

I have a disproportionate level of excitement when an authentic new pizza place opens; I always…read morewant to do a little cheerleading dance for anyone prepared to go up against the big players. Stumpy's was I think a florist (?) and is next to Big Beat Café and just down from Braziers. Its got its branding sorted in a suburb where such things are rare and the place looks mainly spiffy, just a few holes in the floor to fix but I'm sure that's imminent. There's a cool story to match and I won't spoil it for you here but go visit because any takeaway place that can provide a bit of personal urban folklore with your pizza has got to be good. See it IS all about different, big homogenised corporate pizza peeps. We ordered the Fun Guy (yeeeaahhh - NAME!) from the Original Range and the Tom & Cherry from the Buffalo Range (with the fresh stuff, yum). The Fun Guy was fabulous and the Tom & Cherry just needs a little refinement; the cherry tomatoes are too wet which made the pizza soggy and a bit more basil or even pesto would do the trick. But I'm just being picky because Stumpy's is awesome and as a part time vegetarian, I'm hard to please. Gourmet pizzas can be a bit hit and miss but I think overall the epicurian ingredients used at Stumpy's are all good; capers, anchovies, smoked salmon, prosciutto. Not sure about the artichoke hearts; they seem to be the go-to replacement vegetarian ingredient but really the pickled ones are just not that great. And I'll be very happy when sun-dried tomatoes come back in fashion because they're soooo good on pizza. Anyway, prices are super reasonable, Balmoral has a new local character and last but not least - the dough is freakin perfect. Go, try, now!

The middle sibling of popular Viaduct venue "White & Wongs" & baby brother "Burger Boy", this cozy…read morelittle bar makes full advantage of it's little nook. Late summer sun on the water, upbeat tunes, a fun & quirky (but still chic) décor. More importantly, a delightful wine list, offering top end NZ & old world classics by the glass or bottle. Pushing their rating into 5 stars is the authentic customer care the staff offered, which extended past the punters & into the street to a fallen pedestrian; Service without the hubris or nonchalance we get in so many other Auckland establishments. Kudos to you Sardine- Will definitely be returning to try the cocktails...