Not only was the food phenomenal but the chefs were such a joy to watch and chat with. They were…read moresuper friendly. Same with all the staff. I got to have convos with all :) (my server was Zoey). The chefs were Kyle, Christy, and Saurab. I had the fix menu and they have a good arrangement of vegan/vegetarian items as well! At one point, the chefs saw me drooling over their beef short rib (marinated for over 5 hours) and made a special delivery to me. This was honestly the best thing of the night despite how delicious everything else was. It was a Mexican inspired dish as the head chef just came back from there. The texture and flavor of every bite. Perfectly executed. I never thought l'd feel this way over a corn dog! An amazing experience and can't wait to come back. Best meal I've ever had in Auckland :)

All the food was served in a fancy way but it was all nostalgic-- reminding me of an upscale…read moreversion of things I had as a kid. I think this was the intent as well, especially with the old school slide projector at the entrance! We did this restaurant for dinner in NYE and it was a great pick for our last night in Auckland! The service was great and even though it was dark inside, it was still well lit enough for you to see your food!

One of the best places I ate in New Zealand on this visit. Whoever is in the kitchen is cooking and…read morecreating with love. Dishes just bursting with flavor, beautifully presented. Attentive service, lovely decor.

Happened to stumble upon this place was found it absolutely adorable so decided to give it a try…read more I arrived at 4:45pm and didn't know their dinner menu began at 5. My party was seated in the noisy section of the bar so I asked if we could be moved to the dining room as we wanted to have an early dinner. The waiter said "NO, you cannot sit there. The dinner room is being set for dinner service" He then proceeded to point at the area whilst a table of guests were getting seated. Does this mean 5 pakeha guests get different treatment from 3 asian ones? Who knows. Don't need to find out though. Drinks are good and food oily but delicious.

I would give it 6*. My husband and I came here before dinner--our third stop on a bar crawl--and…read morewish we would've started here. We wouldn't have been to three if we had. Jeremy, our bartender, hailed from Manchester, England, and is an all-world server. Everything he made for us was fantastic. He knows his liquors and mixers, and for a tiny bar, Mea Culpa has a good selection of both. Especially the second-to-top shelf liquors. We ended up having four cocktails and a beer (between two of us) and came away impressed with the lot. My recollection of the night is fuzzy, even more so a month later, but we still do remember enjoying every cocktail. Not the place i would suggest for microbrews, a long row of taps, or a wine bible, but great for cocktails. Highly recommend dropping by if you're in Ponsonby. Tell Jeremy (or whomever is on) your favorite liquor, and let him/her whip something up for you.

This place makes a mean cocktail. I honestly didn't expect…read moremuch by the decor of the place. But the drink I had was amazing. Unfortunately I do not remember what was in it, as I was wined out from earlier in the day & I wasn't feeling the atmosphere here, so I was ready to scoot ASAP. Atmosphere wasn't bad, but after an extremely amazing & relaxing day I wanted a relaxing and/or classy atmosphere and this wasn't it. But I'd go forth & do the spot again. Maybe.

Excellent veggie burger. Easy to sub gluten free and vegan. My youngest son loved his pepperoni…read morepizza. My oldest made the mistake of getting 2 feet of the hot honey pizza, so he'll be enjoying it for days! I had the ipa which was solid, and the view and vibe are spectacular! Quick, friendly service!

We stopped here for a late lunch. With time zones all messed up on our first day here, we wanted to…read moresplit something and keep it light. We chose the Caesar salad with chicken. It came with a hard boiled egg, bacon, grilled chicken, Romain lettuce, garlic bread and a yummy dressing. It was so good and really hit the spot for healthy and hearty. When we arrived, we were handed 2 menus and instructed to sit anywhere we chose. Lots of seating, both in and outdoor. The outdoor patio had a cover which helped those patrons as it was drizzling on and off most of the day. I had a nice sauv Blanc. We got a pitcher of water. Everything was well done and absolutely delicious. Plus, we got to watch some Sunday night American football as we had lunch.

Classy bar with classy drinks. When you walk into The Jefferson, you're immediately transported…read moreback to a different era. The bar is beautiful with some of the friendliest bartenders. We got two of their great drinks and they were both great. They've got a huge selection of whiskeys and gins. Great place for drinks!

Great whishys, good food(a bit spicy) nice music, very quiet…read more The attention is perfect. It has a really nice bar. The bbq ribs and coleslaw were delicious.

The Velvet Gypsy is an amazing place!!! Amazing specials every night of the week and great food…read more There are two sides of the restaurant (one quieter and sleeker, the other lively and facing the beach). The decor is awesome and keeps in line with the name of the place. Everyone looks like they are having an amazing time. I saw a huge age range - groups of 20 and 30 something as well as families and older folk. They also have a great range of food and beverages. We got the 2/$20 gourmet pizza special and both were delicious!!! We will be going back for steak night and the summer platter. Love this place!

This is a cool place to go in Browns Bay, its got 2 faces, one that faces the beach and one that…read morefaces the road. On the Beach face it has some comfortable lounge chairs and bar tables to admire the beauty of Browns Bay Beach and its more for eating. The street face is more of the bar side and yes the drinking side. We came here this week and had Pizza and some drinks, we received really good service and the pizza was pretty good too. They have a pretty good menu with a variety of tasty sounding dishes. During the day you can come and have lunch, and later in the evening dinner, then they come alive after dark for drinks and dancing. I will be back soon.

Beer was decent and probably the highlight. Food was not great; three separate orders went…read moreunfinished. Service was helpful enough and we did appreciate the support for the picky 10-year old requirements.

Always great service. Polite staff. Best chips. The venue that never disappoints. Great live music…read moretoo. Indoor or outdoor options. Great beer

Several months before we started our cruise, we had already arranged to spend a few days in…read moreAuckland after disembarkation. I knew the location of our post-cruise hotel and looked up several nearby eateries and convenience stores in the CBD. I was fortunate to find Odettes Eatery, among other restaurants and businesses, across the street from our hotel at the City Works Depot. We had an early breakfast on board before disembarking. Still, when I mentioned eating lunch across the street at Odettes Eatery to my sisters and husband, they heartily agreed to the restaurant's Mediterranean and North African menu. It was peak lunch hour, but we managed to walk in, where we were welcomed and seated by a cheery hostess. Within a few minutes, our friendly and happy server, Jacob, came by to introduce himself, suggest thirst-quenching beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), and describe menu items we weren't sure about, given the menu's limited descriptions. It took us a few minutes to decide on our meals while Jacob piqued our interest with his suggestion of their thirst-quenching Honey and Ginger Lemonade, along with glasses of iced water, giving us a little more time to decide. FOOD: -Flatbread Lunch Special (Gurnard with Romesco): two large strips of golden-fried panko-coated cod-like textured topped a wood-fired flatbread slathered with smoky, nutty, and slightly spicy Romesco sauce. The crisp, fried, panko-coated fish was complemented by lightly dressed, fresh, shredded cabbage and herbs. I asked Jacob to identify the type of fish used in this dish, as my family and I thought it might have been cod or monkfish, but Jacob said it was locally caught gurnard fish. My older sister practically single-handedly devoured this lunch special, but I was happy to have tasted a bit of the crisp fried panko-coated fish. NZ$29/NZ$39 incl beverage -Seared Snapper, Greens, Wild Rice, and Soy Green Goddess: The grilled pieces of fish were "buttery" moist, delicately sweet, and their firm white flesh flaked well. The mild-tasting fish was enhanced by a squeeze of freshly grilled lemon and lightly dressed greens. I preferred the grilled preparation to the deep-fried gurnard. NZ$46 -Chips: My husband and eldest sister zeroed in on the chips, AKA thick-cut, deep-fried potatoes, after reading their accompaniments of berbère, honey mustard, and curry leaves. Although I shared my seared snapper with them, I barely got two pieces of the crispy, on the outside and soft, fluffy, interior, deep-fried chips before my husband and eldest sister stuffed themselves. NZ$16 -Chargrilled Chicken Skewers: The three skewers of chargrilled, juicy, and tender chicken had been seasoned with paprika and turmeric. The chicken skewers were accompanied by toum, a Lebanese garlic sauce, and a few guindillas (Basque Spanish pickled chili peppers). My husband and eldest sister shared the chicken skewers and chips as their meals, exclaiming they'd return for more during our additional 3-day post-cruise stay. NZ$45 -Green Salad: This simple family-sized green salad of green leaf lettuce leaves, radicchio, and sliced cucumbers and radishes was lightly dressed with a semi-sweet, floral, and rich-tasting muscat vinegar and olive oil. This green salad was refreshing, healthy-tasting, and very shareable. NZ$16 Everything about Odettes Eatery from its flavors, food presentation, excellent and friendly service, comfortable ambiance, and value, to me, warrants a 5-star rating from me. They were so good that we returned for lunch with our New Zealand friends.

We just arrived into town and needed a quick bite for late breakfast…read more We were so happy to find Odettes because the food was fantastic. The flavors were outstanding and food presentation was unique. Staff were friendly and service was spot on. The outdoor seating was lovely. We noticed the indoor environment was beautiful as well. Definitely great place for food and coffee!