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.

Fantastic happy hour for Bonvoy members (which is free to join). I was able to score $10 glass of…read morewine and $10 bar bites! We had the pork belly sliders and the chicken bites. Both were delicious and great for the price. After HH, I stayed for a Margherita pizza and more wine. The pizza was thin crust and tasted fresh. Only thing that was interesting to me was the inability to order the same HH wines after HH. The selection switches out. Service was really great and friendly. It started off rather quiet for HH but began to fill as time went on. Plenty of seating options and trendy decor.

VISIT: end of February 2020…read more This was a pleasant surprise as we ate here probably every day of the 3 that we were in town. I typically shy away from restaurants that are in the hotel because they tend to be pricey. We felt, for Americans, that this was decently priced and that each time we ate here, we got a different meal FOOD WE TRIED: - Chicken and vegetable dumplings - Prawn and chive Gyoza - Arancini - 55 day aged beef brisket sliders - Seafood Risotto - Spaghetti with mussels, snapper and prawns The sliders, gyoza and spaghetti with seafood was VERY good. I wouldn't order the dumplings again, but I always forget that chicken dumplings just aren't the same as pork and/or shrimp. The Arancini was a bit disappointing in flavor, maybe just a touch more salt would have been helpful and same thing with the flavor of the Risotto. The seafood was cooked perfectly, but the sauce on it just wasn't as flavorful as I would have liked, for a risotto. Service was always great with the staff always helpful with recommendations. We were very happy to have access to this restaurant during our stay the Four Points

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.

My first night in Auckland, I stopped by here for dinner when I saw they had a $42.94 NZ deal for…read moreSouth Island Lamb Rump. The interior was lively with plenty of seating. Found a quiet corner to dine solo. I ordered the Lamb Rump with garlic butter, which came with Bacon and Peas, and a side of Smashed Truffle Potatoes. This was absolutely delicious! The Lamb was cooked perfectly, melt in your mouth tender, well seasoned, with a nice crunchy skin. The Potatoes were satisfyingly crispy, mouthwateringly in a flavorful sauce and spices, featuring strong taste of true truffle. Garlicky peas with bacon was a wonderful combination. When I saw Sticky Date Pudding on the dessert menu, I just had to get it. This was served with butterscotch sauce, candied walnut, and ice cream. What an indulgent, sweet, mouthwatering masterpiece! The Sticky Date Pudding was chewy, moist, with notes of caramel and warm spices. Walnuts added a delightful nutty crunch. I poured the butterscotch sauce over both the Sticky Date Pudding and ice cream, which brought everything together beautifully. Service was good. Waitress was personable and everything came out in a timely manner. Such a wonderful meal here!

Great atmosphere! Great service!…read moreFriendly staff. Definitely a must go place. Only had drinks however the food looked delicious

Just in NZ from US Short walk from hotel found Empire's. Had…read moreavocado and edamame Guacamole plus loaded fries. Margaritas to drink. Excellent place good people and food

10 dollars for a steak and chips. Why not. And all I have to do is buy a drink. Apparently this…read moretime they are the suckers. I came here for lunch. Actually I was looking for a beer. I had just walked in to the city from Mount James. Because an older gentleman had told me " it's such a beautiful day to walk". So I did. Yup about 4 miles. Lol. He sucked me into it. Lol. So an hour and 20 mins later I made it. And I needed a good beer. And they have me many to sample before making a choice. They even had Lagunitas. I was shocked to see that. And the other import was Guinness. So props to them. I did order the Steak and chips. With peppercorn sauce and blue cheese. It was a good steak. Made to order. Mid Rare. Yes. That's how I row. No greens here. I'll have to double up next time. But they did lead me in a direction for more drinks.

What a GREAT discovery! So good, we came here on both…read moretrips/visits to Auckland. Quality/Quantity - 102 types of beers! Got a flight (okay 2 flights...) for $30 each, see picture. Urbanant Handpull - Cask Ale style, a stronger flavored beer. Eddyline - New Zealand Hefeweizen, crisp and refreshing. They also have it in an apricot wheat ale, interesting. Parrot Dog - Okay. Panhead APA - American Pale Ale, good flavors, medium to light beer. Sawmill Hefeweizen - Good and refreshing. Also the beer of the week. Many specials, see pictures. Food, full bar, and wine are also available. Atmosphere - Super convenient, to the cruise ship, dock, shopping for my wife, etc! Indoor, outdoor seating. Interesting and cool decor throughout. Got really busy as it got later. Of course I was here for a few hours while my wife shopped, lol. Events available. Open 7 days a week from 11am till 10pm or 1am. Service - Bar service. They table service, but by then, I already got my flights. Yes, that was plural. :) Price - $30AUD a flight, $19.60US + tip. Expensive, but for me it was worth it! Great way to end the day. Owner Comment - Congrats on all your success. You will be our regular go to place when visiting/docking in Auckland.

I had passed this pub for a few days, looked at a few yelp reviews and decided to stop by. I wasn't…read moredisappointed we had some great food for a good price. Service was very very quick. I tasted several different beers which are awesome. The only issue we had was trying to get a table during happy hour. atmosphere is very laid-back and easy-going. You're looking for a place to grab a bite or a drink I suggest stopping by here

Great bar and food. Place was moderately busy but easy to find a table. It was easy to order…read moredrinks and food at the bar. They had a large tap list which satisfied both my partner and I. My partner and I both had a pint, shared a beef and cheese pie, a burger, and mac and cheese. They have 3 different pies a day and sold out pretty quickly. The pie was one of the best we had, nice and flakey and very big. The burger and mac and cheese were good as well but I prefer creamier mac and cheese. However the fries were great, crispy on the outside and potatoey on the inside.

On my last day in Auckland, I looked for fun ways to spend my last few hours. While I was tired, I…read moreexplored the little bars off Queen Street. I had been to many a few years ago, but somehow Vultures' Lane was missed. I saw their fantastic tap list and said I'd stop in for just a beer and respite from the rain. I ended up trying eight thanks to a super friendly and generous bartender. This is a free house, so not tied to any particular brewery or company. They pour what they want, which includes a lot of excellent choices. What hooked me as they also have their own line of house beers (contract brewed off site due to the size constraints of the cozy pub). They have outdoor seating and a few tables and bar stools inside - it's not a large place more cozy for pairs and small groups. They also have a full food menu if you're hungry. When I explained I was on a mostly beer trip and was interested in a tasting board of their beers, he said he'd just pour them all for me and charge the regular price for many less - you can't refuse that kind of offer (8 for the price of 6). It was fun to try them all, diverse styles. Of course some were better than others, but overall they have excellent house beers if you're in the area. If you're a beer fan and in CBD seeing too many bars, it's worth your time to find this one.

Sugar works is a small cozy bar where the interior kinda feels like a home living area (with a bar…read moreof course). Came on a wednesday night where there was live music (guitar/vocalist doing covers of a range of songs, some folk/indie/John Mayer) although I'm not sure what nights live music is available. The food here was actually pretty good considering what I thought I was walking into from the outside. The prices were a little bit on the high side but none the less the quality ensured that we got what we paid for. Service was great, wasn't too over the top, and it was a small place so the waiter could easily see if anyone needed anything. The only downside is that there's only one dining table indoors (which has a great view) making it a little hard to have a few plates of tapas at the couch seating area where the tables are quite small.

My friend and I were due for a meet up and wanted to try this new place. Sugar Works looked like it…read morechanged a residential house with a deck to a bar eatery, which was cozy and neat. We ordered Prawn tempura, Pork belly and Steak sliders ($14-16) along with some cocktails. Pork belly came out burnt and salty so we had to send it back. The manager came to us and apologised which was pretty nice and we were served with a better one soon after. Other food were okay but nothing really was special. We like our cocktails sweet but here it was rather strong for us. However the environment was so nice and cozy we really enjoyed our experience. Loved the bathroom was luxurious with actual towels instead of paper towels - environmental!!! But wished the food were more unique.