Breakfast at Gusto is reserved for special occasions only and the first ever national holiday and…read morecelebration of Matariki (Maori NewYear) was such an occasion! I arrived at 9am and was greeted by the maître D whose smile and greeting set the standard for my visit. The restaurant was certainly busy and her offer to show me to my table was greatly appreciated. I am familiar with the layout of their breakfast buffet and my only criticism is the failure to direct customers to the juice and coffee station which is set at the rear of the restaurant, away from the main food section. That aside I can say that the food is beautifully presented and eagle-eyed kitchen staff replenish quickly and efficiently. A selection of cereals, freshly sliced platters of fruit, meats and cheeses always has me returning for more. The hot food selection is standard fare but again, well monitored by staff and constantly refreshed with used utensils whipped away and replaced. And amidst this hustle and bustle has to be the friendliest and helpful floor staff. These young ladies and gentlemen don't enjoy their work, they relish it! Pleasant, attentive and discreet they go about their tasks with a fervour. All staff do an outstanding job and Gusto is not inappropriately named! The perfect place for a long, pampered breakfast and at $35 - worth every cent!

Recommended by a work colleague and Gusto did not disappoint. Good menu, tried a few starters like…read morecalimari and the meatballs - soooo good. Settled on the veal cutlets for starter Nd was wonderful. Pinot Noir from NZ and the nutella doughnuts. Good service.

Great service wonderful food. Staff is on top of everything and super helpful Portions are…read moreperfect. Five stars all the way

Absolutely wonderful. First dinner in Auckland and it was a winner. Our server was Valentine...she…read morewas excellent. We ordered way too much food...it just looked so good. We ordered: Wood Fired King Prawn. The King Prawn arrived and it was beautiful and very large. It was served with a black peppered pancetta and a gremolata sauce of which both enhanced the grilled prawn. Not a drop was left. Mamma D's East Coast Beef Meatballs. They were big and filling. Some of the best meatballs served in restaurant. I thought they were packed a little tight. I loosely form mine when tends to ensure tenderness. The sauce was perfect and they went well the side dishes. Cacio & Pepe was served and it was the prettiest we had ever seen and probably the best we have ever had. Put it right up there with those served in Roma. Polenta - another winner and beautiful. It also went well with the meatballs. Creamy and delicious just wish we could have eaten the whole dish or had a kitchen where we were staying...that good. Baduzzi was hopping the night we were there. So glad that we had reservations...highly recommend booking.

What a great vibe!…read more Giraffe's location could not be more perfect . . . right in the wharf area and in the middle of a vibrant nightlife scene. The entire area is clean, lively and fun . . . and Giraffe is no exception. You smile and feel welcome, just walking into the place. There are also outside seating options, on a patio that is well covered and sheltered. Staff is incredibly cheerful, friendly, full of energy . . . and easy on the eyes, too. The service is exceptionally good. When we arrived, without a reservation, they directed us to the bar, while a table was prepared and the bartender was great, as were the cocktails. A wonderful start. We liked the menu: a mix of locally sourced New Zealand dishes with wonderful flavors. Every plate we had was perfect. I particularly loved the short ribs. And, deserts were yummy too . . . and presented in an "oh . . . Wow!" kind of way. We would have gone back again and again, except that there are so many options in the area, and we wanted to try as many as we could!

We had an absolutely phenomenal experience eating breakfast here with my kids. The view is…read morebeautiful and the food was excellent. The real highlight was a kind woman who appeared to be the manager or owner who noticed when my kids were getting restless and offered puzzles as well as took orders for extra food which came out right away. I had eggs Benedict with streaky bacon and the rest of my family had French toast, all of which we would recommend.

We were in Auckland for a few days and stumbled across this quaint, family-owned restaurant for…read moredinner. The owners were there and seated us right away. As a group of 5, we were having trouble finding a place to eat, but we were lucky there was a table open in this small, cute restaurant. We then proceeded to have the best meal we experienced during our 2-week trip in NZ! Tye was our server and he definitely enhanced the experience. Most of us were indecisive, but he was able to give great food recommendations. We were all very happy with everything we ordered. We tried to eat there again before we left, but they were closed the last day we were in town. Vivace is a must-try if you are looking for delicious Italian food and good service.

A great Italian restaurant. Rich selection of wines. Varied menu. I had Hāpuku which is a fish. It…read morewas a daily special. Fish was on a bed of risotto. Meat was delicious. Well presented. All was good. Staff very professional. Ambience romantic.

Great steakhouse best service in New Zealand. Don't remember the waiters name bur he was from…read moreMaryland, USA. good wine selection.

Where do I begin.... This place had so much promise & yet failed to deliver in SO SO so many…read moreplaces. I read the menu for this place online & I was hooked in with the Mac n' Cheese & chicken & waffles. I took my parents with me & mum was equally excited with the menu. Right so they had an offer that on paper sounded like a sweet deal, three course meal without a drink, $49 each. Right? Not the worst price. But & there is a but the food was truly ordinary. Let me explain. Truffled mushroom Macaroni & cheese. Sounds great, could have been phenomenal... Could being the operative word. Instead there was this amazingly tasty crunchy cheesy topping underneath was a gritty, grainy powdery pasta that reminds me of that stuff you buy in the supermarket in the packet. So disappointing because I have been craving a really creamy moorish Mac n' Cheese. The main boy oh boy was I looking forward to this. I had Roscoes chicken and waffles when I was in LA & I compare it to that every time. What I got was so laughably bad, I physically chuckled. I got what can only be described as the single worst panne ever! The coating was forced together, leaving the chicken a good couple of millimetres between it & the 'breading.' Then the waffle, they are supposed to be crispy on the outside soft and pillowy on the inside. Not flat, chewy & Lukewarm. Finally dessert, an icecream sandwich. Three scoops of vanilla between 2 chocolate chip cookies. On paper again delicious. I am a massive fan of the dairy's icecream sandwich from Ponsonby Central. This one... Nope. Just don't bother. The cookies had too much sugar so they were hard as bullets, the icecream was so cheap I think they forgot to put vanilla in the icecream because it didn't taste of anything. The last thing I will say about this meal... I had the snickers thick shake. Decadent, chocolatey & peanuty but completely ruined by it have so much sugar in it by the end of my meal I had a tummy ache from all the sugar I had eaten. I won't speak for my parents meal... The one positive, service was great. Fast, efficient & friendly. That is why this meal doesn't get no stars.

Cute little French restaurant. I lived there decor. The server was super nice and really wanted to…read moremake sure our meal was perfect. I would highly recommend this cute little gem in Auckland, NZ by the university.

We were out walking looking for a place for dinner on a Friday night, and were pleased that our…read morepath took us here. We ordered 2 different savory crepes, which were delicious and reminded us of the crepes we have enjoyed in France. We enjoyed cider, who is available sweet or dry, served in stemless bowls. For dessert we shared a Martinique crepe, delicious! A lovely meal with excellent service.

Perfect location at the start of the new Wyndward quarter on the corner. Upmarket feel inside which…read moresurprised me from the location. I just finished hiking almost 10 miles to Rangitoto volcano so I was happy to sit at the kitchen counter . Selection of NZ and Oz beers but nothing great that I tried. What drew me in was the promise of mussels on the outdoor menu but they didn't actually have them. Calamari was excellent. Fries average. Service excellent and friendly.

Quite disappointed in my fish sandwich for $20nzd. My 2 friends had the fish & chips for $26nzd and…read moredefinitely got the better deal. My sandwich had one smallish piece of fish on it. My fiends received 3 nice size pieces of fish. Ample amount of fries with both. And okay amount of nice minty mushy peas. Not near enough tartar sauce and no malt vinegar offered. No check back to see if we might need anything else. I think with the amount of competition in this area they might want to step up their game.

I had the opportunity to eat dinner here twice while staying at the Hilton, and both were…read morephenomenal experiences. First of all, the ambiance is spectacular, with gorgeous views of the harbor. My first night, dozens of sailboats were out, singly and in groups. The staff was welcoming - a sense of formality, but not pretentiously so. The first night, I had the Signature West Coast Whitebait Fritter, Kūmara Fries, and Mango and Mānuka Honey Cheesecake. The second night, I had the Signature Mediterranean Crab Cakes and the Herb Crusted Mt Cook Alpine Salmon. All were wonderful. The small plates were the Whitebait Fritter and the Crab Cakes. New Zealand Whitebait is a real delicacy, and they were perfectly cooked in what would better be described as a thin omelette rather than a fritter, topped with a deliciously rich buerre blanc and fried capers. Stunning! The Crab Cakes were served with a crayfish lemon mayonnaise and balsamic vinegar. Quite tasty with a nice crunch - use the lemon, it really helps bring out the flavor. Of the two, I would recommend the Whitebait Fritter hands down. It's something I will remember. I got the Kūmara Fries (New Zealand's sweet potato) as a side, and they are delicious. Coated with some parmesan cheese and served with black garlic mayo! So good. And it's a large serving - from looking around, all of their sides are designed for more than one person. That said, I did a pretty good job with the fries by myself. The Herb Crusted Mt Cook Alpine Salmon is another New Zealand-centric dish. The dish is exquisite and overwhelming. The salmon itself was perfection - perfectly cooked and rich in flavor. Then add the delicious pickled fennel, the red capsicum marmalade, the horseradish cream, herb oil, and the saltiness of fish roe? Explosions in your mouth. The Mango and Manuka Honey Cheesecake was rich and delicious with a nice crust. They also had a nice selection of New Zealand beers, wines, and liquors.

We were staying in the Hilton so we ate breakfast here during our stay. I ordered off the menu…read morehaving pancakes one day and French toast another. Both were beautifully presented with fresh fruit and flowers to adorn the main dish. The food was excellent. I also had a hot latte which was creamy, hot, and came with latte art. So good. We were seated at tables on the windows to enjoy the beautiful harbor views. Service was excellent.