New Zealand Herald

Reviews for Crystal Harbour Restaurant

by Ange Y.
4th June 2013

We got a deal voucher of $25 for dumpling platter and plate of roast duck. It says on the voucher it normally cost $45 so we thought it would be a descent feed. But NO, 12 dumplings and literally a tiny little plate of duck. Out of interest I asked the waiter how much are the normal price, it was only $31 not $45. Isn’t that false advertising? For what it is its way overpriced. We were not even feeling a little bit full after that so ended up spending another $20 on other things. They will not have us as repeat customer for sure!

by Pauline B.
15th May 2013

6 of us had lunch here today using a voucher and we were impressed by the lovely decor and very friendly and attentive staff. It was a set menu (steamed dumplings and choice of meat; roast pork, duck and BBQ pork) and the food was well presented , tasty and good portion sizes. We ordered a portion of green beans as an extra , yummy !

by Yvonne C.
14th April 2013

Went there by my own today for yumcha, food was just above average, but the service was great great great, cannot be any better, have been looked after so well, will go back again in dinner time, definitely the best and friendliest service Asian restaurant in the country.

by Robin T.
12th March 2013

Our experience could not be more different to that of the banquet party. We probably visit three times a month for yum cha and always have the friendliest of welcomes. We find the quality and variety of the food excellent. Our young daughter loves the attention she gets and we will happily continue to be regular visitors.

by Whitecat X.
23rd February 2013

Been there 5-6 times and usually we start with deep fried squid flavoured with garlic and red hot chili. Along with Pinot Gris it makes you divine! Then we have some stir-fried vegetables mixed with preserved bean-curd or oyster sauce as our taste for the day. Their fried rice (dried scallops and eggs) comes for the last, but no least. Not cheap as a Chinese cuisine. Still worth trying.
If you don’t like the madam who persuade more food as possible to seek more bucks, here is not recommended at all. We often think it nuisance, too. More sophisticated service would match their nice Western style decor and an upper better clientele.

by Jenee M.
4th February 2013

I was part of a large wedding banquet here recently and it is not a restaurant I would recommend to anyone.
The decor is very nice and suitable for a wedding but the food was okay at best. This is where the positives stop. Staff will try to rush guests out the door and trick you into paying more for parking than you should.
Please, do not be fooled by the initial friendliness of the manager and owner. They will continue to sweet talk you until the bill is paid and from then on they will not make any effort to appease the bride and groom on their big day as well as dining guests.
Be warned, the owner and manager are a conniving pair and they are only after your money.

by Terence S.
28th January 2013

We had our wedding banquet for over 300 people there. Food was good, but service was absolutely terrible. It was BYO drinks, we bought 18 cases of 2 dozen beers, white wine, and soft drinks. And supposebly allowed red wine for each table, I think we only had gone through 10 bottles of red wine. We had a whole lot of soft drink left over, and 6 cases left. Felt like nobody had enough to drink, and they did this serving way so people wouldn’t drink as much so they could be rushed out. We weren’t allowed to put bottled drinks on the table, the manager said she would get the waiters to serve it, but a lot of people didn’t know about that, so they were left wondering if there is more drinks. And when you do get them to serve you drinks, they come around with angry looks. I don’t appreciate that they had rushed people to leave.. I am really disappointed they had switched off the air con at 9.30pm. and the staff were clearing the tables while other people were still eating
The parking was suppose to be $4 for everyone who validated, but everyone ended paying more than $12

I definitely would never eat there again, and I would definitely not recommend having your wedding reception there. Very appalling manager and staff. I hope this place improves for others, but if they keep this up they will be going out of business.

by Alicia W.
10th January 2013

I dined in there on the 8/1/13 as it was my birthday on that day. My partner and myself walked into the restaurant at 9.00pm and we ordered our food. The food arrived after 25 min, as we were the only table waiting for our food. To my horror, they switched off the air-condition at 9.30pm and rushed us to finish our food. When I asked them, what time they close, the waiter look angrily at the watch and told me that they close now. I was shocked and surprised why they didn’t tell us that they close at 9.30pm when they print closing at 11.00pm on their business card. We ended up not being able to enjoy our meals and worst of all, the waiter came back 3-4 times asking us if we are done with the food and start clearing our plates when we are not done eating!!!! Logically when you served your food at 9.25pm, do you expect your customers to finish the food in 5 mins??? We had no choice but left! Paid a boom for less than 5 mins food! Instead of having a great birthday dinner with my partner, we felt cheated and had to pay and rush out simply because they had to close at 9.30pm! I am sure to launch a complaint to the council on the operation hours too as it was just so unprofessional and selfish of them to treat us as customers like this.

by Jasmin B.
7th January 2013

PUBLIC NOTICE: THIS RESTAURANT HAVE ON THEIR MENU SHARK FIN SOUP WHICH MEANS THEY SUPPORT THE INHUMANE ACT OF SHARK FINNING, FOR THOSE UNAWARE OF WHAT THIS IS, Shark Finning is where sharks are caught and their Fins are removed then the rest of the shark is dumped back into the ocean. Most sharks that are targeted for their fins are still alive when they caught and alive when the fins are removed then chucked overboard.Which means they endure a slow, drowning death that can last for days. Many commercial fishermen think that by cutting the shark’s vertebrate that this kills them as they stop moving, then they cut off the fins. This is not the case as it is equivalent to a human having their spinal cord cut at your neck. This simply immobilizes you and you can still breathe…….
THIS IS ILLEGAL IN NEW ZEALAND PLEASE SUPPORT THE FIGHT AND AVOID THIS RESTAURANT

by Julia B.
7th August 2012

Farewell family dinner was well served with great tasting food starting with Peking duck. The service was great, prices were reasonable. Great decors. We had a enjoyable evening and will definitely return.

by Samuel T.
3rd February 2012

overpriced food, small portion & they drip feeding us because not all dishes come out at the same time.
ordered 8 dishes and 2 beers cost us 260 bucks! portions are small too, so we ended up going to lantern festival at Albert Park afterward for more food.
Any East Auckland Chinese restaurants serve better food and bigger portion than Crystal Harbour, no point going all the way to city, waste of a trip! Parking is a nightmare too! never return again to Crystal Harbour….

by Phill
26th December 2011

Xmas dinner at the Crystal Harbour and it was awesome. Service spot on and all food that arrived was excellent. Lemon chicken was divine as was all our dishes. Would recommend highly. The staff all were friendly and went out of their way to assist. When we asked if all dishes could come out at once a big ask it was served as we liked it. Desert was again awesome and the prices were well within the norm for restaurants in the viaduct.

by David B.
16th October 2011

Yum cha is yum cha and we have headed to Crystal Harbour a few time for Sunday lunch as a group.

Why we go and keep returning is that we like the full experience. Parking is not easy, generally a queue at the door of people coming and going, lots of kids and chaotic service. The bit we all like is singing happy birthday every 20 minutes.

The food is always good for soaking up those few too many beers on a Saturday night. As a group it is fun.

You have to do Sunday yum cha once.

by Michael L.
28th August 2011

I like Chinese food but am very disappointed Crystal Harbour sells premium Shark Fin Soup. At $88 a bowl this tasteless soup is only a status symbol. Equivalent to having a bowl of soup with a tigers paw in it. Not in Auckland surely?

by Maloo22
10th August 2011

Have been here quite a few times since it opened and enjoy their Yum Cha – not quite as crazy as other Yum Cha places and their sliced pork dishes are some of the best I have had

by Henry E.
28th July 2011

One of the best Chinese Restaurants in Auckland! The food is fresh and the menu selection is great! This is the place to eat.

by Jess
30th May 2011

We’ve been to Crystal Harbour twice now for yum cha and it’s definitely now a favourite!

Forget the popular “go-to” Grand Harbour – Crystal Harbour provides much friendlier service and less waiting for yummy dishes to come around.

Each time we’ve gone, we’ve barely sat down before the first dishes are offered. It’s great not having to wait, and a great variety of other dishes and dim sum are offered at a good pace. The service is lovely – the waiters are very professional and prompt with smiles on their faces.

As far as the food goes, it’s delicious – our only problem is that each time we’ve gone there’s only two of us, so we haven’t been able to try as many dishes! We’ll have to bring along more people next time.

It’s not cheap, but it’s worth what you pay for the food and lovely restaurant. Highly recommend.

by David F.
9th April 2011

We have spent more than $300 dinner here. Foods are overprice. Potions are small. Customer services are terrible as they were starting to clean up our table before we have even finished our dinner. Will never come back again.

by Andrew
11th January 2011

I visit Auckland 2-3 times a year and as a fan of chinese food, one of the things that is scarce in Auckland is a good chinese restaurant.

However, this changed when a family member introduced me to Crystal Harbour restaurant early last year and I have enjoyed the food and service so much that this it is now a ‘must go’ place whenever I visit Auckland.

The first thing you notice when you walk in is the great decor of the place – it looks grand, and when we were last there, I think there was even red carpet from the entrance! (certainly makes us feel welcome!)

The yum cha is excellent value with a good variety of dim sums. In particular, I really like the steamed dumplings which taste fresh and hot, and we always order the spring rolls, taro with almonds, and rice noodles with beef. Service is great, with a waiter to be found whenever we need one and always topping up hot water for our tea, and even pouring tea for us (a nice touch I might add).

As for dinner, our favourites are the peking duck which is 2 courses with pancakes and the lettuce cups/san choi bao (the kids really like the pancakes!), steamed oysters with garlic and vermicelli, and BBQ pork. Service again is exceptional, with the waiter changing our plates when necessary, and bringing food out at the right times. Whenever we need things like extra serviettes and soy sauce, the waiter gets back to us immediately – these small things, together with the friendly attitude of the staff (always smiling and making us feel welcome) make the whole dining experience enjoyable.

If you are looking for a place for yum cha or dinner, give Crystal Harbour a go – in fact, I’ve already booked in dinner for tonight!

by fisherman
14th October 2010

Great place for yam-cha, friendly staffs working happily there. We were well looked after from getting all the yummy foods to adding hot water in our tea pot.
Sad they didn’t have a sweet dessert made by tofu (called doufa?), which used to have when the place was called ‘sunshine restaurant’.

by sp
16th September 2010

Trendy and authentic Hong Kong style chinese food

Good quality Chinese food in the middle of the city. Seating is spacious for a Chinese restaurant. Good yum cha. Also look out for the special, more innovative dishes that’s you cant find in other chinese restaurants.

by Matthew
8th September 2010

Getting a table at this place is easier than Grand Harbour however getting what you want is struggle. A lot of deep fried foods but the steamed items are a rarity. Quality is average and the dishes are either warm or barely warm. Not to sure whether this is because where we were seated however when it was Sunshine the food was scalding hot when we sat at a near table.

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