What an absolute winner! Hidden from the street, the courtyard out the back of Conch is one of my…read morenew favourite spaces in Auckland. It's got a wonderful Latin American vibe, with a patterned brick floor, colourful banquettes & seats and - as is to be expected in a record store come café - delightful beats. The menu's pretty exciting too - think soft arepas , fresh & flavoursome tacos, quinoa cazuelas. I'd never had arepas before so I opted for them - 1 vegetarian, 1 pulled pork. As the waitress explained, Arepas are Venezuelan cornbread served lightly grilled, cut in half and filled with delicious goodies - sort of like a South American slider of sorts. It's hard to pick my favourite. The vegetarian one was filled with black beans, guac, a crunchy slaw and cilantro and the pulled pork was juicy as with some sort creamy dressing (mayo?) and pickles. They could of done with a touch more salt and more hot sauce (they did come with one but it wasn't spicy enough for me) but that's being fussy! I'm really looking back to heading back from brunch - they're open from 9am in the weekend! Ideal for summer.

Conch. Nowadays more a restaurant/bar/cafe than the record store/cafe it used be but nevertheless…read morean excellent joint with great staff, service and excellent food. Always good vibes at Conch, great ambience, and people with appreciation for non-commercial music will enjoy the tunes they play. Decor is fantastic and original -- All the walls you see, the furniture, every thing is handmade, realised through one man's vision. The coffee is excellent, there's also a good selection of alcoholic bevs. Food is outstanding. The tacos and arepas are delicious, quality.

The north of Ponsonby eventually creates a decent place to dine. Yes you will attracted by the…read moreperfect transformed "Old Ponsonby post office" into a bistro Augustus, named for the postmaster, Augustus Edward Braithwaite. And it won't be too difficult for locals to find out this new venture is a contribution from SPQR Owner Chris and his daughter Courtney Rupe to Ponsonby vividness. Entering the high-ceiling lounge, expecting yourself in a tropical resort, surrounded by greenery with a courtyard extended your dining imagination. Perfect for most of Auckland's beautiful blue sunny days. In between, you will find yourself sitting in a cream and chocolate interior dressed in white linen. Simple, smart and classy. Menu is focused in French bistro bites, you won't be surprised by meeting escargot, king crab cocktail, crab bisque, French onion soup, steak tartare. As for the main, from fish to pork belly, from Confit duck to veal cordon bleu, what's more you can even get treated by special Beef bourguignon, beef wellington. Yes what more can you expect? Crab bisque serves warm with a heap of white flesh in the middle with a hint of basil taste. However, I prefer they have it served in front of customers, just adding a sense of warmness. The duck liver parfait with wine jelly is a bit average and dull, if the toasted bread could be a better quality sourdough or baguette to pair with. Bread is pale speaking of a proper bistro for Augustus. However, this is soon saved by Beef bourguignon, which is perfectly done putting time and efforts in the whole dish. Every bite is enjoyable. Soft tender beef texture, crispy pancetta, juicy shallots, all the ingredients are cooked in a beautiful balance. They nailed this classic dish. Then the yellow belly flounder is comparatively less scored even with its crab mayonnaise dressing. The rhubarb tarte tatin and creme brulee for dessert is a perfect choice for most people. I do go for a bit old-fashioned, the humble Madeleines with lemon curd and cream. Baked to order, within 7 minutes, it came out freshly to your tastebud. Trust me, you wouldn't find a better lemon curd to match this happy ending. Deserves a second and third visit, for sure, Augustus has more to come in the pipeline. We just wish the summer would never go away.

Had lunch here and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere - beautiful old building. Friendly and…read moreattentive service. Decent food.

This is a cute little restaurant, I didn't know it existed until a friend of mine took me here but…read moreit isn't too bad. We only had the sushi and you can't go wrong with the edamame beans but the sushi was good. I liked that they do little sushi rolls so you don't get a rice ball like some places. I understand rice is cheap but I'd rather have less food. That is why I like Niwa, it wasn't about the size of the meal like some other Asian places. The service was really good, we got to sit in the courtyard so if you don't mind birds this makes for a different dining option. What is cool is the map they have by the counter, they ask people to put a pin in to say where they are from. Something a bit different. If you're in town and want a light meal, give their sushi a go.

Niwa is a total hidden gem; it looks just like any other cheap and cheerful Japanese cafe (and…read morethere's a few of them around the mid-city area) but secretly it gives you really good fresh food for cheap-ish prices. Who can resist a bento box, with their plethora of little things to try? They have good ones here, starting at $15, but really everything is good: I've never been disappointed here and it's my go-to for a pickup meal if I'm in this part of town. Plus, bonus, they seem to specialise in playing music that is exclusively keyboards or panpipes covering chart hits. Finally, they're always super friendly here and you feel like your custom is valued. There's also a courtyard out the back if you want to sit there.

This venue was such an insane spot to see Hawthorne Heights! Awesome acoustics and lighting. Thank…read moreyou to the venue for hosting. As Colour Fades was a great opener.

I've said it about The Wine Cellar and I'll say it about Whammy too - this place treats bands (and…read moretheir respective door bitches) incredibly well. Booking a gig at Whammy (or The Wine Cellar) is done through Rohan, a professional sound tech who will make your band sound pretty gosh darn good. He'll do it for $100. Get 6-10 paying people through the door and you've broken even already. Accommodating about 150 people more than Wine Cellar and starting later in the evening, Whammy is the place to go if your band wants to be late and loud. Doorman Will is a massive boss as well - about as courteous as a man who deals with drunk idiots can be.

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

A great breakfast place ... open air, but sheltered , and dog friendly. The staff was friendly and…read moreattentive, but knew when to keep their distance. As breakfast place, this restaurant is top drawer. We had avocado toast with a poached egg, and eggs Benedict. Both were delicious and well prepared. We had a cappuccino and Earl Grey tea, both just as they should be. The next time I'm in Auckland, I'm going back.

Stopped in as tourists, spent nearly $175 on food and drinks for two. Staff were friendly, drinks…read moresolid, food just okay (Korean chicken was mostly breading and served room temp). Then, a group of guys came in, dapped up the bouncer, and we were suddenly asked to leave our table mid-drink so they could sit down! There was no explanation, no alternative seating. I watched the bouncer get thanked for "clearing us out." Our server admitted a different area had been held for them, so it made no sense. We left immediately cancelling a different drink being prepared. Felt disrespected and singled out for no reason. Totally ruined the vibe. Wouldn't return, and wouldn't recommend to anyone who expects to be treated fairly. So much for treating others the way you want to be treated. Dropping a photo of the bouncer attached for awareness. If you see him working at any establishment, consider yourself warned.

I recently came here on a Friday for after work drinks. We managed to get one of the last tables…read morein their outdoor area, which was popular and busy because of the nice sunny evening. In fact, it was quite quiet inside as the majority of people were all seated at these outdoor tables. This bar covers two levels and there was an upstairs balcony too. We got some fries to share as well as some vegetarian nachos. As other reviewers have said, the food was standard bar snack food. All in all, The Playhouse is a good sized bar to meet for a quick after work drink, in that area of the city.

Stumbled into Munster Inn looking for a casual pint and ended up staying much longer than planned;…read morealways a good sign. This place has that no-frills Irish pub energy: lively without being chaotic, friendly without trying too hard. Sports on the television and great bartender to boot. The bartender was quick and genuinely welcoming, even with a busy crowd, and the Guinness was poured properly (which matters more than people admit). What really stood out was the atmosphere. Locals mixing with travelers, sports on the TVs, conversations flowing easily, it feels like the kind of pub you could make your regular if you lived nearby. Great spot to kick off a night or settle in and let it unfold.

Not a bad dive bar near AUT! Good tunes, (2) large tele's with sports, and evidently they have live…read moremusic, karaoke, and open mic nights. Pints were cold and they have a huge video gambling room.