Had such a disappointing experience at this Restaurant, we felt (as proud Aucklanders) compelled to email a letter of complaint to Mecca head office.. 2 weeks later no response … I take that as meaning they ‘so don’t care’. We are enjoying a long hot fabulous summer, the viaduct is a picture and the foot traffic fills the place to over flowing each night…. who cares if the service is bad – they don’t need our return custom…

My partner and I dined in here last Friday and I loved the food and coffee here! The service was fantastic as well as the taste of the food. We were really surprised with the portion of the food as it was really generous. We also went to Bubble Lounge, which was just next to it. That place is just amazing and we had some drinks there too, I am really impressed with the wine list and the bar man which actually took time to explain the wine we ordered. Love the place and will surely come back again.

I don’t like to write negative reviews but I am getting frustrated at the standard of cafes in Auckland and tired at paying champagne prices for lemonade standards (yes lemonade not even beer).

The food at this place should have been of a very high standard for the prices charged – it was very, very ordinary – if you want to charge like this you need to deliver and this place doesn’t. The bill was well in excess of what I paid for a very nice meal at a restaurant last night and when you are paying more for what in effect was two lots of eggs on toast and some coffee, than a restaurant meal, there is something seriously wrong.

The coffee – awful – what exactly do these baristas around town think that the flat part of a flat white means. Here’s a clue – it doesn’t mean half a cup of foam. If I wanted half a cup of foam I wouldn’t be ordering a FLAT white. Again if you are going to charge at the top end of the scale for your coffee then you need to deliver top coffee and spend the money it costs for an experienced barista. If you want to save money by employing inexperienced baristas then charge accordingly. $4.50 for a small tulip cup half full with foam is just offensive.

I wish more people would complain because while we all keep smiling sweetly and paying for poor standards then nothing will improve and NZ is being left behind other parts of the world now when it comes to Cafes.

On a positive note the servers were sweet and very pleasant.

I was looking forward to this dinner, a pre-Christmas treat – but from the moment we sat down – my bench seat had very uncomfortable rips – it was a mess. We had ordered a seafood platter with Mumms Champs and breads and dips to start. The breads and dips were fine, the Mumms good but in tiny glasses, but when the seafood platter arrived and the waiter tipped the water from the platter directly into my husband’s glass of (lovely) Elephant Hill Chardonnay – things took a turn for the worse. I of course asked for a replacement glass (of wine) – the waiter came back with an empty glass – I explained that I wanted a replacement glass of wine. It was then discussed with the Manager, a glass of Church Road appeared, Elephant Hill was only by the bottle. It was not nearly as good and we sent it back, the manager then appeared with a bottle of Elephant Hill and replaced the glass, finally. In my opinion this should have been the first response. The meal continued and we had a very nice and attentive waitress. At the end of the meal the same hapless waiter appeared while my husband made a visit to the bathroom (which was by the way bus station quality!) and removed the platter, the result was water all over the table and I had to quickly move out of the way to avoid being drenched.
Just appalling for a restaurant that charges what it does. No table clothes, dreadful services (salt shaker didn’t work – we had to borrow from the neighbours) – I will never visit this place again.

The food was inedible. I was brought some toast because I hadn’t eaten any of my meal and this arrived without butter or any spreads. I was also charged for the toast, despite pointing out the waitress offered this to me because I hadn’t eaten the original meal.

The worst part was that the manager asked me how the meal was but got very defensive and argumentative when I told him I hadn’t enjoyed it.

He raised his voice, and left me very humiliated in front of a group of colleagues.

In all, the experience and food did not live up to the prices and Mecca’s reputation elsewhere. If you do come here, don’t get the Couscous and Lamb!

What has happened to Mecca? Have not been there in a while but expected what we usually received – good food and good service. This time we were disappointed in both. My steak was overdone and tough and the side was cold. Waited far too long for a second round of drinks. Will need to do better to survive in the viaduct.

Went here on a Friday night last week, was looking forward to it as we used to come a lot but hadn’t been in a while. To start with the service was very poor, there was one person who was great and it was the English waitress. Ten minutes after being seated we still hadn’t been given drink or food menus, we wanted to order drinks straight away. I had to get a waiter’s attention, asked him for menus and he was rude and said I’ll get your waiter, then didn’t bother to get any waiter or a menu, how hard is it for him to grab the menus. Then another 5 mins passed and I then asked the nice lady, who was apologetic and got them straight away. Then we waited over an hour for food, and waited a very long time to have our orders taken. The food was disappointing and was not hot, only barely warm. Over all it was not like it used to be and is a shame. There are much better places out there. So we
won’t be going back.

Like many this is an average restaurant.. Nothing too special really and nothing to rave about or complain about.

Was a nice touch that they allowed selection from the breakfast menu at midday but they did say NO to start with..
Coffee was ok but they need to learn the difference between a Flat White and a Latte..

Pricing was good considering the location at the Viaduct, so if you are after an ok well proportioned, well cooked meal not a bad place to try.

Beautiful surroundings here on a nice day, good coffee, food nothing extraordinary but quite passable.
Prices are what you would expect for the Viaduct.
Good for a weekend brunch.

Service was good for a very busy Saturday night waitresses friendly and helpful, however, meal a bit disappointing.

Ordered the Eye-Fillet steak on mashed potato with mushrooms etc etc etc. The steak was ok perhaps a bit dry for a medium steak, but the most disappointing part of the meal was the mashed potato. You could taste that it wasn’t real potato it was the flaked potato stuff you add water to. Very disappointing for a restaurant of this type especially on the Viaduct with lots of tourists in the area – I really expected more – like real potatoes.

I don’t usually complain but felt I had to this time.

Not a place for everyweekend. For once a while it is ok. Nice view

I went to Mecca for a Sunday brunch, and while I enjoyed it, I did not enjoy what I had to pay for it. The food was yummy – my blueberry hotcakes were very tasty indeed. But oh the prices! It is obviously priced for the tourist market – $20 for two small hotcakes is a LOT. One of my companions ordered the squid and the serving was so tiny at $17 it was tempting to think it a joke.

Recommended only if you have a lot of spare cash.

I have been to Mecca before for Dinner and rated the experience as a 3/5. After going to Mecca for Brunch on Sunday, I am going to give them a 2/5. The food was horrendously overpriced for what was actually put on the plate. I ordered the grill “big” breakfast which consisted over 2 very small slices of burnt toast which was too crispy, 2 small vine tomatoes, a few bits of streaky bacon, and 3 portobello mushrooms and one chorizo sausage and 2 very small poached eggs that could have been mistaken for Quail eggs due to the size (or lack of). This measley meal cost me $24.50. Others in our group were all mortified at the small size and big cost of our meals. Among this, coffee orders were missed, the waitresses did not know whose meal belonged to which diner. I can imagine due to the location Mecca will be doing a lot of business during the RWC period. All I can say is you guys have a lot of work to do if you don’t want to disappoint our overseas visitors if they dine at your establishment.

I went to Mecca with family today – we had intended to have breakfast at Wynyard Quarter but not many options for breakfast there. Mecca was exactly as it was last time we went – terrible !! The food is so basic, even the worst cook could make what they did. For such a prime position in the Viaduct and where our tourists go, it is about time they got their act together and produced quality food. I had eggs benedict $20. for which I received a basic bread muffin as the base, the ham on top was as if it was the cheapest pressed ham option at the supermarket. The poached egg was Ok but a basic hollandaise sauce on top (ie. just like at Kato’s). That was it !! PS: I have never done a review like this before, but feel if no one complains, it will not change !!

The service is quick and efficient. There are plenty of tables outside that allow you to look out over the boats in the harbour.

My Bruschetta was fresh and the coffee hit the mark. Great place if the sun is out.

I have been to Mecca many times with my boyfriend and every time it has been such a fantastic experience. I work in the hospitality industry and have done so for 7 years now and Mecca staff continue to impress me every time I visit.

The service is friendly and efficient, the atmosphere is always fantastic, and the food is just to die for. I have never had a problem with the food at Mecca and the two of us always really enjoy dining there.

Keep up the good work Mecca Viaduct!

The service was appalling.

I was here for lunch with a girlfriend and she agreed the nonchalant attitude of the waiters and waitresses was off-putting (to say the least).

We walked up the stairs and stood there waiting until one male waiter decided to walk over.

He chose a table for us which was squashed up next to a pillar.

The service just got worse from there.

I ordered water three times to no avail. First from the waiter who seated us, then a blonde waitress who completely ignored the request, finally the first waiter who begrudgingly filled up our glasses.

To have such a location right on the Viaduct really warrants more appropriate standards of service. Especially since 2011 is the year of the Cup.

If tourists (arriving in flocks later this year) were to receive the same treatment we did, I doubt they would leave with a positive impression of the New Zealand tourism/food industry, judging by the unprofessional manner of the staff at Mecca.

Girls and boys working there, seriously consider smiling if you really want to hold pride of place on Auckland’s Viaduct harbour, the golden centre of culinary prowess.

the food didn’t really make an impact on me…but the service did…the waitress looking after us was really nice and excellent with her work…wish i remember her name so i can put it here.

i’ll come back though. =)

Our waiter was very pushy and argued with a member of the party when she politely raised an issue with her meal. I enjoyed my steak but I will not be back again.

On booking and again on confirming booking for 11. I advised 2 diners needed a vegan option. This was apparently understood and a couple of options suggested. At the time of ordering there was again discussion re the vegan options but the meals presented were not vegan (one included chicken and one dairy!!). It became clear the waiter and chef were completely ignorant of what vegan meant. What a circus, very disappointing. I still have not had a response from the manager despite leaving a message the following day. Would not recommend.

A group of us went for a work breakfast & even though they had lost our reservation, we still got seated and orders made reasonably quickly. 7 eggs benedict with different accompaniments later & food was great. Great service, would definitely recommend.

We went here a couple of weeks ago on a Friday night. Food was excellent… backed up by great service. Definitely recommend to others.

I went with a friend to this restaurant last friday (Early January) and although very busy the food was fantastic.
Great service and my friend and I even considered tipping our waitress.
The set up they have includes your waitress, the person who takes the menu’s away and then someone else who does drinks etc.

It appears these people don’t communicate though. After dinner we asked for the desert menu and got our menu but after waiting for 15 minutes for the waitress to then take our order (and she never came) we decided we were actually quite full and payed our bill and left (without tipping).

Bummer for them.

Great food though!