We ate here on friday before a show at the civic with a couple of friends and it was a let down. We had eaten here a couple of months ago and it fine. We were keen to show some people from out of town a good time it. Big mistake.

But this time the service was slack mainly due to a waitress who seemed to have a attitude and the staff behind the bar who were more interested in getting themselves a drink than the customers a drink.

My partner tried to to tell me that i should just leave it but sometimes things have to be said.

I won’t be coming back.

LOVE LOVE LOVE.
Ate there this evening. Had the pesto, basil and pinenuts crostini and the bruschetta with salami picante, red onion, mushroom, and parmesan. Everything worked from the wine, the beer in a chilled glass, the team, to the ambience. I even enjoyed my brief chat to the couple sitting next to us… Very European feel – oh, and the coffee was Italian and smooth. I will be back. Wonder if tomorrow for brunch is too soon?

What a disappointment.  We love Italian food & culture, having travelled to Italy for 35 years, and cook it 3-4 times each week, so we were really looking forward to going to this place after reading the 4 reviews posted between 16-22 August. We experienced very ordinary food with poor service.

If you are going to base a menu on something simple like bruschetta, and charge $19 each, then you have to make sure that top quality ingredients are used.  Ripe room temperature  tomatoes, full flavoured cheeses and meats. Not the cold, refrigerated, tasteless tomatoes that covered all the bruschetti.  The caprese salad was a bowl of the same quartered tomatoes surrounded, strangely, by packet crackers and small pieces of bland sheep’s milk mozzarella.  This went straight back as I had specifically asked whether this was made with buffalo mozzarella and the chef said it was.  Either he doesn’t know the difference (which is appalling for a supposed Italian bar), or he was lying (just as bad).   My tuna bruschetta was very dry, topped with tasteless tomatoes and small pieces of bland mozzarella. I left half uneaten.  My partners ham and provolone was ordinary ham, tomatoes, and a small amount of grated cheese.  If it was provolone it wasn’t a good one, again bland, we could not work out what it was. Small antipasti plate was ok and partner really liked the accompanying bread. No additional condiments like balsalmic vinegar were offered nor on the table. Service was slow; our drinks order never came; we were charged for the drinks and had to ask for them to be removed from the bill.  We did receive an apology from the very nice woman who settled the bill, but unfortunately none of the basics are there. We won’t be returning.

Delicious eatery! Awesome venue in the stables.. Very consistant with high quality of service and food! My partner and I love this place and continue to return.. a must visit in Auckland if you haven’t been!

Food = Divine. Drinks = Peroni on tap (what more can I say). Atmosphere = ambient. Service = top notch.
Very much enjoyed my evening here, will be returning soon and looking forward to it! Authentic Italian experience, anyone who says otherwise does not appreciate the true Italian style and probably used to a watered down kiwi version.

Before dinner, my boyfriend and I ordered a Martini each. It was on the top of their drink menu, its nothing like we asked them a favor to make us a special drink.

…And it came in the water glasses.(The toll glasses they serve water in). No olives in them and it looked just like water.
First I though `Oh, well it tastes Martini anyway` but when We looked at the glass holders above the bar counter and there they are, proper MARTINI GLASSES, they had them, but didn’t serve Martini in them.

So, I asked the waitress to put our Martini into those Martini glasses. She did it for us, but she was grumpy all through with us after. No apology ofcourse. We were pretty miserable sitting there not being cared as a customer.

Food was mediocre, although we only had antipasto platter and caprese salad. good size dish.

we weren’t sure about the waiter vacuming the floor when we were still eating, though.


Maybe it was a real ITALIAN experience after all? I don’t know.
We will not go back there anyway.

There are many other nice places in Elliot Stables.

In regards to the review above I have no idea what that person is talking about. I went to Elliott stables to check it out and found La Bruschetteria. My partner and I were warmly welcomed and the menu was was explained clearly.

We sat down in the lovely lounge area and listened to some nice loungey music whilst sippin on a glass of chianti and enjoying the fresh cuisine.

We told the staff that we had to be at a show in 45mins and they said the food be to us in 10mins and it was.!?!

It was my first time trying a bruschetta and it was beautifull. I reccomend this great little restaurant/ bar to anyone that wants to experience something new.:)

One of the most horrible experience i have had in a long time. ordered the antipasto platter and a lambarda bruschetta and two beers and the total cost was $69.a bit too much for not much quantity and quality wise. the platter was average, the cheeses were served in “blobs”, it all looked like it was thrown on the plate.the antipasto platter arrived first (within a reasonable time) but had to wait 20mins before i had to approach the waiter and find out how far away the rest of our meal was. i was reassured it was on its way. 15 mins later still no bruschetta so i went back to the counter and asked for my money back. overall a very poor experience at the stables this time around and i will not be returning to La Bruschetteria any time soon if at all.