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!

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 :)

Visited this wonderful place last Wednesday for a family 77th Birthday Party. Last visit was a…read morecouple of years ago and both time I was really impressed. To me this is authentic Italian cuisine. All the classics, a couple of good specials, kid friendly, and a decent selection of wines. Service is pretty good with a slight family feel, but don't expect fast service, instead relax and enjoy the unhurried atmosphere as the hot summer sun makes way for a cool breeze, and the kids can peek over the fence and explore the adjacent Whangaparoa Railway and animals close by. Perfetto!

From the owner: Welcome to Abruzzo Itlaian Restaurant – a beloved Italian eatery located in the heart of…read more Birkenhead on Auckland’s North Shore, just a 15-minute drive from the CBD. For 18 years, we’ve been serving authentic Italian cuisine crafted with passion and tradition. Our specialty? Wood-fired pizzas with perfectly blistered crusts, and fresh pasta made in-house daily. Whether you’re after a casual family dinner or a cozy date night, our warm hospitality and timeless recipes will make you feel like family. Come taste 18 years of tradition—just minutes from the city.

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

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.

Yum yummy yum. My friend took me to this place last Saturday…read morenight because I was craving good pizza. Yay good pizza found! The prices are really decent, my small size which included 8 pieces, was only $14. That's a great price for Auckland, with artisanal pizzas usually starting from $20 upwards. I ordered one with ham, olives, artichokes, garlic, and mushrooms. It was divine!! I wanted to eat the whole thing but my friend reminded me to save room for dessert. She had a spicy pepperoni pizza and a cider. Then we both got the Venice Special Cake, a real treat. It's like a layered mouse cake, with walnut pastry, dark chocolate mousse, and Frangelico. It was served with whipped cream and an interesting vanilla ice cream that was almost more like creamy sorbet. Really excellent experience over all! We had a 7pm reservation, and by time we left at 8:30 the place was packed, not an empty seat. Clearly a fan favorite for Milford. The rest of the menu looks delicious so I will definitely be back!

Well, where do I start. We arrived at the restaurant at 6.15, put in our orders and then proceeded…read moreto wait an hour for our meal. 3 were correct, mine wasn't. I said to the waiter it was wrong, he told me I didn't even know what I ordered and therefore should leave the premises! What!!! It went from bad to worse, we were then abused and berated in front of the entire restaurant, my 79 year old father was told he was drunk (1 glass of wine) and we were repeatedly told to get out. I am amazed that this confrontation all came about because my order was incorrect, WE were abused and embarrassed in front of other diners due to the rude man. DO NOT RECOMMEND!!!

Service and food left a lot to be desired…read more My friends and I went there for lunch on sunday, got a table, and had our drink orders taken. It was not a busy day. The drinks, while delicious, took a long time to arrive. We had to get our own menus because no one gave us any. Eventually someone came to take our food order and I asked for a chicken panini with avocado on the side. 20 minutes passed and we were still waiting. Finally the food arrived and they had given me the salmon. I took it back and the kitchen staff started arguing with the waitress and manager over what I ordered vs what they gave me: very unprofessional. I was told 5 minutes. 15 minutes later my friends had finished their food, other people received their panini orders and finally mine turns up. It was very underwhelming: 2 pieces of pineapple, a square of cheese, and some bland chicken. The only thing that was generous was the tomato. They forgot the avocado and tried to charge me for it. I will not be back.

Ragazzi is a great little lunch stop on Hurstmere road. If possible, claim one of the outdoor…read moretables under the trees and you have the perfect vantage point for people watching. The food is of high quality, particularly for what you pay. Like any good Italian, they seem to accomplish a very unique taste with just a handful of ingredients. It's hard to get away with a light lunch here. The pasta, although delicious, is certainly a hearty meal for the middle of the day. I love the service, you always get plenty of smiles and they never try and rush you along, even if it's busy. Ragazzi is a great spot for a leisurely long lunch.

Bizbal is a little Mediterranean restaurant on Takapuna's popular Anzac Avenue strip just under the…read moreBerkeley Cinema multiplex. Had a catch-up with some very close mates here a little while back, and it was an enjoyable evening with the exception of the service. It was a busy evening, but putting the young blokes outside as an afterthought and then forgetting they're there isn't a great start. My pizza then took a short lifetime to arrive. That's where things get good - it was magnificent and could give Niko down the road a run for his money. Drinks menu is decent too, and my beloved Peroni is on tap!

Service was really slow here even though it wasn't too busy. It was a great place to stop for…read morebrunch. I got the maple French toast, I expected a more prominent maple flavor but it was still delicious. They had their own water station where you could fill a flask for your table, I thought that was pretty cool.

I almost feel embarrassed that this rad café has been in my own backyard for years and I didn't…read moreknow about it (in my defense it is located down a dead end industrial street but still, embarrassed.). Anyway, this week I set out to rectify my ignorance by visiting twice, first with my Yelp amigo, Kathy L and then again the following day. The café is in a pretty unexpected place, right next to the North Shore Events Centre. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the smell of freshly roasted beans. I've said it once and I'll say it again - cafés that roast their own beans make consistently good coffee. I mean, that's just my experience but I reckon 99% of the time it holds true. The Coffee Lab is no exception. Here you get to choose your own beans from their three grinders. We took the advice of the barista and went Sumatran, who told us "it had a hint of vanilla and is good served black." Perfect. Could my unrefined coffee palate taste the hint of vanilla, no, but was the coffee strong and silky smooth - yes. In fact, it was so delicious that I ordered the same thing the next day. I am yet to try their food but the slices look off the chain - just like nana used to make them! No doubt, I'll be back soon.