New Zealand Herald

Reviews for Mudbrick Vineyard & Restaurant

by Tania D.
3rd February 2013

My fiancee and I loved Mudbrick Vineyard Waiheke. We went for lunch and had a wonderful meal accompanied by a nice cold Mudbrick Sauvignon Blanc. The food was amazing, the wine gorgeous and the staff so obliging, polite and friendly. We had such a wonderful time we plan on going again. A wonderful rustic,yet classy venue with majestic gardens surrounded by vineyards and a glorious view of the Harbor.

by Pauline B.
10th November 2012

Not sure how to review this place fairly. The venue is awesome, the wait staff are efficient and friendly, the quality of the food is good and a visual delight on the plate BUT I like my food cooked, not seared (I must be a bit old fashioned here !) I ordered the duck breast entree which was sliced wafer thin and ate only one slice which had no real flavour and was a bit chewy. I chose the lamb as a main as it was described as being served medium as opposed to the steak which was medium rare. However, the slices of lamb on my plate were still oozing blood when the plate was presented and the sight of it put me off completely. I enjoyed the garnishes and vegetables which came with these dishes. None of my dining companions were keen to take the lamb from my plate, which is unusual for these hungry males ! My companions’ desserts all looked stunning and were declared delicious, and I enjoyed my cheese and biscuits. I must confess to eating a slice of pizza after getting off the ferry in Auckland about an hour later, along with 3 of my colleagues , which we didn’t expect to be doing after a 3 course lunch !

by Genevieve V.
9th October 2012

I believe that perhaps it is the time of year we go that makes it so enjoyable and that is Christmas work functions so around December 10-15th. The view is beautiful at night we were lucky enough to have the outside fire going. The food was very nice as was the staff.

by ParkingSleeping S.
23rd March 2012

I have been to mudbrick many times with a limitless budget .I enjoyed the view and the food , I often wondered about the service and the staff atttude really .I always felt that same was same and In ever felt like my $500 or $1,000 spent was some how well worth it . Then I went to to Fenice in Oneroa I beleive it is the same ownership and then I felt well my feeling were not just ,because I was just another customer .But infact the culture was the same .Then I read other comments by customers and my feelings became justified .I was offered a free meal but free meals are easy to offer if it can justify the culture .I go to heaps ofresturants world wide and this is an inigma .

by Ellie A.
7th August 2011

We have eaten here twice now.

Our first experience was fantastic, the food, service and ambience were lovely.

Today, a few negatives. The weather was cold, windy and intervals of very heavy rain. It would have been nice to have the fire lit in the restaurant, which would have created a much nicer ambience, not to mention I was quite cold!

It was quite busy at first, so I could understand slightly slow service. But we ate late so it started to empty out while we were there. Despite this, the service wasn’t exactly great – one of the mains arrived much later than the others so the rest of us had almost finished by the time it came. We wanted to order dessert, and then perhaps cheese/coffee, but having waited a good 15-20 mins while the waitress just wandered round picking up glasses, (and we did catch her attention a couple of times only for her to ignore us!) we decided to cut our losses and go for the ferry.

Quite disappointed as our first experience was so much better. Food this time was good, but not amazing.

by David B.
25th July 2011

Mudbrick is a great standby if you are taking visitors to Waiheke. The view back over the harbor towards Auckland regardless of the weather is fantastic.

We have always found the service and food to be of a high-standard.

The pork belly is a standout and my pick.

by parnsy
27th April 2011

We arrived by ferry from Auckland for the day and particularly wanted to do a couple of wineries. We were solicited by a hawker at the terminal trying to sell us a ticket to two out of the way wineries and said the two most popular, Mudbrick and Cable Bay were also the most expensive and suggested not to go to these. So…much to his disgust we set off on foot and headed to Mudbrick. Location, location, location, this place certainly had the wow factor. Platter was lovely although a little pricey for the amount on the plate. The homemade ice cream was simply divine. The owner was very chatty. We enjoyed our time here before heading to Cable Bay.

by Jeanette N.
15th September 2010

I give Mudbrick 3 stars because that stunning venue and outlook has to be worth something. The service and food did not meet my expectations. Our booking had not been recorded, the entrees did not arrive together, the steak was raw and the fish overcooked. The service left us wondering if we had not dressed appropriately to warrant attention. My email courteously requesting an explanation for a disappointing evening was ignored. My best advice to anyone wanting to be assured of a special night is to try Cable Bay right next door.

by Kate
27th April 2010

Stunning location – set amongst the vineyard and cottage garden with beautiful views of the harbour. My parnter and I had the fixed menu Christmas lunch here and I’ve been back a few times with friends for lunch. Both the fixed menu and the a la carte menu were brilliant – great freshness and quality and some very inventive flavours. Make sure you leave room for dessert. And the Mudbrick wines are an excellent accompaniment to the fantastic food. Attentive but not intrusive waitstaff. Take a stroll around the gardens after lunch while you wait for your taxi back to the ferry.

by Jay G.
19th November 2009

Overall experience was excellent. What I particularly love about Mudbrick is the most amazing scenery, gardens and architecture. I thoroughly recommend doing the Ferry to Church Bay self-guided walk to get there :
http://www.aucklandcit…

and exploring the vines and herb and vege gardens surrounding the restaurant before you settle on the deck for a wine and meal. Sunsets over Auckland City are breathtaking!

by Kerry
11th March 2009

We had our wedding here in 2005 and went back for a wedding in Feb 2009. We were pleased to find that the food/wine was still exceptional and received excellent service. As always the views across the harbour were stunning.

by Ace
29th August 2008

i was here on a trip with my partner and i must say the food wonder some of the best i have had (i loved the lamb), some of the waiting staff seem a bit up tight

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