Pasta & Cuore — Restaurant in Albert-Eden

You can see them hand make the pasta in the shop window so you know that the pasta here is going to be good. There isn't a lot of seating inside but they also have an outside area which has heating and more tables. The menu looks interesting as it looks like a hand made scrap book and there is a decent selection of pastas and other food inside. They also had specials in a bottle on the table. The service was quite good, being checked on a couple of times before ordering and a couple more afterwards. Had the zucchini carpaccio to share at the start. It didn't look like what I expected since the zuccini were in rolls instead of flat but it was really tasty with the balsamic and parmesan. I had the special potato, mushroom and truffle ravioli and it was delicious. The butter sauce with the pasta and creamy potato filling was just amazing. So simple and tasty. I also had the budino chocolate pudding and that was a bit different than what I had expected (more like a flan instead of a cake) but delicious nonetheless. A really good place if you are craving pasta. The only issue was that like other great pasta places, the portions are fairly small, I could easily devour two or three plates but it was almost $30 a plate. It also looked like you could buy some pasta to cook at home.

Edit: Made an online order and grabbed some takeaways. The pasta wasn't as nice but still quite tasty. The Tagliatelle al Ragu travelled quite well. The Gnocci was also nice and tender. They also have heat and eat meals...

Beautiful food - fresh and full of flavour from start to finish. However the service was a real let down hence my three stars. Yes it was Sat night and the place was busy but we had to stand awkwardly in the entrance for over 5min while three different staff asked if we had booking (yes) and kept looking in reservation book and disappearing. Finally seated by third staff member, in what I imagine, is the worst table in restaurant and kept for walk-ins on a busy night - right by the noisy dirty dish clean up room & the bathroom. Given I'd requested romantic table for special occasion this was not quite what I was hoping for. We waited ten min before being asked for drink order. Average service continued for the night as we ended up with multiple staff serving us - just felt very disorganized and left to chance. And please don't ask patrons to order a course if one member, on two person table, is away from table (female server needs some retraining). Overall food was great and the wine suggestions were good (we had three courses, coffee & several drinks each so not a cheap evening) but such average service made us feel like we were not particularly welcome. No acknowledge we were getting up to pay, and no enquiry as to whether we enjoyed ourselves. Frankly I don't think serving staff really care. We made the most of the night as it was a special occasion for us, but was it worth the price of Uber to and from the...

This small spot across two floors looks to be a family run outfit (or otherwise a refuge for Aucklands Italian community) offering a very welcoming sense of Italian hospitality. On being seated, you walk past the busy shopfront kitchen, where all sorts of mouthwatering dishes are in various stages or preparation and a little deli / cafe offering tidbits and small goods. The servers seem knowledgeable and eager to make sure you are well taken care of, albeit quite fresh making conversation somewhat acrobatic. All that aside, the space is light and airy, with options kitchenside, upstairs or alfresco. As far as I'm aware from my visits, there is nothing bad on the menu, but the offering is strengthened on the weekend when popular dishes like Chicken or Panna Tortelloni are prepared or daily specials like a fine mix of beef and chicken wrapped in a delicate blanket of ravioli pasta and served in a buttery cream sauce which - without hesitation - encourages licking the dish clean. Arguably the best pasta in Auckland. Gluttonous as it is, each main could afford to be at least twice as big to satiate an appetite, but I suppose the best things come in small packages. Dessert is a must too! A traditional Tiramisu is on offer and is well balanced between rich coffee and chocolate flavours and a pillowy creaminess which provides refuge for you tastebuds. Delicious,...