Review Teddy's - Auckland Central

This is a nice cosy place at the corner of Ponsonby Road and Hepburn Street in Ponsonby. We booked our table on firsttable.co.nz to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The service is top notch. Everyone is friendly and helpful. They have a good selection of craft beers. I ordered a Funk Estate So’phisticuffs IPA, which is very bold and punchy. My wife ordered a fruit soda and requested no ice. The waiter gave her iced fruit soda but immediately brought her another one without ice and apologised. I ordered a bar snack to start with, fried calamari with aioli. Bar snacks are on the last page of the drink menu and it is not online. Calamari was cooked perfectly. The portion is big, sauce is nice and me and my wife liked it. My wife ordered a grill asparagus to share between us. This dish is also not online. A small portion of asparagus were old and chewy but overall it is good. My wife's main is confit chicken leg with shallots, porcini velouté and bacon jam. This was an interesting dish. It was a fusion of the west and the east. She could taste wood ear which is normally used in Chinese cooking. The chicken is cooked well, very juicy and tender. My main was a medium rare 250grm sirloin with café de Paris and shoestring fries. Steak was cooked to medium rare. The fries were not skinned and crunchy. This dish tasted delicious but it was a bit salty. Finally we ordered apple pie and a lemon cake for desserts. Apple pie was huge but it needed more flavour. Lemon cake was large and it was moist. However it needed a wee bit more flavour as well. We felt that the desserts were quite ordinary which can be easily brought in cafe or supermarket. All dishes have good portion and are reasonable priced. Toilet was clean and tidy. The last 2 steps to the toilet are very steep. So please be careful if your knee is not strong.

My meal began with the most delicious, creamy duck liver parfait that I have had in Auckland. Next, I ordered the pork short rib as my main and my friend ordered the gnocchi. The flavours in both dishes were exceptional. The portions were great, the prices were competitive and the staff were very friendly and eager to make the experience notable. Finally, the deserts were incredible. We had the apple pie served with vanilla ice cream and the lemon olive oil cake and I highly recommended them both. Overall, the decor was all brand new and beautifully done, they’ve managed to create a personal dining experience without excessive noise, the food was incredibly fresh and it was obvious that each dish was prepared with passion. New favourite spot!

Great ambience, great food. Loses a star for serving my lamb ribs starter cold. Waited agrees for them to re cook them by which time my wife had finished her starter. And they charged me full price. Recommended but not perfect.

Came here looking for mackerel and ended up getting an absolute spot on lunch. The linguine with lobster is fantastic and the prices for everything is perfect. Quality food at very reasonable price. The service is really great, spot on as well. As for parking - can't beat the cost there either...love it and will be back again!!

It’s fair to say Teddy’s exceeded expectations. Prior to my first visit, I’d heard mixed reviews, however, I can now be very confident in saying that Teddy’s is among Auckland’s elite restaurants in terms of both food & service and what’s more the sophisticated design and fitout add to the energetic atmosphere. Would highly recommend to all.

$5 rosé happy hour 5-6 was awesome. The food was also delicious, though on the pricey end. Service was great, and the new decor looks good too.

Prawn starter was the highlight. Good service. Sides were large portions. Nice atmosphere.

Great service. Food and drinks great too! Lovely spot in the evening sun.

Small room but very cozy with a group of friends help celebrate our friends daughters engagement 😀

Nice friendly service with interesting food, I really enjoyed the steak tartare.

Super cute setting with lovely food presented well. Gold choice of wine

A nice little deck area that gets the sun in the afternoons, great place for a drink after work.

Always a great place for after work drinks and great and simple good quality food!

Just love coming back to Teddys..jeez these guys staff chefs owners are bloody fantastic

Brilliant and friendly staff, yummy food, great variety

Great food, environment and service!

Lovely food. Watch the steps to the bathroom

I've had my eyes on Teddy's ever since they took over the corner on Ponsonby Road. <br/><br/>We tried an array of dishes between 2 girls. Steak Tartare from entree, and Venison, Pork Belly and Linguine from the Mains; with a side of roasted cauliflower. Our waitress sounded skeptical but we assured her we will finish it (and we did)! <br/><br/>- Steak Tartare was amazing (10/10)! The meat was fresh and marinated in a refreshing tangy dressing. Spread some of the spiced aioli on the bagel crisp and dopple a teaspoon of this juicy goodness and then pop it in your mouth - DEVINE! This was a banging start to our meal and we highly recommend this! <br/><br/>- Venison (8/10). Well-cooked chunky cuts of venison, nicely presented with the red cabbage, baby beets and red wine jus. As I've found with majority of red-meat dishes, this was also quite bland and lacked seasoning. However the pickled cabbage and other accompaniments elevated the flavour and textures. <br/><br/>- Pork Belly (4/10). I'm a HUGE pork belly fan and this was probably one of the most disappointing pork bellies I've had. Two generous chunks, unfortunately so dry and bland I couldn't bring myself to finish it. The cracking skin was crunchy and well-seasoned but everything under that was hard to swallow (thankfully there was some gravy on the plate). The caramelised pears were an interesting touch, and was spiced with few chilli flakes and mustard seeds. <br/><br/>- Linguine with Chicken Breast (6/10). The chicken breasts were so dry it felt a bit like eating Weetbix without milk...it was tasteless and hard to swallow and we pretty much left all the chicken behind. The linguine itself was also a bit undercooked and was too chewy and hard. The seasoning and dressings however, saved this one by just an inch. <br/><br/>- Roasted cauliflower (9/10). Surprisingly, this was executed very well! It's been roasted with tumeric so it has the earthy spiced flavour (and colour). The yoghurt toned down the spice, and the sprinkle of pine nuts added the perfect amount of crunch to each bite. <br/><br/>Overall, I expected higher culinary skills from Teddy's. Although the staff are very friendly, the inconsistency is still highly prominent amongst their dishes; particularly with the execution of their meats. There was also quite a number of flies at the back of the restaurant. <br/><br/>Food: 6.5/10<br/>Price: 6/10<br/>Service: 9/10<br/>Ambience: 7/10

Best Apple pie I've ever had. Pastry was so nice and crispy, i really don't like apple cinnamon but this one was good, cinnamon flavour not too strong. My daughter likes the pasta, she finished the whole plate. One thing bothered me is there's so much flies, even though the dishes and environment are nice, but I can only give 4 stars. Maybe needs some pest control.

Great tasting food. <br/><br/>Delicious lamb ribs, steak and venison cooked perfectly upon request. The apple pie with icecream we had tasted extremely fresh and made beautifully. Highly recommended. <br/><br/>Downside was the amount of flies near the back end of the restaurant. Try get a table inside instead. Maybe they should move the bins further away from the back door entrance. <br/><br/>Service: 5/5<br/>Presentation: 5/5<br/>Environment: 3/5<br/>Food Quality: 4/5<br/>Food Quantity: 4/5<br/>Price per person: $60-80<br/>

I came here for a ladies bottomless brunch on Saturday, it was fantastic! <br/>We dined in a smaller room up the stairs which was lovely and light. <br/>Service was friendly and efficient even for our large group of 14 it was not a problem.<br/>Highly recommend the pork belly!

Two stars for atmosphere and one very lovely maitre d'. Service was okay - it wasn't spectacular as I usually get from more upmarket restaurants. I really wanted to like this place as it's close and has a nice atmosphere. However the kedgeree I had was really bad and cost me a fair amount. My friends didn't have particularly stand out dishes either. Not awful, just not something that makes Teddys a go to. I think most patrons were there for the bottomless brunch, which is a great idea but options for food just weren't up my alley.

Had lunch here a couple of months ago.  Food was very enjoyable, but service was very sporadic/disinterested - had to ask everytime we wanted a drink, took awhile to take our food orders.  Perhaps we weren't hip enough?  Would consider going back as the food was very good, but would hope for better service next time.

Teddy's left us an unforgettable dinning experience. I would like to comment so far the best from First table offer. <br/><br/>An upgraded 2.0 version of the previous Moochocho, Teddy's has transformed this beautiful quaint villa to a homey, cozy while modern, clean and bistro like place. It feels like walking into best friends' house, sitting back relaxed at their lounge with proper music ambience background.<br/><br/>Wooden, marble, couch, rustic setting with delicately flowers decor, open kitchen, bar with a view. yes, that's all you need.<br/><br/>Starter recommended: Cure Spanish markerel, baby beetroot, chicory, buttermilk curd, salted cucumber. stunning on the plate, into your vision and every ingredient compliment each other. fresh, vivid, like a symphony.<br/>Chargrilled prawn, cos, cherry tomatoes and smoked golden beetroot is a divine. You just want to tuck in, and never want to stop eating. The prawn are from Australia, fresh and juicy with a hint of smoky flavour, the golden beetroot puree holds all the flavour together and bring it to a next level. Amazing.<br/><br/>Main recommended: 250 Gram sirloin with Cafe de Paris, shoestring fries. Sirloin is slightly thicker than expected, medium rare cooked, the cafe de Paris sauce is so delicately treated, creamy, smooth with a herb touch. Shoestring fries with sea salt, crunchy, full of texture. yes, say no more just enjoy it non-stop.<br/><br/>Pan-seared snapper, saffron risotto, fregola, cavolo nero is another beautiful dish. Full of inviting colors on the plate, snapper cooked properly, risotto with saffron and fresh pea is such a delight pairing the fish. Classic and detailed. Then we added brussel sprouts with hazelnuts beurre noisette to fish the main. <br/><br/>Really enjoyed the service talk with manager, she came over and talked to us like a family. Even though we were a bit full, still left some space for dessert. So this lemon olive oil cake, with candid ginger and Chantilly came to the table with another beautiful surprise. cake cut perfectly in shape, Chantilly cream was formed with perfect qunelle shape, light, fluffy and pleasant to finish this dinner. <br/><br/>Some nights in our life are definitely a highlight for memory and Teddy's did create this pleasure to memorise. Well, you have to try it out.

I was a bit sad when Moo Chow closed and thought I’d go check out its successor. Not disappointed. We shared some lamb ribs which were delicious. My pork belly was absolutely massive and delicious but I couldn’t finish it. The others had the steak which was also reportedly great (significant as she never gets steak when out because she always cooks it better at home), and my partner had the market fish which I think was the winner of the day. We were far too full for dessert! A lovely restaurant worthy of its predecessor, but very different!

A friend and I booked an early dinner through first table as we have been wanting to try Teddy's for awhile.<br/>We shared the panzeanella salad start, which was a very generous serving! For mains we shared the snapper and the pork which were equally as good. <br/>The high light of the night however was the deep fried apple pie- a must try at Teddy's! I would certainly come back again and cannot wait to try the bottomless brunch one weekend!

My friend and I went here for dinner through First Table. I ordered the gnocchi and she got the sirloin steak. We tried each other’s dishes and both were amazing. The gnocchi was the perfect amount and so delicious and the steak was perfectly cooked and so tender. We also shared two desserts - the lemon olive oil cake and the brownie and both were super delicious! Was awesome to be able to try this place out with the First Table discount and the food was so good that we’d definitely come back and happily come back another time and pay full price because it’s definitely worth it. The interior space is also great and would definitely be tempted to hang out at the bar for a few drinks before dinner.

I have to say I waited with baited breath for Teddy's to open and since that day I've had the pleasure of dining there on a weekly basis. As a bistro it delivers at every level. A Bistro in its original Parisian incarnation is a small restaurant, serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting....Teddy's fits the bill, a casual and cosy affair with immaculate waiters and great service, simple but tasty food and with enough flavour "poke" to satisfy most tastes. <br/>My go to, the Aged Sirloin cafe du Paris with shoestring fries is always cooked to perfection, a true test of any chef and the other dishes like the Spicy lamb Ribs I've had the pleasure of sampling have been top notch. The lunch menu at Teddy's is worth checking out, the Reuben Sandwich hard to go past washed down with the obligatory Peroni. As a regular patron of most Ponsonby eating establishments I rate Teddy's as one of the best and definitely worth a go. I'm no food critic so don't take my word for it, try for yourself, you won't be disappointed.

Was disappointed when Moo Chow Chow closed, but it’s great to have another something different in their place. Don’t get me wrong, Asian/ Asian fusion is one of my favourites, but it’s good to have a change.<br/>We had a big group, but were well looked after with friendly attentive service.<br/>The cocktails were all delicious with lots of different options. The menu had something to suit everyone.<br/>We tried the lamb ribs, steak, chicken schnitzel, fish & the brocollini & Brussel sprout sides.<br/>The brownie was a hit, the apple pie was nice too although was really just like a larger version of a McDs apple pie. <br/>A good addition to Ponsonby Rd.