restaurant suggestion Auckland

I will be on the Celebrity Solstice sailing from Auckland March 16. I'm part of a cruise critic group that would like to get together for dinner the night prior to the cruise. Does anyone have any suggestion for a low key place to meet? We thought getting together for dinner would be a great way to start our friendships in person. Thanks for any advice, Gail

I will be on the Celebrity Solstice sailing from Auckland March 16. I'm part of a cruise critic group that would like to get together for dinner the night prior to the cruise. Does anyone have any suggestion for a low key place to meet? We thought getting together for dinner would be a great way to start our friendships in person. Thanks for any advice, Gail

Hi Gail

We had a Post Cruise get together at The Waterfront Cafe which is next the the National Maritime Museum which is right next to Princes Wharf where the Solstice will be docked. http://www.showcasehospitality.co.nz/microsite/waterfront-cafe-bar

Not sure what numbers you are talking - we had 16 which turned into 20, and they coped fine. You can book larger numbers in advance.

We had a great time.

Thanks so much for the suggestion. It looks great!! Gail

Thanks so much for the suggestion. It looks great!! Gail

\hi Gail., why dont you think of coming up to ponsonby which is the suburb overlooking the harbour. We have about a mile of restaurants up here that could suit. if youre interested I can give you a few suggestions if you let me know what style and number of people.....

Ponsonby Road does have some great restaurants. One place I would recommend is the The Ponsonby it is a Belgian style bar in the old Post Office right in Ponsonby

The reason I recommend it is it has a great range of beers not just Belgian. And the mussel pots they do use New Zealand Green Lipped mussels which are the best in the world. Nothing like those funny little black things you get in Europe. Of course they do a lot more than just mussels, but they are great.

Bistro 222 on 222 Ponsonby Road is also nice, and I am sure they would be very approachable to do doing some sort of deal for you.

I hope the weather is good for you while you are over here.

Ponsonby does have nice restaurants but it's not really going to be handy for anyone staying in a hotel near the cruise terminal.

Low-key restaurants you can walk to from the wharf include Monsoon Poon. This place does euro-Asian i.e. non-authentic Asian food most people would like. It is very popular and cost effective. Sharaku on the bottom of Queens Street is good too (TripAdvisor suggests otherwise - I am not sure why - this place is ultra popular at lunchtime for the nice low-key business-lunch crowd). Sharaku will be much quieter for dinner than Monsoon Poon.

The Angus Steak house is handy too but the meal is very basic (you get a huge steak of your choice plus salad). It's very popular amongst meat eaters.

Tony's on High Street is a bit more refined. There's another restaurant of the same name next to the Civic theater with a very similar menu (these are classic Auckland restaurants having been there for many decades). They're a ten minute walk from the wharf. The food is things like steak and roasts and so forth. The Lord Nelson is similar in term of menu and time to walk there.

Mai Thai and the Mexican Cafe are both popular and low-key. Again, only a five to ten minute walk from the wharf.

There are a few good up-market options but I imagine this is not what you're after. There are also lots of super-cheap options too - but these might be too much of a shock to people expecting table service :D.

I am surprised nobody has yet mentioned Orbit, at the top of the Sky Tower. This is where we ate our first night in Auckland 3 years ago and it was an amazing introduction to the city. Check out their Tripadvisor reviews: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g255106-d724475-Reviews-Orbit-Auckland_Central_North_Island.html