cibo

came here for my graduation lunch and couldn’t have been looked after any better!!! we had a beautiful table, the service was impeccable and the staff were so accommodating and really went the extra mile to make my day special! we did the 3 course expressmenuand the food was just top notch especially the whitebait omelette, the hapuka and the eton mess for dessert! they even wrote congratulations on my dessert plate which was nice! definitely will be back and couldn’t recommend more highly to anyone!

service was great food was tasty this is a place in auckland that again is very good and unsung. definitely recommend. they change theirmenuregularly enough for it not to get boring unlike other "big name" restaurants

my boyfriend took me here for valentines day set menu. it was a surprise and i haven't been here before.
i must say the setmenuwas really good, the paired wine with the dishes was also very smooth. for fine dining, we ended up feeling very full after an entry, 3 dishes and dessert. that was a good surprise.

however, because it was valentines day and super busy, we had a table by the walking path of the waiters. the waiters were very hyper and loud last night, meaning it was difficult to have an intimate conversation with some one suddenly yelling out something. also they were so hyper and walked so briskly, they kept bumping into our table as we sat beside the walking path. maybe being valentines day, just being busy. would have preferred a quieter and more intimate environment for valentines day.

this is a must try in the deeper parts of parnell! tucked away, this place offers great food, great service, and an overall great experience.

we recently ventured here and were blown away with the overall quality here. the inside is unique and comfortable. it also boasts a large outdoor seating area which is well suited to bigger groups, and the sound proofing is excellent as guests on the inside of the restaurant won't hear a thing of what is happening outside.

the service is excellent, all of the staff are super friendly and there is a certain flair to the way they all operate. they all know the menus really well and are able to assist with most questions you may have. the food comes out really fast, which is also a plus! overall the service here is pretty much faultless.

cibo has a fantasticmenuthat caters for most. all of the dishes sound delicious and the most difficult decision you will make is having to only settle on one thing. i got the whitebait and lamb with scallops. these were all beautifully cooked and were simply delicious. my partner got the co2 battered fish which was declared as some the best they had had. the real feature here however, is the extensive pavlova list jumping out from the dessert menu. there is a plethora of pavlovas to try and they aren't small! if you come you definitely have to try one (maybe two). the prices are also very reasonable considering the portion sizes.

overall this is a must try in parnell, it can't be recommended enough. definitely get there soon.

i came to cibo for my 19th birthday dinner with my friends. at first, there was some communication error such as when they called to confirm my reservation, they said 6:30 pm as opposed to 6:00 pm but that was quickly fixed. i arrived around 6:00 pm and they were still setting up the table. the service from the manager was great! he was super friendly and made sure our night was smooth.

we all got different dishes and it was good because we weren't required to order from a set menu. what i like about cibo is the entrees can be made into a main, making themenumore extensive and unique. themenumakes it seem like they throw random ingredients into a combination you've never heard or thought of but it is super delicious. i got the lamb/sticky rib/mint/black garlic/pistachio dish, most of my friends got the wagyu beef, while a few got the fish and chips, hapuka and bali duck. we also got two orders of fries and kumara with duck fat on the side to share, between the 11 of us.

my lamb was good. my favourite was the rib since it was super juicy and flavourful from the fat and i'd be super satisfied if i just got the ribs. the lamb meat itself was alright, it was a bit underseasoned in my opinion (lacked a bit of salt, which they do give you on the table) but matched well with the different sauces on the plate. it was cooked medium rare as well. what i thought was unique was the oats on the plate, that added a nice crunch to the meat and went surprisingly well with it! i really like cibo'smenusince it's quite adventurous. the fries were also a favourite from most of the people on the table, as it was cooked well (vadouvan mayo went super well with the fries) and it was also seasoned well. the duck fat kumara was pretty average in my opinion, still tasty, however. if you do not like your wagyu beef to be cooked medium rare/rare, you must inform them as they do not ask how you'd like your beef to be cooked!

there are no cake fees if you're bringing your own cake, they even put some cream on the side for you as well! totally appreciated that!

i'd love to come back to cibo to try their other dishes as i believe their combinations are super unique and worth a shot.

cibo has become a family favourite because the food is great and the service is even better. the staff make you feel like an old friend coming over for dinner but aren’t overly intrusive. can vouch for everything on theirmenu(except the venison tartare because that shit is nasty fullstop). everything the chefs touch is magic. the dining experience here is worth every cent (and it ends up being a lot of cents so make it worth it and gram the whole thing so everyone knows you’re cultured because you eat crab at cibo)

my husband and i had dinner at this romantic restaurant. i’m glad he chose this place coz it was perfect for the occasion. the staff immediately greeted and welcomed us when we arrived. the table that was given to us was peaceful and sort of we have our own area. i must say that the service was excellent! and not to mention, the food was absolutely delightful. i enjoyed every bite. we had the duck parfait for appetiser and the specialmenufor that night, which was whitebait dish. for mains, we had rib-eye and duck pastilla. the combination of the ingredients was all perfect. we devoured the food in seconds. the turkish pavlova was so yummy as well. overall we had a wonderful evening at cibo. excellent sevice and delicious food!

cibo is the 1st restaurant i dined at on my first trip to new zealand -- 20 years ago. i had a great meal then and a similarly tasty meal on my most recent visit. cibo a ten dollar taxi ride from the cbd but easy to get to over on georges bay road.

first, i was pleased to see so many pescatarian options on theirmenusince i now eat lower on the food chain -- i only eat seafood and vegetarian.

however mains have crept up over the $40nz per plate and some of our mains were tidily tiny. so, it's not the kind of place where you go hungrily for for a big hearty meal.

our entrees were beautifully prepared and my co2 infused battered fish was most yum. fries pretty traditional parisian bistro frites -- similar to "golden arches" fries.

finally, my cherry and mandarin sorbet with dried fruit of each was a great finish.

a restaurant situated within an old chocolate factory certainly piqued our interest and we made a booking immediately. even better is the fact it is just at the bottom of our road!

two words that immediately sprung to mind upon entering cibo were decadent and atmospheric. moody lighting and elegant interiors combined with quirky notes here and there certainly set the scene for a very ambient evening.

to begin, we started with ora king salmon, smoked custard, artichoke and sea vegetables. the salmon was silky smooth and perfectly cooked and the custard provided a smoky flavour which really complemented the fish.

the duck liver parfait, spiced plum puree, raisin jelly and croutons was by far the best parfait we have tasted in all of the restaurants we have been to in new zealand so far!

there are many discussions surrounding where to get the best pork belly in auckland and this entree has got to be included in those discussions! the free range pork belly, pork doughnut, mandarin gel, pumpkin and pot sticker gnocchi was divine. the pork belly was crispy without being dry and the little pork doughnut was delicious!

cibo also offer diners the option to have any entree as a main course size and we’d definitely consider this for the pork belly dish next time!

for main course we opted for the seared wagyu hangar, watercress puree, heirloom carrots, short rib and marrow croquette. cooked to a perfect medium rare the steak was juicy and moist and the little marrow croquette added an element of texture to the dish.

next up was the hawkes bay lamb, shank pastilla, coco bean, charred onion and mint yoghurt. the lamb was also nice and pink and the mint yoghurt provided a lovely refreshing component.

the smoked duck breast, compressed duck, masala chickpeas, pressed pear and cauliflower was succulent and moist with the smokiness coming through ever so subtly. the pear counteracted the richness of the meat.

the only thing we weren’t 100% keen on were the kumara wedges. they were a little dry.

we were way too full for dessert but after perusing the dessertmenuwe know we have to come back! the staff were kind enough to give us a complementary little bite size treat each.

special mention must go to the wait staff. they were exceptional and this was some of the best service we have had in any restaurant anywhere.

for a special occasion or to treat yourself we wholeheartedly recommend cibo.

went here for my birthday based on word of mouth and had an amazing time! service was absolutely outstanding, atmosphere was great. the food was just devine however not entirely memorable - wish there was a bit more imagination to themenuto go along with the great execution. made the most of the night and it was an expensive evening but i'm still looking forward to finding another special occasion to go back.

had a very pleasant visit to cibo's on the weekend. definitely tucked away in parnell off the beaten track, but don't let that put you off for a minute - just means parking is easier. 

firstly, the food.... we ordered the sashimi, wagyu carpaccio, tuna, duck, and finished with a cheese plate. these were all very nicely prepared and presented, the servings were surprisingly generous. the duck was a little dry, but only a little.  the carpaccio was cut a bit thick for my liking, but it was a beautiful slice with some fantastic flavours on the side.  overall, the food experience was very enjoyable and felt satisfied with pricing. 

i did find it rather disappointing that we were given disposable, nasty little chopsticks (think cheap takeaway style) though for the sashimi. likewise, an odd thing to be given two dinner knives to cut our selection of cheese with. 

the lighting was a very nice touch, soft white natural lighting, with a darkened bar area with a loungy feel. the layout was certainly not crowded and you had the choice of outside or inside. 

as with all of my reviews, i place a high weighting on service quality and friendliness. i have to say this exceeded my expectations. our server was very knowledgeable about themenuand the wine list, he was attentive but not overly so - nice to have good humour too. from my observations, the other staff seemed all much the same way. this was evident even from my email communications to arrange the reservation.

all up, expect to pay a minimum of $150 ish per head for dinner and a few drinks. themenuhas enough for everyone and the quality left me very satisfied. the service is something more auckland restaurants should aspire to.

phenomenal. it's been a while since i was last here, and i think i had discounted cibo somewhat due to its isolated location within parnell, however am happy to be proved completely wrong. once you work your way to the entrance, you are greeted by friendly staff, shown to the bar and are able to admire the beautifully furnished interior, and what to me was a surprisingly busy restaurant. there are options for indoor or outdoor (with gas heating) seating and we chose outside. 

everything on themenusounded divine, so was a complete nightmare for an unqualified amateur diner like myself trying to choose something to eat. however ended up with the crispy fried whitebait, followed by ash dusted venison, then a pineapple dessert. the best combination of the evening actually... the whitebait was so gloriously tangy and tasty it could easily have been one of the best seafood dishes i have ever eaten. the venison was incredibly tender and whilst i don't normally order pineapple, the dessert was world class, with a chewy dried pineapple accompaniment that truly delivered.  

certainly cibo goes out of its way to make the dining experience completely memorably, with relaxing environs, a professional team and food that has been well thought out and perfectly put together. whilst you do pay more for this quality, the mouthgasms that you have from these flavour sensations will more than compensate :-)

had heard really great things about cibo from former workmates + review sites. we had a budget of $250 to spend (special occasion) and decided to go hard and pick lots of entrees to share and supplement this with drinks & dessert. there was no mention of anything non-alcoholic on the drinksmenuwhich annoyed me right from the start (apparently you have to ask very specifically and get told about the few mocktails that can be made). all the dishes were overly salty – no joke, they had to take back the whitebait special and make us a fresh dish with less salt. very disappointing. incidentally, with the whitebait, they even got our order wrong so gave us a smaller dish of the wrong order to "appease" us while we waited for the right one to arrive. pork belly, duck liver parfait and dessert (their signature "glass of chocolate milk") were probably the only things that salvaged the whole experience. will definitely not be going back.

visited for a friday lunch in january so relatively quiet. service was very friendly and pleasant with goodmenuand wine matching advice. i went out on a limb and ordered the veal tartare. although the individual elements of the dish were ok they did not blend, which for a $45 main is not good. this was my second visit in recent years and the first was a similar experience. overall a disappointing experience. great company though!

i don't come to cibo often but i do come regularly: we have been coming here for our work christmas dinner for the past few years. yes, we are lucky to come to cibo for our work do but we're a very small business with only a handful of staff so it's not as expensive as it sounds. every year the boss feels like he has to organise some sort of christmas outing with activities but every year the staff say no, we're more than happy to go to cibo. this is where you come if you want service that is smooth, professional but oh-so warm and humourous and never intimidating. this is also where you come for food that is complicated and exciting but again, not intimidating.
themenuis large which can make choosing very time-consuming but always evokes loads of discussion and mind-changing when you hear what someone else is thinking of ordering. this is also not just among foodies who are into fine-dining; work colleagues in their early 20s and a bit naive about food love the cibomenuas well. the entrees can also be served as mains so that adds to the choice.

everyone raved about their meals so i won't go into specifics there. i'll just say that for my entree i had the meat and bone - sesame beef short rib, bone marrow, crispy wagyu beef tongue, radish pear kimchi, chlorophyll emulsion; my main was the mahy farms veal tuna tartare, sauteed veal sweetbread, egg yolk puree, pea salad, serrano ham, mint gel; to finish i had the lemon posset and baklava. i always have an entree and main when eating out and never have much room for dessert so i loved the 'treats' section of themenuwhich had small sweet things on it which were the perfect size for me. it was a tough battle for my tummy when i saw the amazing cheesemenuthough - each cheese came with its own accompaniment, which makes you appreciate the care they put into their dishes.

two more things i like about cibo 1) loads of free street parking close by in the evening, 2) if a nearby staff member sees you heading for the loo, they'll go and open the door for you. cool.