Fantastic service and devine meal bursting with flavours I had never experienced before. Lovely intimate setting (indoors and outdoors) perfect for romantic night out or small groups 4 – 6 max. Very attentive service and great atmosphere – will certainly be back again!

Very, very, very expensive. Small quantities of food. No sides. You have to buy that on top of the ridiculous expensive food. The steak is good not spectacular. No children menu. Not worth it for the amount of money you have to pay for the bit you get. Chocolate brownie for desert not recommended at all.

Absolutely brilliant! We went for our birthday dinner not knowing that it was fine dining with my toddler and received a warm welcome, friendly service and DEVINE food! Will be back and better dressed

TOP NOTCH! Me and my partner dined here a few months back now, excellent food, funny and friendly service! Atmosphere is cosy and romantic. But you do pay the price

Had dinner last night at Totara and had a wonderful time. The food was excellent and I especially enjoyed the John Dory with smoked fish dumplings, yum. The others in our party also raved about their meals. The service was friendly and attentive and the restaurant was full with other happy and chatty diners. We would definitely recommend this restaurant and will be going again when the budget allows.

My wife and I, plus a group of friends had dinner at Totara restaurant last Friday evening. What a great night we had. The staff in the restaurant was very friendly and efficient. We all relaxed from the moment we arrived which is very important to me when dining out.

Besides the good service, the food was the highlight of the evening. Within the group we pretty much covered most of the dishes on the menu and everyone around the table was more than impressed.

Great all round performance! Recommended and a must for all food lovers!

We enjoyed a lovely dinner with friends. Friendly hosts, great service, cosy surroundings (perhaps the heaters could be set slightly cooler or perhaps it was the wine?), and fantastic food. No wonder the chef wins the awards year after year. We had the whole shebang – starters, mains and desserts. Awesome flavours, great presentation and generous portions. We’ll be back.

Totara’s food is great. Service is good. The decor is boring and the ambience was not happening. I dont mind noise and buz, in fact I like it when I go out to eat… so to be fair the food is 5/5. Peter Jackson is a very good Chef, it is the ambience and decor that drags the score down with 3/5… I would eat there again just for the food but I found it a bit pricey especially when compared to other places with better ambience.

We went to this restaurant around August-September 2010 and found it very busy – so obviously popular.
The food was great. The wait staff friendly. I did feel like i was in a restaurant that my mum would like (we are in our early 30s).
Because the restaurant is so small it was very noisy when there were large groups.
Service was a bit slow in regards to removing dirty dishes from the table.
I may return for a lunch sometime but probably not a romantic dinner with hubby as it was too noisy and too closely spaced tables.

A spur of the moment dining decision, we were attracted to the balcony dining in the garden.
We were treated to spectacular flavour combinations from an award winning chef (we were to discover)
Friendly, attentive service from the owners helped make this our pick of North Shore’s ‘top-end’ restaurants.

We had a corporate meal at Totara Restaurant on Friday, December 17 2010.
What a disappointment!!! First of all, we were all cramped inside the restaurant because of the rain. The plan was to sit outside. Inside the noise was unbearable, hence made any type of conversation virtually impossible.
The “breads and dips” for the starter were very plain with the “dips” being 2 miniature containers of pesto and chili sauce…that’s it… very poor.
The first course didn’t get any better… I got the pasta dish that was 3 x cappelletti, just about enough to recognise the flavour, that was acceptable. My fellow dinners didn’t do much better, the liver pate and the samosa plate looked very poor.
The main course (fish of the day) was so small and so dry that I immediately regretted not odering the lamb which looked much better.
The dessert was the only plate that I enjoyed (tiramisu) this was very nice.
The service…well, lets describe it like this, we arrived at 1.30pm and left at 4.30pm without finishing my meal… I don’t expect ever to go back there.

Simply amazing!
Delicious food, and, more importantly, great, professional service (a rarity in NZ). One of the best restaurants I have ever been to.

My husband and I have been going to Totara restaurant for the last 5 years and have always found the food exquisite and the service outstanding. Probably the best and most consistent restaurant in Auckland.

Well worth the price for a special night out. Food was fantastic and service very good.

My experience of this restaurant was disappointing. The service was delivered in an arrogant manner and the food that I had heard so many good things fell completely flat and uninspiring. Thankfully there are better restaurants on the North Shore.

This is one of the loveliest restaurants I have been to on the Shore. It has a serene ambience, surrounded by garden, excellent personal attention, small but not crowded, and top-notch food. It’s a a place to go as a special treat- a bit pricey, but worth it.

I would a hundred percent say that this is the best restaurant I have been to. My husband took me there on our first date and the night he proposed. The food is outstanding, the service is lovely and if you are looking for a small restaurant with a personal touch and welcoming feel this is the place to go. We go on special occassions such as anniversaries or valentines night.

My husband and I went there for our Anniversary. All I can say is Magnifico! We will definitely go back. It’s not that easy to get great food and service in one place.

tried Totara for the first time last week, was fantastic, and the chunky man was very nice! the food was very very good and the atmosphere was cosy and warm. we will be going back, best dinner I have had for ages.

exquisite food, warm cosy atmosphere, and great hosts. this is by far my favorite restaurant at the moment!!