cotto

the wife picked the venue for her birthday dinner, as they have just won best new restaurant on metro.

we got there at 7 pm, and was put onto a wait list with a 45 minute approximate wait.

we weren't informed that there was a balcony waiting area that we could order drinks at, so we were waiting outside the restaurant for 20 minutes in the cold until i was informed by the manager that there was a waiting area/bar that was warmer.

got seated at 8:15 pm, which wasn't too long but with better communication the wait could've been a more positive one.

the food was great, but somewhat short of exceptional. the chickpea chips were a good start, the beef cheek rotolo was underseasoned but still quite delicious, and the duck ravioli was beautifully cooked, paired with a to-die-for jerusalem artichoke puree. i have to say, thelambribs were stellar!! melt in your mouth goodness, paired with a tangy balsamic sauce that cuts through the fattiness of the ribs.

however, the plates keep getting taken away a tad too quickly, and with pasta dishes, we didn't have time to even soak up the sauces, which was a bit of a let down.

the burnt orange pannacotta and the chocolate nemesis was a great way to end the night.

overall, cotto's food is the main star of the event, but the service could be improved with better communication. however, cotto is destined to be one the best eateries on k road, and i am already looking forward to my next dining experience there.

finally managed to get a seat at this busy restaurant for the first time. after seeing this name pop up as one of the best italian restaurant in auckland, i had to try it. overall dinner was average. portion sizes aside, while i really appriciate freshly made pasta after having lived in europe and mingoed enough, i felt like it lacked the moreish, memoriable flavour. thelambshoulder ragu was the closest things to having flavour than the other mild and creamy dishes we had, cauliflower risotto, and gnocchi. gnocchi well made tho, but sauce again, lacking flavour.

great place, cheap as chips especially for the quality of the food. thelambribs andlambpasta are a must!

i came to cotto on a monday evening with my friends, arriving around 5:45 pm. the menu was set out nicely to show what dishes you can get for certain prices. three of us, including me got the rabbit risotto, two of my friends got thelambribs and my other friend got the maltagliatilambshoulder ragu.

the service was alright but the food came out relatively slow. we were informed that food comes out as they are ready so two of my friends got thelambribs first and then us four got our bigger mains later on. thelambribs were plated weirdly because instead of putting it in two plates (as we ordered twolambribs), they combined it into one plate.

when the larger mains arrived, i was really excited to dig into my dish. the first bite was great but then it started to taste not as exciting. i think my expectation for the rabbit risotto was too high. the rabbit was tender but i expected the meat to be mixed into the risotto to add more meaty flavour to the rice. the risotto itself was too minty in my opinion, to the point where it was so overpowering. the menu stated they put lemon in the dish but i couldn't even taste the citrusy flavour, all i could taste was the mint leaves. if you really like mint, you would love this dish but it's just not for me. my friend however really enjoyed herlambragu pasta and highly recommends it!

i think i would be back to cotto but only to try other dishes.

food: delicious and fresh, pasta made on the day. reasonably priced and great how it can be shared.lambribs are always a favourite falling off the bone. the ragu pasta is always amazing.
ambience: wonderful moody scene, it’s always very very busy here you can get a table if you are in early like 5:30 but usually it can be an hour or > wait at peak times. it would be good if you could reserve tables. outside on the balcony the view is great, just not so great when people are smoking outside and it’s blowing in your face...ew

creative modern food, great for cheese lovers. wines are fantastic. great for sharing. the highlight was thelambribs and pork shoulder for me. the only callout is to try and order a slightly more balanced meal for your table. we ordered too many heavy cheese based dishes and got really stuffed quite quickly. otherwise would have been perfect.

ordered thelambribs, chickpea chips and rottolo pork shoulder. all were delicious. service was friendly and attentive and overall, a lovely experience.

if you come here get the gnocchi,lambribs and chocolate nemesis!!
there’s nothing to fault about any of these other than the fact that you want to eat everything to yourself haha
the dim lit cozy restaurant has great ambience and the only thing you have to do is wait a little cause they can get really busy especially on a friday/saturday. so be prepared to wait but you can always pop into one of the cool bars along kroad while you wait:)

after long anticipation, me and my mate finally manage to find time to check out this restaurant. we arrrived at 6pm without booking, and was pleased to find a seat without any waiting.
now about the foods. as many before has pointed out, thelambrib are indeed phenomenal, the only id wish for is more honey balsamic. we tried the beef shin maltagliati and gnocchi. the maltagliati were cooked to perfection. the gnocchi were great, rich and creamy, definitely a great choice for vegetarian. the deserts were good but a bit overpriced. and the fact that they charge sparkling waters for $10 is less than ideal.
overall, cotto is still a great place for italian lovers, with delicious foods that doesn't break the wallet. would recommend.

very impressed by the quality of the food here at cotto. the ambience is also amazing, chill warm vibes and super cosy atmosphere. the staff are very friendly and good with recommendations.

we ordered thelambribs and feta fries to start, the ribs were delicious and i definitely recommend ordering these! the fries were slightly average but still yummy.

the beef shin pasta was perfectly slow cooked and amazing! i personally didn’t like the gnocchi as it was less flavourful but if you’re after something vegetarian i was told it’s very popular, we saw it on the other tables too. i was pleasantly surprised to stumble on this lovely restaurant, we will be back!

food was amazing but the service was extremely terrible! my friend and i walked in and waited at the front to be seated while the waitress who wore a polka dots shirt saw us but didn’t even smile and serve us.

we ordered the starter- cauliflower dish which was delicious,lambribs were just amazing and the pasta was heaven but a bit greasy because when you finished the pasta you can clearly see a thick layer of oil...

when we just finished our dishes, the waitress came and collected all the plates but a couple who sat next to us(caucasians), there’re several empty plates there but the waitress didn’t interrupt them. i don’t know whether it’s a racist action or not but my friend and i we did feel offended during our whole eating. i hope they do improve their customer service please.

yum yum yum! came for dinner on a friday night - arrived just after 5 to take advantage of the happy hour and had a $10 spritz. the pork belly and eggplant were good but the highlight was definitely the pasta dishes. had thelambpasta and the sweet corn and pancetta torteloni and both were delicious! also the restaurant is quite reasonably priced which is also a bonus! service was also quick and the waitresses were friendly!

undoubtedly, the best italian spot i’ve visited in auckland and it was refreshing to find a place that serves other dishes besides pasta and pizza. 

we ordered five dishes and one dessert between the two of us. we chose the fried eggplant w/ whipped ricotta,lambribs honey balsamic, tortellini w/ sweetcorn, pancetta and taleggio, pork belly cucumber chilli, and the tiramisu ice cream biscotti.

i was blown away by every single dish and the only fault i could find was that the biscotti was too hard and impossible to bite into. although i loved all the savoury dishes, my favourite by just a margin would have to be thelambribs. both the flavours and texture were absolutely amazing and quite new to me.

service was warm and the dishes came out at a reasonable speed, we didn’t have to wait between any of them except for dessert which was the preferred option anyway.

went to dinner on friday and cotto was pumping.  service was a little slow starting off but got going fast, everyone was very friendly and helpful as we were ordering share plates for a large group.  the food was very good, standouts for me were the panzanella with white anchovies, the spinach balls, thelambribs and the asparagus canneloni, but it was all good.  i enjoyed the italian red wine and finished off with the small but deliciously rich chocolate nemesis.  great value too, was very reasonable for the amount of food and wine we had, if i could give it 4.5 stars i would, highly enjoyable

the portions of the cappelletti and ravioli were very small (3 pieces each), but the maltagliati was a reasonable size. although the menu is made to be shared, the small portion sizes still leave much to be desired.

the cheese-filled ravioli i ordered tasted bland. i preferred the savourylambmaltagliati.

as others mentioned, it was definitely loud and was difficult to have conversations. this could easily be improved.

overall, small expensive portions that could be interesting if ordered as the restaurant intended them to be ordered (many different dishes, 'main'-sized and small, to be shared). however, i personally would prefer larger, heartier dishes.