Ponsonby Road Bistro

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Address

165 Ponsonby Rd
Ponsonby
Auckland
Region: Auckland
Licence: Fully Licensed
Cuisine: Unknown
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Contact

Phone: 09-360 1611

Open

Dinner: Mon - Sat

Overall DineOut Score based on 9 reviews

Total		8.3
Food		8.3
Dessert		8.2
Presentation		7.7
Service		8.6
Environment		8.8
Toilets		7.0
Child Friendly	Yes

Review by: frankie (16) on 12th May 2010

Total		8.8
Food		9
Dessert		N/A
Presentation		8
Service		9
Environment		9
Toilets		8

Fantastic chicken liver pate followed by sardines for a main at the bar with a delicious bottle of Basa Verdejo. Loved the Waiheke oysters to start (te makatu?). The service was superb, very attentive waiter and bartender who were clearly knowledgable and well versed in both menu and wine list. Atmosphere great, we hadn't booked, thus the bar seats but felt welcome and comfortable. A great Ponsonby local with style and charm.

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Review by: LunchGirl (53) on 5th May 2010

Total		8.7
Food		9
Dessert		N/A
Presentation		8
Service		8
Environment		10
Toilets		8

A group of us dined here for lunch today and we had a really delightful time. The menu was excellent - most of us had trouble deciding on just one dish! But, after we'd managed to do that, each of our meals were absolutely delicious.
Our waitress was fantastic and we all said she made the specials sound amazing.
The dining room itself is beautifully decorated and very comfortable. It was also fun people watching from our view onto Ponsonby Road.
Every one of the seven ladies at the table was impressed (none of us had been there before) - but we all agreed we'll be back!

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Review by: ccha243 (17) on 10th February 2010

Total		5.9
Food		5
Dessert		6
Presentation		7
Service		6
Environment		8
Toilets		5
Child Friendly	Yes

After seeing for the great reviews here I kinda had a high expectation for the place, and unfortunately it did not meet my expectations. Nice seating and decor, very comfortable for a group outing.
Service was OK, we had to ask for our menus, ask for today's specials, ask to get our orders, ask for dessert, ask for our bill. Although we did get our glasses filled up regularly.
Food was nicely presented, in petite portions suitable for the ladies. The salmon croquette salad was beautiful, but a bit lacking in flavour and seasoning. The market fish was a thin slice of fillet a bit too hard/overcooked. My favourite was their thick chips which were perfectly done and piping hot.
Dessert I thought was overpriced at $14, very small portions. My chocolate pudding was maybe the size of half a muffin break muffin. A guy would need to order a 5 course dinner to feel satisfied.

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Review by: QJS (1) on 9th December 2009

Total		8.6
Food		9
Dessert		8
Presentation		7
Service		10
Environment		8
Toilets		N/A
Child Friendly	Yes

I went to Ponsonby Road Bistro a few months ago on a Monday night with a friend. We got there early at 6ish and not many people were there yet. The waitress greeted us warmly and after setting the table for us, was more than happy to provide us another table further back after my friend said she was feeling cold by the window.
The waitress was also quick to let us know that the bottle of Pinot Noir we had ordered was out of stock, and recommended us another bottle that is 06 Surveyor Thomson which was excellent!! My friend and I took a while to finish our starter since we were talking so much, but the winter waited keeping an eye while filling up our wine occasionally - not overdoing it.
My market fish dish was really refreshing in a sauce I hadn't quite tasted before. My friend's lamb was also great! Both are in very good portion AND very reasonably priced. By the time it hits 7:30 the place started to fill up and the atmosphere was nice, not too noisy but feels warm and cozy - though the tables on either side were quite closely located. The dessert I ordered was chocolate fondant and was nicely done.
This is definitely a nice neighbourhood restaurant. Would highly recommend to everyone who wants a low key dining place. Plus it's right outside a bus stop for those who've had one too many drink.

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Review by: Easy-peasy (6) on 23rd November 2009

Total		9.1
Food		9
Dessert		9
Presentation		9
Service		9
Environment		10
Toilets		8
Child Friendly	Kind of

I've been to PRB four times now, and every time leave feeling pleased with the experience and like I've indulged myself. Their wine list shows good variety, nice viogniers and pinot blancs to go with their food.
I LOVE the display of wine bottles with the prices along one wall, plus the big black boards with specials and cheese boards etc. it really adds to the sophisticated yet casual chic style of the place. Plus the hand written menus are gorgeous.
The staff are very professional and knowledgeable. They are good at reading what every customer wants and then making recommendations. I went one Saturday night with 3 friends, and the waiter did an exceptional job of catering to 2 of us wanting pizza, 1 wanting a dessert and me wanting a wine (liquid diet!) all at the same time.
My favourite experience was for my Birthday lunch a few weeks ago with 2 friends. We got treated like we were VIP and were given time to have a goss rather than being rushed to order. The asparagus, pomegranate, hazlenut and feta creation as a main was simply divine!
Being a young one with a student loan to pay off, I will save PRB as a more 'special' place to dine, but in saying that, all aspects of the menus are well priced. But it's all so good you want to have everything from entrees to dessert! Better start saving for my next visit.

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Review by: frankie (16) on 16th November 2009

Total		8.5
Food		9
Dessert		N/A
Presentation		8
Service		8
Environment		9
Toilets		6
Child Friendly	Not at all

Ate here a few times over winter and had some excellent rustic italian style dishes, always some interesting wines available - things like vouvray and pinot blanc. Chef is ex-Rocco so food is consistently good. Last week we went for a late-ish supper and had an excellent salt cod soup with parsley oil - wow!, charcuterie plate with great terrine and lamb cutlets. Toilets are a bit dark but the dining room has a great feel and the staff are professional but relaxed.

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Review by: gianouts (60) on 20th October 2009

Total		9.0
Food		9
Dessert		9
Presentation		9
Service		9
Environment		9
Toilets		N/A

We decided on the spur of the moment to go out for dinner tonight and decided to give the Ponsonby Road Bistro a go, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The restaurant had a relaxed but professional ambience and was remarkably busy for a Tuesday night. The menu was not large, but the variety of wines by the glass was extensive and quite different from the norm.
We started with the Oysters and the Soup of the Day. The Oysters were beautifully presented on a bed of Seaweed with both lemon and vinegar. The Soup was unfortunately a bit salty and lacking in flavour.
For mains I had a magnificent Fish of the Day dish which consisted of Gurnard on Indian spiced lentils with cress (I think), which I would very happily order again. Jane had a Charcuterie plate which had home smoked ham, chicken liver parfait, pickles, fig compote, terrine, salamis and was accompanied by a nice fresh bread.
We finished with some lovely desserts. I had a Chocolate "Eton Mess" with Chocolate Mousse, Valrhona Chocolate and Dark Cherries. Jane had an excellent Sauternes Custard with runny Caramel which she thoroughly enjoyed.
We will happily return.

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Review by: pumpkin (1) on 13th August 2009

Total		9.2
Food		9
Dessert		10
Presentation		8
Service		10
Environment		9
Toilets		7
Child Friendly	Yes

I have eaten at this place many many times since the name change from Magnum. The hand written menu seems to change every two to three weeks. It's great for a business lunch as you can actually hear what your guests are saying. In the evening it has a very sophisticated NY/London/Melbourne vibe. The prices for wines are good and the service always spot on! Well done PBR !

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Review by: Heather_SF (19) on 2nd June 2009

Total		6.9
Food		7
Dessert		7
Presentation		5
Service		8
Environment		7
Toilets		N/A
Child Friendly	Not at all

Went here for a business meeting on a Tuesday night. Not too loud so easy to converse among 4 people. Had a drink at the bar before all of our party was present. Nice wine list. Variety of wines at a variety of prices.
As a starter our table split the oysters which were pretty good. I'm not a huge oyster fan but thought it might be nice with the sparkling wine that we were sharing. For dinner the table order the pork belly mains as well as the market fish (mahi mahi) special and the beef. Hadn't noticed the beef on the menu but it looked really really good. The pork belly was good but not a large enough portion for my taste. Came with chili beans and some sort of yummy salsa. Overall the dish was still good and came recommended by our waiter. Tasted the mahi mahi and it was quite good as well. With our mains we had a side dish of the "stir-fried green in ginger butter". There was nothing spectacular about the broccoli with greens. It was good but not memorable.
For dessert we also shared one of their cheese platters (the brie). I love cheese so I was happy.
The costs for the mains were reasonable $23-30+ but the desserts were expensive $14. Overall though, the service was very good and the ambiance was lovely. I would come back. Great little neighborhood restaurant.

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