Food was fabulous. All three of the dishes were great. One pizza, two pasta's! Well worth it. Only…read morecomplaint is the chairs are super uncomfortable making us not want to linger or have desert. We were full however... We may go back tomorrow night.

My husband and I have eaten here twice, once for lunch and once for dinner. Lunch was a while ago…read moreand we declared then that we'd come back for dinner for a special occasion. Well, that occasion was last night and we chose it for our anniversary dinner. Throughout the dinner, both of us just kept repeating, "I'm so glad we came here." We sat in the main restaurant (there is now a pizza place area behind the main dining area). We were slightly disappointed by the lack of availability of wines by the glass, but there are a ton of great wines to choose from by the bottle. I simply chose the "house red" and my husband had a pinot noir. They were served in *real* wine glasses. Wine people, you know what I mean. Both were great and I was particularly pleased that the "house" wine was as nice in quality as it was (usually these are just throw away crap wines). We were served an amuse bouche course of tuna tartare. It was fantastic. My husband started with the oxtail consomme and I had the burrata insalata caprese. Both of us were very pleased with both items. For my main, I has asparagus risotto with chili prawns and my husband had the eye fillet. My risotto was awesome on it's own, but it was garnished with a prosciutto chip that just blew me away. My husband's steak was perfectly cooked and his parsnip puree was so smooth we just sat there wondering how it could be done. My husband (the steak guy) stated twice that this was the best steak he's had since we moved to NZ eight months ago (and we've been to a number of places with steak, including steak houses). The evening was wonderful and we would have stayed for dessert, but our newborn didn't get the message that we were having a special dinner out and got too fussy to stay. Options for dessert included tiramisu, a coffee creme brulee and a cannolo. I'm sure they were probably all really great and we'll have to give them a try the next time around. The staff were friendly and attentive. Our server was Italian and from the same town as the owner of the restaurant (in northern Italy). We enjoyed talking with him about some of our travels there and his travels in the United States. This place is amazing and is easily an excellent choice for a special night out, for groups or couples. You could also turn an otherwise ordinary evening into a special one by having your dinner here. Just to be warned, you should check out the menu before you decide - it's definitely higher-end food and what I usually refer to as "frou frou" in some of the dishes. For example, if you come looking for lasagna, there wasn't any. The pasta entrees looked familiar, but instead of the usual meat sauce one had a venison sauce. That sort of thing. That said, I would say come here anyway and give it a try and I don't think you will be disappointed.

Went to Alpino for dinner. Very friendly staff and quick service! We ordered the margarita pizza,…read moreoctopus, burrata, the 200g tenderloin, and the fish of the day (which was snapper). They were all really good! Location was quite good as well with parking a one minute walk from the restaurant. Seems like a very popular place so I would recommend getting a reservation before going. There is also an Italian gelato shop just across the street if the desserts at Alpino don't suit you. Overall, really good and highly recommend for anyone in the area!

One of the best Italian I have had. Food was beautifully presented and delicious. Much better than…read moreAuckland restaurants.

Went here on a date - a fantastic venue for such an event. Very busy, but not to the point where…read moreyou want to hurry up and finish and get out of there. Food was great and so was service.

I love love love Poderi Crisci…read more Situated on Waiheke Island, about a 25 minute drive from Kennedy Point Wharf, you will find Poderi Crisci, a vineyard and Italian restaurant owned and run by Antonio Crisci and his family. Surrounded by rolling hills and immaculate gardens, together with a stunning setting including an Italian style kitchen, displays of Italian cheeses and cured meats, and copper pots and utensils, you will feel like you are in Tuscany. I dined here for my birthday with my family and it was a very memorable meal... and day overall. Everything was exquisite - from the surrounds and views, to the alfresco dining and beautiful food and wine. The service is also very welcoming, professional and friendly. For starters, we enjoyed a glass of prosecco, accompanied by three platters, all of which were beautifully presented and each dish was savoured: - Pane & Olio (selection of homemade grissini, Italian inspired bread and olives with Poderi Crisci olive oil) - Contorni (selection of Antipasti style side dishes, including free range egg frittata, braised capsicums with smoked olives, chargrilled eggplant and garden zucchinis) - Affetato (traditional Italian selection of cured meats, Mozzarella cheese, olives, grissini and truffle paste) For the main course, I loved their Gnocchi alla Norma - Homemade potato gnocchi with buffalo mozzarella, garden eggplant, cherry tomatoes and basil. It was dreamy and melt in your mouth. My parents also enjoyed their mains, which included the Agnello - Hawke's Bay lamb rump served with potato and sage, zucchini, garlic sauce and jus and the Salmone Marinato - Home-marinated King Salmon served with almond and rocket pesto, mustard dressing and garden herb salad. And of course, dessert. You simply cannot dine at an Italian restaurant without ordering tiramisu. I think Poderi Crisci makes the most superb Tiramisu in all of the land - think Savoiardi sponge fingers with espresso and Italian liqueur, layered with mascarpone sabayon and dusted with rich dark cocoa powder. Dreamy...! And the best part? It arrived at our table with a lit candle, while all the staff sang 'Happy Birthday'. The Tiramisu was divine and it made for a very memorable lunch and birthday. Food aside, service was excellent - the waiters were attentive, welcoming and very knowledgeable about the menu and wine. I would happily re-visit Poderi Crisci in a heartbeat... and I think you should too! Note: If you can't get over to Waiheke, head to Non Solo Pizza (NSP) in Parnell as it shares the same owners as Poderi Crisci. Their food is heaven.

Honestly. I was shock....I went because I check some reviews in Yelp. I am not a fan of Italian…read more Because I always feel the food doesn't really fill the stomach hahaha. Anyway I am amazed by the food and wine they offer in here. The only think I needed to complaint is 1. The road to drive in is terribly bumpy 2. The Menu we toke is dirty as now the COVID-19 Pandemic we are very caution of anything we touch ! But the food the service and the environment will melt you and the love one you bring along :) just go and you won't regret

OMG. I love this place!!! It is so cute. We came here yesterday when it was pouring down. Not that…read moremany people inside. They sell lots of different products that you would not often see in central Auckland. I think the guy serving everyone had had a rough day as he didn't seem very cheery. Service was still good though but a happy face would have made it top notch. I ordered a soy hot chocolate which was yum but I guess you can't really mess that up. He had a long black which was made very well. I ordered the curry of the day (Thai chicken) and it was ok, I have had better as the chicken was dry and the courgette flavour was strong, quite fusion. He had their big breakfast which apparently was a lot nicer than any other one he had back in Auckland. I thought they are all the same hahaha. When leaving was I tempted to try their cabinet food so I got a cheesecake brownie and a strawberry brownie to take away. LOVED IT. He usually doesn't like sweet food (like most guys) but he loved it too! Kitchen closes at 2.30pm but cabinet food goes until close. I would highly recommend this cafe and then you could stop by clevedon coast oysters before or after = perfect day

So you've gone on your country drive down south and you're feeling parched. Perhaps you are on the…read morehunt for fresh veges, fruit or a jar of jam? Well, Ciao Bella has both a nice, homey looking country cafe with an Italian twist, as well as all your farmer's market needs. They hold the Italian Country Market here every weekend, but don't hesitate to venture here another day. They also have the most amazing bathroom, covered in multi-coloured tiles. Feels like an acid trip from the 60s. Basically, it's a breath of fresh air on your journey to Clevedon or beyond.

Service 5/5 Food 5/5…read morePrice 4.5/5 Environment 5/5 Beautiful pizza, seafood tagliatelle and dessert. The price was slightly on the high side. But we had a wonderful time. The staff members dressed up for KidsCan. It was very nice of them.

I went in because it looked Mexican. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The restaurant…read moreinterior was nicely decorated and inviting. The food was tasty but corn tortillas and pulled beef would have been even better.

Just across the road from Kinloch reserve in the town centre of Orewa, Quattro looks unassuming,…read morebut the food there is fantastic, and really well priced. I got a chicken and bacon salad there yesterday, and it filled the whole plate, my belly, and didn't empty my wallet! Their pizzas are fantastic too, and everything is made fresh to order. And the best part? They have Movenpick ice cream available too, so dinner and dessert are jast as good as each other. Definitely a fave.

This restaurant deserves 5 stars for the ambience and quality of the food. I ordered the prime rib…read morewith the mushroom cream sauce, mashed potatoes, and grilled vegetables. The steak was cooked to perfection l, was bone-in, and was a large portion that I shared with my partner. My partner ordered the beef bolognese and he said it was delicious, but the portion size was not as large as the prime rib. Service was so-so. We arrived without a reservation and was only offered outside seating, although there were several tables available inside. We were out of water halfway through our meal and had to request a refill of our carafe. No big issues, and the place still deserves 5 stars. We are visiting Matamata from United States, and we so enjoyed this restaurant for our first meal after arriving. I highly recommend making a reservation first and ordering the prime rib.

Ordered a spicy rigatoni- no spice. The wait person said "people complained about the spices, so we…read moreleft them out." Aent it back. Pizza was heavily salted! Egg in a Caesar's salad! This was a truly terrible meal. I'm pressed to figure out how it got it's current rating!

I had heard through the grapevine that this was just the best ever pizza found on the North Shore…read more So of course I pestered my partner to take us there for a takeout pizza mid week. I arrived around five thirty and the popular pizzeria had a few guests eating pasta on the front outdoor seating area. The owner who bakes all the pizza's himself is a friendly and humorous Greek man, and was only too happy to point out the fave choices of pizza for us first time visitors. The Top picks were Greco, a delicious topping of lamb, red onion, olives, peppers, tzatziki, basil and parsley (My first pick also). And the Quattro Stagioni which had Salami, Ham, Prawns and Mushroom, this was sensational (my second pick). As it was the premiere visit, we opted for the two small pizzas, costing both under 18 dollars each, and let me tell you, I thought I could have eaten a pizza to myself, however the servings were so great that I only managed about 2 pieces each. Beautiful pizza base , and the toppings are just divino divine! I will be back as soon as I can, to try more pizza flavours, and a pasta dish for sure.

Just need some good food during the interim of taking care of my mother in law in the NS hospital…read more We ordered one Divino Pizza and one Divino Pasta for three of us. The pizza and pasta are eally nice and far beyond my expectations (I preferred pasta a bit more). Got refreshed and continue facing whatever they are in the real life.

The Good: Gorgeous views at this family run cafe/diner/bar. The interiors were relaxed, playful and…read moregave off a beach bohemian vibe. We came here for breakfast but spotted beers on tap and a pizza oven. I imagine having drinks out back on a summer afternoon must be glorious. The Bad: Food took a while, so make sure you're willing to wait like 40+ minutes for a meal. Recommend grabbing a drink and a pastry to tide you over. And we found a live ant in our garnish, but we channeled our island selves and it was chill.

Has a central location in Onera Village, with lots of seating on the patio and inside. You can get…read moreindividual wifi codes at the counter that each last for 30 minutes. Came with a group of 7 behind another large party and they had the courtesy to warn us of a 35 minute wait. Despite the amount of seating, their kitchen looked rather small so I could see wait times being an issue here. We weren't too bothered since many of us were tired and just wanted to sit, but be aware if you're hoping for food right away. Ordered the special of the day ($14) along with a side salad ($8). The special was only a salmon fillet, although they allow you to pick 2 different half-salads. The fish was delicious, very nicely cooked but succulent and not dry at all. A good rest stop overall, but wished they offered just a couple more affordable options. Most of my party could only get decent sized portions for lunch items starting between $18-22.