Aqua Restaurant and Bar (In the Hundertwasser Art Centre) — Restaurant in North Island

re read 'owner' / manager (not on site at time of our visit?) response- our EDIT follows we DID speak at time of visit- staff DID charge for items which were returned unconsumed- we REQUESTed at pymt time a REMOVAL of overcharges- during 'service' staff seeking approval 'is everything all right'? wasn't a part of our experience. YES it's good practice, agreed. YES, staff retraining may be required because when we were they it wasn't followed-

we returned items personally at bussing station because staff did NOT come round to our table-

Mgmt / owner wishes his staff behaved differently? we don't know because no senior staff was present when we had our EXPERIENCE, and shared it on this forum.

Based on that experience, we couldn't justify a decision to revisit.-

DEAR-overpriced-lacks value... (unique DECOR NOT withstanding)

decoration unique- everything else about restaurant unremarkable- except expense which is 'tres cher' for bog standard items. lunch for four sans alcohol, @ nearly forty bucks a head is lofty- quality was spotty at best, and clumsy at this price point- service on the careless side-

several mistakes in description of dishes and performance/delivery was less than acceptable at HIGHPRICEPOINT. As mentioned elsewhere, u cannot consume the decor. It's unique. A viewing of architectural style could be preferable than paying to dine here?

Everything ala carte price plus add ons is reminicent of an accountant's restaurant we went to some years ago- pecking at your pocketbook toting up to a very high price for non cheffy food assembled by 'line cook' personnel = impossible to identify value- simple stuff like forgetting the order- getting client choice wrong- tidiness is less than good- loos need a wipe, again at price point of the venue= unacceptable- youthful staff not comprehending requests and acting unconcerned again at the level of $ demanded = poor bang for buck when dining out- based on our experience, we wouldn't be rushing back or recommending to others. ONE dish out of four was executed nicely, namely the eggs benedict and one can get that at any coffee shop in the country at a lower price- we thought this could be a higher standard but were wrong on the occasion of our visit. Beverages not up to the mark and 3 out of four mains substandard for the money equals a 2 out of 5 AT BEST, just couldn't justify the four star prices.

n.b. an "EDIT" following mgmt COMMENT was added to correct his misconceptions and or re writing the history of OUR EXPERIENCE- (didn't appear to be an onsite manager at time of our visit?concerned clients? ask your manager? staff didnt.

we share our conclusion: -service failures- poor value- ordinary food / substandard beverages described badly. overcharge corrected AFTER client inquired 'why is THAT still on the bill?"

n.b. smarmy response from a distance by 'non hands on manager' was not well received,...

I have read good reviews in the past of this restaurant which is why me and my sisters wanted to gift a voucher for our mom on her birthday. We had organised it a week before her birthday.

My sister purchased $150 voucher and was told that it would arrive via mail 2 to 3 days later. My moms birthday is on the 9th of November and until now (November 14) she has not received the voucher. We kept following up on them but it was hopeless. They keep giving us multiple dates and have left us confused and mom never received our birthday gift. We are now still waiting for a refund to come through and who knows how long it will take them. We now have to organise a late birthday present because of this.

I will NOT recommend this restaurant if you wish to purchase a gift voucher from them. Because of the service that we received, I will probably not even eat at...

The restaurant is located in a beautiful setting. Unfortunately the service is lacking. Visiting Whangarei from Auckland we decided to support this new business twice during our holiday. During our first visit our food took 45 minutes to arrive and then our coffees were served after our food, which were lukewarm. On our second visit we ordered some danishes and muffins. After 15 minutes wait our waitress informed us that there were no pastries left. However, tables that placed their orders after us received pastries. Food is average, but nothing to write home about. Lots of vegan options. Also, you might want to check your receipt when paying. We ordered 2 rounds of coffees. Our second round of coffees was more expensive than the first. The price went up by 11 cent per coffee Overall average, you might want to check out one of the other cafes...