Black Antler Eatery — Restaurant in Hibiscus and Bays

I booked a table for my wife's birthday well in advance. It was confirmed and we were even told that they didn't have a liquor license yet at that time - all good. The booking form had a question asking "is this for a special occasion?" Which I completed with "yes, it's my wife's birthday".

We arrived and announced that we were there for our booking. The reception was cold from the lady that guided us to an open area and said "sit wherever you want". No name asked. Nothing. I have had warmer welcomes from traffic officers.

We picked a table and sat down. The same waitress came back a while later and literally dropped the menus on our table and said "order via the QR code" and walked off. At this point, we were uncomfortable because we suspected that we must have inadvertently run over her dog at some point to deserve the "go f-yourself attitude". But, we marched on.

The menu had nice options. I wanted to grab some wood-fired pizza, but the menu said pizza is only available from 4:30PM. Since it was 12:00 noon, I decided to go with the basil pesto gnocchi. My wife ordered the seafood chowder and the kids had some spaghetti and chicken nuggets. I also ordered a "freak-shake" to see if it lives up to the hype and compares with venues like Crunch Tower who have been doing them for years in Auckland.

The ordering system was as detached and uninviting as the initial reception. I guess they call that foreshadowing. I don't know how older or less tech-savvy folks are going to cope with such an impersonal and relatively complicated system. Other places offer the same system for ordering, but it's an option only if you don't want to speak to a human. Not here though - it was mandatory.

Order placed we waited for the food and could take in the ambiance. The place itself isn't bad. It has obviously been refitted recently so everything is new. But again it's a bit "cold" and not very in tune with the menu items. There's definitely a disconnect between what was planned and what's been delivered.

The food started arriving. The freak-shake was first along with a coffee for the wife. Then later one kids meal. Then 5 mins later my gnocchi arrived. 5 mins after that the other kids meal arrived. My wife seafood chowder was nowhere. The waitress? Nowhere. 10mins goes past and nothing. At this point the kids are eating and my wife tells me to start eating before the gnocchi goes cold. We decided to share the gnocchi in the meantime whilst waiting for her chowder - surely it's going to be fresh, hence the wait.

The kids meals were generic. The chicken nuggets straight from gilmours/countdown. The spaghetti was nice though.

The basil-pesto gnocchi was, sweet! Not "wow, sweet as!" More like, "should this gnocchi get 2 or 3 tablespoons of sugar?". It was bizarre. The gnocchi itself was store-bought, fried in a pan instead of being rehydrated first (rookie mistake) and then added to this weirdly sweet parmesan basil sauce. Picture dry, crumbly clumps of mashed potatoes in green-coloured custard.

The freak-shake was great in terms of presentation, but the milkshake itself was very thin and runny and tasted like milk with some sugar. The toppings all came straight from countdown's pre-made baked items aisle. The cheap stuff as well. Not Mr Kipling or anything.

The seafood chowder, well that never arrived! To top it off, remember the menu stating that pizza was only served from 4:30PM? Well, as we got ready to leave (around 13:00) there were pizzas coming out of the oven! We would have known that we could order pizzas if we were allowed to speak to a human - even grumpy-smurf waitress.

The owner/manager got wind of this at checkout and was very apologetic. She didn't bill us for the chowder and gave us a 10% discount on the bill. All well, but the birthday event was a total fail.

The problems at Black Antler feel beyond "one-off" incidents. There's a systemic issue. Terrible ordering system, questionable food (why was it sweet?) and staff who would make the...

I came here twice and had totally worst with the same ridiculous service. When I first time came here, stood at beach side table for 10min with all the staff walking pass by, nobody said a word to me. A young girl staff wearing a sunglasses walked past right in front of me who had a eye contact with me, went to another table who came later than me. Finally after another 10min, I got the MENU FROM ANOTHER CUSTOMER WHO WERE SITTING NEXT ME. I called one of the staff come to take order. And I got the food with no cutlery, needed to ask the staff to give me some cutlery to eat. Yesterday was my second time visiting here today around 12pm because friends wanted to go. Again I was sitting at the beach side high table. however, ended up going to another cafe after waiting for over 15min at outside table with no one come to greet us. There were one white girl staff and asian guy with tanned skin on floor. It didn’t look crazy busy. However, those two staffs even pass by me and said nothing and girl staff went back to the bar area. Both of the staff had eye contact with us but none of them came to do any service or even say a word to us until we left, during waiting we even waved our hands try to get some attention, both of them just ignored us. If there’s a competition for the worse service restaurant of the year, this place would be the top one with no...

I had a truly memorable meal at Anter Restaurant in Auckland! From the moment I walked in, I was impressed - the atmosphere is stylish yet incredibly cozy, with beautiful decor and a soft, inviting energy. It’s the kind of place where you feel instantly comfortable and ready for a great experience.

What really stood out at Anter was the creativity and care that goes into every dish. The menu is so exciting - every plate looks like a piece of art and is bursting with bold, fresh flavours. I decided to try one of their signature dishes, and it was a standout: perfectly cooked. Each bite was packed with flavour and felt so thoughtfully balanced.

The service was top-notch, too. The staff were friendly, happy to answer questions or offer recommendations, and made us feel genuinely welcomed all evening long. It’s clear that the team is passionate about what they do and wants every guest to have a fantastic time.

What I love most is that Anter manages to feel both special and unpretentious - a spot where you can celebrate or just enjoy really good food in a warm, inviting setting. If you’re looking for somewhere in Auckland to have a delicious, beautiful meal that still feels relaxed and welcoming, I can’t recommend Anter enough. Already looking forward to coming back and trying more of their...