I was surprised by my husband with a date for two and a six course degustation menu at Mikano. How exciting I thought, but how am I going to be able to eat six courses I thought. I arrived to a very unique restaurant location, right alongside a helicopter landing pad, where they search and rescue along the coast, as well as a very busy Auckland port, with containers being transported in and out. I liked the go and energy of the outside, and knew that what I was arriving at was going to dramatically contrast that. The interior was a complete contrast to the exterior as I had thought, and a immaculate staircase to a door that opened into a reception area that overlooked a very large dining space. Large ceilings and beautiful glass lighting pieces, highlighted an elegant room, with the kitchen up a bit higher overlooking the dining room. The floor to ceiling glass windows allowed for dreamlike gazing at the waterfront and also the busy port. So the highlight of my six course meal was that every piece that we were served also was accompanied by its very own wine, picked to compliment the food, and even when we got to the dessert, this was paired with a dark beer. I loved the french onion soup served in a miniature soup ramekin with lid, and served with the sweetest pieces of croutons I have ever laid eyes upon, the flavour was so memorable. I also really enjoyed the Yorkshire beef pie, also a petite form, but so perfect in every way. Honestly, I could rave about each and every one of the pieces we devoured in this visit. Simply put, the chefs know there food, they enjoy cooking a classy and traditionally inspired dish, and with the great attentive staff to add, its a win! read more

I'll start by saying the food was great - delicious, cooked perfectly and well presented. On the converse side, it took me two days to get anyone to answer the phone and take my booking. The front desk staff were pre-occupied and not particularly welcoming. Our waiter was clearly young, nervous and inexperienced - having said that it was a Wednesday. Would I eat there again? Maybe, but it wouldn't be at the top of my list. read more

We were offered a seat (comfy leather couch-booths) in which to wait while our table was being prepared, but after waiting 25 minutes to be seated despite that the restaurant was not full we approached the wait staff a bit frustrated however were then immediately seated. Entrees a bit of a disappointment - crayfish soup seeming to be lacking in cray as such with an almost mushroomy hint and empanadas a bit overcooked. However mains were delicious - succulent pork belly with a chewy but slightly crunchy crackling, the kumura purée was almost gluggy in texture but tasty. Burgundy beef rich in flavour. Didn't stick around for dessert but those we saw being taken to other tables looked very well presented. Service pretty good and a really cool space, great location being next to the port and waterfront. Not too loud. read more

Mikanos is a classy place and helps that it is just two minutes from my work place. We usually go there for Friday evening drinks. This place has a soft spot in my heart as first took my gf there for a drink and we celebrated our one year anniversary this march. We booked a groupon meal for two worth 95$ for a three course meal. The staff r really friendly and very knowledgable about their wines. Views awsome too but noisy when westpac helicopters take off. For a quiet enjoyable evening either with friends a the bar or dinner near the window I highly recommend Mikanos :) read more

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Mikano was a great spot for a special dinner. We had the 7-course degustation menu with wine pairing for my birthday and were very impressed. I found the food to be cooked perfectly, and our fillet was a nice medium rare. All 7 courses were tasty, unique, and had a great wine pair. I found the service to be up to snuff and have only good things to say about our server. The restaurant is in a great spot by the port and the heliport, and we got to watch helicopters taking off during our sitting. It's pricey but worth it for a special night out. read more

I feel like Mikano flies under the radar when considering nice restaurants to go to for dinner. Or lunch. It's kind of one of those 'destination locations' where you would have to be intending to go there to see it. There's no foot traffic. That being said, it's a really nice place to go. The place has a big all window wall where you can look out onto the harbour and occasionally you see helicopters leave the heli pad, which is kind of cool. The food is good. I usually stick with seafood there, I've never ordered badly or gone away dissatisfied with my meal. One time my ex boyfriend sent back his steak though, he thought it was overcooked. The Waikanae Crab Lasagne is my jam, you've got to try it, especially if you're into creamy sorts of foods. Prices are a little steep, so watch out for that. On a semi-related note, it's good for dates. read more

Mikano is beautifully located on Auckland's waterfront with wonderful harbour views and panoramic vistas of the city. It is the place to take overseas guests or for that special occasion - birthday, anniversary,celebration and the like. Specialising in seafood, this was the place to go. I use the past tense for sadly this place does not live up to its reputation. We were there this evening for a birthday. Arriving at 7:30 with the rest of our group 10 minutes later it took some 20 or so minutes for our orders to be taken and as we worked through the menu, first choices of fish signature dishes snapper or hapuka were not available. Sold out, we were told. Really? A restaurant that specialises in seafood that didn't have any seafood. What is wrong with this picture? Then, orders having been taken, we were told that it would be 25 minutes wait for an entree and 35 - 45 minutes for a main. That little snippet should have been communicated BEFORE we ordered. And so the waiting began. After 10 minutes or so we were offered some complimentary bread while we waited. But for over 25 minutes our water glasses were empty and there was no sign of any food. In fact there was no sign of any food at any of the nearby tables. And there wasn't anything coming out of the kitchen. One of our party enquired of the manager how much longer we had to wait. Another two and a half minutes we were told. After ten minutes our patience deserted us. AN hour an a half at the restaurant and no sign of food. We left, paying for the bottle of wine that we had ordered and emptied. It took so long for the staff member to get the cash machine operating that I was minded to leave, bill unpaid! It is so sad that an excellent restaurant puts in such a poor showing. I don't know if there are new owners, but I cannot accept that multiple tables with no food is mere co-incidence, The service was appalling. I can't comment on the food because we received none and I doubt we would have had a complete meal by the end of the evening. In fact the manager deserted the place and left the wait staff to deal with whatever the problems were present. This is an upmarket restaurant with prices to match. One should not feel like a gambler, chancing ones arm for a special occasion by going to this restaurant that no longer fulfils its past reputation. Maybe it will be better when people who know what they are doing restore dining in confidence in this once iconic eatery. read more

Recently went in for their 6 course degustation which was really top notch. Fromt he moment we walked in the service was outstanding. Then the food came course after course, just done to a very high level - of special note the Crab Lasagna - just exceptional. If you do take the opportunity to do this, please make sure to do the wine match. Man O War wines perfectly suit and the Chardonnay is one of the best in it's price range from anywhere in NZ. read more

Where to start?! Ok, 1. Customer service front desk: 1/5. Not friendly on the phone during booking; not friendly when we arrived. Not much to say. 2. Food: 4/5 good, tasty, especially dessert. 3. Waiter service: 4/5, good. 4. Price: reasonable. 5. Place: nice. Will we go back? Maybe, depends on the front desk. read more

overall, not at all impressed. the front of house is always the first impression a customer would have of the restaurant, and I would say, mikano has successfully hired an untrained staff! The service we've received was not up to standard, not at all friendly or polite. The service we've received was even worst than McDonald standard. After we got seated, it took 32 min before food was served! Some of the food was also over cooked. Worst thing is no one even bothered to ask if their food was OK! There are so much to rant about this place, it's not funny! to sum up, go there if you want an unpleasant experience! read more

Dinner at mikano on a Friday night - using a grab one voucher - I have been to mikano a few times and have always been super impressed - however this evening I was very disappointed The prawns in my entrée were pre cooked - so they had this dense chewyness to them , the flavor in the sauce covering them was not to my personal liking The sides ordered with the main were very late coming out - we had to ask - and by the time they came out we were halfway through our main For a main I had snapper on a garlic mash The fish was well cooked - I enjoyed the mash - but it needed some sort of sauce on it otherwise it's just a piece of fish on a bed of mash - not very inspiring . It came with prosciutto as well which I thought added nothing to the dish and it would have been better without it . The sides were average - the chips seemed like packet chips and the aioli was gross For desert two of the others we were dining with chose the apple crumble - it was average - presentation was average Overall I give this meal a 1/5, you've probably lost 4 customers. Not sure what happened here used to love this restaurant. read more

I rate Mikano in the best restaurants in Auckland category. The staff go out of their way to cater to your every needs, there are brilliant views across the water out to Rangitoto, and the food is just delicious every time. For me, with my 10000s of allergies, they do everything they can to make sure I don't get sick from any cross contamination or anything like that. I usually have the chicken dish, and it's always cooked to perfection. Their selection of desserts is fantastic too. read more

I have been several times and I must say I have never left disappointed. What attracted us to this restaurant was that they had a separate menu for vegetarians. Often in Auckland, vegetarians are lucky if there is a veggie pasta on the menu. In fact, there are places in West Auckland where we live where you don't even get that. Here, they do several innovative vegetarian dishes and the rest of the food is really good too. They do 'Five fish four ways', in other words a selection of fish cooked any way you like it. There's a lovely ambience to the restaurant and you get a view of the water outside which is really nice on moonlit nights. The last time I was there I got a free range chicken breast which was really moist and tasted great. The deserts are also worth a mention and we both enjoyed a chocolate pud which oozed chocolate when you put the spoon into it. The staff are also very friendly and overall Mikano makes for a memorable night out. read more

For the menu, the prices & the location I expected a lot better. My wife's steak was below par but what bothered me more was the service. From just even trying to book, to pouring our own wine, to having to ask for plates to be cleared, to having to ask if sides were actually coming with mains. There are a lot better options, more central to town with better all round experiences. Only a 3 out of 5 because my pork belly was exceptional. read more