Delcious food.... loved the seafood platter (mussels prawns scallops squid on top of spaghetti with…read morea marinara type sauce except better. ...) hubby had the steak was tasty with mushroom an peppercorn sauce... they have a good kids menu (fun desserts) and my daughter loved the chicken fettuccine. .. waitresses were friendly but arrogant young male waiter spoke to us Like we were not worth his time.... rushed our service to serve the more well dressed despite that the mains were awesome and we enjoyed a yummy antipasto platter for starters ... was not really impressed with cheesecake or the chocolate cake . good range of pizzas available as well would go back again just for the seafood platter ....

This place is amazing. The chef Maria is absolutely a fantastic cook. Food is great! Everything is…read morefreshly cooked. Easily my favour Italian restaurant.

My boyfriend and I got taken away here, we sat outside in the rain as they made it as we weren't…read moreoffered anywhere to sit and wait. I had the spaghetti Bol and my boyfriend had the lasagna. We both decided it would have been cheaper and taste the same as going to the next door countdown and buying a microwave meal.

Pizza was AMAZING totally worth it and a reasonable price, pasta was a little disappointing as the…read morechicken was a little creepy. (Grissley and in perfect cubes) but the pizza was amazing I would go back there again for that!

Il Piccolo has long had a presence in the Eastern Suburbs, previously being located down near…read moreKohimarama Beach and now up to Waimarie Street in Glendowie (much more convenient for me personally). The pristine interior of the restaurant is immediately striking. This seems to emanate throughout the food, with sharp, full flavours. I tend to order the Quattro pizza which has plenty of topping and a hearty base. There is a great range of choice of both pizzas and pastas alike. I usually go for the Spaghetti Di Mare, as I am a mega fan of seafood and this pasta was quite delicious. Parking is as easy as can be. There is a small indoor area for dining in, however the abundance of suitable earby locations encourages takeaways such as St Heliers Beach, the top of Glover Park, Karaka Bay or the top of Cliff Road.

Great local pizza takeaway! It's not prego ponsonby but it's decent Italian pizza cooked by an…read moreItalian the correct way. No more chain pizzas if you live in the eastern bays and want a quick takeaway pizza at a decent price, good bottle shop couple of doors down to.

Went there for dinner during weekday/public holiday. Great atmosphere and semi-dark yellow lighting…read moremade the place feel more cozy and candle-light vibe. Clean layout, great staff and prompt service. I ordered crisph pork belly from the main and it was delicious. Great portion, very crispy skin and tender/tasty pork. Perfectly cooked. My friends have spaghetti bolognese as main and the portion size is very substantial and meaty. Recommend this if you are craving for simple italian tomato based spaghetti. Main size was so substantial and delicious, forgot to leave some space for dessert. Waiter also mentioned, every monday, they do $10 pasta special, so you can get main size pasta for $10. If you are after bargain and same time decent meal, check this place as trial on monday~

My family and I visited Amphora for my mother's birthday. Located in Botany Junction, it neighbours…read morea few other local restaurants and bars and is easy to find if you're travelling from out of East Auckland. While it was a Saturday night, it was much busier than I'd expected it to be and the wait for our waitress to take our order was long. After being seated and having our drinks order taken, it was a good 20 minutes before anyone approached us to ask if we were ready to order. Luckily, the mains were pretty good. I tried their spaghetti carbonara and for its price of $19.50, it was quite a generous serving. I also got a taste of their Parmigiana, probably my favourite dish of the night- although I think I just have a soft side for spinach and cheese together. Their Fettuccine Al Pollo also came in a lovely tomato sauce, it was pleasantly different to anything I'd tasted recently and definitely made the dish. The wait for our dessert was almost half an hour. Their dessert menu is written up on a big blackboard along with the day's specials, which could mean they change their desserts often. We all decided to try the apple crumble and it was a good end to our meal- and piping hot when they got to the table! Amphora may be a better dinner location on a quieter night when the staff have time to give you 100% service, if thats the sort of dinner experience you prefer. The pasta menu is reasonably priced and as a whole they do pretty good Italian food.

A good Italian restaurant is at Half Moon Bay Marina. Fittingly named Mezza Luna (Half Moon),…read morelocated next to Grangers Taphouse & Kitchen. I love the teal decor booth seats and throws. Shame the booth I booked dampened the beginning of my night by being given to someone else that was said to have 2 more guests than us and ended up being 3 people short but not before I made the very young Manager (seriously looked like he was barely out of nappies) to swap me back to where I had asked for in my booking a month in advance. Don't mess with a lady with a very sore injured back. I read in an earlier article that the produce is all local with things like flour imported and everything is made on site. The Ragu and handkerchief Taglitelle I had was very good and seemed homemade. The pizza my friend had looked good although I like my toppings a little more closer to the edge than they were. I wasn't too chuffed on my scallops. My friend agreed they were lacking something. Too much citrus and not enough crunch or other elements on the plate. The wine list was good and of course there is chianti from Tuscany on the menu. Twice now though I have been there and the staff are very young and I don't think very knowledgeable, different to when they first opened. Finally, dessert finishes on a good note too with a perfectly cooked and gooey Chocolate fondant with banana smear and ice cream. The Tiramisu looked pretty in a glass. Overall I think the food is good and I would consider going back in the summer when I can enjoy the alfresco dining and summer menu also. They always have great mid-week deals on Facebook and all you can eat pizza nights so go and check them out. Buon appetito!

This place is way off the beaten trail for someone from the shore. Being right next to the marina…read morein Half Moon Bay, I would like to have seen it in the daytime too. The restaurant has a casual beachy feel with a mix of tables and seating arrangements. There's also an adjoining bar for pre-dinner drinks. I ordered the duck ravioli, which really was good, and the chocolate molten pudding for dessert. Great for the locals, and maybe a good day trip if travelling by ferry from the city, but probably too much of a drive for a revisit.

I can truly say that Goode Brothers Botany is not a place that I will ever want to take my family…read moreagain to enjoy any meal. It was my partners birthday today and she was not impressed with the overall customer service , neither was I .. including our kids. The stack of side plates that was brought to us had a few clean ones on the top and the others below were used side plates that were not washed ( disgusting ) . All we got was a " sorry" the next was a dirty fork , again " sorry ." My partners mum is vegetarian and specifically requested a pasta with mushrooms and no meat ... She found bacon pieces in her meal. On requesting for the manager i was just given a sorry and that I would not be charged for that meal. The kids had ordered strawberry ice cream with their meal as that was the options given .. at the end of the kids meal when they requested for their ice cream then only were they told that there was no strawberry ice cream available . This was at 12:45.??? We had taken a cake along to enjoy after lunch and have a little party , unfortunately it was a pit of with their overall service and filthy crockery . My bill was around $170 ... the entire experience in my view was a disaster .

Don't get the pizza. It would be nicer and cheaper to get it from Pizza Hut. The pizza is plain…read more The service is quick but you have to look at the waiter for like 15 minutes for them to realize them. The kitchen is always noisy but the restaurant is empty on a weeknight.

A small (Indian?) pizza company out east that is very different from your regular Dominos or Pizza…read moreHut etc. they do deliveries or pick ups. No seating inside but there are picnic tables outside. Service is good and pizza is amazinggggg. Their most popular pizza is the BUTTER CHICKEN PIZZA. yes... The pizza and butter chicken made a beautiful baby and it's too legit to be true. A crispy yet soft thick base, slathered in butter chicken and topped with melted cheese.... Need I say more? We also tried their Mexican pizza which was delicious too. Spicy and full of flavour. Totally different from the usual pizza flavours. Wedges are normal wedges that you usually get but still tasty. Chicken tenders were yum but they're like the supermarkets ones? other than that I'm super duper stoked with these guys!

This place has a huge variety of pizzas available…read more Also this place is great value for money averaging $15 for a large pizza. I would recommend the meat lovers and the chicken tropical pizzas (the last has the nice addition of mango). Be aware that in the weekend this place is slammed in the evenings so ring ahead!