Review Love A Duck Restaurant - Auckland Central

Simple place, good service, awesome food, convenient location. It's my go to restaurant when I want to have some Asian homely food -- their soups are heartwarming and the veggie dishes are not soaked in oil as I've faced in some past experiences. It's the one place where I find that the green tea is actually good. I really like it here!

Went there with 9 family members and had a marvellous meal - 9 different dishes, all beautifully cooked. Some of my family had lived in the Far East for several years and found this food right up there with the best. The service was very good ... a delay getting started with tea and wine glasses (the waiter was distracted briefly chasing a punter who did a runner) but that was forgotten as the meal got better and better. And at just over $20 per head, great value.

Excellent service...great food...love the place...

Good Hong Kong style food at good prices. A good place to come with a group or alone. Service is fast. A favourite of mine when I want a quick hearty meal. The place is casual and licensed and also does takeout.

Really nice service in that restaurant as the waitress is patient and friendly. Yummy HK style food that is relatively cheaper than other restaurants near by in terms of the quality of the food. Btw the dish on that white board is really tasty and cheap. Definately will come back with my boyfriend~

Beautiful food and amazing staff! Some of the most delicious chinese food in Auckland, with the friendliest most welcoming staff. Have been to love a duck many times and not one thing to complain about!

Amazing roast duck. A good deal for the price. I love the casual atmosphere. The staff has an efficient no-nonsense attitude which I like. Did I mention amazing roast duck? Yes, amazing roast duck.

Cheap meals (especially off their blackboard), Love A Duck is fine for a quick social meal, but don't go there to impress on a first date. Eggplant is especially good. Meals are anywhere between $12 - $20.

Been eating at Love a Duck since 1998 and The Two Brothers are incredible in their style of Cooking. Always a Tasty Simple Touch. PS Their Chilli Sauce is out of this World!

Love Love-a-Duck. Won't be for everyone, but this is a no surprises Hong Kong style eatery. Nothing fancy, but not had anything bad from the menu, and the baked chicken dishes (kind of Macanese in style) are a go-to on any wet Auckland day.

CRISPYPORK. THIS IS A GREAT LITTLE RESTAURANT WITH QUICK SERVICE WITH HOW BUSY IT CAN GET. the crispy pork is very good. Like worth leaving the house for. I imagine the duck is good too. Pork/10

Good Chinese food. Lots of options. Reasonably priced. Quick service as well.

Food was good. Price was very reasonable for the serving size. Great for lunch

Excellent restaurant. Try their bbq duck sizzlers in black bean sauce! Worth a visit!

Cheap and tasty.. Had 3 course duck menu. Friendly services

Came here as my friend is obsessed with their crumbed prawns (I don't know why) <br/>I ordered the fish ball soup-bland and hairy! Big old hair in it. There are WAY better food places on Dominion rd.

I've been here quite a few times and I'd only dined in and I've particularly enjoyed the BBQ pork in the past. This time I ordered two meals to take away. While I enjoyed the taste of the meals the quantity was severely lacking. The pieces of roast pork in the fried rice were so so small it was hard to believe as well. Two $14 meals were not even enough to feed one adult and I'd bought for 2-3 people. The containers were half full. Disappointing

Something quick and easy come here, don’t expect excellent service, I’m just not sure if it’s something that is expected here. Most people look for service with a smile but don’t expect that here. <br/><br/>The food when it did come out was great and I had no complaints. We paid and left. Nothing extravagant just food

It used to be my favorite cheap eatery for quick lunch or takeaway. However it seems since new owner took over the business, the quality of food went straight downward spiral. The food was tasteless. When raised the issue to the owner, she was not willing to listen.

One  of the original HongKy BBQ places and was quite popular in mt eden back in the days, but sadly today faces competition from other new eateries opening up around it.<br/>Just had the crispy skin pork on rice here with soup of day and passable, told waiter wanted pork chopped smaller but not done, dish came out fast too.

absolutely lovely place to have a quick dinner. I ordered Bbq pork noodles and pork and preserved egg congee. The congee was very delicious and rivaled most other restaurants congee. The Bbq pork noodles was also good, although the soup had a bit strong msg taste to it but thats what to be expected. I would visit again for a good Cantonese meal.

Disappointed with the customer service it was slow. The pecking duck portion was more like half a duck. The dumplings were nice, the fried rice portion was small and we waited a good 15 minutes before the next plate came out. We didn’t get to our second course of duck as it was so long. <br/><br/>Hopefully next time it is better.

I ordered a roast duck and BBQ pork on rice. Meal tasted alright, but a few hours later I began having stomach cramps. The cramps continued for hours, even days. It kept me up at night and I was unable to work for a week. Doctor said it is likely the cause of bacterial infection. I am yet to recover, don't know how long to go yet. But I do know that I am not going back to this store again.

Love the food here. Especially the crispy roast pork, roast duck and stewed beef. After trying so many Chinese eateries all around Auckland with much disappointment, I was so happy to have finally found a place that serves roast pork that is crispy without the gamey smell. The roast duck too was good without the smell. Sometimes I like to order the stewed beef too. Always ask for the dried Chili oil if you like spicy, they have a great one with fragrant crispy garlic floating in it!<br/><br/>Their special of steamed pork belly with taro on rice is really good too. Tender melt in your mouth with a very tasty sauce!

Staff talk in Cantonese and mandarin too<br/>I like the 干炒牛河fried noodle,just the way I like.<br/>We maybe come back to try other meal, cause the next table is smell good.<br/>26 Feb 2018, I order 厦门炒米（酸甜），有酸菜，洋葱，甜椒，虾，叉烧，等等。Husband order 叉烧烧肉饭，叉烧不好吃，烧肉很脆好吃。<br/>21 July 2018, Saturday dinner, come and try again.<br/>We order a sweet and sour fish . The fish is well fried, Just taste a bit of fishy smell。

We ordered the Peiking duck and and some dumplings. For the Peiking duck the pancakes weren't good, and the sauce also wasn't quite right. The duck meat was nice, and overall the food was good, but not worth going back for, considering there are so many other nice Chinese restaurants on Dominion Road.

I think Love a Duck tries too hard to cater a wide range of cuisines including Malaysian, Indian and Chinese cuisine when it is obviously a Cantonese restaurant. <br/><br/>The staff seemed disinterested in my mates and i both times that I've been into the restaurant. The portion is alright but their food were pretty bad, the dumpling were very soggy and the main rice dishes were quite wet too. I tried their Portuguese style curry but it lacked of any flavour, their tomato and beef on rice was average. I could tell my Caucasian friends were just faking their smiles when I asked them if they enjoyed their meals.<br/><br/>It's acceptable but I will not bring Caucasians here.

Have been to Love a Duck many times but first time to the Love a Duck, Mt. Eden.  The restaurant was just a very normal restaurant but quite pleasant.  Service was as expected.  As for the food they looked normal, nothing special but in fact quite tasty.  We did enjoy the food.

The service is crap and you have to wait to get your food. The food tastes good so can't complain about that. I usually have the beef on rice it's a bit on the sweeter side. They do serve you with chilli sauce which is good. They do serve alcohol. <br/>Would I go there again may be not but the food tastes good !

If you can get pasf the ambience, this place truly serves up some insanely delicious duck delicacies. My love for duck truly originated here. A shame, the seating is really spartan or else the rating would have been way higher. Do visit for all your duck cravings.

My must go place for soups and roasted duck.  The price is really affordable and portion is huge,  I love to go there for quick bites for noodles as well.

Had eggplant chicken and salty fish, panfried pork, shrimp and chives dumpling, roast duck and chicken on rice. Food and ambience good. Staff very lovely. Service fast and clean. Went here on the suggestion of love a duck north cote. Food was good but northcote is better.

One of our favourite places to go on Friday night. If you want a nice typical hong kong style Chinese food, I think love a duck has it all. The dishes can be quite inconsistent depending on the chef I supposed, but overall they are always fast and pretty tasty. <br/><br/>Our favourite dishes are the chilli squids, vegetarian tofu casserole, combination chow mien on crispy noodles, crispy roast pork and wonton soup!<br/><br/>The service can be quite slow depending how busy they are but they are always very warm and cheerful! <br/><br/>

A cool place if you feel like having a typical Chinese meal at a clean, semi-healthy & fast restaurant.<br/><br/>They've got a variety of dishes that you would normally expect from a place like this.<br/>For us the stand out dishes here were the egg, chicken & shrimp fried rices.<br/><br/>I'll come back here? - Yes!

0/10<br/><br/>Easily the worst food in New Zealand <br/><br/>Absolute Rubbish - walked out <br/><br/>Don't waste you life by eating here !<br/><br/>Old produce and a huge let down all round <br/><br/>

Friendly service, maybe not the fastest but not really slow either. Really good Hong Kong style food, baked chicken thigh with brown sauce is real comfort food. Surprisingly cheap too.

Came here for a late lunch with my brother to enjoy a good old fashioned love a duck. I haven't been to this branch before as I have only ever been to the one that was in Sandringham - further down the dominion road. We had the roast pork fried rice (highly recommend, pork and chives dumplings, wonton soup and the seasonal vegetables. The price was moderate for the portion and quality of the food, if you are really on a budget and wanting cheap food I would recommend the lunch specials which looked fairly decent. Overall a good experience, with the friendly staff and food coming out quickly.

This used to be a family regular many years ago for weekend lunches. Glad to say I liked the food just as much and they're consistent with the standard of Northcote's branch. Fair serving size of noodles. For $3 extra you can also get a whole lot more. I liked the BBQ duck and beef brisket noodle soups. The lemongrass pork chop was different but I enjoyed it. The honey pork on rice is also a great dish to hit the spot. A nice nostalgic experience with quick turnaround for food.

The service here is good but they are usually a little slow to get you seated and accommodated with a menu. The restaurant was quite busy for a weeknight and we notice all the dishes on surrounding tables were very large. We ordered the vegetarian spring rolls, combination vegetables $14 and the deep fried tofu $17. The food here is nothing out of the ordinary but is always consistent and still quite tasty! Price wise it works out to be quite reasonable as the dishes are well portioned. The complimentary green tea is a nice bonus!

Terrible service and restaurant is very small and not much soace but cheap food and it is good for the price. Good lunch menu and tastes good. <br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>

The best of a glorious bunch when it comes to entry level Chinese food . excellent cheap hot and spicy soup with lots of prawns , pork and tofu. <br/>Love a duck doesn't fail to live up to its name , with an excellent rendition of roast duck , particularly when served with the rainbow combination . <br/>An old classic , but still serving up top notch munches at great prices

Terrible food and service. I ordered a green curry and got a stir fry and when questioned I was told that was their interpretation of a green curry!!

Last few times my family and I have been here, not been the greatest. Food is starting to be bland and ordinary & expensive. Hope they come back to life like before because they used to be a favorite.

We order from here at least once a week. Honey BBQ and crispy BBQ pork is a must. We order this every time. Prices are a bit steep though so you'll need to be a bit reserved otherwise you'll end up annoyed you spent so much on Dominion Rd

Had comparable dishes I would usually have at Golden bbq around the corner. Not very nice here and costs much more. I haven't tried anything else on the menu and I don't think I will be coming back too soon. Service and food speed is excellent.

A Sunday Lunchtime. Family and student friendly, run by Cantonese speaking owes in suburbia. My preferred dish there is the deep fried snapper with sweet and sour sauce, a perennial favourite of southern Chinese cuisine, garnished with pineapple, carrots and onions. And if the name of the place means anything, we had to try the Beijing Duck. The second serving, after the thinly carved skin slices were self-served in wraps, was provided in self fried noodles. There was the welcoming soup, a concoction of warmth and flavour in the deep Auckland winter.

The dishes are fine in flavour, not outstanding but acceptable. The BBQ chicken and duck are oily but taste. The problem is the speed of service is a bit slow. The deep fry starters are terrible in taste, may be they use some expired oils.

I reckon it's whack that this place has such a low rating! I always get the half crispy roast pork half duck on just rice with some Bok choy or cabbage and Chinese soup of the day. It's simple and delicious and for a really good price. There are yummy drinks in cans on offer as well as cocktails. Let's not forget that AMAZING chilli you get on the table! So addictive! Long time customer, first time reviewer... Love your work Love A Duck :)

I went to Love a Duck for lunch yesterday and I ordered roast duck and crispy roast pork on rice.  The best crispy pork I had in town, the duck was ok. <br/>Service was fine, got serve as soon as I walk in<br/>Wait time was good, didn't have to wait long (I guess it wasn't busy at the time, only 4 other people)<br/>Environment is not bad, compare to any other Chinese restaurant

Dined here for the first time in the beginning of OCT 2014 with seven other foodie friends. We're usually regulars at Canton Cafe (Kingsland), Flourishing Cafe (Avondale), BBQ Duck Cafe (Queen Street) and so many others around Auckland but wanted to try some place different. I was genuinely surprised to find how bland the food was here, the word 'bland' just stuck out at me for the entire time we dined here. The atmosphere was fine as it wasn't busy at all however that should not be the case for the service. Service was incredibly below average. I believe our waitress was more interested in sharing her stories about her fun weekend to her colleague than serving her customers. How did I know this? Because one of my friends speaks her language and he translated for us. Waitress gave off a hostile and irritable vibe each time we ordered more food/drink. If the food is bad, the service needs to make up for it at least - vice versa, but if both food/service are bad than peoples reviews will reflect this. I rarely ever say this but I will not be returning to this place again. Let's put it this way, if I really hated someone and they wanted to go to a 'nice' Asian restaurant to eat, I would suggest 'Love A Duck' with a smile.

In a word: Feral.<br/><br/>Food is well below the standard of most other places in the area, unclean eating environment and wait times ridiculous.<br/><br/>We actually had a guy at the table next to us leave without food after waiting 40mins for his take away meal. I don't blame him.<br/><br/>When our food came it was average. Service was rude too.<br/><br/>Head up to Spicy Joint or pretty much ANY other eatery in the area for better quality food / service.

Average, really average..<br/>I would prefer to eat McDonald's...<br/><br/>The duck is either too soggy or too dry...<br/>Food are bland or too salty...<br/><br/>I really prefer to eat elsewhere...<br/><br/>Service: 3/5<br/>Wait time: 3/5<br/>Environment: 3/5<br/>Food Quality: 2/5<br/>Food Quantity: 2/5<br/>Price range: $30+ pp

I came here with friends from Christchurch last night - as I am new to the city, I thought we would try love a duck instead of all the other Chinese restaurants that were on offer.<br/><br/>The service was poor, we were served dumplings with raw, cold meat in them, the main course was dry and my noodles were still uncooked - which is strange as everything took so long to come, they had plenty of time to get it right.<br/><br/>I ordered steamed pork buns and the server had no idea what I was talking about, then agreed that she understood - they never came, I asked about them and was told that she had already talked to me about this, there are none left. <br/><br/>It was just a disaster, the place was cheap feeling, smelly and although the prices were decent - you would be better off at a mall food court - I am lucky I have not got food poisoning (yet).

I was devastated about Balmoral restaurant gone, I loved them.<br/>Went to Love A Duck in Mt Eden a few times but nowhere as good as the Balmoral one.<br/>I won't be back here again, when you compare the quality of food at other places to here, price doesn't compare. They also need to have lunch options.

Had the three meat combo. $22.00 for BBQ Pork, Roast Pork and BBQ Duck. BBQ pork was very salty and the duck was average and lacked that BBQ Duck flavour compared to many around town. Roast Pork was also only average and not hoisen dipping sauce. Quantity was OK but not great and service average. Not as good as the Love A Duck in Northcote. Won't be back. Plenty of competitors in this space.

I love : Love a duck. Always go before the rugby<br/><br/>Always enjoy their food - albeit does come out in no perticular order. The salt &amp; pepper squid and dumplings are fantastic. Never had a bad plate. <br/><br/>Service quick and price good. <br/><br/>Recommend this place for a good nosh before the footy

The food is OK, but the price is too expensive.

The food was average and the service was poor. I didn't even get one minute before I was hassled to order my meal. The food came out quickly, and was at a good price - but I wouldn't go back.

My fave place in the whole world, food is always tasty, fast service and easy going atmosphere. Recommend lunch on rice duck is fantastic, you have to try you won't be disappointed.

My regular hang out place. Very fast and friendly service. Casual Atmos. Huge portions. Perfect for a casual Table for one days. Love their Congees.

Great little place, pretty casual, seatings are a bit close to other diners. The taro duck i wouldn't recommend or the shanghai noodles. The vegetables are great though and the normal bbq duck. Service was fast, but when our food came out the duck was hot and noodles cold. Is great that you can take home the rest of your meal. And drinks menu is good. so is price.

We were regulars here for many years, went for dinner here last Tuesday to find all new staff and what appear only one chef in the kitchen. After 45mins of no food coming out to any table we left, sad for what use to be a great place.

We go to Love a Duck sometimes for an early Sunday lunch as it's actually open at 11am. On our most recent visit, the menu looked a bit different and we didn't recognise any of the staff, so I'm not sure if it's under new management now. However, the food seemed to be as it usually was. I tend to get the same things when I come here - the wonton soup, combination meat and vegetables on crispy egg noodles, the congee and the spicy eggplant and chicken casserole etc. Although the food here is not amazing, I do find it consistently decent.<br/>The service is usually friendly and this last weekend was no exception - they went out of their way to accommodate us and our two prams, and the toddler with us was given a little blue plastic set (bowl, cup, fork and spoon) to eat with.<br/>Anyway, if you want a simple and affordable meal, this might be a place to check out.

We come for a quick lunch yesterday only because our regular around the corner was closed. I haven't had good experiences with Love A Duck Mt Eden in the past so I was hoping for the best, prepared for the worst.<br/><br/>There were a few other diners already and we seated ourselves. None of the girls behind the counter came to give us menus so after a bit of a wait so we helped ourselves to menus. Luckily our orders were taken shortly after.<br/><br/>I ordered roast duck on rice and he ordered crispy roast pork on rice. Each dish is $10-$12 and comes with a large serving of rice, a good portion of your chose meat and a split bok choy.<br/><br/>The food came at different times which is usually fine when sharing, but as these were not shared meals, it was a little awkward. As the BBQ meats are all pre-cooked, it was a bit baffling why my duck took so long to chop and put onto a plate. They should be able to complete two basic BBQ orders at same time.<br/><br/>I was pleasantly surprised that the duck was much better than my last visit. Not crispy, but not the soggy, black (maybe microwaved) duck that I have experienced here in the past. The crispy roast pork was good but of half the pork did not have any crispy skin, just fat with a little meat attached.<br/><br/>When we went to pay, there was no one around. Perhaps the staff are eat their lunch at lunch time also?<br/><br/>Tea is complimentary and the bill for 2 people came to $22.50 which is standard for a Chinese BBQ lunch.<br/><br/>The food was better than I remembered, but still a way from being as good as the BBQ joint around the corner.