New Zealand Herald

Reviews for Degree Gastrobar

by Meg
21st March 2013

Sadly disappointed with our meal here on a trip to Auckland. Was a relatively quiet night when we arrived, were coaxed in by the maitre’d with the promise of a free drink each (though funnily enough he was nowhere to be seen when the time came to settle the bill).

Enjoyed a couple of drinks in the sun while waiting for our meals to arrive. One of the party had pulled pork which was very tasty, another had a stonegrill which they enjoyed, despite it not being the one they had ordered. I had the seafood stonegrill which was incredibly underwhelming sadly. The prawn tails hadn’t been deveined and none of the mussels opened (I realise that this could be hard to realise when serving raw, but the suggestion from the waiter that he could get someone in the kitchen to open them with a knife was, frankly, appauling).

by Clint C.
27th January 2013

First off the environment and atmosphere is very lively and enjoyable. The service was also very good. This is what the one star is for. However ultimately it has to be about the food and unfortunately we left very disappointed. I ordered the beef scotch on Ciabatta, but got served up a plate about 2/3rds lettuce and red onion. I have never seen so much salad on one plate at any establishment! The actual beef on ciabatta seemed inconsequential to what was basically a plate of lettuce. Now quantity isn’t everything. Quality is far more important than quantity, so I put the lack of food aside and pinned my hopes on the quality instead. I was however quickly disappointed again. The beef was chewy and very fatty and virtually devoid of any taste. For some reason a layer of tomato was placed between the beef and the bread as a result, was very soggy. Ciabatta is my favourite bread but this completely ruined it. We ordered a side of fries. ($6.80 for the smallest bowl possible) The side of fries we received were cold! Some were not even fully cooked. A 500ml glass of Heineken cost $10.90 and a bourbon and coke cost $9.00. Among the most expensive drink prices I have found.
Overall the food would rate as one of the worst I have come across. Perhaps it was just that particular meal on that particular day. But our experience is that everything is overpriced for such small quantity and poor quality food. To leave a restaurant hungry is one thing, but to leave hungry and extremely unhappy with the quality and price is another. Not a good experience.

by Lacey W.
15th January 2013

I have been here several times and it has always been a great experience. Degree has something for everyone, from the unique stonegrill dining experience to a club later in the night.
Easily one of the best spots in the waterfront!!!
Thumbs up!

by Ben B.
18th December 2012

My first dealings with Degree had been to get an over-priced and decidedly average takeaway coffee ($4.50 for a long black?!). So I was reluctant to go.

They certainly have a nice outside area overlooking the harbour, however it was full so we dined inside. We took a booth at the back and I wasn’t sure whether this place wanted to be a sports bar or a restaurant. The menu certainly looked interesting and varied, yet we had loud music playing along with various large screens in sight and strange strips of neon lighting.

The garlic bread we ordered for starters was certainly interesting in terms of it was some kind of grain loaf…just not very garlicky. My friend ordered a steak and asked it for it do be medium. The mains took a wee while to arrive and when the steak came, it was well done. I had to get a waitress’ attention to let her know and when we were told it would be another 20 minutes before it could be brought back out (maybe that was the chef’s problem in the first place, thinking that’s how long it takes to cook medium) then we told them not to worry. When we went to pay at the end, there was no apology or offer to amend.

We also had some comic incidents with drinks, with one waitress taking our order then another coming back with something different, then a third coming back to confirm again. I’d also ordered a glass of Waiheke Pinot Gris (normally quality), however when it was brought over got a “so who’s having the wine?” and it was unceremoniously plonked in the middle of the table sloshing around before I could answer. Turned out to be very sweet, too. My main of pork belly was tasty enough and had an interesting tamarind sauce, but I got the impression it had been left to sit in the kitchen for too long as the roast kumara underneath was soggy.

This place needs to figure out it’s identity crisis and smarten up the service, too. Certainly in no hurry to go back until that happens.

by Dee W.
21st October 2012

My husband and I have eaten at Degree a few times and enjoy the seafood platter. We tend to choose different dishes as mains and share so we have a variety of tastes. The atmosphere is lively over weekends and it is part of the fun to watch. Highly recommend all the seafood dishes.

by Aline
3rd October 2012

Very nice.
Affordable restaurant with a great view.
The food is exquisite, the wine divine and the service a bit slow but very good.

by Joanne O.
14th September 2012

We got to Degree a few minutes early (daytime), just before opening, the staff ( who were very friendly) were getting things organized, we were offered to come in and have a coffee while we waited which we turned down as a nice day we went along the viaduct for a few minutes, When we got back to Degree we were shown to table by the waitress, ordered our food, when the food arrived it was really good, ordered pork on ciabatta for hubby and son, I had Texan rib fingers, bourbon bread & butter pudding (yummy). All the food was excellent,waitresses very friendly and service was very good. Would go again and sit outside in the sun. Joanne 08/09/2012

by Angela C.
3rd September 2012

My husband and I took advantage of the Earlybird Special on a Saturday before our movie, and can honestly say it was a most enjoyable experience and we would have liked to linger longer! The young waiters were welcoming and friendly, really good service, and the food was well prepared and tasty. The music was Motown and just the right volume to enjoy without being overpowering. This place has a great vibe and we’ll be back!

by Louisa G.
27th August 2012

Went to Degree last night. The food was pretty good, my partner had the Pork belly entree and said it was delicious. I had the squid which was quite chewy and not what I was hoping for as when squid is cooked properly it isn’t chewy. Apart from that we both got a different stone grill which is such a cool dining experience. I had the ocean fare my only criticism was that as it is seafood and the food comes on the grill already it cooks so quickly that it was hard to not over cook and you had to eat so quickly. Maybe have the seafood on the side so you can cook it at a pace that is more suitable to the diner. Also no where to put shells and stuff so got quite messy. The seafood itself was really great though. Desert was delicious! Everything was very well priced and portions were large so was a great night out.

The only thing that would stop me going back was the music. It was a Sunday night. Everyone in the place was sitting down and eating and the music was so loud and the base was real intense that it wasn’t quite the right atmosphere to have a great meal in. I can understand the music for when Friday and Saturday nights when people are there to party but when people are dining and chatting it was really off putting. Was a shame considering apart from the music it was a great place to eat.

Comment from Laura B. of Degree Gastrobar 28/08/2012    Hide »

Hi Louisa, Thank you for your taking the time to give us your…    More »

Hi Louisa,

Thank you for your taking the time to give us your feedback and thanks for the kind words with regards to the food.
Getting the atmosphere right is difficult and music levels play a big part of this and I apologise for us not getting it right on Sunday.
If you’d like to discuss the matter further please feel free to email me on Degree@degree.co.nz
With Thanks
Mark Jackson – F&B Manager

by Mwkyla
10th August 2012

Degree has become my ‘go to’ for a few drinks on sunny days. The outside area is great for a few drinks and the pizza is amazing! Just be weary of teeny boppers flooding in after 10pm.

by sallybrown
7th May 2012

Good sized portions and good daily specials make this a great place on those sunny summer afternoons!

Comment from Sair M. of Degree Gastrobar 9/05/2012    Hide »

Thank you Sally! Short but Sweet. We look forward to seeing you…    More »

Thank you Sally!
Short but Sweet. We look forward to seeing you again, but please make it before the next sunner summer afternoon! We have a long way to go before we see one of those again!
Kind regards
Sair Mckeown- F & B Manager

by Rebecca J.
4th May 2012

Great food – we came for an early lunch which was good since we ordered before it got really busy. The food was nice, the service was ok. Seemed to be plenty of staff but all congregating and chatting. overall it was pretty good. Would have been nice to actully get a bit more service, water etc.

Comment from Sair M. of Degree Gastrobar 9/05/2012    Hide »

Hi Rebecca Thank for taking the time out to review us. I’m glad…    More »

Hi Rebecca
Thank for taking the time out to review us. I’m glad to know you had an overall good time but as always we try & push for you to have a great time!
I have a good idea of who the chatters were (They are in every work place! The ones who congregate around the water cooler ironicly!) and I will remind them to do their gossip catch up outside of working hours!
Again thank you for letting us know and if you would like to discuss the matter further please contact me at Degree@degree.co.nz
Kind Regards- Sair Mckeown F & B Manager

by Allen C.
15th April 2012

Food was superb. Lighting very dim, so dim we couldn’t read the menu. We were shuffled off to make way for the DJ, then music was loud and pumping although very few there to boogie.
I would revisit for the food but not the atmosphere. Allen

Comment from Sair M. of Degree Gastrobar 18/04/2012    Hide »

Hi Allen Thank you for your kind words about the food. I can…    More »

Hi Allen
Thank you for your kind words about the food.
I can only offer my deepest apology for the atmosphere. Unfortunately on a Friday and Saturday night we do have the problem of transition through to night club and creating the right kind of atmosphere for a late night venue which can compromise our restaurant. If you would like to contact me on degree@degree.co.nz I would be happy to discuss the matter further in anticipation of your next visit.
Kind regards- Sair Mckeown. Food & beverage Manager

by Hongmin K.
19th February 2012

The one thing that totally let Degree down (for me) was the service. Everything else was good, so it was a shame that the service made me disappointed with Degree overall. Our waitress forgot about us multiple times during the evening (including taking our orders), bringing us our plates, forgetting our drinks, and lastly bringing out an incorrect main (we had only ordered 4 mains). Service improved when it got changed to another waiter, but unfortunately the damage had been done. Probably won’t be going there in such a hurry.

Comment from Sair M. of Degree Gastrobar 1/03/2012    Hide »

Hi Hongmin. Thank you for taking the time out to let us know about…    More »

Hi Hongmin. Thank you for taking the time out to let us know about our service. I do really appreciate the bad reviews as well as the good because it helps me improve our business, where we have weaknesses. If you have the time I would like to discuss your experience further, so if you would e-mail me on degree@degree.co.nz I can hopefully resolve our weak link. I look forward to hearing from you. Sair Mckeown- Restaurant Manager

by Peter
4th February 2012

A truly vibrant funhouse in an excellent location. From the minute you walk in you are greeted by the friendly staff who will pamper to your every need. The food menu is amazing with plenty of choice although I found it hard to get past the delicious squid and the “to die for” steak served on a hot stone. If you only ever visit one place in Auckland it has to be here just for the steak alone. My only criticism is that I can’t get back there soon enough !!

by Steph K.
15th January 2012

I really enjoyed my visit to Degree. I went during lunch and sat on the deck and enjoyed the fantastic view of the viaduct. The staff were friendly and willing to accommodate one of our gluten free diners (definitely a positive!)

The food was great- I would definitely recommend their stone grill options, very tasty and something different to try. If your wanting good food with a great view for a reasonable price- this is definitely the place

by Marie H.
9th December 2011

Just delicious and i love the promotions of everyday but they were really slow, it took hours to have food at the table!

Comment from Sair M. of Degree Gastrobar 15/12/2011    Hide »

Hi Marie Thanks for taking the time out to review us. Without it…    More »

Hi Marie
Thanks for taking the time out to review us. Without it we miss key points to our service. I will certainly work on speed of service with my team, and thank you for your kind words on our promotions.
Sair Mckeown- Restaurant Manager

by Elaine m.
26th October 2011

Great atmosphere,attentive staff,broad menu and top quality service…all of which made the entire dining experience most enjoyable!! Will be returning in the near future for sure!

Comment from Sair M. of Degree Gastrobar 27/10/2011    Hide »

Thanks for taking the time out to review us Elaine M! I look…    More »

Thanks for taking the time out to review us Elaine M! I look forward to seeing you again soon.

by Danny G.
17th August 2011

Degree is an excellent place to dine. The 500g stone grill steak is amazing and the largest steak around for a good price.

The service is friendly and fast. Usually in and out very quickly and the staff are happy to accommodate that.

Have visited with friends from out of town who also raved about their visit and keep wanting us to take them back.

This place is one of my favourites in Auckland.

Comment from Sair M. of Degree Gastrobar 19/08/2011    Hide »

Thanks for your lovely feedback Danny. I’m really glad you have…    More »

Thanks for your lovely feedback Danny. I’m really glad you have some great times with us. I look forward to seeing you next time you’re in town.

by R K.
15th July 2011

My family and I made a reservation on last New year’s eve and eventhough we had to wait a bit for the food to arrive (which is totally undersatndable due to the full capacity)I must say that the overall food and service experience was memorable and will definitely go back there again soon. We can’t afford to visit too often because of the prices but it is definitely worth saving for!

Comment from Sair M. of Degree Gastrobar 11/08/2011    Hide »

Thank you very much for your comments R.K. I’m glad to hear you…    More »

Thank you very much for your comments R.K.
I’m glad to hear you had a great time with us. If you are on a budget try one of our special offer nights or maybe an early bird sitting. Hopefully it won’t be so long before we see you! Thanks again.

by Elaine
6th July 2011

I was in degree last night and had a lovely experience. Although it was freezing we sat outside. The waiter came straight over and moved a heater towards us so we wouldn’t get cold. Our drinks were delivered promptly and our food was delicious. 5 Big stars to Sean our waiter. You really are a credit to degree. We’ll be back soon.

Comment from Sair M. of Degree Gastrobar 11/08/2011    Hide »

Thanks for your review Elaine. Who said that chivalry was dead?…    More »

Thanks for your review Elaine. Who said that chivalry was dead? Glad to hear than sean was on hand to help! I look forward to your next visit.

by Cindy
1st June 2011

Absolutely love this place! Staff were so friendly and help full, service was efficient and fast …. definitely bringing my work colleagues here on Friday!

Comment from Sair M. of Degree Gastrobar 11/08/2011    Hide »

Thanks for taking the time to review us Cindy. I look forward to…    More »

Thanks for taking the time to review us Cindy. I look forward to seeing you again on fridays.

by Heather W.
18th May 2011

I ate at Degree tonight and really enjoyed the atmosphere, the food and the staff really made my night. Shame I was too late to take advantage of their martini special though. They sounded great!!

Comment from Sair M. of Degree Gastrobar 11/08/2011    Hide »

Thanks for taking the time to review us Heather. (The martini…    More »

Thanks for taking the time to review us Heather. (The martini special starts at 5 FYI!!) Look forward to seeing you again.

by Gina
22nd November 2010

Degree customer service is ok I have been there 3 times and the first 2 times were ok food average customer service ok. (I go back to degree coz I hope that it would get better and I like the location) last time I went everything was bad. Had seafood chowder just tasted like white sauce with a couple of mussels thrown in. Chowder should be cooked with seafood to get that taste! Will never go back to degree again thought 3rd time lucky but clearly not

Comment from Amanda B. of Degree Gastrobar 20/12/2010    Hide »

Hi Gina-thank you for taking the time to come and visit us as well…    More »

Hi Gina-thank you for taking the time to come and visit us as well as give feedback-I am disappointed to hear that you were so unhappy with your last visit, especially as the seafood chowder is such a popular dish. If you could contact me on our email address degree@degree.co.nz I would like to discuss this with you further. Amanda

by Karen
21st October 2010

This is my favourite place in New Zealand-my husband and I have been travelling around New Zealand for a couple of months now and this is definately the best place we’ve been. Really good location, the menu has so many options and the staff were very helpful with all our traveller questions! We’ll definately return when we go back to Auckland.

Comment from Amanda B. of Degree Gastrobar 29/10/2010    Hide »

Thanks for taking the time to review us Karen-hopefully we’ll see…    More »

Thanks for taking the time to review us Karen-hopefully we’ll see you on your next visit to Auckland!

by Henry
11th October 2010

Love this place-the stonegrills are fantastic and what a great place to sit and have a beer in the sun! The atmosphere was relaxed and the staff were chatty and happy-we’ll definately be going back.

Comment from Amanda B. of Degree Gastrobar 29/10/2010    Hide »

Glad you enjoyed your visit to Degree-we look forward to seeing…    More »

Glad you enjoyed your visit to Degree-we look forward to seeing you again soon.

by Kelly267
17th July 2010

Fantastic…100% from staff to set up tables, to food varieties and flavor and everything…just great

Comment from Amanda B. of Degree Gastrobar 11/10/2010    Hide »

Thanks for taking the time to review us-we’re glad you enjoyed…    More »

Thanks for taking the time to review us-we’re glad you enjoyed your visit and we’ll hopefully see you again soon!

by sarah X.
18th June 2010

happy with the stone gill, first time to try in auckland, price was ok, we 2 ppl spend about 80 d for wine, stone gill, and entres.

Comment from Amanda B. of Degree Gastrobar 11/10/2010    Hide »

Glad you enjoyed your visit to Degree Sarah-hopefully we’ll see…    More »

Glad you enjoyed your visit to Degree Sarah-hopefully we’ll see you again soon.

by Linton
12th November 2009

Highly recommend the stone-grill! The steak is so good! Good value too.

We also had the buffalo wings which were really yummy.

Really good service and nice booths.

by Jason
22nd September 2009

The Stonegrill here is the best experience imaginable. Gret to see the Chef at Degree never compromises on the meat quality like they seem to at Hot Rock back home in Australia and the stone seems to stay hotter for longer with no splatter. I love coming to Auckland on busines and always bring my customers here for lunch. They told me today that the Degree group have 3 other Stonegrill restuarants in Auckland and I hope to visit them all over the next few weeks while I am tripping back and forth across the Tasman.

by jim
20th July 2009

I went to Degree on Thursday for Dinner and I had a delicious meal. I had a steak on the Stone grill – which meant I cooked my steak at the table on a hot volcanic rock. I had never done this before, but it was the best steak I have ever eaten and apparently this is a very healthy way to eat, which made me even happier. The staff were also very nice and the ambiance of the place was nice and relaxing. Highly recommended!

by Rhondda
7th April 2009

What a fabulous experience at Degree!
Magnificent food, service & venue.
As part of a group of 20 to 30 people, I found the service to be very friendly, professional and organised. The excellent waitress was very accomodating when we had about 8 extra people suddenly turn up.
We were seated in a separate area upstairs on a mezzanine floor where a balcony overlooks the rest of the restaurant.
I thoroughly enjoyed the smoked salmon quesadilla that I ate, beautifully flavoured with dill and sour cream. The menu was full of variety that managed to cater for everyone from vegans to meatlovers to gluten free family members. Also, when my sister’s wine took quite a long time to come, the waitress said there would be no charge (without any prompting) – now THAT’S great customer service! I highly recommend this place.

Write Review