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.

First restaurant internationally! Our waiter was very nice and respectful. The place is compact,…read moreyet has a very warm atmosphere. I had the 'Tony's Original' which tasted amazing. The only catch was that we had to wait quite a while for the food to come. Friends and I approve!

Visiting from Los Angeles food was excellent and the service was great. We had the steak and…read moreseafood pasta. Everything was great.

Just checked in the hotel and came here before it got too late. The Depot had good reviews on Yelp…read moreso I tried it. It's about 15-20 min walk from the warf. It was busy so I was seated outside. They had overhead heat lamps so I was comfortable without a jacket one (this is in June). The menu is geared for sharing dishes so ordering for one is a challenge. I had the local Lagar on tap, 1 of each of the 2 oysters offered, and the NZ green-lipped mussels with chiriso. They also gave me a complementary pita triangles with hummus. Overall, everything was delicious. I could have gone for more oysters, but didn't want to overdo it. The mussel dish had 7 good size mussels so I was satisfied without feeling stuffed. Glad I came to the Depot.

My friends and I went there for my last day in Auckland. We went around lunch time and we were able…read moreto get seated very quick. The ambiance was still so chill and not as packed because it was early afternoon, which was nice. The staff again were super friendly and answered any questions we had. Sadly, we didn't get the fish sliders because they were sold out! But we did get some of the same dishes I had ordered before but got oysters as well. The oysters were fresh and tasty, especially with their vinegar sauce. My friends also loved the charred eggplant and a couple of them don't really eat eggplant. The crispy potatoes were so good! The truffle wasn't too overpowering and they were perfectly crisp. The steak was super tender and juicy and the wedge salad helps cut the fat and compliments the steak as well. Can't wait to come back to Depot. Already miss it so much!

Service was fast maybe because I was a single. It was busy. It has a look of the old style…read moresteakhouse with wooden paneled walls booths.The sides were limited and I had the "potato log" thing. A steak without a baked potato as a choice is just wrong. I got the Aged Specialty Sirloin $44. It was cooked to my liking on the inside but medium/medium rare but no crust on the outside. Seasoned fare, nothing special. I couldn't believe the gristle wasn't trimmed before cooking. Maybe so the size and weight would look bigger. I have had much better at Chili's. I haven't had a good steak since I moved to Australia from the US, and others have said the same. Their cuts seem to be full of gristle, even all the Spencer Steaks (Ribeyes). I expected on New York, but not on ribeyes or sirloins. I told them my review and they were very apologetic. They called the gristle fat, I like fat, you can eat fat. The offered a Ribeye The Ribeye came medium rare. I instantly could smell teriyaki. It was tender and flavorful no gristle. I do wish it did not have the flavor teriyaki though. A good steak doesn't need teriyaki They were very nice and pleasant to work with me. I originally have three stars I gave it another store for their professionalism.

Our second time there. Did not disappoint. Salmon was perfect. Calamari was equally good. Steak…read moreand Bolognese were delicious. Be aware that the side of veggies has a sauce (partially), but were very tasty.

This place came up in a search for restaurants who serve whitebait fritters. I didn't realize it…read morewas a restaurant I've passed by before on a prior visit to Viaduct Harbour. I arrived one lovely Thursday afternoon and was seated inside right away. It was a nice table in a chic restaurant with an amazing view of the harbour. I quickly placed an order for the whitebait fritters and a side of broccolini, plus a cider. The food looked amazing when it came out and indeed tasted as good as it looked. I was quite pleased. The server was a very pleasant young lady who took great care of me. Soul is a must visit!

In town in business. Went to the water or ad I call it restaurant row!!…read more Decided on SOUL. As they had the best menu and I was with others. Such a beautiful place. The menu is outstanding.. Everything delicious. Can't wait to comeback.

It's not all in the looks. So true for this place! After reading a few good reviews about Meadow I…read morewas anxious to go out of my way (literally) to check it out. I think I'll need to give them a bit more time to improve on a few things before I do that again. Interior decor - when I say it's not all in the looks it can be literally translated to Meadow. Gorgeous interior sets high expectations for both food and service which, in this case is not what you get. But more about decor - lovely outside area is perfect for afternoon drinks in the sun and the inside area is just beautifully decorated with vibrant blue walls and silver and white details. Very refreshing and promising (the whole industrial minimal look is so 2014!). Staff - considering the rather posh interior and location one would expect slightly higher standard service. We arrived at brunch time so understandably they had a busy patch but I would have expected them to handle it a bit better. Staff was rushing around bumping into our chairs (and each other), dropping cutlery and just overall looked quite disorganized. On the other hand the food came out fast so looks like kitchen staff know what they are doing. At least they did up until the point when thick smoke started oozing from the kitchen... Menu - this is probably the reason why I would love to go back to Meadow once they sort out their service. Menu looks very interesting with a lot of signature dishes and fresh new things to try. Bloody Mary menu looks awesome and innovative (brunch is probably not the time to start your day with vodka or tequila) and their smoothies are divine. Would have loved to have been told the acai bowl would be a bowl of sorbet rather than what one would expect to be a granola or muesli breakfast treat. Food - great quality food with interesting and innovative flavours. There is so much more I'd love to try! Price - Some dishes are rather expensive for the quantity you get but it is to be expected considering the location. On the other hand if the service improves I don't think I would mind paying a bit more for any of the dishes on the menu. All in all I believe Meadow definitely has potential to become one of the top cafes in Auckland with it's beautiful character and well thought through menu. But in order to do so they need to give this place a soul - and that can only be achieved by unique, high standard service and friendly approach.

I've been here a few times and the food had always been great. But each time I go here, I get a bit…read morenervous because it's always packed on weekend mornings - will we get served quickly? Will our food be delayed and, instead, get served up apologies? Me of little faith. My last visit proved my doubts wrong. On a whim, we just decided on Meadow, because it was on the way. It was busy as expected. After a few long minutes of waiting for a table to be cleared, the rest of the service moved quickly and smoothly. My wife had the Meadow Full breakfast, which seemed to be the most popular dish that morning. Really yummy, she said. I had the Huevos Sucios ("You pronounce that very well," the waitress said) and it was top notch. My kind of spicy the morning. We'll be back, of course. Next time, I should just trust them to continue their great service.

I had a craving for beef after walking around Mt Victoria so I happened upon this lovely restaurant…read moretucked away in an alley with a garden setting. I had great black malt beer, black oysters, and beef stuffed with black oysters. The oysters were fresh briny with a very good delicate flavor. The beef was cooked a prefect medium rare with a very nice seared crust. The combination of the beef and oysters was unusual -very good -but nothing I will order again. I wanted to try it being a NZ thing. Service was wonderful and attentive at all times. The Home made tiramisu, custardy and rich, was one of the best I've had! And an awesome cappuccino!

I stumbled upon this amazing place after a little search on yelp while walking down the beautiful…read moreParnell neighborhood. A tiny alley leads you into a lovely garden where this wonderful restaurant is tucked in. Marcia is the sweetest lady who runs this place and is from Brazil. She hand picks the lambs , oysters and all the produce. I was seated right away and started with a Sauv ( while in NZ , you have to ). I order the " al naturale " oyesters which are plain oysters with no condiments or add ons with lemon on the side. These oysters were as good as it gets - fresh and true reflection of the flavor of ocean ! I would highly recommend them - skip adding bacon , hot sauce or what not - try it with just a splash of lemon juice. Rack of lamb followed next , ordered it medium and that's the way it was served , paired with a mint sauce. Flavorful and well paired. Mouth watering would be the word , I wasn't super hungry yet I managed to finish it all and left craving for more. If you're visiting Auckland or an Aucklander - this place should be on your list of places to visit. Hospitality - 5 stars Food - 5 stars Ambience - 5 stars Value - 5 stars

This is one of those places where you pay for the ambience, and not for food…read more Located in the heart of Auckland downtown, the scenery was beautiful. It's right by the water with view of different boats and little bit of nightlife surrounding. The place was very busy, but we were able to get seated right away outside and thankfully, they did have the heated lamp for us. We have shared the seafood platter, which came with variety of oysters, clams, shrimp, and sashimi. Honestly, the quality of any of these were not up to par. Especially for the price that you're paying here you should probably be better getting some steak. I didn't think the seafood was fresh. The service was ok, nothing really stood out.

Oyster and Chop is a schmancy seafood restaurant at Viaduct Harbour, and was on a list of places to…read morevisit/eat at in Auckland. It is charming on the inside, with a lot of sea inspired decor offset by modern trappings. I pondered the menu and decided to go with an oyster shot and pork belly as an entree. The attentive waitress put in my order and shortly thereafter brought out my oyster shot. It was AMAZING! The pork belly, not so much. It was ok, but that's what I get for ordering a land animal at a seafood restaurant. Overall, excellent visit!