prego

after dining at prego a few times, we were impressed by their food (mainly pizza and tiramisu). however, our last visit was so awful i don't think we will ever go back there again.

the restaurant was quite busy when we walked in, but there were a few tables free. three or four waitresses walked past us without guiding us to a table; not knowing what to do, we sat down at one of the free tables inside, and we managed to get a waitress to take our order.

we remembered from previous experience that the pizzas took a long time to arrive at the table, so we decided to order a pizza first, before choosing what else we were getting.

i was looking through the menu when a man who looked like the manager walked over to our table and rudely told us to leave, as apparently there was a long waiting list of people who wanted to get a table, and we did not put our name down. this would have been understandable (although it still doesn't justify the rudeness), had it not been for the empty seats we could see around us. it was also very strange that the manager (?) didn't even try to put our name down on the waiting list, and simply walked away, leaving us feeling very embarrassed and awkward, since other diners were trying to see what was happening.

it was clear that they just wanted to kick us out because they thought we weren't ordering enough food. this was a terrible experience, especially since all thegoodrestaurants in ponsonby were fully booked for dinner by this time, and we had to go back to the cbd.

it's such a shame, asgooditalian restaurants are rare in auckland... we will not be going back since a restaurant that is so obsessed with making money can't be providing you with the best food possible for the price.

i recommend toto, barolo (in the langham) or da vinci if you are looking for an italian restaurant for dinner in/near the cbd withgoodfood and great service.

i'd put more rating just because the food wasgoodbut our experience was so unpleasant that it made the food taste bitter. we had to wait for quite a while because the maître d forgot about us, after getting a table it took ages to get some food and they even forgot our starter. when i complained to the manager and maître d, it was really hard to get a humble apology, they blamed the delayed on being busy... man i've been to busier restaurants, they just handle it better.

prego was on my list of restaurants to go and i finally tried it out today. maybe i had a high expectation after reading positive reviews on the restaurant. i was actually quite disappointed at their food.

first of all, it took almost half an hour for the food to be served despite the fact that it was not busy when i ordered them.

steak was perfectly cooked but nothing special. everything on the place had no flavour. potato gratin had nice texture but no flavour no season. steak was cooked to perfect medium rare but i somehow felt that the meat was rather not fresh and the steak almost tasted like agoodrump steak, not eye fillet. red wine jus was plain too. i had to put quite a lot of salt and pepper.

pasta was yummy but again it wasn't surprisingly good. it was just okay. only a bit better than other places because they use fresh pasta.

i was mostly disappointed at their pizza. i ordered mushroom and ham pizza (bianco) it was not the taste i was expecting. i didn't personally like this pizza.

service was good. all staff were prompt and attentive although the place got quite busy later on.

i think i would come back to try different menu but since it is quite pricy and it didn't worth the price this time. it will take me sometime to visit her again.

the service and food we received at the restaurant were great. our waiter was quick with his service and he constantly made sure everything was goinggoodfor us. he accommodated to our every request with a warm, friendly manner. really enjoyed my dining experience here, will definitely go back again!

there are usually only two reasons i would write a review. one is to say howgooda restaurant is and the other is to say how bad it is, hoping to warn others away so that they don't waste their money. welcome to my third category - mediocre.
we were seated in about 10 minutes, the staff at prego are professional and unaffected. we started with garlic bread and garlic aioli and this was quite nice, it helps when you are really hungry! this was lunch so i ordered cacciucco and my partner had market fish, which i think was king fish on a lemony(? ) risotto. i had a side salad of rocket, pear and parmesan. i have to say that this is really basic fare, fish and rice - and broth and seafood. the fish was over cooked in both dishes, but worse, it tasted old. my broth was ... i can't find the words, it had no depth of flavour, nor was it hearty, it wasn't bad, too thin or too salty, it was just too boring. my rocket salad was the high light for me, my partner enjoyed the tiramisu i found it too wet and soggy. my suggestion - get an italian chef in the kitchen and start trying to impress!

i absolutely love prego. 5/5 always for me.

despite its aesthetic, it's actually a casual family friendly restaurant. you feel at home and so welcome every time.

make sure you either come early or late otherwise you will definitely be waiting for a table, even on a week night. prego is always super packed.goodsign!!

highly recommend the bruschetta, the fettuccine alfredo, seafood linguini and the chicken. all so amazing!

thanks guys!

prego

the service seemed to start out shaky. we walked in and stood in a lost manner without being greeted until we happen to see the rest of our party and seat ourselves. we then had to really work to get someone to take our initial drink orders. the staff we flagged down said "i'll go get your waiter". once he came over things weregoodand the rest of the meal service was fine. entree was a shared bread style thing which was nice. i can't say the mains blew me away though. i ordered the seafood linguine (marinara) and the people around me the steak. the mussels all still had beards in them and my lemon slice was the end of the lemon-mostly lemon peel. i would have thought that part would not go to the table. flavour was okay but the pasta a tad slimy and cooked a bit long. the steak was cooked fine for the rare but the person who ordered medium steak felt it was overdone. pretty basic fare for the price and if food is simple then one expects a really high level of technique. i'd have rated that course a 4/10. the dessert was totally amazing though. we ordered the "marquise de chocolate" and the rhubarb tart. my chocolate desert was totally dreamy and very much to die for.

good food (especiallythe fettuccine alfredo, very creamy, best i've ever had) ,goodatmosphere,goodservice 👌

super friendly staff.
fettuccine alfredo is 10/10
scotch fillet was on point.
espresso martini 🍸 was reallygoodtoo.
would definitely go back.

taste: 4/5 • atmosphere: 3/5 • service: 5/5⁣⁣

upon entering the restaurant we were attended to immediately. after ordering, the food came out relatively quickly although the restaurant was packed. before tasting the food i had high expectations due to reading many positive reviews. to start we had garlic pizza bread, it had agoodamount of garlic flavour and was warm and crunchy, but overpriced. ordered the duck risotto in entree size so expected the dish to be smaller, however, was pleasantly surprised as came out in a reasonable size. the stand out of the scotch fillet dish was the mushroom truffle cream cheese; creamy, but not too heavy and complemented the rest of the dish well. the bianca pizza was nice. throughout the night the staff were friendly, attentive and willing to help. the restaurant was quite loud and felt a bit cramped. the interior of the restroom was elegant and better than the main restaurant itself.

after so long, we finally came to prego for a late lunch.
we ordered the surf&turf and the pappardelle for mains and the bruschette as entry.
everything was top of shelf...well balanced of flavours in the dishes,goodseasoning.
the service was attentive and helpful.
the only reason for me notto award a 5 🌟 rating is because i felt that the portions should be a little bit bigger

being an new runner on metro top 50, i was very excited to try out prego.

arriving at the courtyard, i was surrounded by an energetic atmosphere with the option to dine outdoors. contrast to the courtyard, the dark furnishing and worn tables made the interior very dull. if i would revisit the restaurant, i would definitely go for the courtyard seats.

prego only accept walk-ins for small group of dining. so be prepared for a long wait visiting on a weekend. we waited at the bar for 45 minutes before a table was available.

the restaurant offers a range of traditional italian dishes. between three of us, we shared some natural oysters, a pizza and two pastas.

despite the initial wait time, the dishes were served reasonably quickly. the oysters were fresh and reasonably sized.

the margherita pizza was delicious. the dough was crusty topped with mozzarella and a tangy tomato sauce.

the spaghetti agioli was light and fresh with a taste of garlic. the noodles however were undercooked and a little hard to bite.

the fettuccine alfredo was rich and creamy, but the noodles were overcooked, tasting a little soft.

overall, the dining experience was average. despite somegoodflavourings, i was a little disappointed with their pasta. and with food priced at medium high, i would have expected a more daintier interior.

taste: 8/10
presentation: 7.5/10
service: 8.5/10
ambience: 7/10
value for money: 7/10

price $45 per person (excl alcohol)

i make my review based off what you get in the same price point and in the location.goodfood and service, which is what you'd expect from this high-end restaurant. however the decor is dated, really quite a contrast to anywhere else on ponsonby road. kinda messes with the exclusive experience. polenta is yum - must try if you've got a group.

damn came here for dinner with a couple mates and had an average experience. when we walked up to prego the staff just looked over us and didn't even attend us they went straight to the people behind us and seated them a whole family and there was literally 3 of us!!! then we carried on standing outside for a further 7-9 ish mins and they ignored us then told us to wait at the bar until they find a table for us even though there were free tables inside and outside. they ended up seating us outside cramped in a corner which was just lovely of them. i ordered the spaghetti bolognese and my mates both got the spaghetti aglio e oi io. i loved my bolognese it was so tasty and yum love love love, my friends hated there meals as they were way too spicy and had chunks of garlic all through it. during our meals we needed more water and we had to ask about 4 times for the lady to fill our glasses up and she was very snarky about it. overall my food wasgoodbut service was horrible absolutely horrendous. x

looking for authentic italian? this is the place! would definitely say their pasta is better than the pizza even though both were really good. the pizza had agoodbase but the prosciutto was a bit hard to chew apart. the pasta was amazing !! the seafood linguine was 👌 it was fresh with lovely texture the light sauce was the perfect compliment.
the steak was slightly overcooked but was still very tasty! the polenta was an absolute gem!
service was alright and the atmosphere was a bit dark but their outdoor area is nice and breezy especially in the hot summer!

food 8.5/10
ambience 6.5/10
service 7/10
price 7/10