Review Capriata Ristorante - Auckland Central

Winnie

Newly discovered this Italian restaurant. Quite small space but feels more private. Highly recommend to have chicken liver as entree, the red wine sauce was amazing! My partner and I had pork and lamb as our main, his pork was tiny bit too sweet. Other than that it was pretty good. We liked it very much so even ordered a pasta and a pizza as take away haha. So definitely give this restaurant a try if you live nearby!

Pavel Valenta

Small Italian restaurant. Nice comfortable place. Good selection of appetizers, pasta, risotto, main dishes, dish of the day and pizzas. Food taste delicious. Serving only dinners.

Martin Ng

Great pasta. The steak was immaculately cooked, melting in the mouth according to my son. If it's Italian you are looking for, this is the place.

Robby Troost

We had pizza and fish of the day. Very tasty. Service was very good and all the meals (4) came at the same time. The only issue was that the acoustic in the restaurant avoids nice table talks when the other table is quite loud. Would definitely recommend Capriata to my best friends. Cheers Robert

Champak Mehta

After my initial 1 star review , the owner reached out to me. She was very apologetic & kindly offered to remake the 4 pizzas so we could try them again. And you know what, they were REALLY GOOD the second time - like I remember them. Lots of toppings, lots of flavour, nice crispy base that wasn’t too thick. We’re allowed to have an off day but it’s “the putting right that counts”. By making the effort to address a bad customer experience and “put it right” Capriata is back on the map in my eyes. The “Capriata Special” and “Imperio” are definitely a highlight - try them !

Agnes Loheni

Dined here last night with my 3 girlfriends and it was undoubtedly best Italian I've had in a long time. I ordered the gnocchi and it was absolutely divine. The service was friendly and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. Will most definitely come again!

David Palfreyman

Delightful little Italian joint. Quiet and cosy. Food was good, service was great, atmosphere was comfortable. This is an ideal place to come if you want to have a relaxing meal and escape the hustle and bustle of some of the busier spots in the city without compromising on the food or service. An added bonus is BYO! $7 corkage fee. Great Italian food, I'll be back for sure.

Andrew McDonald

Pasta and pizza was awesome. I would give them 4.5 stars if that was an option. They only miss out on 5 stars because it's not cheap. Price was fair though. I'd recommend for a nice dinner out.

Lance Abernethy

I have been to a lot of restaurants in Auckland some which you have to take out a mortgage to eat at. But this is by far the best for the over all experience. Great atmosphere, excellent food and the service is the best I have ever had.

Tony Halliwell

I had two evening meals at this restaurant. The friendly and efficient staff made the experience. I had pizza and Risotto both of which were very good. A good choice of drinks is offered with complimentary water.

Sylvia Knoss

I have to say we are Germans, travelling a lot around the world and we love Italia. And we love the real Italian kitchen. First of all we were not sure if we have chosen the right place. When we arrived we read the Reviews and thougt... better we leave... BUT then the food came out. Usually I never eat Risotto... I just don't like it. But our older daughter ordered it and I had a Little taste and felt in love. Also our Little once ordered Lasagne - which was the best once we ever got outside of Italy. Fankly speaking the Pizza was "ok"... better choose another dish. We were overwhelmed obut the food and can not understand why People do complain about this real italian food. Maybe their tongue are alreday customized to the "NZ-Italian-Food". If you want to have real Italian food in a real Italian atmosphere (nothing in, very simple) - this is the right place for you! You might Pay a bit more - but you get a bit more... We really loved the Quality (as Germans!)....

Megan B

Recommended place ..small but worth it to go been there few times osum experience ..great service everytime ..friendly staff, helpful , great recommendation about the food n wine goes great together..smiley face in busy place make a day for others too. Great place for dinner 5 star

Simon Doubroff

My wife and I stopped for a.meal waiting on traffic to clear on a Wednesday night. A very good meal and reasonably priced. Would happily return.

Siosaia Joey Joleen WCA Mataele

One of the best Restaurants that I have been to. The quality of the food and the services is just magnificent.

Nathan Broadbent

Very delicious meal and dessert. Would recommend it as it was a good price for absolutely stunning food.

Guy Condon

my wife's top rated pizza pasta good nice friendly staff professional good business easy going knowledgeable lucky locals

Jessica Watt

The service here is terrible! We had to wait a very long time for our food, considering we were the only ones the restaurant. We then waited a very long time for our table to be cleared and our next course to be brought out, meanwhile the server was on her phone, ignoring the restaurant!

Trish Heikoop

We had booked in as a group of 9 for 7.30pm. The first comment we received was to limit our numbers of bottles of wine as “I don’t like drunk people”. That was the opening comment. The entrees were fine but the mains were very average. The snapper which was fish of the day was actually no more than a tablespoon size and when we queried this their excuse was “we get the fish from next door so we can’t do anything about it”. We were never offered a dessert menu and at 9.30pm we were told to go as they were closing. All in all poor service, average food and no atmosphere. At no time were there any other customers in the place. We will not be returning!!!

Florenz F

We usually love the food there. Every time we go, I order a plate of seafood linguine which has a very rich taste and the sauce is quite delicious. Last weekend we ordered a chefs special which was Confit Duck with Jus. The duck was tender and nice but in general the dish had wayyyy too much salt on it and it was a bit hard to swallow without keep sipping my glass of water.. Both the mashed potato and duck had so much salt on them. It is usually a nice restaurant for lovely weekend evening meals but this cuisine was not the most pleasant one to have.

Bobby Zhou

We ate here for dinner last week. I had the snapper with champagne sauce which was superb. My partner had the veggie option spaghetti. We shared a few glasses of wine and had the chocolate mousse and a cheesecake to finish. Bill was 120/ inc a tip. The only thing that pulls this place back to a 4 is the vibe. The tables and chairs are a little rigid in style and the piped music was a very strange Mixx of tunes some of which were high tempo and not really conducive to a relaxed meal. If they added table clothes and changed the play list and the wall deco this would be a lot more popular than it appears to be as the food was genuinely excellent.

Prue Simm

We had a delightful dining experience at Capriata. Four of us dined there, each choosing a pasta dish; Capriata, Linguine Pesce and 2 Penne Pollo. We had Pane All Aglia to start and our main course came reasonably quickly afterwards. Others nearby were eating pizza which looked yummy. Great to find a BYO reasonably priced AND we could hear ourselves talk. Our total bill with the corkage came to $139.00

Heather.moore7

We were a group of 10 and dined recently at this restaurant. Two people ordered entrees and the mains did not arrive until an hour and a half after the entrees were served. Far too long to wait. The waitress was asked several times when our meals would arrive and she politely advised they were 'on their way', but we continued to wait. When the main courses finally arrived, most of the meals were good, with minor disappointments. However, two people ordered the fish of the day - Schnapper with champagne sauce and vegetables. These two meals arrived some 20 minutes or so after all the other meals. The fish was not satisfactory, and the accompanying veges were poor - stringy beans, and over-baked potatoes, some of which were of poor quality. The accompanying 'champagne' sauce was full of capers - no mention of capers was made on the menu. Complaints were made at the time, but were effectively ignored by the kitchen staff. The waitress attending our table was very pleasant and after each enquiry reported our questions to the Chef. At no time did the Chef come to the table to offer an apology for the delay and/or the poor quality of the fish dishes. We won't be returning

Barb McGrath

Not a good experience, went with group on 8, waited 1 3/4 hour for meal. But then meal was disappointing as was the vegetables with the meal, eg. 3 very small cubes roast potato,the first piece I cut into was Blk/yellow I asked waitress if was Kumura she said no, fresh potato yet one bite told me it was VERY OFF, waitress did not want to know, the 4 very stringy bean so stringy you could not even cut them and the carrots so small you would hardy know they were on the plate. The snapper was tasty, but the 2nd fillet was so over cooked it was dry. What made matters worse was when I mentioned to waitress on paying the bill again re the potato she said the were Fresh, sorry the only type of potatoes you get that are fresh are new gourmet. At no time did I ask for a discount, of course it was not offered, if they had accepted the potato was off and offer some more potato I would have been happy

Christopher Pearce

Had a pretty embarrassing experience here. We listed off our mains and the wrong one was brought to one of our table. The rest of our mains would've been cold if we waited for it to be re-cooked so waiter offered to take it off the bill. When we went to pay she told us she never agreed to that. left a sour experience for us. unfortunate that the food is really quite nice but let down by poor decisions.

Peter Sefton

I judge a restaurant by whether I would like to go back there again. Capriata is a particular favourite of ours and we dine there frequently, which I suppose says it all. The lady owner/manager and her staff are welcoming, helpful yet unobtrusive and the ambience is pleasant. We dined there tonight 3 June and we were six at the table including a 2 month old baby. A lovely evening enhanced by excellent food. One lamb rump, two steaks, one spaghetti bolognese all very satisfying. We started by sharing a pizza as an entree - the pizzas are the best we've found anywhere. I won't go on about desserts but they were equally as good as promised. I like Capriata and never hesitate when a meal there is suggested. It is very hard now in Auckland to find reasonably priced BYO's with good food and a pleasant dining experience.

Jonathan Swan

10/10 everything was bang on a little less busy than ur usual town or ponsonby restaurant but that suited me fine. Eye fillet was perfect sides too really happy to find this place ;)

Patrick Tong

Saw at their website that they would close at 9pm every night, so I phoned at 5:30pm to see whether my wife and I were still okay (for them) to come at 8ish. It was a very good gesture for them to wait for us. When we arrived at 8:10pm, the restaurant was still at least half full. As it was our 1st time to this cosy restaurant, our 1st impression was superb. Staff was friendly, efficient, and helpful. We ordered Salmon Carpaccio, and Cozze al Pomodoro for Entrees, Pollo al Parmigiano and Fettuccine Carbonara for our Main. They were absolutely superb. The only small things are (1) if the portion size for the salmon carpaccio is a little bit "small" for the price they charged; and (2) more cheese should be on the Fettuccine. Next time we come back, we will arrive a bit earlier so we won't be in a hurry.

TheGoodKiwi Nz

Returned twice recently. June july 2017 Portion size small. Pizza on Sunday overcooked. Will not return in a hurry. Time to find a new restaurant which delivers a little more for our guests and doesn't serve overdone pizza. Calamari good- bruschetta average- portion size on small side. Corkage quite expensive @ $7 a bottle. Beware the Marinara pizza listed only salmon, fish and shrimps and not squid but in fact is mostly squid which I can't bear- menu should reflect this accurately. Steak and venison ribs- nice enough but very small portion. Would return but not one of the favourite places.

David Palfreyman

Delightful little Italian joint. Quiet and cosy. Food was good, service was great, atmosphere was comfortable. This is an ideal place to come if you want to have a relaxing meal and escape the hustle and bustle of some of the busier spots in the city without compromising on the food or service. An added bonus is BYO! $7 corkage fee. Great Italian food, I'll be back for sure.

Cheryl Ballantyne

Lovely pizzas, very efficiently run cosy little restaurant. Excellent value for money. Would recommend highly for a very tasty meal, served with a welcoming smile!

Akeena Loloa

Awesome Restaurant. Friendly staff...the food is exceptionally scrumptious. Very affordable prices...I highly recommend this restaurant!! 5 Stars from me!! I will definitely return!!

Rebecca Bunn

A lovely boutique Italian restaurant. We had the salmon carpaccio, king prawns and calamari fritti to start, all were very tasty and light, the perfect way to start the evening! We then went on to have the eye fillet - cooked to pink perfection, the seafood pasta dish, the pork belly and chicken risotto. All dishes were flavourful, colourful and absolutely delicious! To end our evening we had tiramisu, chocolate mouse and passion fruit cheesecake, again all dishes were presented beautifully and tasted even better than they looked! The service was friendly and personable, All the staff definitely made sure everyone was well looked after! The restaurant was warm and cosy and had a lovely ambience, We definitely cannot wait to be back!!

A

Very good restaurant aways quick and polite service. Staff are friendly and their pizzas are great even for takeaway. Local favourite would recommend

RM

On a Friday night a full restaurant and we could hear ourselves talk without too much straining. Nice atmosphere. Ordered a Bruschetta to share, and 2 eye fillet and a pork mains and the meatballs and spaghetti. All were very acceptable but my husband's steak was ordered medium but was actually a bit pink in the middle for his liking. We were offered a free drink as the wait was quite long and so the lattes and hot chocolate were a great way to end the evening as our friends were a long way from home. Will definitely return again soon especially as BYO.

Wendy Hewson

Great menu - love the blackboard options. Very authentic Italian food. The seafood chowder and Marsala were to die for. Great service. A must do! BYO keeps it affordable Claudia

Kevin Newton

Crumbled prawn entree with a glass of Pinot Gris. Very nice with enjoyable ambiance and attentive staff. The noise level can be high at times but I was fortunate that the big crowd left just after I arrived. Prices are reasonable considering the quality. Will definitely be back.

Remers

Have dined at Capriata a number of times this year. Very friendly waitresses are attentive and always make dining here a relaxed experience. The King prawns are amongst the best I have tasted and the pizza's are delish. Risotto is also a winner.

Sarah Rundle

I cannot recommend this restaurant. We were a party of 6 and we were the first ones in at 7pm. We ended up being the last ones to have our orders taken and our main course arrived at 8.45pm. This would not have been a 1 star if they had come to us earlier to say I'm sorry the kitchen is overwhelmed there will be a wait. We had to stand up to catch the eye of the waitress to find out how long our meals would be and that was an hour after we ordered. The food was ok but nothing special, though one of our party ordered the lamb cutlets and raved about them. Customer service was lacking big time which was such a shame as the waiting staff seemed lovely.

Donna

Took my mother to this restaurant for her 77th birthday, the garlic bread was dry and overcooked; the mains were less than satisfactory; unfortunately it seems to experience good Italian you really need to shop around.

Jannyannyanice

We have dined at Capriata Ristorante a number of times and usually end up having a pleasant evening. However this time was a different story. The service was appalling. We were refused an extra table to accommodate the 5 of us, with the waitress claiming that all the tables were booked out for the night. However even as we left the restaurant there were at least three tables that were vacant. We had to wait for more than 60 minutes until our food was served. Even the customers who arrived after us had already received their food. When asked, we were told we had to wait at least 15 -20 minutes before our food was served- without an apology. Overall the service and attitude was unacceptable, the portion and quality of food was not worth its price - enough reason to not visit again.

Anita

Great ! Food is very tasty and well presented. We had a table of about 8 and despite the fact that it was very busy, we got served fairly quickly. The service was amazing I must admit. The waitress was very attentive as we are her personal guests. I would love to see some more of that in restaurants around Auckland, where in most places you rather feel like a burden on people. We will be back !

Louise Ngaei

I have ventured here 5 times and each time has been fantastic! The food is divine - I have had fabulous risottos, Pork Marsala, lamb rack, pizza. The staff are always really friendly and efficient. Can get a bit noisy with the stone floors, but always a good buzz and a great place to go with groups. Beautiful Italian food, one of my favourites.

Max

Pretty good food, good service, and not overly expensive. Nice and friendly atmosphere. I would reccommend though that the owner does something about that sign, as it lowers the class a little. Overall A+++++

Drew

Food was excellent, and no complaints with service. The food was great and they have a new menu of which is quite differrent and states class. I had eyefillent with gonkonzire pudding beneath it and the flavours went very well togeather. Meals were not overly nor cheap to buy and with b.y.o lowered the price dramatically. The staff are really nice and being with 13 other guests at one table, all aplauded excellence in taste and presentation of food. Hygiene was stated as a biggy whilst dining there. I met the chef at the back and was impressed with the hygiene and fresh ingrediants used, The chef looked vert proffesional. Thankyou for the wonderfull meal!!! a++++++

Anon

The staff were very friendly and the service started off very good. Our entrée’s were brought out in great time and were delicious; however we ended up waiting up to 45 minutes for our mains to arrive. At the end of our meal we asked to see the desert menu and after about 15 minutes had to remind the waitress that we had wanted to see it. When it came time to paying the bill we ended up paying cash and leaving it on the table as the line at the till was long and no table service was offered. The atmosphere in there is exciting and has a very European feel; my only complaint/comment here would be that it can get VERY loud. A nice little place with a great atmosphere, the meals were nice but a little pricey for the quality.

Glenn

My family have twice in the last 2 months had a meal at Capriata . Both times all of our meals were quite superb - the service is of a hight standard and very friendly. My only complaint is when the restaurant is near full the building is such that the noise level is not pleasant - so pick your night carefully, our last visit was a Tues night ( I thought it may be a quiet night - but alas they were almost full & subsequently was noisy ) But even when busy service is great & meals served promptly. The lasagna is awesome & roast chicken delicious.....we will go again

Rosemary Reece-Morgan

brilliant resturant brilliant food and service . Mary is wonderful i highly recomend this resturant

Lorraine Stewart Ganter

Food - Complements to the chef Service, very good, but had to ask twice for the bread we had ordered as a starter and never was offered the pepper mill, which I think would have perfected the taste. The noise level in the restaurant was exceedingly high.

Nater

food was absolutly excellent, i recommend the Gnocci. only problem was that when we were trying the pay the phone kept ringing and when she answered the eftpos machine cut out, this happened 3 times before we cud pay, no apology was made

Collette

Fantastic food! Nice variety of dishes on the menu. The calamari is a must, as is the garlic pizza bread. The mains are just as good! It's byo and has a really lovely atmosphere to the place.