Unique Thai restaurant with great Northern Thai dishes that hit the spot on a cold wintry day. The…read morefood was quite authentic with a range of different styles to choose from, salad, curry, ribs and Noodles. The whole ambiance of the restaurant had a great relaxed vibe, almost an old school canteen feel. I ordered the Ribs and a salad, way too much food the serving sizes are generous for the $$$, and will be back for the ribs sometime soon...

Fun atmosphere but pretty bland buns. The staff are great fun and give you plastic fruit rather…read morethan a table number

Very good food! I found them in the Air New Zealand in-flight magazine and the hunt-to-table story…read moreintrigued me. Very meat focussed menu, but everything was done really well and with very comfortable portions (I feared heaping piles of meat lol ). I would definitely recommend this place. It is in a restaurant-lined street as well, so there is a lot to explore if I had more time in Auckland.

Amazing pies at the deli. People were super nice and friendly. Ultimate Kiwi service!…read more Cute little venue.

Food is great, the staff is very friendly and helpful. They have few tables outside in the garden.read more

This place is close by where I live so I had high hopes and anticipation early last year when I saw…read morewe were going to finally get something new. Big Beat has been no disappointment. Although the food in the cabinet all looks amazing, it'a also quite expensive. Happily, the menu items are better value for money and we have spent many a post soccer Saturday brunch here. My thing is their Spicy Chai Latte which is so spicy I think it might have chilli in it. The Mince on Toast is also a favourite at our big table out the back and the kids have given the smoothies and muffins the big thumbs up. The people who run this place are really lovely and it has that wonderful neighbourhood cafe feel that this end of Mt Eden/Balmoral has been lacking for so long. Long may it last.

Hidden amongst a few other Asian restaurants, Banzai is lovely. Great space and vibe…read more Food was awesome and reasonably priced.

Banzai has been one of our family favourites ever since it opened quite a few years ago. Small but…read moreperfectly formed, it's best to book as it gets busy, although every time we've turned up they've managed to shift things around to give us a table. They go out of their way to make kids welcome and will supply books. pens, paper and often lollypops - they even ask the parents first if the lollypops are ok. The drinks list is basic but the few wines are well chosen and affordably priced, as is the incredible food. They do the usual Japanese favourites but I would recommend going for the Yakisoba or my favourite, especially in Winter, the Soup Noodles. The Lemon Chilli is the best and comes with your choice of Udon or Soba noodles. I get my Vegetarian version without the tempura batter and easy on the tofu. Indeed I am a person who struggles to order off the menu (I want it my way y'know?) and Banzai is another of my favourite establishments that has no problem with this. The salads are also delicious, particularly the not-very-Japanese-sounding Feta and Sundried Tomato. New visitors should definitely try the Korokke (potato cakes with sweet dipping sauce) and the creamy Potato Salad. The staff are absolutely lovely and never complain about us customising our dishes in a myriad of ways. You can phone ahead for takeaways or ask for a doggy bag if you over-order and they even have a small library of truly classy coffee table books to read while you wait for your takeaway. We always leave to a chorus of "thank you very much" from the entire staff. Me and mine have a lot of love for Banzai, so much so, we have even learned to copy the correct cultural protocol when paying at the end of the evening. Banzai makes me very ureshii.

HKD is one of my favorite places to go in Auckland for dim sum. I have been here twice and both…read moretimes I was exceedingly impressed with the service, the food and the price. They have a great selection on offer, it is delicious and always hot. Make sure you finish your meal with an egg tart. They are especially delicious.

One of the older chinese restaurants in Auckland, this place is pretty average in my opinion…read more Nothing too spectacular, Although I would definitely recommend the taro duck.

Wow! I can't describe how delicious the pho is. It's not favor water it's actually tasty. The…read moreveggie soup with noddles was water watering soooo delicious!!!!! The wait staff is kind and helpful as well which makes it even better. 10 stars!

Friends selected this place for an early dinner during my recent visit to Auckland, specifically…read morecharging me to order dishes they'd never had before. Having lived for a long time in China I felt up to the task, but was not sure how a restaurant with a somewhat corny name would perform. On arrival I was put at ease by the exclusively Chinese clientele and the Mandarin-speaking young staff, who didn't bat an eye at my speaking with them in Chinese. Though there was no seating available in the main dining room, seats were available upstairs so we sent up there. Decor-wise, the place is a bit lacking, but in a way that adds to the atmosphere. The menu is the attraction anyway, and it is extensive. Since the chef is a member of China's Muslim minority Hui nationality, there is no pork on the menu, but there is lamb aplenty. And being a northern-style restaurant there are loads of wheat-based dishes (noodles and dumplings) rather than rice. Our order consisted of the following: an order of pan-fried lamb-fennel dumplings （羊肉茴香锅贴）; cleaver-sliced noodles with beef (刀削牛肉面)）; eggplant with garlic sauce (鱼香茄子）; peanuts in vinegar (醋泡花生）; and one each of the lamb and beef Chinese "burgers" (肉夹馍）. We had hoped to order lamb kebabs as well, but they were out (and while I'd have loved to have had the chicken gizzard kebab, my friends insisted on no offal, and there is a minimum of five kebabs per order). The only slight disappointment was the beef "burger", since the meat was a bit dry, and the vinegar peanuts were not as punchy as I like, but the other dishes were spot-on. And the prices are very reasonable so you can afford to try new things without a budgetary concern.

Oh man, that's too much with the Beef Pao Mo, a totally big bowl with full beef and Pao Mo but the…read moreprice of it was just normal. I didn't finish them, so I have to say sorry to the chef, next time I would get a small one, lol.

4 or 5 stars ? I'm not sure but this place is definitely up there !…read more There are 2 chefs , one Malay and one Vietnamese with the menu being split with some Malay dishes and some Vietnamese food . Geographically speaking Vietnam is more closer to Thailand ,but when the heart wants what the heart wants it makes more sense to put those two cuisines next to each other . Don't you think ? There is a mish mash of dećor but it's more than ok . A large selection of beers and a Vietnamese beer I don't think I've ever seen before . It's pretty clean and tidy . I had a old faithful of prawn toast which was so nicely cooked and a pancake of prawn and pork , the pancake was bigger than my eyes but it was very light and came with lettuce leaves to rip up , fold and dip into that yummy sauce . I imagine I'll be dragging people to this place now that I've fallen hard/crazy in love with Vietnamese cuisine .

Ok y'all. We are from LA and were starving for some deliciousness. When you walk in, there are…read morethings coming out the oven- warm displays of fresh pastries and sweets and a coffee bar to the left. And it smells LIKE HEAVEN. It's toasty and the selections of things are incredible. We got lots of things I cannot pronounce or attempt to spell,but they consisted of : the croque monsieur, almond croissant, cheesy bread, croissant with onions and nuts and cheese(yes and it's SO GOOD). If you're looking for a go to, quick breakfast, and a delicious latte. The prices are great and the lady owning it was super sweet. GO, don't wait.

Now I'm no connoisseur of French baked goods, but this place is a definite pleaser. Someone brought…read morehome an olive bread from La Voie Francaise that got me hooked, so I decided to have a late morning pastry feast of my own. A raspberry chocolate croissant, a chocolate brioche, and a canele topped my plate. The canele was my highlight, crispy and sweet on the outside and gooey on the inside. The brioche was freshly warm and soft but not too rich. The croissant was on the verge, somewhat stale around the edges but still enjoyable. The ups: these pastries and the olive bread were delicious. Prices are very reasonable too, only $10 all up for the three sweets. La Voie Francaise also boasts an inviting atmosphere that's relaxing but well kempt. The downs: I'm not convinced by these tastings that La Voie is all the rage, but that's probably just because I've been spoiled by the French market in Parnell. I'll be back for a croque monsieur at some stage, maybe my mind will change.

I enjoyed my experience at Belly Worship. Service was friendly and helpful. The food was not too…read morespicy. I also tried a drink which was great.

Neon lights? Check. Cheap and delicious Asian-fusion food?…read moreCheck. Friendly service? Check. Unlimited corn chips and fizzy and closing time of 2am? Bonus. You will find all this and more at the newly opened Belly Worship, a Chinese-fusion style restaurant located on Dominion Road. On the menu, there are a range of dishes available - steamed and fried dumplings, taco buns, spicy pancakes, stir-fried noodles, chicken, pork, beef and tofu dishes. The restaurant is not licensed, but they do offer a self-service bar where you pay just $3 for unlimited soft drink, alongside popcorn, corn chips and pretzels. This is a great idea - something to snack on while you wait for the rest of your party. It is also self-service for plates, bowls, cutlery and added sauces. Between three of us, we ordered quite a feast: - Spinach Taco Bun with Pork Belly ($7) - Shrimp, Pork and Chive Dumplings ($12) - Litchi Pork ($9.90) - Spicy Pancake ($5), with Duck (+$8) - Bamboo Chicken Wings ($14) - KungFu Kebabs with Fish Tofu and Beef ($16) - Scallion Fried Broccoli ($14) - Coconut Rice ($3) We enjoyed every dish (except one, see below), with our favourites being their signature Litchi Pork - similar to sweet and sour pork, but a little less rich and accompanied by potatoes and whole litchi (lychees). Priced at $9.90, it is a steal! The Spicy Pancake was also a highlight - crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. You can choose to have one of six fillings if you like (at an additional price) - we chose Duck. The pancake was huge, and with the extra duck and bean sprouts/slaw, this could be a meal in itself! It was also spicy, flavourful and the duck was cooked perfectly. We also liked the deliciously spiced and crispy Bamboo Chicken Wings, the arrival of the Shrimp, Pork and Chive Dumplings sizzling in the pan, the KungFu Kebabs with tender beef (not sure about the fish tofu), and our two side dishes, Scallion Fried Broccoli (YUM!) and Coconut Rice. The only dish we did not enjoy was the Spinach Taco Bun. Having read many great reviews, I had high hopes. Plus, the bun is green! (Thanks to the fresh spinach infused into the soft taco bun). However, we were super disappointed and left half of it. The bun was dry, the pork belly was dry and there was no flavourful sauce to tie all the ingredients together. Serving sizes for all dishes were plentiful and everything is reasonably priced. We also had more than enough to eat (for three) for lunch the following day. So, what did I think overall? Belly Worship is definitely worth checking out, for its cheap and cheerful menu, Instagram-worthy decor, and quirky self-service bar offering unlimited snacks and soft drink.. bring on the Fanta!!! [P.S. If you are Googling 'Belly Worship', make sure you put Dominion Road or Auckland too... otherwise you will be in for a surprise!]