New Zealand Herald

Reviews for Da Vinci’s Italian Restaurant

by Sandi O.
25th November 2012

Party of 8 we dined here on Thursday night. Service was friendly. Calamari salad was divine. I had steak with saffron potatoe which was sublime and my partner had chicken parmigiana. Out of this world! A few years ago my step son took me here for dinner and it was great then too. Guys you run a great operation and if there was a 6th star I would award you it. Can’t wait to come back.

by Rebecca
12th August 2012

That is what we call great and authentic italian food!!! Many places try to do the same, but fail on delivering the consistency of the italian mamma flavours…. A great charming restaurant that I will definetely be back!!!
The Pumpkin & Walnut Ravioli is simply delicious!!

by Mayurika C.
1st August 2012

Went here for my friends birthday dinner last week, and it was a really nice cosy atmosphere with really friendly staff. They made us feel relaxed and did their best to equip to our needs.
The food was absolutely delicious, however I will say that we were left disappointed as the portions were very small. We were all left hungry after our meal finished and we were expecting abit more for our money.
Love this place, great taste and staff but unsure whether I would return or not purely due to the portions.

by Max T.
20th July 2012

This place was absolutely amazing. I took my girlfriend there for her birthday and it was absolutely delicious.
We started with the Cannelloni entrée, which was absolutely spectacular.
For her main she got a very nice cabonara/bacon dish and I got the black pepper sauce steak, which was the best steak I have ever tasted in my whole life.
My girlfriend originally wanted a chicken dish, but unfortunately they ran out of everything chicken… But that doesn’t stop this restaurant from being anything short of excellent.

by Tania L.
11th July 2012

Loved this place! i was looking to eat at La Porchetta but couldn’t be walking as far so settled for here lol, was definitely a nice surprise! Although a little more expensive than Porchetta definitely worth it. I had the meat lovers pizza and it is by far the BEST meatballs I have ever had. Tender and moist, (unlike most which are always dry). the ambience allows for a casual dress but still good enough for a special occasion

by Louise
24th June 2012

Had lunch there with a friend.

Nice ambiance, great decor.

I had the pasta of penne with clams, cooked in white wine. felt that the pasta had a very light, clean, delicate taste with slight tangy hints of the small tomato pieces, good to bring out the fresh taste of clams.

Some people unused to this style of cooking to bring out the natural seafood taste may find this dish a bit bland though. It is all a matter of personal taste.

Pasta was cooked to perfection, properly al dente.

My friend had a beef lasagne. He enjoyed it very much. Texture wise, I am not sure about it, he seemed to have problems eating the base of the lasagne… it was stuck hard to the plate so he was sawing away at it.

Tiramisu for dessert was unfailingly delicious. Very well-done.

Definitely a nice place I would return to for a lunch for 2 again. Came to about 25 dollars splitting bill. He had dessert too. All in for an Italian Restaurant, it has a very solid standing in its food quality, service and prices.

by Ben L.
14th May 2012

My partner took me here for my birthday on Saturday and we were thoroughly impressed! Great service, great atmosphere, great wine, great food! A+ cannot put into writing what a fantastic restaurant this is and how special it made my birthday night.

cheers guys

by Lucy C.
15th March 2012

Went for lunch today. Nicely set out, good service and the gnocchi pesto was really good. However the $10 lunch portions are just too small! We all left hungry.

by Noe
22nd December 2011

I had a lovely lunch here yesterday with my friend. The place is really gorgeous and cosy. The food was absolutely delicious, and super affordable with the $10 lunch specials. We had pizza bread for entree, which was very nice. As a main, I had past with roasted chicken and a creamy white sauce with walnuts – absolutely divine. I was so full by the end of it that I didn’t have room for dessert! But I would love to come back next time to try it out.

by Michelle w.
8th May 2011

Best choice! Fantastic staff, best authentic Italian food! Never dissaoointed! Highly reconmend dining here.Very well priced and a real treat. The steaks are the best in Auckland. Atmosphere is perfect foe both romance, family or even corporate.

by Emma M.
13th March 2011

After being fed up with those pretentious, arty and pricey fine dining restaurants,we came to DaVinci for a proper meal. This is exactly what we want – a solid and wonderful dining experience with great value. The wine list is an exciting bonus for our meal – extensive selection, resonable price and many by the glass. Friendly & efficient service.
Don’t miss the Tiramisu, the best I have ever tried. Highly recommend this restaurant!

by Abbey J.
21st November 2010

Beautiful setting and beautiful food. Good service, very friendly!

by RM Y.
16th October 2010

Never fails to impress with reasonable prices &meals that make you feel you couldn’t have cooked at home ( sauces are so tasty) attentive service and yes BYO! We return time and time again for good celebration dinners!

by Megan P.
23rd July 2010

Fantastic service, well laid out making for a great private dining experience.

The best steak we have ever had!

Highly recommend this restaurant to all lovers of fine Italian food – especially steak.

by Rose
24th May 2010

On a visit to Auckland recently we chose this restaurant because it was near our hotel and looked a bit special – and it was, for all the wrong reasons. We received the worst service I’ve ever experienced, almost comical if it wasn’t so rude. Waitress let out a long-suffering sigh when we asked for the extra place that we’d booked, told us to “wait there” in the middle of the restaurant while she fixed it, stuff like that. Other staff seemed ok but it was really awkward whenever our waitress came, to argue with us about our orders or whatever. Waited 50 minutes for our meals which were pretty disappointing, left hungry. In the end we were just really embarrassed to have invited friends to eat there. Definately the worst part of our trip.

by Robert F.
28th March 2010

Very disappointing!

My wife and I shared an excellent entrée of big, juicy garlic prawns. The sauce was divine. The wine (a bottle of Dog Point Sav-blanc) was lovely and the service was friendly, efficient and prompt.

But we were both VERY disappointed with our mains! My Spaghetti al Vongole was so over-spiced with hot chili that there was no way I could taste the clams. And my wife’s Spaghetti Bolognese was a disgrace. I tried a couple of mouthsful and found it mediocre and lacking in any character. But my wife’s palate is far more developed than mine and her comment says it all, “If I wanted Dolmio I’d buy it at a supermarket.” It was if the chef had dumped some mince in a saucepan full of a pre-prepared, bulk commercial sauce and smothered the pasta with it.

To Da Vinci’s credit, however, the deserts were very good – although I wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t prepared elsewhere and brought in. At $144.10 I can’t say it was overpriced, but I’d much prefer to pay more for better Italian food. There is no way we’d ever eat there again.

by Ian
10th March 2010

I have to say I have only had their pizza and desert on three visits. The pizza’s are very bare and you need to order extra toppings personally. Good service though and the deserts are very nice.

by Gailda
23rd September 2009

I had a dinner last Sat with my friends. Food was fantastic, drink was exclusive, and the service was really excellent, especially the Italian waiter.Good sized portion and resonalbe price. Will definitely return.

by silva
26th November 2008

We had a diner in the weekend , the place and the food was good also the prices were reasonable compare others in town, not running by italian but friendly staff except the main guy. i still come bak

by Bridget
31st July 2008

Delicious food, nice atmosphere. Staff a bit weird and not overly polite, but amde for a great night

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