First and foremost... it was the welcoming feeling of walking in... feeling like I was at home with…read morefamily. KOSTAS is an amazing human being! The food is the cherry on top. Hospitality is surreal and the food was delicious! Some of the best Greek food I have ever experienced and the pasta was exquisite. I had many places to go eat in Auckland but this was by far the best choice. I went almost every day - i was on vacation for 15 days. Ordered something at least 10 of those days! Didn't regret it ever Coming back soon! Thank you for the best experience and Sweet memories

Probably one of only two true Greek restaurants I've found in NZ, the other being Akropolis in…read moreWhangārei . The food is great. The ambience is a nice Mediterranean décor. I rate it a 4.5 only because they're missing dsoutzoukakia) and kritharaki on the menu, which I'd prefer over most Italian dishes, but both cuisines are great at El Greco, just like the service. Still, it's easily close to a 5 and my favourite Greek spot in NZ. But it's not a full 5 yet, but 4 would be too low :)

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.

food great but rushed out at the end while there were still empty tables. bought the bill while we…read morewere still eating dessert. spent over $200 for 2 people and rushed out like we'd gone for takealways . nice food

Everything you'd want in a small, Italian, family run restaurant. You can tell the three…read moregenerations who work here put a lot of effort into serving great quality, traditional italian food. The servings are generous and the flavours are bold and robust. Not to mention, they have a fantastic wood-fired oven that pumps out perfectly imperfect pizzas and calzones - great for takeaways! We came here for dinner recently with the extended family and it was an absolute treat. Whilst the majority of the table went for the veal, I opted for the linguine with prawns, chilli, garlic, lemon and olive oil. Such a classic combination but an absolute winner in my book. The pasta was cooked al dente and the chillii /garlic/lemon ratio was spot on. My dad raves about this place and after our most recent visit, it's not hard to see why!

I would recommend this place only if you want to try a Macedonian interpretation of Italian…read morecuisine. If you want real Italian food then stay away from this place.

My partner and I just got takeaway lasagne, egg fettuccine and garlic bread. My lasagne was epic…read moreand my partner really enjoyed his egg fettuccine. The garlic bread was super yum too and dipped in the lasagne sauce was sooooo good. This will 100% be my new local italian.

The Velvet Gypsy is an amazing place!!! Amazing specials every night of the week and great food…read more There are two sides of the restaurant (one quieter and sleeker, the other lively and facing the beach). The decor is awesome and keeps in line with the name of the place. Everyone looks like they are having an amazing time. I saw a huge age range - groups of 20 and 30 something as well as families and older folk. They also have a great range of food and beverages. We got the 2/$20 gourmet pizza special and both were delicious!!! We will be going back for steak night and the summer platter. Love this place!

This is a cool place to go in Browns Bay, its got 2 faces, one that faces the beach and one that…read morefaces the road. On the Beach face it has some comfortable lounge chairs and bar tables to admire the beauty of Browns Bay Beach and its more for eating. The street face is more of the bar side and yes the drinking side. We came here this week and had Pizza and some drinks, we received really good service and the pizza was pretty good too. They have a pretty good menu with a variety of tasty sounding dishes. During the day you can come and have lunch, and later in the evening dinner, then they come alive after dark for drinks and dancing. I will be back soon.

I have been dying for some good traditional pasta for ages! And this place does not disappoint…read more Service was so quick and the pasta was so fresh and well cooked. The scallops were cooked perfectly in the seafood pasta and the pasta sauces were so unique from each other!! Will definitely be coming back!

Fantastic food wine and service. Such a fun atmosphere with a great selection of food choices and…read moregreat wines

Great service. Great food, never disappoints. I've been going to Avenue 28 casually for a while now…read moreand I have never once had a bad experience. The food is great, well prepared delicious and quick. The staff is always friendly and the premise is clean and stylish with a great semi outdoor dining area. Always a great night out at Avenue 28. Cons. The menu: The food is always great but the menu has few meals to chose from, however the menu is constantly being updated and improved so there is always something new to try with every visit now and then

One of Albany's best kept pizza secrets! If you've never been here you are missing out. Let me tell…read moreyou! Located on The Avenue just outside the Albany Village this place is a total gem. When I could eat pizza/non paleo foods I would head here. Amazing wood fired pizza's in a charming small restaurant. They also have half price Wednesday's which means their large pizza's are $25. The service is so personal and this place really shines at night time. They have a lot of fairy lights which really add to the ambiance of the place. I would say their drinks are a little on the pricey side but over-all this is a great place for sneaky pizza! Probably one of the best pizza places on the shore side.

We really enjoyed our brunch here, and I struggled to understand why it had such an overall low…read morerating on Yelp. The restaurant itself is large & welcoming, with classy decor, booth seating available & plenty of outdoor seats. The staff were friendly & attentive and the food was tasty, well-priced & arrived promptly. I always appreciate a place that adds it's own unique touch to the bog-standard Kiwi brunch menu that every cafe seems to offer: you can order truffled mushrooms with poached eggs, or cannellini beans, chorizo & chilli with poached eggs too - yum! They have a few good specials on offer - if I lived closer, I could see myself eating here regularly. It is a little odd to see a kitchen full of Asian staff serving up a predominantly Italian menu, and the food probably won't blow your mind, but it seems like a pretty good local bistro.

2 1/2 stars. Bought a coupon from groupy.co.nz for $100 to…read morespend. We arrived early on Sunday evening & noticed 3 staff members sitting at one of the tables near the entrance. Upon entering, we were greeted promptly & quickly shown to a table. I was impressed by the decor and atmosphere it created. We were given menus, informed of the specials of the day & the waiter even suggested drinks for us. We decided to order the garlic pizza bread to start, with a seafood pasta and a fillet mignon (ordered medium) for our mains. The bread came out in good time & I thought it was a nice touch that were were offered olive oil to drizzle on top. However, after that our waiter seemed to 'dissapear' & we didn't see him for the rest of our meal. I was expecting a reasonable wait for a medium fillet & 40 minutes later our mains arrived. My seafood marinara pasta was described as having a "crayfish bisque" sauce but it was very dry. The fettuccine looked to be made onsite rather than store bought but the dish was lacking in the promised seafood - 3 small shrimp, 3 scallops and 4 mussels. The shrimp and scallops were overcooked and I later found the sauce pooled in the bottom of the plate on one side. For $27 I was expecting something a lot richer and satisfying. The fillet mignon was very rare, bright red throughout. We informed our new waiter when he came back to check on us, he wanted to take it back to the kitchen but we didn't have time to wait as we had our one year old with us. He was very apologetic but we weren't offered anything else, another drink or perhaps a dessert would have helped our experience. I am confused to why we had to wait so long for a rare steak. It wouldn't of seemed so long if someone had come back to check if our drinks needed refreshing. Quite dissapointed as I have read quite a few good reviews of this place.