The Merchant is a great spot to get a bite to eat while waiting for a movie or after a day of…read moreshopping at the mall. The vibe definitely matches a pub - you can watch sports on the tvs and some nights they have live music. This night, I had the buttermilk fried chicken and added on bao buns with lettuce cups to make it a meal. The chicken is super crispy! On chilly nights I recommend their special drinks menu (boozy coffee or hot chocolate) as its the perfect thing to warm up!

Me and my work mates come here every Monday for their quiz nights. Probably been going strong for 2…read moreyears? Unfortunately the quality of the food has been steadily declining that we actually try to avoid eating at that place. Today I ordered the entree sized crispy pork belly, there was no crackling - crackling was chewy and not crispy, the pork itself was slightly dry which was a shame because the flavor was quite nice. The menu said it comes on a kumara puree, which somehow turned into potatoes on my plate... And was cold. We really do want to like the merchant but unless they put some love into their food... They will be possibly be losing a frequent customer..

What a GREAT discovery! So good, we came here on both…read moretrips/visits to Auckland. Quality/Quantity - 102 types of beers! Got a flight (okay 2 flights...) for $30 each, see picture. Urbanant Handpull - Cask Ale style, a stronger flavored beer. Eddyline - New Zealand Hefeweizen, crisp and refreshing. They also have it in an apricot wheat ale, interesting. Parrot Dog - Okay. Panhead APA - American Pale Ale, good flavors, medium to light beer. Sawmill Hefeweizen - Good and refreshing. Also the beer of the week. Many specials, see pictures. Food, full bar, and wine are also available. Atmosphere - Super convenient, to the cruise ship, dock, shopping for my wife, etc! Indoor, outdoor seating. Interesting and cool decor throughout. Got really busy as it got later. Of course I was here for a few hours while my wife shopped, lol. Events available. Open 7 days a week from 11am till 10pm or 1am. Service - Bar service. They table service, but by then, I already got my flights. Yes, that was plural. :) Price - $30AUD a flight, $19.60US + tip. Expensive, but for me it was worth it! Great way to end the day. Owner Comment - Congrats on all your success. You will be our regular go to place when visiting/docking in Auckland.

Great atmosphere, ambiance, fine food and the best brews from around New Zealand and the world.read more

Great service, super friendly staff with lots of recommendations. I met up with friends here late…read moreat night and tried the three sliders (convenient way to try a bunch of the meatballs at once, since they all looked good). I got the lamb with pesto - the flavour was fantastic, but it could have used a third element or something. I love pesto, so I'm not mad if that's the only flavour, but it felt too simple. I also got the special, which was a fish ball with the special sauce, which was a coconut curry-esque thing - this was a no-brainer and it came out just like I was hoping it would. Super rich and flavourful, and a wonderful thai meatball. I also got the vegetarian ball with mushroom sauce and this may have been my favourite of the three - the pine nuts really shone, and it was a really lovely hearty "meaty" flavourful slider. My friends enjoyed their sides as well - fantastic little spot, and lots of available street parking down Richmond, which I appreciated.

I have been admiring the steady stream of instas feat. Bedford's house-made sodas and pretty…read moreflowers garnishes for a couple of weeks now so was chuffed when the opportunity arose for me to try this new p.central addition for myself. We popped in for a drink pre-lunch and immediately appreciated the laid-back vibe. The waitresses, who wear there own clothes were both donning cute floral shorts and t's when we went and were friendly in a casual/cool way. When we arrived they told us to grab a table wherever and being another glorious day we headed straight outside to nab one of their high 6-seater tables drenched in afternoon sun! The drinks menu is extensive and divided into sections - punch pitchers, Bedford daisies (refreshing, lighter cocktails), Bedford ballers (stronger, more manly numbers) and liquor-laden floats. There is also a wide range of teas and non-alcoholic beverages. After much deliberation, we went for a pitcher of Aperol Spritz ($35) - Prosecco, Aperol, fresh peach, citrus, grapefruit bitters, herbs. It arrived pretty as a picture, with flower/herb garnishes in the glasses as well as the pitchers. We only ordered one serving but it came in two smaller pitchers and was easily enough to fill 5 glasses. I'll admit, I found it a little lacking in the flavour dept but it was v.refreshing! Yet to try the food (/meatball) menu, but for those who have spent time in NYC it looks similar to the meatball shop incl. laminated menus and markers for you to tick you choice of meatball and sides. Looking forward to heading back and trying more of their concoctions - I can see this is going to fast become a summer favourite.

This is my new favorite spot. Perfect for afternoon drinks and food to share…read more The menu is mainly sharing plates with bites as well, single serve snacks like sliders and crumbed pork belly. The duck fat potato skins were delicious, a little underseasoned but easily fixed. Also the eggplant chips are a must try, I'm not a fan of eggplant but they were amazing. They have a great drinks selection, including some really nice cocktails. Look forward to trying the rest of the menu.

Had a perfectly lovely glass or two of wine and some very tasty snacks. Potato Skins fried in…read moregoose fat were the bomb. They are served with garlic aioli. We had a edamame salad that was very good. Also got the crispy pork belly bon mi, we enjoyed them, but not memorable .

Another great meal at the PRB - I just love a place where the food and service are entirely…read morepredictably great. This visit was red meat time and the scotch fillet with parsley butter and chunky chips fitted the bill. The meat was cooked a perfect medium rare, juicy and flavoursome - the sign that it had been aged properly. The parsley butter was a good condiment but I didnt think that the green in the butter was enough veges so I finished the meal off with a plate of green beans to pretend I was being somewhat healthy. The meal was complemented by a glass of Pinot from the clever wine list - that has some wines off the beaten track that provides the opportunity to try something different. There were clean plates on the table so everyone obviously enjoyed their meals as much as I did.

This is the kind of place I imagine would be an "everything restaurant". From dinner with the…read moreparents, to a romantic dinner or a gossipy night of cocktails with the girls, I can see this being a place that would work in every instance. The menu changes regularly and dishes are influenced from all corners of the globe. In some restaurants this multi-cuisine approach doesn't work and alludes to a confused chef who's just trying stuff out to see what "sticks". Here, the chef relies on winning flavour combinations, age old techniques and great produce to make dishes that really impress. The chicken liver pate and the roasted duck risotto were incredible, and perfect to share amongst two. The wine list would impress most wine nerds. The options by the glass are diverse and really allow you to jump around and try multiple styles within the one evening. We settled on glasses of Chablis and then shared a glass of Pinot, which the staff happily poured between two glasses. The staff here are bold and friendly; seemingly anticipating our every move before we even made them. It's just one of the reasons I'd happily return again and again to PRB.

Several months before we started our cruise, we had already arranged to spend a few days in…read moreAuckland after disembarkation. I knew the location of our post-cruise hotel and looked up several nearby eateries and convenience stores in the CBD. I was fortunate to find Odettes Eatery, among other restaurants and businesses, across the street from our hotel at the City Works Depot. We had an early breakfast on board before disembarking. Still, when I mentioned eating lunch across the street at Odettes Eatery to my sisters and husband, they heartily agreed to the restaurant's Mediterranean and North African menu. It was peak lunch hour, but we managed to walk in, where we were welcomed and seated by a cheery hostess. Within a few minutes, our friendly and happy server, Jacob, came by to introduce himself, suggest thirst-quenching beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), and describe menu items we weren't sure about, given the menu's limited descriptions. It took us a few minutes to decide on our meals while Jacob piqued our interest with his suggestion of their thirst-quenching Honey and Ginger Lemonade, along with glasses of iced water, giving us a little more time to decide. FOOD: -Flatbread Lunch Special (Gurnard with Romesco): two large strips of golden-fried panko-coated cod-like textured topped a wood-fired flatbread slathered with smoky, nutty, and slightly spicy Romesco sauce. The crisp, fried, panko-coated fish was complemented by lightly dressed, fresh, shredded cabbage and herbs. I asked Jacob to identify the type of fish used in this dish, as my family and I thought it might have been cod or monkfish, but Jacob said it was locally caught gurnard fish. My older sister practically single-handedly devoured this lunch special, but I was happy to have tasted a bit of the crisp fried panko-coated fish. NZ$29/NZ$39 incl beverage -Seared Snapper, Greens, Wild Rice, and Soy Green Goddess: The grilled pieces of fish were "buttery" moist, delicately sweet, and their firm white flesh flaked well. The mild-tasting fish was enhanced by a squeeze of freshly grilled lemon and lightly dressed greens. I preferred the grilled preparation to the deep-fried gurnard. NZ$46 -Chips: My husband and eldest sister zeroed in on the chips, AKA thick-cut, deep-fried potatoes, after reading their accompaniments of berbère, honey mustard, and curry leaves. Although I shared my seared snapper with them, I barely got two pieces of the crispy, on the outside and soft, fluffy, interior, deep-fried chips before my husband and eldest sister stuffed themselves. NZ$16 -Chargrilled Chicken Skewers: The three skewers of chargrilled, juicy, and tender chicken had been seasoned with paprika and turmeric. The chicken skewers were accompanied by toum, a Lebanese garlic sauce, and a few guindillas (Basque Spanish pickled chili peppers). My husband and eldest sister shared the chicken skewers and chips as their meals, exclaiming they'd return for more during our additional 3-day post-cruise stay. NZ$45 -Green Salad: This simple family-sized green salad of green leaf lettuce leaves, radicchio, and sliced cucumbers and radishes was lightly dressed with a semi-sweet, floral, and rich-tasting muscat vinegar and olive oil. This green salad was refreshing, healthy-tasting, and very shareable. NZ$16 Everything about Odettes Eatery from its flavors, food presentation, excellent and friendly service, comfortable ambiance, and value, to me, warrants a 5-star rating from me. They were so good that we returned for lunch with our New Zealand friends.

This restaurant is the bomb! So impressed with the food, seriously thinking about going again…read moretomorrow. I got a fried chicken sandwich, and Mr B got an amazing breakfast of scrambled eggs, avocado, bread, bacon & cheese. We also had Chai latte and matcha latte that were delicious. Service was super friendly, and the environment was lovely. Reasonably priced for all that we got. Recommended for sure!

My sister in law organised a dinner for 10 of us. We had a set menu that provided more than enough…read moreto eat; with various shared plates as the starter and 3 types of pizza as the main. And it all tasted great. They have Boundary Road beers (in bottle and on tap) which I'm a fan of the NZ Pale Ale and Porter. Others in the group had the Mr Toms Wine Carafe, a very easy to drink red. The staff were very helpful & communicative when making the booking and were polite and attentive when we were eating. Definitely planning on going back and recommend trying them out.

Food was delicious…read more May be the best cocktails I have ever had. The bartender put a lot of focus in attention to detail in making the drinks. They were so good that we ended up trying about 8 different cocktails. Definitely would recommend stopping here.

Hallertau is a fantastic brewery and has been a staple of the NZ craft beer scene for many years…read more On a recent trip I got to visit the source, and am thankful I did. If you're a beer fan visiting Auckland, it's worth the extra time and distance to visit. Located in the wine country, you feel far away from the city even though you really aren't. It's along a quiet road, you can't miss the cool retro sign. Parking is free and in the front. The place is much larger than you'd guess; the original brewery and taproom is the main building interior with vintage looking furniture and cozy lighting if it's too cold or wet to enjoy the outside. To the left is the beer garden, which is all enclosed with plants to make you feel you're out in the middle of nowhere. They have an outdoor bar here with pizza ovens and a meat smoker. There are tables and bar seating here. At the back is a climbing wall and playground for kids; the tables nearby have hot water pipes running through them so your tushy stays warm even in cold weather. In the main building is more seating and the indoor bar, restrooms to the back. They also have a merch area and lots of beer for takeaway. Their beer list is large and focuses mostly on their core lagers. Behind this area you'll see the main brewing equipment, which goes back well beyond this area. Outside I was given a tour of the finishing tanks and their garden, where they even grow hops for some of their small batch beers. Thanks to the generosity of friends, I got to try various pizzas, jalapeno poppers, and other appetizers. The pizza was maybe the best I've had in NZ, with so many locally sourced toppings and rich flavors. The beer is fantastic as well, think classic styles made to perfection. The bar staff is friendly, so quick to serve. I can't rave enough about this brewery, and it's really one you need to visit.

Enjoyed my evening here with friends the Venison sausage and pizza went down great with the Number…read more3 Red Ale. The service was prompt and food delivered together so no waiting to eat around the table. Highly recommend