Review Koa Restaurant - Auckland

We have the dinner on weekday. Booked the first table at 6pm. The staff was so welcoming and friendly. The market fish and Lamb were both excellent, yummy and lovely presented.

I have been twice to their High Tea, the place is nice, the table was setted beautifully, staff were nice too but it comes to their special dietary selection, they need to work more on it and make more options to present and make sure the flavor is good too. We had all the finger sandwiches were taste same, scones were dense same flavour and no spread to put on only jam. Dessert was ok but we didn't like the one in the glass jar and I think it was a creamy chia. Their normal high tea menu which I had for first visit was amazing, many voraites and all taste amazing only the fried mussels I didn't really like it. Will come back again.

Missed out on a 5 only because of the price!! No faulting food at all the epitome of fine dining. Mains perfection! Flavours I could not imagine putting together myself, mouth watering each mouth full a melt in your mouth explosion of perfectly paired flavours could eat 3 mains though portion size so small 😭 Loved the desserts!!! All very rich, delicious and most importantly diffrent from all the other buffet dessert bars I've been to previously. Mains took 45 mins - hour .. but I guess you can't rush perfection.. worth the wait 😇.

KOA Lobby Bar has Relaxed Hour everyday from 5-7.

I often go here for business meetings - it has a nice quiet atmosphere and the service is always impeccable. I celebrated a birthday here recently with a high tea which was absolutely superb - I definitely recommend trying it out!

Wonderful friendly staff and the meals were exquisite I mean the smoked mashed potatoes were sooo good to top off extremely good cuts of perfectly cooked meat. Would highly recomend

Yum yum yum High Tea fit for everyone 🤴👸

Must try the Taste of Singapore menu. Their laksa makes me craving everytime i come

Beautiful place food was delicious, Drawback was the parking due to central rail link and them charging $30 for parking

The simple mash potatoes is on another level combined with the lamb is fantastic like the staff

Great service and the food was good too.!!

We had famous high tea vis Groupon deal. It was very good deal. The staff was so polite and offered taking picture for us. I like this hotel high tea is you can have different type of tea, not only one. The scone and sandwiches were so soft and moist! There are important for high tea. We want to come back again.

4of us came here for lunch, The chef forgot one of our main. so we had to wait for 40mins. While we are waiting for last meal served the other 3meals are getting cold. Staff didnt seem to be care at all. All the food were average and over priced for what it is. so disappointing in the experience. We could get a better service in local cafe

🌸 ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ S T A M F O R D ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ H I G H ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎T E A ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎🌸 ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎<br/><br/>High : impeccable service<br/>Low : draughty seating<br/>Dog friendly : no!<br/><br/>I had another special occasion that needed a lovely setting plus I was on a mission to top that underwhelming high tea at Sofitel. Ok, I know I’m never going to surpass the well rehearsed long standing British high tea experiences but I am going to try ; )<br/><br/>So Take 2 – Stamford Plaza. I had my doubts, remembering it from its stylishly elegant glory days 30 years ago when it was the hippest hotel in town – the Regent. I was treated to a work morning tea there when it first opened and believe me, back then, when the only café in town was Robert Harris and soy decaf latte’s weren’t even invented, it was quite the treat : )<br/><br/>I was pleasantly surprised, the décor was warm and inviting despite the storm brewing outside and being seated at a draughty table. <br/><br/>The service was impeccable – our trainee waiter could not do enough for us and was incredibly polite and treated us like royalty.<br/><br/>The treats were meticulously presented – coloured dust, gold leaf, pottles and flower petals – all added to the impact. The savouries were quite tasty and the scones were light including a chocolate one. I was actually too full with tea refills that I could not finish all the cakes. I did get a doggie bag but felt bad when a homeless person parked right outside was begging. I just hope he enjoyed the treats as much as I did.<br/><br/>I did think about hunkering down in one of their comfy looking lounge chairs and waiting out the storm ; )<br/><br/>So a definite step in the right direction. 👍🏽

Had our first 'High Tea' experience here and it was amazing. I had purchased the deal of groupon for high tea for two. From the staff to food it was all on point. Would give it four stars because I think some of the food was quiet plain (still very delicious though). However the staff were amazing and really made the experience that much better. So the 5th star is solely because of their amazing staff

We came here for a high tea and everything looked amazing. I would say about 80% of the food was delicious! The other 20% seemed to be very basic, plain food. The waitress asked if we have any dietary requirements so I told her I can’t eat egg a certain way. She showed me the menu and I told her the everything on the menu looked fine and I could eat everything. For some reason, there was miscommunication and a lot of the food was subsituted for sandwiches which I wasn’t happy about at all. I ended up sharing some of the food with another friend. It’s possible that they don’t have many options for people with dietary requirements which is a shame - only so many sandwiches a person can eat...

5 stars for service but 3 star of the taste and portion of the food. Happy hour house drink $8 from 5 to 7pm buy from the lobby bar just next to the restaurant. Would go back on first table for the ambience and great service. Choc fondont with grill banana(quite unique) , grill salmon steak (okay taste) with bone in, grill lamb rump(bit tasteless) , grill scallop small size(love this) , vege tempura (very crispy) and sashimi platter.

Enjoyed the buffet breakfast here. Nice array of breakfast foods that cater for different diets. The chefs on hand were also able to provide eggs how customers wanted them. The wait staff ensured the food was always topped up by advising chefs what items needed topping up. They also were attentive in clearing dishes etc. Not much to fault at all. Reasonable pricing for buffet breakfast in town. Would definitely recommend & return again.

Came here for a high tea with my mum and sister and it was seriously good. I haven’t had high tea anywhere else yet so I can’t compare it other favourites. My favourite was the salmon, cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches. Also, the scones were nice too.

I must say I haven’t tried any of other menu items apart from the breakfast buffet BUT it’s hands down one of the best I tried... good variety but missing waffles and that non pork sausage alternative... with fresh fruits, juices, golden crispy hash browns, delectable scrambled eggs, scrumptious omelettes, a selection of incredible pastries, pancakes and other things... it’s very filling and satisfying

I’ve never been so upset with a waitress as I was during my experience at Knights on Albert. My table and myself were all made to feel incompetent by our waitress as we ordered and she corrected us on small pronounciations and if we did not reply quickly to a question she asked about how we would like meal prepared, she would then talk to us in a childish voice as if we were unaware of what a sauce is or what the difference between medium rare and rare is. Needless to say we were upset and her treating us like children. She then bullied us into starters by saying our mains would take a very very long time and then said she did not think we had ordered enough starters, even though we had gotten plenty for only four people. We were asked 3 different times if we wanted to order more drinks even though or current drinks were very clearly still full/half full. <br/>I was also disappointed with the waitresses lack of menu and food knowledge, when asked for a sauce recommendation she said she did not know and that she liked one sauce on anything but that it was spicy, when I told her I did not like much spice she then continued to try to tell me it was still the best sauce and that I should order it.<br/>The waitress also misheard one of my guests orders for something completely different and did not repeat the order and unfortunately my guest is too polite to send a plate back, so she was upset for her meal.<br/>The waitress also spilt water over 3 of my guests and the table and then did nothing to clean in up, so all of our napkins were wet before the meal arrived.<br/>The waitresses name was Deepali, I am only naming her so that hopefully she can get the further training that is required for a restaurant that is supposed to have a higher standard. I would like to comment that another of your waitresses, Ashley, was absolutely lovely and professional as she seated us and got us drinks and that was the quality we had expected to continue through the night that failed.

I've try the Royal Mother's Day Hightea.<br/>The service is great but the food is average.<br/>The food presentation has a big difference from the photo on their website.<br/>It's better to spend the money on something else lol.

As a part of our stay at Stamford Plaza, we received a 2-course meal from Knights on Albert.<br/><br/>We tried the curry puffs, tiger prawns, fish and chips, and chicken pizza. Unfortunately, the food was a huge let down. The entree's were not tasty whatsoever. The curry puffs had zero flavour as well as the prawns. The pizza was average. It had a nice base. However, it had very little chicken and bacon on it and was over compensated by the amount of cheese. I love cheese so it wasn't a problem for me but my partner felt sick. I would not pay $30 for that again. The fish and chips were yummy though - crispy battered snapper with shoe string fries and salad.<br/><br/>Overall, I wouldn't dine here even if I was staying at Stamford Plaza. The city is filled with delicious food and I wouldn't waste my money at Knights on Albert.

I have been twice with my friend as I bought a vouchers for a high tea, great service and beautiful place. First time was great from food to the service and the table was setted beautifully only the fried mussels wasn't good. Second time was today but we had a special dietary menu, it was ok but not much varieties comparing to the normal menu, finger sandwiches were same flavor, scones were dense and only jam no other spread, dessert it was ok only thing we didn't like is the creamy chia!. They are really good in their normal high tea menu but they need to improve their the vegetarian and speacial dieatery menu. Definitely coming back again.

Tried their high tea menu and there were some things that we liked and some that we didn't. First of all we came on a quiet afternoon, staff was attentive which was great. Presentation of food was great, starting with the savoury there's curried sandwich, kahawai croquette, curry puff, salmon wrap and mini pork burger. Overall I'm satisfief with their savory choices. Onto the next tier were the scones. Unfortunately I didn't really like their scones, it was quite hard and I had to force myself to swallow for each bite. Onto the next tier was their sweets, I love their chocolate tarts, lemon tarts and strawberry cheesecake. Their passionfruit roll was okay but the churros was a let down. It was really sugary and the texture was not quite right nor do I fancy the salted caramel sauce that came with it. The tea itself is okay, I tried the blueberry tea while hubby hot the peppermint chocolate tea. Overall it was a good experience.

Been there few times , it’s nice atmosphere music & food .service is good too . I enjoyed food & service.it great for group of people and couples.

Disappointing pan fried salmon served in a runny watery base with no flavour. It was probably pink from the beatroot juice. Overpriced for the quality of their food. The lamb shank only came with one; usually for $36 you'd get two shanks.

Looking for the best high tea in town for myself, I thought would give this place a try.<br/><br/>Personally I like the open ambience of being in the hotel lobby, I still find it nice and relaxing. The service is your usual standard, the staff do seem quite happy to accomodate you though. <br/><br/>I will say the food isn't amazing but it's not bad at all, certainly fitting of a good high tea, delicious and filling. I really do like the generosity of their unlimited tea and coffee service.<br/><br/>*Updated* - came for easter high tea. good food, good service, no complaints.

Afternoon Tea<br/><br/>I had low expectations for the Stamford, having not visited before, and it not really being on my radar as somewhere I'd like to try. They had very late notice availability however so we decided to give it a whirl. <br/><br/>We were pleasantly surprised. While not an intimate or particularly nice environ (hotel lobby, and very much feels like one) or extravagant in terms of the style or flavour of the food, I felt it was very reasonably priced and overall a pleasant experience. Food was tasty and sufficient in quantity.<br/><br/>Service was pleasant though felt it was inappropriate to be wheeling a crate of milk through the restaurant... <br/><br/>3.5 for value, but not a complete experience.

The food here is pretty good. The crispy skin snapper i ordered was very delicious. However, the prices here are quite high so i wouldn't be eating here a lot.

Had high tea here with a friend. Nice open spaces dining area near the lobby. Not the best place for an intimate get together.<br/><br/>Great service. The waiter offered to take a photo for us but my friend declined. <br/><br/>High tea is very reasonably priced. High tea treats itself is ok. Nothing spectacular. Just your usual high tea treats, scone, tarts, macarons, cake, sausage rolls, club sandwiches, slices, mousse treat thingy.<br/>Good assortment of treats.<br/><br/>I do like their beverage choices though. You can get tea, coffee or one of their signature made drinks.

Truly awful NYE meal, very expensive, and without doubt, the worst food I've had in Auckland. There is some serious competition at this level. These guys need to pick up their game.

My wife and I stayed at the hotel and had the buffet breakfast. The restaurant was undergoing renovation so the guest were all seated in the function area. Everything was temporary and thrown together, therefore I cannot say much for the environment and presentation. The food selection was underwhelming for $33, I've had better selection with complimentary buffet breakfasts. The worst thing is that no one told me that the buffet was not operating normally until I arrived in the morning, and by that time I already had my mind set on having buffet breakfast. I think this should have been alerted to me the moment I checked in, allowing us to make other plans. The breakfast buffet really degraded my Stamford experience which was otherwise excellent.

It was my husband's 85th birthday last night and we have this $69 voucher. We didn't stay in the hotel, but we just dine in Knights Restaurant. We really enjoyed our meal. The foods were amazing plus the service was exceptional. The lady who take good care of us was Mary. She was so caring, sweet and wears a natural smile that gives us a good feeling. She looked after us from the beginning up to the end. We didn't expect a cake from her since it was my husband's birthday. We will definitely return, great service and food.

We came here for high tea. The food was to an excellent standard. What let this place down was being over charged at the end! I went up last to ensure there was nothing outstanding as we had a table of 19. However, they staff member who served me couldn't tell me how many people had paid. She looked at me blankly to tell her whether I should pay or not! If I had been dishonest I could have walked, but myself and a couple of friends all paid up. It wasn't until I got home that I found out a family member had already paid for me. What kind of restaurant doesn't keep tabs on the bill for the table? Now I have to wait three days for a refund. Pretty rubbish. I'm not happy about being overcharged or having to wait for the refund.

Had my first high tea experience here with mum today and it was fabulous! We were treated with an Easter special menu and we loved every one of them! We also indulged in a range of tea including the Gisborne Assam with milk which was my favorite 😊<br/><br/>Before visiting Knights on Albert I was worried about the quality of the high tea after reading a number of negative reviews, however as they were the only place that provides high tea almost everyday (including Easter Monday), we decided to give it a go! And we did not regret a single bit 😊<br/><br/>As it was a public holiday there weren't a lot of people and we only had to wait about 20 minutes before our high tea was ready. The waitress was also very attentive and delivered our tea fairly quickly.<br/><br/>The food is a mouthwatering triple stack of savory bites, scones and hot cross buns, and sweet guilty treats on the very top. Each of them was nicely crafted-outstanding presentation and they all tasted...amazing! <br/><br/>Savory-highlights were definitely the seafood pie and the spinach and pine nuts tart! The chorizo biscotti was the only one that we felt was too oily. But the quality of the other dishes made up for it.<br/><br/>Scone-light vanilla flavor and not too crumbly.<br/><br/>Sweets-the bitter chocolate mousse inside a crisp chocolate tart was my favorite. Biting into it is a smothering rich and silky chocolate texture that lingers in your mouth. The crispy chocolate bits on top added a different dimension to it and perfected the whole dessert.<br/><br/>Overall had a great experience here and would definitely visit again!

Went there tonight for our wedding anniversary dinner. I also work in a customer service industry and my god these guy's were shocking. There was no one to greet us at the front, We were just pointed to the direction where our lonely table was after we told them we had a reservation. Right after we were seated the waiter told us they had bit of wait, we were fine with it but this customer walked towards our table, caught one of the waiter and pretty much told him they have waited over an hour and they are walking out without eating which they did. Our order came not long after the annoyed guests left. I ordered cocktail, ten minutes later waiter brings my drink without any straw, so I'm sitting there waiting for someone to pass by our table so I can ask for a straw, as for food I have had better cooked lamb at normal takeaway shops and much cheaper price too, dessert order was taken twice and fruits were out of from preserved cans. Utterly disappointed. While paying at the counter we are telling the girl our experience because she asked how was our night, she was least interested...no apology just took our money with a very blunt "have a good night" my husband arranged a surprise anniversary cake for me which was not acknowledged at all. Never again back nor going to recommend to anyone.

always enjoy having buffet breakfast and high tea with the family here -- good variety of food, very accommodating staff, and child-friendly.  highly recommended

We had Xmas lunch here. The mashed potato and fresh bread was beautiful. <br/>Our water glasses were constantly refilled which was great.<br/>A suggestion though, the dinner plates need to be moved so you don't have to push through people gathering food before returning to the back of the line. It just doesn't make sense where they are.

$39 for high tea, it is one of the cheaper ones around! But for the experience we had, I might as well pay double elsewhere and have better service. <br/><br/>We were served tea fairly quick but everything went downhill from there. We were ask for our dietary requirements then 40 mins later, our food is a no show. <br/><br/>During this time, we had finished our tea but nobody spotted it. Also no top up of water. We had to hail down the waitresses! After complaining and again them asking for our dietary requirements, 15 mins or so later only our food came. <br/><br/>Also finally managed to order more tea. It was all very disorganized because then we needed new cups too. At one stage I was given tea but didn't even have a cup to drink it. Ended up walking up to ask for one. <br/><br/>Food wise, everything was dry. The bread was dry, the baguette was dry and hard, the scone was dry, the gingerbread loaf was dry and overpowered by ginger. Best part of everything was the strawberry jam which they properly didn't make. <br/><br/>Service was so poor for a hotel. Staff were not attentive at all. <br/><br/>At the end during payment, feeling very unsatisfied, especially when this was part of a hen's party, I find out there is a 2% surcharge on credit card. Seriously?! <br/><br/>If I could rate it zero I would have because I have gotten better service in a takeaway restaurant. <br/>

I ordered a wooten soup, a medium well eye fillet. Yup they put Asian breakfast meal on their dinner menu, I thought the menu designer would cleverly tweak the flavour so that's why he/she confidently put it there. It turns out its just bizarre. The soup is salty, you can taste the smell of the fridge. No prawns found in the soup as the menu described. Well I was still glad I didn't go after Indian curry before my steak.<br/><br/>The beef was an ok cut. The steak wasn't cooked evenly. One side is medium well, the other side still got some blood. The sauce is oily. The side vegetables are lack of flavours, if you decide to use their salt grinder. Bless your teeth for chewing sand alike salt.<br/><br/>I couldn't buy myself a glass of wine, it's not I can't afford, i just couldn't enjoy. In general, I believe a high class hotel should run single cuisine menu instead of mashing every culture into it. It's just disgusting.

Missed out on a 5 only because of the price!! No faulting food at all the epitome of fine dining. <br/><br/>Mains perfection! Flavours I could not imagine putting together myself, mouth watering each mouth full a melt in your mouth explosion of perfectly paired flavours could eat 3 mains though portion size so small 😭 <br/><br/>Loved the desserts!!! All very rich, delicious and most importantly diffrent from all the other buffet dessert bars I've been to previously. <br/><br/>Mains took 45 mins - hour .. but I guess you can't rush perfection.. worth the wait 😇.

I've been here a few times for the buffet breakfast- probably the best in town! Obsessed with the fresh fruit, selection of bread + cheese, hash browns and of course the waffles with freshly whipped cream. Also love how there are so many different fresh juices- orange, apple, pineapple, tomato. A few years ago they had miso soup but not anymore- bring this back please!

Hubby and I used a 3-course coupon for dinner at Knight on Albert tonight. To be honest, we were quite disappointed.<br/><br/>The soup for entree was lukewarm and hubby found a small piece of white plastic (about 2mm x 15mm) in the soup. He finished the soup anyway and showed the plastic to the waitress. "Oh... plastic..." she said, and that was all we were offered by the waitress and the restaurant. No apology, no explanation... At least, we expected the manager would come to offer an apology?? <br/><br/>For main, we both had grilled sirloin. The wedges on side were hot and tasty but the meat was thin and therefore a bit dry. The portion was not big, I would say about 150g or less. <br/><br/> <br/><br/>The dessert was ... normal, something you can find in your local cafe, or freezer. FYI, I had chocolate brownie and hubby had super sundae.<br/><br/> <br/><br/>Overall, not impressed, maybe it's the coupon we should blame, or maybe my expectation for a hotel restaurant was too high, probably won't go again.

I've had the Stamford Hotel High Tea twice now. while the format has not changed they haven't been afraid to alter the menu. Starting with the teas the last time I had it I recall not being enticed by any of the teas and opted for coffee. This time I tried the Gisborne Dawn Assam and the Kowhai Ceylon. Both are black teas and generally I like the tea strong being a hangover of long study nights I suppose. Assam is strong and sweet probably better suited for breakfast but hard to get good stuff so I didn't miss the chance to try it. Not disappointed was expecting stronger and as such refused to allow the waiting staff to top up the water while for me could have been stronger still solid 4/5;<br/>The Ceylon was good general drinking too. 4/5<br/>So to the savories sweets and breads I started with a scone I an not sure what it was flavour wise but it certainly was not cheese nor did it taste like Apple. Really hoped they did not just off load anything and think nobody reads the menu. Anyway assuming it was either of the advertised it mattered little as it was terrible. Over baked dry they were poor and wouldn't be seen in a suburban bakery let alone supplied by the Stamford. Did bother trying the second one as cut off do much hard crusty bits. 1/5<br/>Moving to the savories these were better. Well couldn't get worse. The salmon sandwich kind added some substance to the meal very pleasing. 5/5 In a party of 6 these were all eaten the curry chicken sandwich less so. Just is too extreme for a sandwich and hope I never see such a mismatch again. 2/5; the brioche a fav bread of mine was good just at a slider in size and the best of the bunch worth mentioning 5/5. The Petit was good 4/5, and finally cheese and walnut tart was ok 3/5;<br/>The close with the sweets only one in the wow category. Not that I'm a sweet tooth beyond the brûlée and that was the cheesecake. This was a good balanced soft sweetness to the cheesecake flavour. Didn't taste like a mass produced cheesecake. 5/5 the rest were also Rans!! Among us all only 1 macaroon was eaten and some in our party were macroon fans who were disappointed.<br/>At $65 /head including that price for kids Stamford's offering is a midrange rip pricing and you get an average sort of offering. An assortment of bits of extreme taste is not what I like in such a small selection of food if the high tea is displacing your lunch that day. It can stuff you up if you leave with half the offering I eaten and you are hungry in half an hour. High teas rightly so is more geared towards women can't say if make a point booking there again. Was just convenient as a guest was staying there. Finally if you look above you might wonder if the apparent orchids hanging overhead will ever be watered. No they are cosmetic so probably appropriate for the high tea on offer. The men with appetites will probably want to try the Kabuki teppan style restaurant on site.

Great food and ambience! Very slow for the food to come out! The meals were delicious and well-presented, a good place to take the family for a birthday.

The last two times I have been here I ordered an eyefillet and a seafood dish both were about 4/5 <br/>The service is decent. I was saw someone order all you can eat ribs? I couldn't find it on the menu but I wouldn't mind giving that a try next time

The most recent time i came to this restaurant was on a Sunday evening for dinner. Having perviously purchased a voucher online for two for a 3-course meal i had high expectations from here. Also i have never come for dinner before, so i was rather excited. <br/>I always come here in the afternoon for the hightea, which is always lovely. They have a pianist in on the weekend which is always very enjoyable.After purchasing the voucher i saw the menu available, as it had already been set. I was honesty a little disappointed as there were three mains to choose from.. Nevertheless, i had the chicken Pate for entre, the steak for a main, and apple crumble as a dessert. My partner had the salt and pepper squid, fish and chips, and sundae.The entre came out reasonably fast, and entire 3 courses tasted very mediocre.. there was over 30min wait for the main to come out following finishing the entre, although the restaurant was very empty.. But i must say the steak was cooked to perfection- which i ordered medium-rare. The dessert was nice, it came out very fast. It wasn't the best.. but i dont have any negatives to say about it.<br/>They had friendly service, always smiling, and they did let us know five minutes before our mains were coming out.<br/>Overall, maybe because i had high expectations to begin with, especially it being a reputable hotel. I would recommend the hightea here over the dinner from my own experience.

I've come to Knights on Albert twice now, the second time was a lot more recent so I'll base the review off that. <br/>I had a party of about 10 and as soon as around 7 of us were there we went around the left side and waited to be attended to as that's how it worked on my first visit. <br/>I made eye contact with at least 2 staff members and they completely ignored us, it's like they were blind to a crowd of 7 people?<br/>So then we decided to walk up to the counter and ask, THEN we were seated. <br/>Something I love about high tea here is the limitless tea supply.<br/>I enjoy the scones which were effortlessly delicious, herbed butter was very nice but should've been left to room temperature a little while longer, the cream and jam paired well together an only added to the flavors of the scone. <br/><br/>Personally I enjoyed the Madras apricot chicken sandwich along with the sliders. Petite potato salad with roast lamb was delicious!<br/>However there was this one mini pie like quiche which I was absolutely speechless about, it was too doughy, tasteless and none of my friends finished it. <br/><br/>Desserts were very lovely, I loved the macaroons however it was dipped and stuck on with chocolate and everyone found it quite difficult to get off the plate. <br/><br/>Waitresses were busy which was understandable, so they weren't very attentive. <br/>Otherwise I guess we may come back to visit.

I really wanted to include some Hotel high tea’s to get some good variety going, so the Stamford was our first hotel choice for a review. Upon arrival we went around to the left and waited to be seated. It’s a very busy hotel lobby, however the atmosphere was quite relaxing inside once seated. There were beautiful orchid displays hanging from the ceiling and also in pots by the front windows. There is a pianist who plays live music on the weekend between 11.00am – 3.00pm which was super lovely to come in to. He happened to be playing ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ which also happens to be from The Wizard of Oz, one of my top 3 favourite films of all time.

Got a grabone voucher which was a real deal because we got a 3 course dinner and a drink for $30 each. Great value for money, but the selection for dishes were limited to 3 items for starters, mains and desserts. The food wasn't spectacular either, but it is located in a luxury hotel after all so the atmosphere was very nice and the staff were professional and friendly. Our water glasses never went empty.

Went to breakfast on a discount voucher - the place was seriously busy, obviously with hotel guests and plenty of discount voucher holders - too busy.  The queue at the waffle station was ridiculous and the product received at the end definitely wasn't worth the wait. The rest of the buffet offerings were luke-warm standard breakfast fare, but again too busy for the wait staff to keep it tidy. I did love the quaint little milk bottles with flavoured milk, for which I gave an extra 0.5 in the review.

I organized a birthday high tea for my friend for a group of us. Food was pretty good they also provide gluten free option which is a bonus.<br/><br/>Staff were attentive and always checking whether we need more drinks or water.<br/><br/>Pretty happy for the service we received and the price we paid for.<br/><br/>It's a nice place for special occasion or simply for a catch up with your friends.

I bought a voucher from grabone for dining for two here. I had a bad experience in this restaurant. First, I booked from the website and turns out my reservation did not show up on the day and when I try to call to change my reservation, the lady who was answering my phone can barely speak english. Second, I already mentioned that my partner is alergic to mushroom and when I ordered the soup of the day, the lady did not tell us that it is mushroom soup and served it anyway (to be fair we did not ask what the soup of the day was). Third, my main course came out 20 minutes after I finished my entree. I ordered a steak, the steak itself is very tough and the wedges are burnt, looks like a food from a diner. Last, the desert. The super sundae does not super at all. It is just a two small scoop of ice cream with a very sweet caramel syrup on top. The apple crumble is very bad, do not order the apple crumble, worst apple crumble I ever eat in my life.<br/><br/>Looking at good reviews here made me wondering is it because I came with a voucher?<br/><br/>In conclusion, i am very disappointed with everything. I dont think I will come back here.<br/><br/>Add to edit: I just checked that the cashier billed us for two Heineken, where my partner only ordered one. Be very careful when you pay, always double check the receipt.

Upon arrival we went around to the left and waited to be seated. It’s a very busy hotel lobby, however the atmosphere was quite relaxing inside once seated. There were beautiful orchid displays hanging from the ceiling and also in pots by the front windows. There is a pianist who plays live music on the weekend between 11.00am – 3.00pm which was super lovely to come in to. He happened to be playing ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ which also happens to be from The Wizard of Oz, one of my top 3 favourite films of all time.<br/> <br/>Once we were seated we were given a tea menu (yay) – I freaking love tea menus! I like seeing options and places that offer black, green and herbal teas. I could see that they served a good variety and the tea I chose was from a brand called NZ Live Tea which comes under the Bell brand. It was called Morning Kick Assam and was the closest to an ‘English Breakfast’ tea that they had available. Carl chose the Kowhai Ceylon and spoke quite highly of it. When I asked the waiter about the teas, he mentioned that if I ordered one and didn’t like it, then I would be able to keep ordering tea’s until I found one I liked. So sweet, and good to know if you happened to order a drink you weren’t too keen on.<br/> <br/>Stamford Plaza offer two High tea options – the standard at $30.00 per person which includes your choice of tea, and nibbles. Or, the $35.00 option which includes the above as well as a glass of bubbles. The great thing I noticed was that this high tea is actually available every day, from 11am – 4pm. I thought this would be such a great idea for mums or people who maybe work on their weekends.<br/> <br/>They serve a completely Gluten Free option, as well as a dairy free and vegetarian version. When asked, they told me that a vegan option would be quite difficult to serve – so at this point in time, are unable to offer vegan high-teas. They actually have their full menu available online so you can check beforehand as to what you’ll be served:<br/> <br/>– The Savoury – <br/><br/>Madras apricot chicken wholegrain sandwich<br/>Smoked salmon with a preserved lemon cream cheese sandwich<br/>Ham & brie cheese with cranberry on brioche<br/>Petit potato salad with roast lamb<br/>Blue vein & walnut tart with pickled leek<br/> <br/>– The Scones – <br/><br/>with jam, cream & salted butter:<br/>Traditional cheese scone<br/>Caramelised apple scone<br/> <br/>– The Sweets – <br/><br/>Blood orange cupcake with mulled wine icing<br/>Cinnamon vanilla custard mille-feuille<br/>Speculaas white chocolate cheesecake<br/>Pear & cardamom tart tartin<br/>Lemon & ginger macaroon<br/><br/>The highlight of this high tea was the Pear & cardamom tart tartin, it was so tiny yet so delicious… I needed more of it and the pear and cardamom worked so incredibly well together. The Blue vein & walnut tart with pickled leek was also extremely delicious and the blue cheese wasn’t too strong. The pastry casing was so crumbly and tasty. The most interesting item on the menu was definitely the Blood orange cupcake with mulled wine icing. It tasted exactly like it sounds, the cupcake on its own was sweet with a citrus kick, while the creamy frosting actually tasted like a spiced mulled wine. Another great point is that we were offered top ups on our tea if we wanted.<br/><br/>If I was to have any critique about the high-tea it would be that the sandwich bread felt a little dry – they tasted perfectly fine, but it was almost as if the bread had been left out in the open air for a while.<br/><br/>Still, a really good High-Tea and I will definitely go back :)

Yummy! Got a grabone deal for breakfast for 2 which I thought was good value for money. The staff were friendly and there was a good selection of food and they had really healthy options there which I loved - but I have been to places with a bigger range, especially when it comes to the hot options. The seats upstairs were a bit too close together for my liking so my boyfriend and I sat a level down which was still close and way more spacious. All in all a good experience but I would probably only go back if I had a voucher!

Have been here before for breakfast the service has gone down considerably. Omelette took 45 minutes on a weekday, really? Bring the mojo back!

Coming here for lunch is always a lovely experience as the waitstaff are friendly and quick to seat you at a table, and the food is always delicious. I asked for my steak to be medium rare, and it was perfect - among the best steaks I've had in Auckland. The only reason I am giving a 4.5 rather than a 5 is because we waited a very long time for our drinks.

Went here for a breakfast buffet using voucher with some friends. The whole "fancy hotel" vibe was there and the service was really good. There was a wide range of choices available like cereal, toast, chocolate milk, dessert, crepes, bagels, mushrooms, eggs, bacon, salmon, different cheeses, congee, hash brown literally anything you can think of. I feel like this place can do much better food wise only because I noticed that the cream cheese smelled way off - it was defo expired. I also noticed the same for the salmon and I actually love salmon and thought it didn't smell so bad so I ate it anyway. It was kind of disappointing cause the ambiance, decors, food presentation and service were all really amazing. It was just the "off" odor from the cream cheese which really let me down because I was keen to have a bagel with salmon and cream cheese. I might go back but I suggest they serve fresh food and not recycled because it can really put their customers off.

This place has a luxurious atmosphere and felt like an upper-class restaurant when I first entered because of its design. We were guided to a table and then my friends and I went to the buffet area. I quite liked the setup of it. There were various options to choose from including drinks. <br/>Once we got our food and started eating, I noticed that on my plate a dish of noodles was spicy and parts of it were dry like it had been in the buffet for a few days. The salmon and bacon were good but eventually started to taste quite salty. Egg, hashbrown and mushrooms were the most enjoyable. Throughout our time here staff were friendly and happy to help us. Overall I had had a nice time here with friends and my dining experience was satisfactory.

We bought online vouchers for a buffet breakfast for four which was great value!  The selection of food was good for a buffet , with fruit salads plus a fresh fruit selection, cooked breakfast, pastries and cooked waffles by a chef as you wait.  The service was excellent.  The selection of drinks available included in the price were also good.  All round a good breakfast and pleasant atmosphere and experience.  Definitely going to come for High Tea next time.

Lovely service - very attentive and friendly. High tea comes highly recommended - easy options, swift service, no complaints there. Having said that - nothing really stood out though, so if you're just looking for somewhere easy and relaxing to wile your day away with the girls - this place hits the spot :)<br/><br/>We've been here on on a separate occasion for lunch too - and while it was tasty - again, nothing really stood out. Definitely above average at reasonable 'hotel-ish' prices. Nice ambience (you're lucky if there is an inhouse pianist on that day!), lovely decor (toilets are a plus with their matakana products) and again - I will reiterate how good the service is.

We went for the "International lunch" with a Grabone voucher as their advertisement on Grabone sounded so good.  <br/><br/>When the food came, we were so shocked.  They came in a 3-tier metal lunch box and looked like ready made meals just being re-heated.  When I open the lids, I was shocked how little the food was and how un-appetizing it looked.  <br/><br/>We had scoop out the food from the boxes onto our plate.  No serviettes or spoons (note: we ordered the curry!!) were provided until we asked.  The food was horrible…. half cold rice and curry which did not taste authentic at all.  Even the food from the food court is much better than this. <br/><br/>We were very very disappointed… having a half-cold, very pitiful portion and not tasty meal! Really… it is not the standard that people would expect from this kind of restaurant.

Went here for the all you can eat ribs voucher and it was great! Super classy place and the waiting staff were all really friendly and professional. <br/>The ribs were delicious and an absolute bargain with the voucher.

This place has a nice feel to it. The wait staff and person that greeted us on entry are great. 4 of us turned up for the all you can eat Pork Ribs. The place is clean and tidy. <br/><br/>The meals came promptly. The ribs were half cold. It didn't appear the meat had been marinated in any way so it was a straight roasted pork rib with a warm sauce poured over the entire ribs. All four of us were underwhelmed by the ribs. We talked about other ribs options. 3 of us thought Hog Heaven in Newmarket had the best ribs and 1 thought it was Lonestar. These guys should send their chef to these places to get an idea of what good ribs can be. So we all finished our first lot of ribs and no one ordered more. We could have eaten them we just thought .. you know it really isn't that good. So we turned our attention to dessert. <br/><br/>We ordered the "Knickerbocker Glory with Winter Flavours" and the "Rich Chocolate Tart". The rich chocolate tart was pretty good. The piece was a bit on the small side with the smallest scoop of ice-cream. Not work the $15. There are much better dessert options nearby or exceptional dessert options like Milse. The KBWF is kind of like a truffle in a glass. This dessert is just poor. Poorly put together, poorly prepped and not worth half the $15 paid. The ingredients were poached rhubarb (which was quite sharp) nutmeg cream (was very powdery and not good), brandy custard (barely noticeable), spiced poached pears , chocolate orange & cinnamon sponge (more a cake). Overall there was just a lack of love or care shown for the food.

Went here for the buffet breakfast, it was delicious. Highly recommend the 60 degree eggs, they are cooked slowly in their shells. When they are cracked onto toast they are a perfectly poached egg. The service was attentive, and enjoyed the fruit salad and cute little yoghurt pots.

Their new menu is great. We had the two steak meals and both were delicious and beautifully presented. A lot of attention has been given to the sides, kale crisps instead of fries for example.

Four of us went to lunch on Sunday, 13th July. I don't know why this restaurant has received bad reviews, as we had a great experience. Although we had the restricted menu on a voucher, all our meals were excellent and the service was first class, even though the restaurant was quite full. Would definitely go again.

We were here on a daily deal so weren't surprised to be given a special menu. I had a pleasant chicken pate but my husband's Caesar salad was iceberg lettuce, croutons and tasteless dressing. The 3 main courses included a cheeseburger!! I had fish which was wafer thin and overcooked. Dessert was icecream and chocolate sauce. And this is supposed to be a high class restaurant. I won't waste my time going back there again

Went there recently for the breakfast buffet.<br/><br/>It was pretty average. Choice was quite limited although the fruit/vegetable juicer was a nice touch. The quality of the food was also a bit of a let down - the bacon, for example, was incredibly dry and tough. <br/><br/>Wait staff attention swung between complete neglect to excessive. Chefs were keeping themselves entertained by chatting up the waitresses - not a great look when there are customers nearby. Things improved when a duty manager showed up and took control. Thankfully I had a voucher for the buffet, if I had paid full price, I would have been pretty disappointed.

We bought the much advertised 'Chinese New Year Themed All-You-Can-Eat Dinner Buffet for Two People' deal voucher for $99 and went along on Friday 7th February 2014. Right from the start we noticed the décor was dingy and especially obvious with most of the chairs with a red covering looking so old and disgusting. We were so taken back with this - that we started to see everything else was also so dated and tired. The so called Chinese NY decorations were pathetic. It certainly didn't feel we were to 'ring in the NY in style' as per the advertising. On to the buffet. This was very disappointing. All the food looked tired, the fish was so dry we passed on it. We did try most of the dishes in desperation and they were all bland except the Chicken with Black Bean and broccoli. Not one of the dishes looked 'mouth watering or delicious' (again) as per the advertising. The desserts were okay. The service struggled despite seeing quite a number of staff constantly walking around - we think they were just making themselves look busy. We noted at one point a chef came out to inspect the dishes and was not happy with things as he then looked to be discussing everything with the wait staff which included one 'hot' buffet that didn't have any flame going, and how they needed to let him know when dishes needed attention (the seafood display had all but been emptied half an hour earlier etc). Worse was we were overcharged for our glass of wine to which I said nothing in fear of me letting loose about the whole very disappointing experience. You could not pay us to ever return.

Came here on Saturday for "Jake and Elle's" high tea.<br/>Promptly seen to and seated in the restaurant area. The lady who served us was very nice , I think she may have been the f&amp;b manager (maybe the lady from the langham could get some tips). Champers arrived quickly and were well full too ;-) .<br/>The food itself... Meh. It was good, great? Meh. The sandwiches, as danty and appealing as the looked, were just meh. The sweet stuff, oh yeah they were good. Jake and Elle's signature orange cake, for us, felt a bit stodgy, but tasted good nonetheless .the two teas we chose, a vanilla one and a peppermint were very nice. So overall. It's was a pleasant lunch . But would I go back..... Meh ;-)

Oh dear. I went on Sunday 13th October with a friend using a deal voucher. First impression - smelly dead flower on the table that actually had mould growing in the water, nice. On the deal offered we could choose 2 small and 2 large "tasting plates". What this pretentious nonsense means is 2 entrees and 2 mains because they where not put in the middle of the table with extra plates so we could share anything. My friend had the sliders (3 on a plate between 2 people?) that were about what you would expect to get at a cheap food court. I had the salmon with a gazpacho shooter. This was 3 (again) small and I mean very small, cubes of tough salmon with a shot glass of vile tasting onion water. Then came mains, sorry large tasting plates. First 2 of the given choices where unavailable so we both had the offered substitute cut of steak instead of the advertised rib. It was cooked ok but pretty tasteless. The jus was nice but the horseradish puree was in reality just very watery mash that had no taste of horseradish at all! We were really hungry when we got there at 6.30 so asked if we could order fries with the meal. The waitress seemed hesitant to allow that as she said we could only have 2 small and 2 large plates but we reassured her we expected to pay extra and were advised they were a large serving so disappointment struck again when presented with a very small, lukewarm and soggy bowl of 'fries'. How the hell can you mess up fries? Even the glasses of wine we ordered got given to the wrong person. I know this was a supposed deal but really Stamford there is no excuse for this and what we got was not even worth what we paid. We where so fed up we decided to leave and not risk adding a dessert (which along with coffee was not even offered by the way). A thoroughly miserable experience in cold unwelcoming surroundings which was made even better when they wanted to add a surcharge for credit card payment. Needless to say we declined and used cash. Judging by the other reviews something went very wrong on Sunday night and unfortunately we paid for it with a ruined night out.

Just enjoyed the tepanyaki meal at the Japanese in th hotel. Excellent food, fun night, great service. I would highly recommend this for a different night out.

I booked a table for two on 3rd October. Was really impressed with the whole experience. Great service- staff were very friendly, Price on the Tapas menu were reasonable and food arrived quickly. we did enjoy our dinner. Will absolutely recommend this place to my friend, a thumb up to dine in.

Was here this morning for the buffet breakfast. Large variety and yummy croissant and gluten free options were also available. I am impress with the food and overall service. Will surely be back for their breakfast.

The High Tea is simply the best in Auckland - and I have tried 7 different venues. Michael meredith has put together a delectable assortment executed to perfection by his pastry chef Tracy. Danny in the bar makes a perfect cup of tea and my dining partner loved her coffee. He is such a friendly front person he adds to the experience. Do give it a try.

We used a voucher for a lunch deal and were most impressed. We couldn't fault the venue, the staff or the food which was top quality, and extremely tasty. Normal menu prices are reasonable too, so we would be happy to return without a voucher.

Nice low key easy to find location.<br/>Lovely presented nice sized yummy tasting and interesting <br/>Entrees! <br/>We had an attentive but not over the top waitress<br/>Who was polite, happy to answer questions on food <br/>And refill water cups for us. <br/>Beautiful cooked main, unique, nice flavour, well presented<br/>Top quality (both had the pork!)<br/>House dessert once in a lifetime a neatly packaged chocolate<br/>Implosion with fluffy tasting mousse, pear in cased by a chocolate<br/>Egg, beautiful hot choc sauce and a gold leaf to top it off! Also other person had a smooth, creamy delicate raspberry cremé brûlée, wonderfully presented top notch food! Highly recommend for a night out :)

Me and my Fiance dined here as we were staying in the Hotel. I was not looking forward to dining in a Hotel Restaurant but was immediately impressed by the staff's attentiveness. Once the meals were placed in front of us (mine the beef fillet) my partners the (lamb) quickly was I surprised. The meals were devine - cooked perfect &amp; mouth watering. Front staff and chefs thank you so much for a wonderful experience will definitely be back on my next trip to Auckland

I read the reviews on this website regularly, but this is the first time I felt compelled to leave a review.<br/><br/>We like Kabuki and Sansui (in the same hotel) and we went to Knights once for their lunch special, but this was the first time we had dinner there. <br/><br/>Their staff was very friendly, and they were pleasant about our last-minute booking. However, in hindsight, this was probably because they get no customers (the restaurant was completely empty when we arrived).<br/><br/>It took them over 45 mins to serve us our Caesar salad and Roti Paratha, even though they were just entrée-sized dishes. The Roti Paratha was quite nice (why I gave them an extra star), but the Caesar salad was definitely not of a standard we expect from a hotel restaurant, with soggy bacon that looked like leftovers from their breakfast buffet. <br/> <br/>The reason why we chose Knights was because of their special chocolate implosion dessert, advertised on their website, which contains a hot chocolate sauce that you pour onto a ball of chocolate mousse, encased in valrhona chocolate ($29 each). We had to wait another 45 minutes for this, which made no sense at all since we had to pre-order it when we booked. The kitchen was visible from my seat, and I could see the staff chatting and laughing while we were waiting. <br/><br/>When the dessert finally came, the waitress immediately poured the sauce over the sphere for us, claiming that the container was too hot for us to touch. This ruined half of the fun for us, since we thought we would get to dismantle it ourselves. <br/><br/>We found the quality of the dessert to be very poor for $29. There was no variation in the chocolate - milk chocolate mousse encased in milk chocolate, with milk chocolate sauce = total overkill. In fact, the sauce tasted suspiciously like what they sell at the Sweetest Little Chocolate Shop on Queen St. The meagre teaspoonful of mascarpone with half a strawberry on top in the middle added to our sense of being extremely ripped off.<br/><br/>The unacceptably long wait of 1.5 hours in total, coupled with the cheerful shouts and laughter from the Kabuki customers who were actually having a good meal, killed any chances of us coming back. <br/><br/>If you're looking for hotel dining nearby, go to Kitchen at Hotel de Brett instead.

My husband and I have been to Knights on Albert Restaurant twice now. Once was for a Bubbly High Tea, and again yesterday for Chef Mo's lunch. <br/><br/>The food has been excellent on both occasions. <br/><br/>The High Tea is very popular and for good reason! The pastries and sandwiches were fresh and delicious. They were served beautifully on tiered plates and there was enough provided to ensure that you didn't leave feeling hungry. <br/><br/>For Chef Mo's lunch we found the food to be well portioned and presented. The Fish of the Day (Snapper) was perfectly cooked and the Raw Fish accompaniment was very fresh. The salad was also very complementary to the fish. The Lamb Shoulder was very tender and well seasoned. We also had the Lemon Cheesecake and the Chocolate cake for dessert. Both were lovely, especially the Lemon Cheesecake because it wasn't heavy and rich like most cheesecakes.<br/><br/>The service was also excellent both times. We were seated promptly and water was served immediately. The timing from seating to ordering to delivery of food was also very good. We didn't feel like we were kept waiting nor did we feel rushed. The people were attentive and knew when it was appropriate to come and speak to us.<br/><br/>The restaurant is actually very nice despite being part of the hotel lobby. It still looks and feels like a classy restaurant and the piano music adds to the ambiance when dining.<br/><br/>We would not hesitate to return to Knights on Albert Restaurant based on our previous experiences.

Had a really good meal (salmon) prepared perfectly and service was outstanding. <br/>Well done chefs and front staff

We recently stayed 2 nights at the Stamford Plaza and took advantage of their amazing packages. Our 1st night included the buffet breakfast - which had an amazing selection of everything you could imagine for breakfast. Hot food was cooked to perfection and everything was fresh and plentiful.<br/>Our second night included a 3 course meal - we ate every last bit, exceptional! There was nothing we could fault, the service was amazing - with our glasses never being empty. <br/>We highly recommend dinning here and the overnight packages are fantastic also.

The only thing I can complain about is the house itself. The area is big and with a lot of volume comes a lot of sound.<br/><br/>The service from all the three involved waitresses was great and the attitude friendly. The food was great, both various bread for entrées and chicken/lamb for mains.<br/><br/>Do not miss the desserts, the buffet tasted very well and was also nice to look at. A great evening, to put it short, and there were no complaints even though we arrived 90 minutes before closing time.

I don't say this much but I would stay away from Knights on Albert, you would think a restaurant associated with the Stamford Plaza would be exceptional... The food is badly prepared and don't start me on the deserts that look like they have been left out for a week. Service is very average.