Review La Gondola - Auckland Central

Ordered on uber eats. I was thoroughly impressed. The time yum was tasty, pad Thai was very yummy and kids loved it. What impressed me the most was the soft shell crab. With the sauce and rice was absolutely delicious. Best I’ve had in nz. Love it will be ordering again soon! Price per person: $20-$25

Well-balanced flavour so not too strong spicy and sweet. It's a small restaurant but with a good vibe from friendly staff and the interior. I enjoyed having my food.

A nice little place beside the Ellerslie village centre. We used to come here for couple of times before lock down. The place was quite popular. I ordered the famous green curry chicken, yellow chicken and my favorite Panang lamb curry. The foods are nice. Not too spicy. Not too sweet as well. Even I did not order rice. The staff kindly include three portions of rice. Thank you.

Great meal and great service, nice looking of street food style. We really enjoyed our meal and especially the special menu of braised pork leg. Definitely would be back for more

Always saw the the sign on the motorway so got to see and try on Sat. Wow it is a little hideaway restaurant. Loved the food! Very reasonable price. The soft shell crab was similar to one I tried in Thailand. YUM!! Will visit again

I love their authentic Gai Larb. It's my comfort go to dish. The staff at Red Crab are friendly, fantastic and the cuisine is very lovely. Red Crab is a conveniently located local restaurant to work.

Delicious. Great little eatery in an obscure neighborhood. Seems like they cater mostly to take aways. Would definitely come back to try other dishes

Had dinner with family, tried their red crab signature dishes except for som tam, instead had tum yong goong, superb quality and affordable. Love their crab cake. The set back though, needs more parking space and serving time should improve to 20mins waiting time. Highly recommended 👍

Authentic Thai cuisine! Great Host!! One of my favorites! Highly recommended!!

Husbands favourite thai. He loves the soft shell crab here. We came here for our last dinner before this lockdown 🤣 hope theyll be open again soon!

We came here for my father's birthday and had an amazing experience. Staff went above and beyond and even had a special birthday treat prepared for my Dad. Have been here in the past and have consistently enjoyed great food. The karage chicken, soft shell crab curry, and garlic pepper crab are delicious. Highly recommend!

Awesome food and super friendly staff. Highly recommended for a quick lunch out!

The food was great and the staff was friendly and accommodating. Keep it up. 🥰🥰🥰

Excellent food and service. Highly recommend.

Seen this place on the motorway for years. Finally tried it yesterday and it was really nice. Flavours were bit sweeter for my tastes but I think that's the authentic flavour so all good. The mussaman curry was really good, the beef was extremely tender. Soft shell crabs of course we're good. Sad about the papaya salad barely had papaya in it tho

Food was super yummy! The serving was bigger than we thought.

Little bit pricy but the duck curry was divine - big fan. The decor could be a little nicer. Staff were polite and food came fast!

I’ve been dying to try this restaurant and finally picked up a meal to go. Wow just fabulous! One of the best little Thai restaurants around Auckland. Superb food. Good prices - good value. I’ll definitely be back on a regular basis

I have eaten-in at La Gondola and thourghly enjoyed it. Based on that excellent experience was looking forward to some take-out tonight but the margherita pizza leaves ea lot to be desired. I don't like the way chain-store pizza has devolved into serving up the absolute cheapest to produce bit of cardboard with a sprinkling of toppings they can pass off as pizza, but tonight's effort makes me think I would have been better off fetching some domino's. Thankfully the pasta was excellent so I'm not starving and therefore 3 star review rather than 1 star this would have been if judged by pizza alone.

My most favourite new restaurant... Since moving into Ellerslie we eat here most Friday nights and are never disappointed. Love the food and team who are so friendly...highly recommend a visit and do the Calamari....you will not be disappointed.

We had such a great meal tonight at La Gondola. The steak was absolutely perfect and the pasta was so full of flavour. Our host was very friendly and was happy to accommodate our kids and help with our wine choices. It was overall a fantastic dining experience. If we are ever back in Auckland we will definitely be back.

Pizzas were excellent, certainly would recommend to anyone in the area to give it a go. Staff were friendly, service was great

It was quite chilly in there and VERY noisy too. Maybe a bit overcrowded - felt like sitting alongside strangers. Good idea to have the food on hot (or at least warm) plates - every course was on icy cold plates BUT - the food was GREAT !!!!!!!

Quick service, delicious fresh snapper for my main. Very generous serving. Great chardonnay choice as well. Loved it.

I tried a little off every ones that I was dinning with and all of the food was superb

Food was delish and couldn't fault the service very friendly staff

Great food, good value wine

Loved the atmosphere, the food is divine and the service is excellent.

This is the second time there. We came back due to the exceptional warm service, ambient atmosphere and great food. Good thing about it all is you get all the above without breaking the bank. Will be back again.

My new FAV Italian..... Steak is EPIC! Take out pizza are pretty bloody good too!

Food is fantastic. :-)

I hate to leave such a bad review especially during the covid situation when things are tough for everyone (especially small businesses and restaurant owners)... but this was possibly the most disappointing Italian food I’ve had. The garlic pizza bread was lukewarm and extremely poorly cut (I’ve tried to attach a photo) and somehow tasted like poppadoms?? The fettuccini was ok, but still not great. <br/>Also there was no payWave and no hand sanitiser... not a good look given the current climate. I really wanted to like this place, but... sorry. Would definitely not recommend :(

This is the worst place ever! Pasta comes with a ridiculous amount of pepper, me and my partner couldn't even eat at all. Told the owner pasta in italy does not come with pepper but did not care and made us pay 54 dollars for nothing.<br/>Worst service in New Zealand!! Don't go there 😑

Just ordered via Uber Eats. I have never seen smaller portions in my life. This is a huge joke. The order would have been $57 for two super small pizzas, one of these where my kitchen request was ignored and a lasagna that was a quarter of a take-away plastic container. If you want to waste your money - go to this restaurant. I don’t think I have ever been so disappointed by a delivery order.

Friendly service and nice atmosphere. They were trying hard. Husband had the veal. One had the fish and salad one ordered large antipasto.<br/> Never seen antipasto served with greens before and there were some ingredients missing my friend felt.  Husband said there was a lot of sauce smothering the veal-wasn't quite sure what he was eating. I felt my steak was a little light on vegetables but at least it wasn't broccoli cauli and carrot !<br/>Would return again one day. BYO with no corkage an advantage.

We came here with our daughter and two mums on Sunday, 23rd September for dinner. Wasn't very busy. We ordered entrees and mains each, and although one slight error in a wrong entree, this was quickly rectified and the right one bought out very quickly. Overall, the food was reasonably nice, very generous portions on the mains. We also ordered a pizza for everyone to share - massive helpings and lots of different toppings. Service was friendly, helpful and attentive. Didn't have dessert but was quite tempted with the good selection. Will more than likely return.

Had the express lunch here a couple of weeks ago.  Very nice pizza for $15.  Service was very friendly and efficient.  Seems like a good place to go back to.

We ordered pastas for a group - tortellini which was good but the portion size was very small and spaghetti carbonara which was a big let down. Quite tasteless and I had hardly any bacon at all. Very overpriced for what we got.

Great food and excellent service, great night with friends. I had the Mediterranean calamari with a petit salad. The host was friendly and knew his menu really well. Great place

I ordered the carbonara which was quite tasty. However my partner ordered the pesto pasta which was very underwhelming - the pasta sauce itself was like water. He ate it but I definitely wouldn’t touch it. My other friend ordered the spaghetti bolognese which had a very long hair in it. Safe to say after that we were all put off our meals after that. Just from observations you could tell the chef really did not enjoy her job. This restaurant had overall bad vibes. The Asian waitress however was very pleasant.

We went here for takeaways. Ordered the lasange and a pizza. I can now see why it was so quiet. The food is very average. While the lasange had a good meat to sauce ration it was kind of bland and tasted very store bought. The pizza was nice enough, just not enough toppings for the price you pay. Definitely won't become a local favorite.

Lovely place. They were very accommodating for our special dietary requirements. Food was lovely and also child friendly. Staff were very friendly and would happily eat there again.

Two people, no booking. Very surprised we were able to get a table at 7.30 on a Friday evening. Got to pick were to sit too as the place was half empty. It's a nice place clean and tidy.<br/>Started with entrees of antipasta for 1 and a seafood soup. Both generous size and very tasty. Will definitely order these again. Antipasta n soup were nicely presented, tasty and good balance of seasonings, soup was not overpowered by garlic or salt?<br/>Mains were fish of the day (snapper on this visit) and the veal in marsala. The fish was overcooked and the bed of risotto had way to much lemon in it, almost like two shot glasses of lemoncello? Veal marsala (Scallopene Marsala) was good with  just a right amount of sweetness in the sauce to my liking. Both potions were of good size.<br/>The head waiter provided very good service, even under pressure. the waitress was inexperienced and struggled on the job. Thrown in the deep end is not a good confidence booster for new staff. The kitchen staff have big personalities and a friendly and welcoming but need to just a touch check some of their comments with diners in ear shot<br/>Bill came to $100.00

Service was good but the food was absolutely horrible. I got a pasta which was so salty and I couldn’t even eat it. Pizza was average. Duck was also too salty. Prawn salad was so basic. Will not be coming back. Maybe it was because it was a Sunday night

Not so good with dealing with a large group ( 20 + ) . Some had finished their mains before the garlic bread was served. Also they forgot to prepare 3 main meals which meant the time entered I the door & started eating was approx. 2 hours. Plus side was BYO & no corkage fee. Unlikely I will return.

I went here with my mum for dinner before attending a show at the Pop Up Globe. It is a little Italian restaurant, inside is open plan with lots of lighting and nice artwork on the wall. <br/><br/>Service here is amazing! The man who served us was so polite and attentive. Got us drinks and garlic bread to start off with and then took our dinner orders. Even brought finger bowls and a shell plate which he replaced when it was getting full. He was so good! <br/><br/>The food though was disappointing. We got the garlic pizza bread to start with which was nice but nothing special. Both of us ordered the Prawn Salad for main which came out very different than the menu described... the prawns were drowned in this creamy sauce when on the menu it says the salad was dressed with a light sweet chilli sauce so not too sure what went wrong there. The prawns were extremely over cooked. <br/><br/>The one thing that bothered me the most though was the volume and topics that the chefs were talking. I heard the lady chef say that you needed "your knife sharp like a gangsta player" to the male chef. I typed it out so I wouldn't forget but that was appalling! <br/><br/>I wouldn't return here because of the experience I had though the man that was the server should work somewhere else he is way too good to be in this sort of place. My word of advice would be that if the chefs want to have conversations to go to the prep kitchen which is off to the side and also to put on the menu what is being served so there aren't any surprises.

Food was fresh and absolutely delicious. Top friendly and attentive service. Highly recommend. Plus fab Florin I chianti. They apoligised for the lack of background music due to technicalities but we preferred the quiet chatter of people and not having to battle with background music. Top marks

This would be the most disappointing Italian meal I have had. The garlic pizza bread that our group ordered was no better than cardboard with a total lack of flavour. We didnt eat it all. The Fettucine al Pollo I had was totally lacking flavour. The Calamari alla Griglia that one of our group had was burnt. The Spaghetti Marinara was ok except that the mussels hadn't been debearded or cleaned properly. Sorry won't be recommending or going back.

Lived in New Zealand my whole 21 years. I'm not so much of a Italian Diner, however I love the food so much. This was my first time going to an Italian Restaurant and boy was I amazed. Although the place is small and can be considered a tight squeeze; the customer service and the food makes everything go away! Amazing flavours. Staff were very friendly and always checking up. Will definitely be coming back a lot!

Staff are lovely, our meals came out super quick even though our group was quite large. I especially liked the calamari and steak was well cooked and very tasty. Good value for money, will definitely visit again.

Really delicious and Authentic to Italian food. Def worth it!!!!. Great atmosphere too. I would happily take anywhere here and know it will deliver the same amazing food each time.

Nice cozy place to have dinner. Very friendly staff. Have read few reviews complaining about the staff and their attitude but, in my couple of visits, I found them top notch.<br/>Being vegetarian, ordered margherita pizza and pasta. The chef accommodated requests of my wife regarding pasta.<br/>However, the place gets crowded soon on weekends.

Consistently fantastic food, friendly staff and a great little atmosphere. I couldn't disagree more with the lesser scoring reviews on here from my experiences, maybe the diners were just having bad days. Have been for dinner several times and grabbed take-out too. I love their fettuccini al pollo and the many pizzas we've tried. All as good as many we had in Italy, can't say much more than that!

Amazing meals here in the weekend. Perfectly cooked steak and pasta, amazing flavours in all the meals around table. Friendly relaxed service from the staff too. Can't wait to go back and try more of the menu!

The Pancetta pizza was amazing! If you like mozzarella and bacon you will think the same. The Carbonara was super garlic-y which I was a massive fan of also. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone :)

Alright... here is my serious review.. <br/><br/>My mother loves this place so I came to accompany her. <br/><br/>The staff is lovely. 5/5 for sure. However the food could show improvement. <br/><br/>Let's start with the caramelized onion entree. It was good. Nothing stood out, but at least it was real caramelized onion. <br/><br/>The microwave in the kitchen worried me when I walked in, however I trust our pasta was made fresh. Unfortunately the bowl design is their biggest failure. <br/><br/>Putting pasta in a bowl, preserves all the heat, especially when you add cheese on top. The heat trapped inside overcooks the pasta when you get to the middle. <br/><br/>My fettuccine pollo was was not pollo. It was soupy orange with coriander on top. Which masked all the horrific taste, but did not make it better. I took a bite and left it. <br/><br/>My brothers spaghetti again had the heat problem, soggy broken pasta afterwards. <br/><br/>The pizza was extremely bland. No taste at all. A whole lot of chicken but no taste, just a whole lot of pesto to give it colour, not flavor. <br/><br/>Lamb shank portion was great, unfortunately dry, like it has been frozen before, I asked the staff if it was prefrozen before, they said no. <br/><br/>The meat portions I love unfortunately the taste was disappointing. <br/><br/>If I wanted a bowl of noodles with half melted cheese on top. I would just make it myself at home the next day when I have a hangover. <br/><br/>This taste like home made food. If Italians saw how pepperoni pizza, fettuccine pollo etc are made like this. They would not be happy. <br/><br/>Service: 5/5<br/>Food Quality: 1/5<br/>Food Quantity: 4/5<br/>Environment: 4/5<br/>Price: $30-$40pp<br/><br/>2.5 stars only because of the friendly staff.<br/><br/>They can easily 1/4 the menu, and specialist what they are good in with fresh ingredients.

I really like La Gondola, I'm surprised it doesn't have a higher rating. I found the food was really good, especially the fettuccine pollo which is my fave! So tasty and delicious, this is my go to place for takeaways since I live so close, and they also prepare the food so quickly!

Great service. Fabulous food. Paintings of Venice so nice to reflect on our own visit. Good wine. Own Limoncello well done. Genuine Italian warmth

Dined here for lunch and was really disappointed, we order two pasta dishes which really looked and tasted like a slushy of cheese, pasta and tomato sauce. Food presentation is not on point here nor was the taste. <br/><br/> Portions are decent, which is unfortunately the only good point. Customer service is slow, might just be because they're short staffed as the chef typically came out to help us with water, the waiter seemed busy out back doing stock so really only two on hand.<br/><br/> Interior is very nicely decorated, modern and sleek. I won't be back because of the food.

We had a great meal here. The good was fantastic and reasonably priced and the staff were very attentive and friendly. I couldn't really fault it. Would recommend it.

My friend's pasta dish was huge in size and delicious but, my margherita pizza literally had no toppings on it. Literally none and not in the authentic Italian minimalist way... Staff were excellent but, due to my experience with the food, I would not return.

We had an office lunch here (10 of us) and I was most impressed. The food was delicious, hot and served very quickly. Staff friendly and welcoming. Good value. I like how the floor was carpeted so we could hear ourselves speak! Would definitely return.

Someone recommended that this new local restaurant is really good.  Being a foodie myself, I convinced my husband to come with me and try it and we were not disappointed.  We ordered pizza, tortellini, and apple pie dessert.  Everything was really nice -   tasty - delicious!!  The service was fast and staff is friendly.  The restaurant is not that big but good enough for its location.  The kitchen is visible to customers which I like - I can see how they cook and prepare things. <br/><br/> I am generous with my score because nothing went wrong with our first visit.  Will soon be coming back - maybe a pizza takeaway !  They don't scrimp on the toppings.  I love it.

Went out for dinner with a large group of us (16), and the service & food was great!I had booked in advance so our table was ready and waiting, the service & timing was great, we weren't rushed into ordering and all the food came out together & was delicious.<br/>Seemed to be busy so would suggest booking ideally & no corkage charge at a BYO was great too!