I went to Orbit a couple of years back, and it was really impressive, the fact that you can eat, look at the scenery and it changes next time you look up is really cool. The food is one of those surprising things where it may look small-ish, but it will most definitely fill you up.

The staff are Excellent, the quality of food to match, and the setting is like no other.

I really like this place.

if only I could afford it more.

One of Auckland’s Exclaimation Marks.

I visited Orbit in May 2013. The views were amazing, which is the only thing it has going for it. Both entrees that we ordered were bland and very poorly presented. The fish in Ravioli was really rubbery and the pastry was too thick on it. I ordered the Salmon, which was very tasteless and I could not even finish it. My partner ordered the lamb which thankfully was some way tasty. Service was terrible, with waitresses that never made eye contact and basically fired the food at you with no interaction at all. It is sad to say that the fried potatoes(fries) were the highlight of the meal. Extremely overpriced and a massive disappointment.

The food are just above average, not that great for the price we paid, but the atmosphere is the best, we went there in the evening time, great view, and the Japanese girl who serviced us was so friendly and helpful, always have a pleasant smile, would like to go back there for special occasion.

Spending a weekend afternoon having luncheon in a revolving restaurant high above the finest cosmopolitan vistas in the country, seemed not a bad idea. So we rapidly rose 623 feet through a lift whose glass panels provided zippily ascending views of the ocean-city outside, and of the receding elevator shaft base beneath. And then settled into a prime piece of sky-flung real estate…
Entree -
Kingfish tartare – was served in a attractive dress and afforded gentle easy bites of the flesh underneath. Its avocado-wasabi top-layer ,crowned by orange caviar, sent forth creamy sharp waves and the immaculately done tartare ,which had the texture of soft grapefruit, was well complimented by cucumber, lychee and other whispering dainty accoutrements.
Salt and pepper squid – This dish is right up there among Kiwiana items which restaurants mess up in cooking. The specimens served to us were excessively chewy and flavoured without distinction.
Burrata M – The mozzarella’s voluptuousness was sculpted expertly by chilli and lime. Admirably dressed tomato and fig gave requisite vegetal freshness, and when it was all eaten in one forkfuls of composites, it gave me one more reason to respect the fine country of Italy.
Ambience – You get fantabulous views of the city of sails, enjoyed with a cool glass of fine white wine. Downtown high-rises give way to the gestalt of the harbour,the Auckland bridge, a sea-surrounded sprawling hill in the yonder and the one of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest marinas. Burnished shades of white and turquoise are shot through with rays of the post-meridian sun, and the coastal waters sport yatches and the scenic tracery of motorboats. But to get a perfect score, the restaurant’s interior decor should have been smarter. The circular restaurant rotates around its axis, thereby competing a 360 degree sweep of the city every 50 minutes and everytime the unenthralling suburbia came around,MoreI felt like tinkering with the rotator-motor and adjusting it to only do semi-rotations of the ocean-side “money shots”.

Mains -”Grilled market fish” was very likely produced at a time when the market was down. The fish taxed the teeth too much and the risotto did not pay dividends either. Peas, ginger and rock oyster creme did not significantly remunerate the sauced rice, and it only assumed a nominal savouriness when the the black circumference of squid ink was blended into it.
I’ve had the privilege of tasting salmon of finer flavour than the Akaroa harbour variety served here (the server had made prior enquiries whether it was acceptable to us if it was served medium rare) ,anyway,I gladly concede that it was splendidly soft -its texture was easily the one remarkable aspect of all the 3 mains at the table.
Whatever be its digestive function, the Rangitekei corn-fed Chicken was clearly uncomfortable at the height we were in, and I suspect it’d have taken a chef of higher caliber than this kitchen’s ,to accord it the required wings. It was probably scared stiff, which explains its semi-tough texture. The kumara, though again a earth-hugging specimen, was more confident – it was persuaded into becoming a serviceable galette.
Service – is average. That’s the potential disadvantage of having stunning views- the staff loaf off and let the vistas do all the work.
Dessert #1- Demonstrating use of local sustainable cuisine, a cloud from the nearby sky had been plucked,cut and compressed into discs,and these excellent white meringues sandwiched lemon curd which was exquisitely well-behaved in eschewing any excess sourness. It lent itself neatly to the chilled zip of the lime sorbet, but the earnestly striving passionfruit coulis should have been subtler.
Tarte Tatin – This upside-down pie had deliciously soft apple slices,moistened with shifting shades of sweetness.A touch of chantilly cream and cool dollops of vanilla ice-cream intensified the delight factor,while swirls of caramel sauce rounded out this winsome quartet.
Tariffs – Averages work out to NZ$ 22 for starters, $37 for mains, and $16 for dessert. We availed of the truly VFM “Express Menu” offer of $49 for an entree, main and a glass of the elegant house white, and ordered the desserts separately.
The main courses proved to be the tipping-point- unfortunately,the kitchen suffered a jet-pack failure in making them reach empyrean culinary heights, and inadequate service further undercut our pleasure. As Orbit turned again towards Downtown, there came into view a rare sight in a Western country -a cricket field. And I wondered in mock rhetoric- this joint has so much set up for it – then why doesn’t it hit most of its offerings out of the ballpark?

Great place if you want to try impress another girl. I come here a couple of times a year, and it’s awesome. Food is reasonably prices for a 4/5 star meal.

I have dined here with celebrities from overseas and my lady friends, and have never had a bad time here

Always book your seats 30 minutes away from sunset!

Service: 5/5
Wait time: 4/5
Environment: 6/5
Food Quality and taste: 4/5
Price range: $60+ pp

Visited Auckland last week. Had dinner here. The view and service are superb. The price is a bit expensive for the food. Anyway it is a good restaurant to go for first time visit to this city.

I quite liked the food and the service, but I think the price was too expensive for the overall meal…but I guess this restaurant is for special occasions… well worth the visit for those special dinners

Yes, Orbit may be a restaurant with a unique aspect – it is situated in Auckland’s tallest building and it revolves slowly around so diners can enjoy 360 views of the city… however that’s really the only thing that is remarkable about this establishment. Just because their restaurant revolves does not excuse bad service. We waited 40 minutes from arriving at our table to receiving our drinks (and Orbit was not busy). Entrees were served 15 minutes later. Thankfully all the entrees were very delicious; I had the Burrata Caprese which I definitely recommend. Our water glasses needed refilling and were unnoticed for quite some time until someone finally managed to get a hold of one of the waitstaff (who were hardly around and very unattentive…) only to have their own water glass filled. We were fairly stunned by that – about 15 minutes later she came back and filled the other glasses. Our mains were okay, some enjoyed theirs very much and others were a little disappointed. I had the Goats Cheese Souffle which was a miserable mix of temperatures and flavours. Desserts were delicious; the only exception there is that one of our friends had the selection of fresh icecreams and sorbets -fresh banana icecream and dark cherry sorbet, he was told initially. However feijoa sorbet arrived in place of the cherry without any notification. Orbit needs to improve their service, train their waitstaff to be friendly and attentive, make sure their meals arrive in a timely manner and get the standard for the food higher then maybe this restaurant would be able to deliver a culinary experience which enhances, rather than lets down, the amazing venue.

The views are awesome – make sure you pick a good day to go because that’s all you ll be happy about!
Sadly the food is shocking, and the prices are exorbitant for what you get!..
We booked a table of 12 for a Birthday celebration, the service was EXCELLENT! but sadly the quality and presentation of the food from the Kitchen was seriously lacking.
All I can say is go there for the view and the drinks because you will be disappointed with your food!. Here’s a brief rundown of what we ordered:
The salmon = rated excellent by all who ate it
The seafood platter = This was possibly the worst item ordered, it was dismal presentation, we got about 5 slices of pre-packed smoked salmon slices, a bit of lettuce, a few small mussels, we had to scratch for the Lychee’s, some fried potato slices, and a few slices of some other raw fish. This ONE plate cost $50.00!
The Corn fed chicken breast = Was dry and over cooked.
The Calamari starter = was terrible, I’ve actually had better calamari at Pub Grub spots than this, and they charged a whopping $21.00 for a small entree of it!

The bottom line is don’t go here and expect good quality food!…The chef needs to be fired!

We were lucky enough to have the mid christmas work function at Orbit and the food was excellent. The view is sublime especially as the sun is setting and the night comes alive. The work function had around 30 people it had been booked however we had to wait for a long time for drinks as well as the meals. the waiters and waitresses were very accommodating and very polite the food was excellent, the ability to perhaps cater to a large group may not of been so well organised on the Orbits side.

Amazing three course meal ‘great service and beautiful menu very reasonable price ‘ views were stunning highly recommend

I brought some family members who came from overseas up to Orbit to have lunch at 12pm on the 7th of August, the view was beautiful, the greeting as we arrived on the floor was warm and friendly and the food was great! Slightly on the salty side but it was fine, we finished everything. (3 points which deserved stars)

The waitress did not introduce her name, was impatient and had an attitude almost like we didn’t matter. I ordered “one of every main and one of every side”. We even let her put that food order in before coming back to order our drinks. Pretty hard to think it would screw up right? Wrong, she managed to forget a spaghetti. I asked her “I think we’re missing one”, she replies “1,2,3,4,5… oh the spaghetti” then goes off. No apologies, no nothing. She even managed to get her supervisor to serve the missing order to us. We weren’t even asked how our meal was. Nor were we offered to see the dessert menu or have any coffee or tea, hell, our empty plates were even half cleared. So we left, I came back and asked for the check her attitude was as if I was asking for spare change.
Everything was great, just not the service.

Been here 4 or 5 times now for dinner, we keep returning for the views as it really is one in a million. Each time we come the food is always great and service is always friendly, if there was one suggestion it’s be to update the menu more often! It’s only been updated once out of all the times I’ve been and i can’t wait to see what they come up with next

When I paid for my lunch today I was asked by the staff how was your lunch? My reply? The view was nice! This isn’t the first time I have been here and I have always been ambivalent about this place because sometimes the service was good and the food was nice, the next time I visited it was mediocre. So when Big little city had a promo today for a 39 dollar lunch I thought I would visit again. I rang the night before to ask what the promo is all about and had a good discussion with the staff (I know his name) that I can choose the chef menu (the one you see on the website) so booking was made for 1pm. I arrived an hour early and was accommodated so I was very happy (this is the second star am giving hence 2 star one for view n one for being accomodating). When we got to the top a lovely smiling lady greeted us and showed us to our table giving us each a menu albeit an empty book. When she realized the menu was not in the booklet she said ah that’s because the deal is a set menu hence we don’t have to see a menu! When I said I spoke to someone about it last night she then said she will check and came back with a generous offer of 2 choices only not the selection as promised. It appeared to me that the staff were never briefed about this deal and so we lump it and ordered. We had the pork belly and it was a belly full of fat and no crackling on top? What happened? My son got a kids menu and that was ok well the chips were nice but never got the ice cream. We never even got offered the option of having dessert. Did the staff think just because we were there for specials we can’t afford to pay for dessert? The deal was 39 dollars x 2 people and a kids menu was 23.50 so how come I
got charge 110.00? Ah who cares I can just say I paid for the view indeed.

high tea up high – the 3 of us had too much good food on offer, and too many good views spinning around – we left on a high! a very happy high

I went to orbit on Saturday 18th this month.
I was impressed with the service, our waiter always had a smile on his face, greeted us quickly and really made the night.
the scenery is obviously amazing! and worth the experience.

I really liked the entrees we got they looked amazing, and tasted wonderful. I was less than impressed with the mains, i had the eye fillet, sposed to be cooked medium rare, it came to me a little above medium. and the plate looked very bland. I was hoping for something a little more colourful and fancy, instead i got an over cooked piece of meat that i could get from a local restaurant at half the price..

All in all I was happy as marco (I think that was his name) was so good at his job I couldn’t complain!

I dined in orbit last night with a friend, the View was fantastic and others are right in saying that they no longer rely on just the view. The food was some of the best we’ve experienced. I had the lamb and my friend had the snapper dish. Both were spectacular! The only downfall in orbit was the service, the waiter for our table was quite pretentious and abrupt, not explaining the menu and talking down to us when we asked questions about the menu and asked about making a change to my main. He also disappeared for quite a period later in the evening and we were left with empty glasses and our empty plates. The other staff however were friendly and knowledgable. (hopefully our waiter was just having a bad day or it may have just been the different expectations of service between what is considered appropriate in France and here in NZ).
All in all though we had a wonderful evening and will definitely be coming back, such a place shouldn’t have it’s reputation tarred by one such experience. If you want the best view of auckland and superb NZ cuisine, orbit is your place!

A unique experience. The atmosphere and view are thrilling, the food was top-notch and our waiter was very helpful in matching our wine with our individual meals. I will be back.

On reading some of the reviews left on here we were a little hesitant on going but glad we did! Sure shows how different peoples opinions can be.
Dined last Saturday which turned to be a busy night there, we were asked to take a seat in the lounge as the table wasn’t quite ready and the drink list given promptly. Ordered a drink but before it arrived the table was set and the drinks taken their instead. We didn’t manage to get a window table but the view was just as great. Food was cooked perfectly and 3 courses for $69 was a great deal. They also had an offer of 2 glasses of wine with dinner for an extra $20 but we were making a night of it so went for the bottle. Staff were friendly and attentive but not to much in your face and looked as though they all enjoyed their work. Yeah they may have from time to time stopped and had a little laugh to themselves but nothing more than anywhere else we have dined. All in all an enjoyable night and we are sure to return.

$40 lunchh set menu was great, service to match and veiws to die for!! what a great place to dine. 9/10

Myself and my partner dined here last night for our two year anniversary. We had the 4 course option as it was a special occasion. $79 p/person was very reasonable. The food was delicious and there were no long waiting times. The view was obviously amazing! And our waiter Tony was extremly friendly, positive and enthusiastic. I would definently come back here for special occasions.

My partner and I dined at Orbit the night of Friday the 9 September and did not walk out very happy,

The food was lovely but the service was below average – compared to our previous experiences.

Firstly, dining in Orbit last night, felt like we were dining in Dennys where the waitress pretty much asked what we’d like to drink and did not explain anything properly i.e. We did not know whether or not we had to order my desert at the beginning or nearing the end.

Secondly, we saw a waiter scratch his behind and pull out a “wedge” – I don’t think you’re suppose to do that in an area where the customers can see this – its quite unhygienic.

Thirdly, having staff members yell across the room to communicate was a bit disturbing – we felt like we were in a fast food joint – my partner and I specifically dined at Orbit to avoid this as our experiences in the past have been to a high standard.

Fourthly, we probably would not have mentioned this if the service was of a higher standard but viewing PDA (public display of affection)between two staff members whilst you’re waiting for food is quite disturbing – We’ve never seen this occur between two staff members in ANY restaurant including McDonalds.

Fifthly, hearing a staff member saying the word “shit” to another staff member was appalling. If you’re going to use that language – use it quietly so customers don’t need to put up with it.

Sixthly, we overheard a staff member complaining that she was still waiting on one more table before she could finish her shift – I do not think we should have had heard that but it was quite hard for us to not hear it when she was only 2/3 feet away.

And lastly, being asked if I wanted coffee/tea OR my bill whilst my partner was still eating her desert was appalling – We’d never felt so rushed before and it was only 10:45ish (we were seated at 9.30).

I would not dine at the Orbit ever again! Service was appalling and staff very unfriendly and cold. As a freelance international journalist, the Orbit can be ranked as one of the worst venues to dine. Several grammatical and spelling errors on the menu and the reason given by the Maitre’D was that the printing was outsourced and the management was aware. Waiters seen chatting and joking while ignoring guests. Check out staff (Annie) unfriendly and arrogant. Just visiting for three weeks. NZ is a beautiful country,friendly people and stunning views but the Orbit may be the one place that needs a clean up especially with the World Cup around the corner.

We had brunch here on a Saturday and the service and views were excellent. I ordered the 3 course set menu, and to begin with was served with danish pastries, accompanied with fresh honey. The homemade muesli with yoghurt, honey and milk and was delicious. This was followed by the Smoked Salmon Florentine which had a lovely creamy hollandaise. The low point of the experience was the dessert. The pavlova lacked cream and was dry.. It was accompanied by mango sorbets, and a jelly but was uninspiring. Overall we had a lovely experience with great service and views..

First the positive. Eating at Orbit has outstanding views and a unique perspective of Auckland. But then so has breakfast on Korean Airways at 35,000ft.

Now for the issues:
1. Stupidly over priced. Does lighting the skytower really cost that much?
2. Dull eyed, disinterested staff. No love or enthusiasm.
3. Scallop starter bland and grey. $19 for complete garbage.
4. Pork belly tasting like it had been cooked by a street side pigeon broiler, with a crackling layer the consistency of pork pie jelly.
5. Sides:a bad joke.

Won’t be returning and will go out of my way to convince visitors and locals that this is 360 degree ‘rip off NZ’.

Will add to this review later because the memory of dining there makes me feel so nauseous.

Shame on you SkyCity.

The views were really great (obviously). The food was mediocre, and we had to send out calamari back as it was overcooked and chewy, they did comp us for it at the end of the meal after we complained a second time, but this was done under duress and we had to speak to a manager as we payed the bill.
I had the salmon (which was underseasoned but well cooked and lovely and moist) and my husband had the snapper which was acceptable.
We ordered a side of fries, which were obviously pre-frozen.
The Cherry Peanut parfait was lovely, but the apple rhubarb crumble was a bit too tart.
We have been to Orbit countless times, and we are always feel utterly let down by the food, and often let down by the service, but the views are lovely and I guess that is what you are paying the rather high prices for.

great view, and get to go up to the observatory floor, good value for money. Parking easy. Food alright, not the best. Really don’t like the toilet, makes me feel like I’m in a mall instead of a fine dining restaurant. Toilet need to be maintained more, always toilet paper on the ground and stuff. Make sure you book early, more than 1 week in advance to make sure you get a good seat and good time. Be careful where you leave your handbag if you are sitting near the window, it might revolve away. Very good service, I once asked them what is the diameter of the restaurant and they went onto google to find out for me.

Enjoyed eating here but took a long time for our food to come. Unsure if it was deliberately left to enjoy the view but was very hungry. Sad about the quantity and about having to leave after 2 hours considering our food was brought to us after 90 minutes so we had 30 minutes to eat. It’s ok but its sort of a gimmic to come. Wouldn’t regulary eat here though but it’s still good. Bit out of my price range

I recently went to Orbit for their High Tea to celebrate my daughters birthday. The food was outstanding and we thought represented good value for money. The service was excellent – very professional. I have also been for dinner on two occasions and again found the food to be outstanding and service of the highest degree. The Sky Tower experience is a bonus but would still go regardless.

Has visited this place a few times and although food is nothing to rave about,view is amazing.Came for an impromptu lunch and although we didn’t have a booking we were accommodated as it was a very quiet midweek lunch.Unfortunately the clerk said we have to have minimum spend of $25 and I found that offensive and insulting.Two people having lunch of course it will be more than $25 right?What was he thinking?we were sharing our coffee??I think staff should realize that people who would dare to eat at this places expect to pay a bit more.

Last Friday I went to Orbit with a group of 5 and the food was fantastic. I ordered the steak with hollandaise sauce and it was cooked perfectly for what I had asked. I loved the sauce so much I was almost licking the bowl. It was amazing to see Auckland up there too… such an amazing city we live in. We managed to fit in a whole rotation and a few ‘virgin sunsets’ too. Overall a great time and will be going again soon when my overseas guests arrive!

I and 5 friends went to Orbit few months ago and everyone was impressed. The food and the atmosphere were fantastic. Their waiters and waitresses were also well trained to look after customers.

Pricey, yes, but what else would you expect from the most prominent landmark in Auckland? Views, obviously insane! The food was incredible. Beautiful to look at, and even scrummier to munch on. Our party of ten were all thoroughly satisfied. Dishes were surprisingly filling, though you feel like they are small when they set them out in front of you. The bill was astronomical but if fantastic food, views and a great night out is what you are after, orbit totally has it in the bag.

Lovely food, very helpful staff and a beautiful scenery.

Very nice restaurant, great location and views, good service and good food. Not bad value for money all things considered.

Went last night as a suprise.
And it was Fantastic.
I had the rare beef carpacio and my partner had the eye fillet.
Sides were generous.
Great service.
High quality food.
ery impressed.

The first time I came to Orbit was for my daughters 13th birthday in 2003 – the staff were great and the chef was very accomodating with the kids meal choices!! My company (Lahood Window Furnishings) came a few weeks ago for our conference dinner. It was a set 3 course meal with coffee and handmade chocolates to finish. The meal and service was outstanding – the courses were generous and absolutely delicious. There were 20 of us and no one had any complaints – everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals. When a friend (Trish Bosley) said she had booked for the 1st August for her birthday I was delighted to again be coming back for more!!

Dined here with Boyfriend for a special dinner. Booked a table for 9.30pm – thinking maybe we wouldn’t have to hurry so and be ushered out before the next seating. This was a mistake as waiting staff were very eager to get rid of us at the end of the meal. We arrived in time but had to wait 25 minutes to be seated. We were seated on the outside ring which was great.
The menu was rather limited especially for a vegetarian. They had only one main that did not contain meat. The dish was ok. It had a fancy name but essentially consisted of tomato and capsicum. It tasted nice – almost a little home cooked. Unfortunately home cooked was not what I expected – and paid for – from Orbit. A rather uninspired dish! Boyfriends pork dish looked – and he said was – delicious. For desert I had the jasmine tea sorbet in ‘berry soup’. Tasted very unpleasant! Boyfriend went as far as describing it as tasting like cough syrup! His desert was a sort of cheesecake with figs. The figs had a strange aftertaste. He found it was ‘ok’. Nothing more. Their desert menu seems almost a little try hard. They seem to have the view that the more unusual the ingredients and flavors, the better. Which I defiantly disagree with. Most of the deserts were very unusual – and not in a good way.
The service was all right. No hiccups but also nothing to rave about. I think the waitress smiled about twice the whole time we were there – but not once at us. She didn’t look at you when communication and seemed to want to be anywhere but here. This is fine – who likes work – but do Not show this to your customers!! Customers are paying for an experience – this includes the service.
The environment was great. Where else in Auckland can you have such fantastic views while dining!? (Maybe this is where the problem lies: They need competition!!!) The views were amazing and left a lasting impression. But we won’t be back unless we hear that the menu haMores changed and the staff area bit more up to it.

Well this one is a crowd pleaser. From uncle bill who complains that there is never enough food on his plate, to those who just like something a bit flash. Agreed its a little expensive. But at least you wont be let down on taste, quality, and presentation.

I’d also recommend going to the Orbit in the middle summer so you can have dinner during dusk and watch the city turn to night. It’s just an awesome experience. I’ve only been there once so can’t really comment on food, but expect it to be a little pricey.

Have visited the orbit several times over the last 4 years and have always had good meals there. Basically if you are visiting this restaurant you are going for the view which are amazing, great place to take guests from abroad (especially if they are planning on going up the tower anyway as you get to go up free if you are dining). The staff can be a bit off hand, and will try to sell you anything extra they can, but the food is good quality and the children’s meals are also available. Tip get there before dark and see the city change from day to night as you go round.