Always extremely welcome for our little local. Staff go a long way to make you feel welcome and the…read morepizzas are incredible - they still stand as some of the best pizzas me, and my family have had. Drinks are varied and have a good range for price. Highly recommend to anyone.

If you live in Orakei, there aren't a lot of options for dinner nearby. You can jaunt over to…read moreMission Bay, or head into the city, but if you just want to enjoy the cool night air and grab something convenient, you are very limited. Pinchos boasts a cute, semi-covered outdoor patio with fire heaters to keep you toasty, if the wine doesn't do that for you. They've got a menu of pizza, tapas, and seafood dishes. The bartender is very friendly, and the smartly dressed patrons at the bar are usually keen to converse with a friendly face. I just came here for takeaway, since we were planning a rowdy night in at the flat. They only do takeaway pizzas, but they're pretty nice. For $10, you can get a basic pepperoni or tomato & basil. I decided to go big, bc I was famished and craving prawns, so I paid $20 and had a nice prosciutto and prawn pizza. I'm not a very big appetite, so I was able to get full off of half and share the other half with some other hungry party guests. I'd prefer to pay $10 for their takeaway pizzas rather than $5 for a dominos, so I'll be back for just that! I do wish they offered more on their takeaway menu than just pizza though.

What a gorgeous spot for a drink in the heart of Devonport!…read more As I am not a local, "Tiny Triumphs" was an unknown bar to me - until now. The bar is unassuming and set back from the street. Great seating outside, either bar stools around small and/or communal table, or comfortable European-style chairs: Al fresco drinking in style! They have beers on tap (not sure what as not a beer drinker), great cocktails, wine list or chilled water for teetotallers:) Fab service too. Not a lot of room inside by the bar, so you can network, while ordering your drink!

If you live in Devonport, Tiny Triumphs should be your new local hangout. As the name promises,…read moreit's tiny. So, it's best for a beautiful day when you can take advantage of the lovely porch. The ambiance is like an auckland villa porch with lovely rugs and vintage furniture. Cozy place with friendly faces and nice nibbles. They do NZ beers (saw mill), cocktails, and have some nice organic soda options for the teetotalers. Nice addition to the neighborhood, and a little hard to find - tucked in next to the stone bakery. Totally worth it!!

Let's start with the service since that's the first thing that happens when you enter a restaurant…read more The servers appeared stressed but accomodating. We were given the chance to sit by the front to get a good view of the water. The order was taken immediately but the food preparation took longer than usual. Oysters were fresh and good. The special Bluff oyster for $7 was great along with their wine. The salmon was cooked well but for some reason the salad came out wilted and not fresh. Giving this place a three star out of five.

Delicious, quaint on the water bbq with an excellent menu. So much it will take you a few minutes…read moreto decide what you want. We got the half chicken and lamb ribs, equally delicious and both good sized portions we didn't finish. Great wine selection, vavasour Chardonnay was a great recommendation. Cauliflower was awesome, curly fries are just ok but came out so hot I burned the top of my mouth. Passion fruit pie very original and different we liked but wouldn't order again

We had to be at the aquarium early in the morning for a Penguin Encounter so we were looking for a…read morequick breakfast in the area. This place was the closest place to the aquarium that was open early in the morning. The staff sat us down and gave us menus. They took our coffee order first and then our food. We only had like 40 minutes so I kept checking my watch waiting for the food to come out. I was starting to panic because we had like 15 mins left and still out food wasn't out. I went up to the counter and asked to just have it put for take away. The waiter ws really nice and went to check on it. Then, he came out and said it was almost done and asked if we still wanted to do take away. I checked my watch and said it's okay just bring it out. We ate what we could and took the rest to go. The staff were very understanding and friendly about our situation. Food: Surprisingly, the food was really good! Also, the portion was huge. My sister ordered the matcha pancakes and I was shocked at how good they were. I ordered a breakfast platter and it was more than I could handle but it was good. If I were to visit again, I would order the matcha pancakes! Again, coffee in New Zealand is awesome and strong! Price: Good for the large portion! Service: Great and friendly staff!

I went with my 2 kids. Olive press was not a big but clean and fancy…read more Staff was kind and food came out without delay in busy time. We ordered waffle, fish and chips and open sandwich. They did not use high quality stuff for food but nice looking and taste was good. After the meal we had lemon tart as a dessert, it was really nice, actually that was best in that restaurant.

I went to the Olive Bar and Bistro for a friends 21st birthday party and I think the experience was…read moreas close to the gossip girl life as I will ever get! When we arrived we were greeted by a waiter, whose life goal was clearly to make us happy patrons. He hurried about pouring us our chosen drinks and when he stumbled across an empty bottle and realised he would have to venture off to source another one he sincerely apologized before rushing off and returning within two minutes to find us in the crowd and pour our drinks. Never have I ever felt so important, like that man's job was to make sure we got exactly what we wanted. It was a pleasant surprise in a time where people often opt for the easy way out instead of taking the hard yards to please people.

I like this Malaysian restaurant, I come often with friends and they also find the dishes…read moreexcellent. Especially the marmite pork and their fish noodle soup, their hainan chicken is very delicious too.

Absolutely love the food from here!!!…read more On Great South Rd and Market Rd, near the Remuera train station. Busy intersection. Definitely worth the trip. The place- decent size restaurant. Has a few large round table and 2 and 4 people seats. Cleaner than other Malaysian restaurant in town. The food- you have to try nestum prawns. It's fried with a coating of egg/oats. Tastes a little spicy, a little sweet, and crunchy. You can ask them to remove the shells if you have not mastered the art of eating prawns. The other favorites is the fish noodle soup. One of the best fish stock I've ever had. Has good chunks of fish meat in it. The thick vermicelli is very springy, taste really good. We also tried the honey pork shop. Highly recommend it. The service- friendly. Definitely a restaurant you have to try out. They have a few other locations also.

A local gem, Manthana Thai Cuisine is the best Thai food I have ever had! Located in West Harbour,…read moreManthana can be easily missed or ignored due to its location in a suburb but I can assure you that the service and the food is out of this world. I went to Manthana for dinner with my boyfriend on a quiet Wednesday night, we sat at a table with a rose, candles and the restaurant's lighting was dimmed to create a romantic ambiance. I found myself getting in touch with my romantic side and the music in the background heightened those senses! When our meals arrived, the portions of both our meals were big enough for the both of us to share. The ingredients were fresh and I was delighted that the pineapple in my sweet and sour fish was freshly cut and not from a can. Alex is an excellent host and throughout the evening we where made to feel at home, although it was just my boyfriend and I in the restaurant there was no pressure or hurry for us to go home.

The Massey/West Harbour area of Auckland is seriously lacking good restaurants so it was quite…read moreexciting to stumble across Manthana. Nestled within a small block which includes takeaway bars and dairies, the restaurant itself is inviting with a warm ambience. We've had dinner here about three times now and each time we've really enjoyed it. The last time we went we ordered the Green Chicken Curry, Red Duck Curry and Pad Cashew Nuts shared between three. All were generously-sized and delicious. This was followed by an award-winning desert which my partner, who never eat deserts according to him, ate half of. Fortunately for him the mains were sized such that I couldn't have eaten an entire desert on my own anyway. The menu is extensive with the mains modestly priced between $17 and $20. The seafood mains tend to cost a little more. We've never ordered entrees here so I can't comment on these. The only downsides were that the mains were delivered to our table within what seemed like minutes of having our order taken which left little time to linger over our pre-dinner drinks. Also, the wine menu is fairly limited in terms of choice. This restaurant was a great find which I'm definitely going to experience again

Quality food with lots of vegetarian options, authentically made with pleasant service.read more

Went here with friends for a BYO dinner. Firstly, the service was non-existant, and it wasn't even…read morebusy. By the time they bothered to take our order (after having to ask twice) we had been seated over 40 minutes. At about the hour and fifteen minute mark we were finally served our food. I ordered the Lemongrass Prawn Salad, expecting a main sized salad meal. It was literally just a pile of prawns on about 4 leaves. More like an appetizer. At $25 it was just a ripoff and I was still hungry, but I wasn't prepared to pay the same price and wait for another small main. The other dishes ordered by my friends looked OK, but again really small portion sizes. They also don't give you your own rice to help yourself, rather scoop it for you from a big pot they walk around with and you pay per spoonful. I would give this no stars if I could, and I definitely wouldn't dine here again.