I believe this is now The Bridgman. It was great! Great…read moreatmosphere, lovely beer selection, and though we didn't eat much the food at other tables looked really good. If I were staying another night in Auckland I would go back for their burgers.

Located on the corner of Valley Road and Dominion Road, The Dominion is the perfect place to meet…read morefriends for an after work drink, watch the rugby or share a meal with the family. The meals are fantastic, and the portions are huge. I'm a fan of their pizza range and must say last time I had their hamburger I fell in love. It was delicious, though definitely too big for me! Even my Dad had trouble finishing it, but it's good to know you get your money's worth! Heineken is on tap at The Dominion, though the bar has a large selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages available, so there is definitely something for everyone. While there is plenty of indoor seating, my favourite spot at The Dominion is outside. There are about eight outside tables, two of which are really big and perfect for meals with a group of friends or the family. During summer it's great to sit outside in the heat, but even in winter it's not too bad as there are outdoor heaters above the tables too Tip: There is a room upstairs with a separate bar and outdoor area that can be hired for private functions. Having attended many 21st parties there, I can say with all honesty it is the perfect venue. Not to mention there is a curtain of fairy lights, so that's a definite bonus!

Situated opposite Frasers in the middle of the Mt Eden Village, Mosaik is in a prime location…read more Both a cafe, bar and restaurant, Mosaik serves a variety of food and beverages and means regardless of your mood or appetite, there will be something on their menu that will appeal. I have been to Mosaik on three occasions and each has been very different, though all were enjoyable. The first time was for lunch midweek. A delicious homemade burger and salad with ice cold juice was exactly what I was after, and sitting in the sun devouring it was perfect. The second time was for a 21st birthday party. Mosaik has an upstairs function room that can be hired, complete with a second bar and room enough for a wee dance floor. It was a great, cosy venue and with no room hire fee, a fantastic place to keep in mind. My most recent Mosaik experience was for a Sunday night birthday dinner. Glasses of wine, bottles of bubbly, Mezze platter, and huge portions of pasta for our mains - we had waaaay to much food but felt we'd definitely got our money's worth. The staff are all incredibly attentive, and even bought our dog a bowl of water to drink upon our arrival. The only downside was the bathroom doesn't get quite as much attention as you'd hope - the bins are often overflowing with paper towels. But aside from this, Mosaik is a great place to dine, catch up with friends and family, people watch and celebrate!

As the ambassador of Miss Africa Auckland, we needed a venue to host a meet and great for the…read morecontestants. The venue that suited our needs was Mozaik Mt Eden. We were on the upstairs level away from the busy restaurant and when I walked into the room the chairs had been set up, the muffins we had requested were covered and the room was perfect. We managed to fit about 15 girls into the venue without a hustle and the area on the far right of the room was perfect for us to shoot a promo video. Although we where upstairs, we were well looked after by wait staff who would ask if we needed any drinks or anything else. The staff were also more than happy to escort some of the girls who got lost upstairs. The muffins were amazingly delicious and the coffee was roasted to perfection! I recommend this location for birthdays and get togethers! Nothing beats excellent customer service.

Phil's Kitchen is great, something different, both ambitious and delicious, and the staff are…read morefriendly and chatty. Phil Clark, who worked under Michael Meredith and his front of staff partner (that has worked in a Michelin restaurant in Paris) now backs him in his new restaurant in little old NZ. Phil is happy to come out of the kitchen and chat to you after your meal which is a nice touch. While the setting says neighbourhood bistro with the quaint vege/herb garden out the back, the food is fine, modern and French. I ordered the scallops which came with crunchy kale, cauliflower puree and an amazing snow made of duck crackling (which I had to actually enquire about as I had no idea what it was). Apparently it is a mistake that Phil once made that ended up being a creative non-mistake he now serves. My duck served with potato dauphinois, baby beets, leek and raspberries with a dulce puree and sauce was absolutely to die for. My Lemon Meringue was unfortunately deconstructed and I am so over crumbs on a plate, I really dreamt of a lovely wedge. When will the fad finally be over?! However the flavour was good. I certainly ordered the correct Entrée and Main and I will be back. Considering the menu changes regularly and has already in 2 weeks since I went, I will be trying the menu regularly. Awesome work Phil, what a great edition to Kingsland.

I'm really impressed with this newly opened bistro in Kingsland. Classically trained and returning…read morehome with his lovely French partner, this is Phil's chance to shine. And he does, with well executed plates of seasonal and exciting food. He's having fun in the kitchen and his technical ability shows with lots of unusual flavours and cooking processes. I had the crispy pork belly starter, the silkiest confit of salmon for a main, a side of dauphinoise potatoes and oh the shame... we ordered all three desserts! Don't judge - how are you supposed to choose between salted caramel doughnuts, the lemon, white chocolate meringue with raspberry or the mandarin & liquorice? All were delicious and yes, people may have stared but chef gave us the thumbs up!

Absolutely amazing doesn't cut it. I've been to Michelin star restaurants all over the world. The…read morefood here is superior. The cocktails are sublime. I would, and will, fly back from America just to eat here again. By far the best lamb and duck we have ever eaten. Bloody well done.

We went here for our last "splurge" date night after a 2 week stay in New Zealand. Scallops and…read morefresh Bluff oysters were great starters. For our mains we got the Hawkes Bay lamb and 600g Bone-in steak. Sides were "fancy" potatoes and green beans. Food was excellent as they were all fresh, delicious and garnished with exotic ingredients. The only caveat for me was the service. There were times throughout the evening where I felt our servers forgot about us. Our main server didn't check up on us and even ask us how we were doing or if our steak was cooked correctly. The clincher was when they dropped the check- I immediately put my credit card in their check presenter indicating we were ready to go but the waiter again disappeared and it didn't get processed until another waitress came by to service the table next to us and noticed it that she picked it up nearly twenty-five minutes later! The food alone was good enough for me to recommend One Tree Grill to others who don't mind paying a little more for the great grub you'll get here. I just hope you get better service than we did.

We arrived in Auckland on a late flight and found the staff to be super kind in letting us eat…read moreright before the kitchen closed. The fish & chips was great and the ambiance fitting for an Irish pub. Highly recommend!

I hadn't been here for a few years so when trying to find somewhere close for a quick-ish family…read moredinner we found a voucher in the Entertainment Book so thought we'd give it a go. As soon as walked in I remembered why I usually avoid it; The Blokes. I guess it's got the UK-style pub thing going on and clearly that has huge appeal for a certain kind of man. It was only a Wednesday so I was surprised to see so many (about 20) standing around, pints in hand. It's actually kind of intimidating and I'd be surprised if any women folk ever venture in here without a man of their own. Anyway we eventually were told to head into the dining room where we would be served. One thing of note about The Clare Inn: not a single vegetarian dish on the menu, chips and bread etc excluded. My usual staples of soup and salad even were absent - no salads on offer and no Soup of the Day as advertised on the menu. Even the Pasta of the Day was smoked chicken. Our lovely Irish waitress, though thin on smiles, efficiently took our drinks orders and answered our questions about the food saying we could get the pasta without meat. Sounded uninspiring so I went for the Fish'n'Chips with unbattered panfried fish and mostly salad with just a few chips. I can understand why wait staff don't love me for for changing every bloody item in the dish but sometimes there's no choice. (Other times I just want what I want.) I have to say, all the food was great and my daughter's vegetarian pasta turned out to be delicious so I was wrong about expecting flavourless tomato sauce with veges. Overall I'd say this is an ok place to come for a meal, especially if you prefer the traditional meat-based dishes on offer here i.e. Beef Wellington, Rump Steak and the like. And if you're a 50 to 60 year old guy who would rather be at the pub than at home then this is your place.

Sweet tunes, cold drinks, great food and service with a smile, IronBar Cafe ticks all my boxes!…read moreThis great spot in K'Rd has had a few incarnations since it was built as part of the Iron Bank complex (Which I must say I wasn't a fan of but now that it's here I can appreciate the good usage of space it provides) The outdoor space here is a huge plus, both at the side and the fantastic area in the rear which has far more use during the summer months. The bar staff are always ready to hand without being over bearing, but will take time for some banter if you should wish. I have tried a varity of menu items and chef specials here and have always left satisfied, good portions for the price too. Keep up with them on facebook for food specials/events.

Looks like your average coffee shop from the outside, but we ducked in here for lunch on a rainy…read moreafternoon. We had no idea what a treasure we had stumbled upon. Try the ham hocks and eggs from the breakfast menu (served all day.) Never had anything like it. Sinfully delicious. Going back for the world famous -or soon to be- lamb tonight. Probably many fine restaurants around here but there's no point going anywhere else. Reasonable prices, excellent service. Oh yes, and the coffee's good too.

Awesome experience. The staff were super awesome and so was the food. The portion sizes were…read moredeceptively good. The service exceptional.

I was fortunate to be taken to lunch the other day at Cibo. I hadn't been for some time so I was…read moreinterested to see if they have maintained their consistently good service and food The service was definitely up to expectation - and the food sublime. The oysters - bluff luckily - were great au natural although my host had the tempura ones which looked just as good. For mains, I had the fish special which was perfectly cooked but I also liked the look of the sashimi stack As usual Cibo delivered high quality and I look forward to my next visit

The old Tin Soldier now rehouses United Kitchen. The entrance is hidden down Anglesea Street, and…read moreone would think they are walking into the wrong entrance into the kitchen in this intimate little restaurant. It only seats about 30 and has a few cool booth seats for small groups. My group of 11 had arranged the set menu which regulars have got used to from the first owner where its $54 for 3 courses. By the time you would have read what I had to eat the menu would have changed as they specialise in what is in season. I chose the Pork cheek with seared scallops which had me worried I would be hungry even after 3 courses as it was very tiny. I definitely felt like I was having a degustation fine dining, the presentation was lovely. Then my main of Miso glazed Market fish with parsnip puree, smoked mushroom and bok choy had me excited. It was the most flavoursome dish I have had for ages and so perfectly balanced. A side of Brussel sprouts was great to sop up my puree. For dessert Yuzu curd with white chocolate sorbet and poached quince was a perfect pallet cleanser and a lovely ending. 3 courses with a side was plenty big enough for me - a female. Maybe a little small for my male friend with a healthy appetite. The wine menu was a little limiting; I loved the little wine bar with sink used as a champagne wine bucket. The only downside was the noise from the adjoining bar 151 when the band started up. I'd go again to see what delectable treats were next in store though.

I tend to steer away from using the word "hidden gem" for restaurants because it's used so loosely…read more But I can't help but believe United Kitchen is one to put down on your foodie bucket list if you haven't heard about it already. Finding the door to United Kitchen can be a little adventure on its own. As long as you're alert that it's a bit of an Alice in Wonderland trip, you'll notice the hanging sign on the door from Anglesea Street in Ponsonby. We pushed the door boldly only to stumble back a little as it leads straight into the United Kitchen kitchen. It's a little strange, it'll make you feel a little taken back, but you'll soon be reassured by the nearest chef. As a small restaurant, it's highly advisable to book. It seemed quiet at our dinner friendly time of 6:30pm but within half an hour, the house was filled up. Not to worry about having tables so close that you feel like you have to flash a friendly smile at your neighbours. The tables are angled and spaced out enough so you can have intimate or inappropriate conversations without sideway looks from your friendly neighbours. United Kitchen is famous for the fixed $55 three course menu that lets you pick any of the entrees, mains and desserts for the flat rate. It's a step up from $45 when it first opened but still worth it for the calibre of food. The menu changes regularly to accomodate for the locally sourced and seasonal food ingredients. Wild mushroom gnocchi with hazelnut with swiss chard was my choice of entree. A great call if you love mushrooms like me. Eat it slowly and savour the dish with just enough on it to satisfy the hunger, but make you wish that you could re-order the gnocchi as your full main. While on a different day I would have opted for the beetroot risotto, I couldn't resist the sound of the braised beef cheek with smoked potato puree, pickled red cabbage, brocollini and almond. Ahh, the touch of a beautiful cooked beef cheek that falls apart delicately in the mouth. The sauce was a little enthusiastic and the pickled red cabbage made my tastebuds zoom in the other direction but that was somewhat offset by the potato puree. Otherwise water glasses were promptly refilled. For dessert I had the yuzu curd with white chocolate sorbet and poached quince. I also had a generous spoonful of the bitter chocolate mousse with citrus salad, yoghurt foam and hazelnut crumble. The chocolate wins without a doubt. It wasn't too rich like most chocolate desserts. I wished there was an extra dollop of the dark chocolate mousse though, it was that good. Thumbs up for United Kitchen. The food is quality and thoughtful. Being a step away from the central Ponsonby buzz, it's perfect if you want a more private dinner before drinks with friends.

When I was younger my mother's best friend knew the owner of Savour and Devour, so we used to go…read morethere for a piece of cake or other sweet treat when we'd been good. It was always super exciting when these trips to Savour and Devour were announced, and though I no longer find cafes to be such mystical, wondrous places I can't help but feel excited whenever I pass Savour and Devour, even today. Specialising in European cafe style foods, Savour and Devour offer a delicious breakfast menu of sausages, eggs, bacon, pancakes, mueslis and bagels, a healthy fresh range of salads and sandwiches for lunch as well as great pies, muffins and slices. No matter what you choose, you can't go wrong at Savour and Devour. Quite a narrow building, there is more seating out the back of the cafe, however if I'm completely honest - now that I'm old enough to be a bit more critical of cafes and eateries, I have to admit the vibe and atmosphere of Savour and Devour isn't quite what it used to be. The decor is nothing particularly special, and with many other cafes now in the vicinity, I reckon there are nicer places to stop, eat and enjoy your food. However, that's not to say their food isn't still delicious, and Savour and Devour will always hold a special place in my heart as one of the first cafes I remember visiting!

Here for early brunch, it get quite busy after 1130. I would…read moresay this place has average drink and food? Staffs are friendly enough though. Not sure if I will be back in the near future as there are so many options around!