This really is a very disappointing restaurant. The decor is very modern and chic but food and staff attitude was very poor. We also were overcharged on our bill and it was only after we left that we realized

We came here with a large group and were greeted by a somewhat boisterous waiter who was extremely eager to explain to us his life story or something. I was okay with that. I think.

Then he gave us all a menu which I didn’t really get, so we just spurted out some random things we liked the sound of and 20 minutes later, we figured out that it was pretty much like a tapas style setup. Okay awesome.

Pork belly was good and the chorizo was great. Heck, everything is good when you’re drunk on $15 a glass wine. Woo.

So, upon sobering up, I realized that I had eaten some kind of duck paté and calamari sandwich, which were amazing. Contrary to the figure keeping females at my table, I ordered the creme brulee and THIS was the highlight of the evening. I wished I had skipped all the mains and just ordered this.

All in all, the food was great, the wine was great, the decor is pretty “ooh look rich and hipstery”, but the dessert was to die for.

tl;dr: Go to James, skip the mains, get dessert.

This place will become a destination for food lover.The setting is amazing. The owner is so cool and loves to chat. The mushrooms are just so amazing and I love mushrooms. Awesome place for casual or formal night out. Friendly staff. I will put this in my top 5 list. Thanks James it was a pleasure.

I went to James for dinner last week and had a truly splendid time.
My partner and I found the atmosphere magic, it wasn’t too busy and the servive was faultless. We had a waiter named Chris who was educational, charming and slightly cheeky. The food was superb and the menu was frankly refreshing. Well done James! Auckland really needs more places like this.

Myself and my fiance ate in James on Friday night and found the entire experience off putting. We found one of our waiters very strange, trying a mix of personalities between faux connoisseur and aloof metro foody. His attention was uncomfortable and intrusive. He was more salesman then waiter and was quite pushy with his suggestions of dishes to order. Also despite clarifying order quantities for each of our plates, an extra medium plate arrived which we returned. After which the friendliness of the service changed.

The food was decidedly average in spite of the menu looked very interesting. The restaurant’s dining concept is excellent however the cold, over-designed dining room betrayed its manifesto.

After a couple of mix-ups with the bill and with what was actually ordered vs. Received we left with a very unpleasant experience of James.

In my opinion this restaurant is best reserved for those who are more interested in the “cool” factor to which food and service are secondary. I am loath to leave such an honest account of our experience as there really aren’t any positives here. Sorry James

The mood and setting of this place is amazing and would be great for a romantic candlelit dinner with a special someone – however the food and service from staff is not so impressive. We went here on a Tuesday night with a group of about 8 people. We ordered drinks and chatted around the bar for a while and when we asked to be seated at a table it took them quite a while to set up for us even though they were not that busy. The waiter was quite stand offish and not very friendly at all – in fact at times he was quite rude – he walked away in the middle of taking our orders! The food was very average and although the shared platters are meant to be for 2 people (as stated by the waiter) the chicken skewers dish only had one skewer!
The restaurant looks absolutely amazing but they really need to make some improvements on service and food. Probably wouldn’t go back or recommend it to any of my friends.

we live just 5 minutes walk from this one month old restaurant and tried it for the first time tonight. Very impressive. The restaurant is graced by fabulous crystal chandeliers and swathes of red silk set off by soaring concrete walls and floors. Quite dramatic. The fledgling restaurant would definitely benefit from a neon sign out front to advertise their presence. The staff are still getting to grips with a new menu, new computers and new kitchen but the idea and execution are pretty good. “James” is a Spanish inspired tapas bar/restaurant. The food would not be too out of place in Barcelona but has a NZ flair. The croquettes (croquetas) are made from smoked kahawai instead of salt cod and are excellent. Sardines and basteya are all worth trying. Paella for groups of 4 looks tempting for another visit.On the downside, the main dining area is VERY loud and echoey because of all that concrete. Perhaps a wooden floor or some kind of acoustic material on the ceiling would help. All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed it and we’ll be back!!