Casita Miro — Restaurant in Waiheke

Disappointing experience all round. Particularly the poor customer experience at the end.

The wine pairing is surely designed to match with each course and yet the wine wasn’t served at all with the second course.

After much waiting and prompting it was swiftly brought over. The Chardonnay went straight into the same glass the Rose was in. No explanation of wines.

Service was slow to say the least, the flies were swarming around us thanks to the plates left in the heat. The restaurant felt like a greenhouse. Window was opened halfway through the meal (at our request) the next table thanked us saying it was stifling for then too.

With no sign of anyone coming to clear the table, we had to walk outside as the festering plates were attracting more and more flies, it was disgusting.

Found somewhere to sit on the hill (had to move other people’s plates as every rug place setting station also had festering old plates).

The lady who seated us brought us dessert out and did give us an explanation of the dessert wine.

I took the opportunity to feedback our disappointment mentioning all of the above, her response was that they were a team member down.

A shame really as the waiter was probably working harder than usual but delivering a worse service through no fault of his own. Although it’s not for us to swallow either.

Most surprisingly, she agreed the service should have been better, took the feedback back to the team and walked off. Didn’t offer any kind of goodwill gesture. She took my order of an extra dessert for my son, and ran it through the till. It was only $10, beggars belief she didn’t comp it.

Perhaps more training needed on how to manage direct feedback ensure customers leave happy so reviews don’t end up online. The food was small portions and average, would have been acceptable if everything was fine. The bill really was the final straw.

Booking was under...

My partner Bubbacat lives in Sicily but originates from the US (with Spanish parents) and I live in NSW, Australia, although hail from Ngati Porou and Te Arawa iwi. I wanted to find a venue that would offer a set menu at a reasonable cost with a taste of Spain, splashed with a taste of kiwi as my partner and I wanted to have a civil union ceremony in New Zealand. I researched a number of venues and sent off a number of enquiries. Will Thorpe, the restaurant Manager, contacted me and was so helpful that making the choice to have our ceremony at the Casita Miro was a perfect choice. When we arrived at the Island we met with Will and discussed the menu and wine list. We also looked at possible locations for our ceremony and decided on a beautiful spot overlooking the ocean. As we had whanau (family) and friends attending (from Australia) we wanted everything to be comfortable and enjoyable. So on the day, we were so relieved that Will attended our 10th February civil ceremony on his day off and had arranged table and chairs, with umbrellas and sunscreen, iced water and flowers for our ceremony. It was truly beautiful and touching. Our ceremony was conducted by Irene Armstrong, a local celebrant and the day was so memorable for all our family and friends. In true kiwi tradition, my cousin Faith played her uke and we sang a few songs to make our special occasion, with other guests and the owner, Katz joining in. We all left with beautiful memories. The food was absolutely delicious and the service the best. Thankyou Katz, Will and the staff for making our day perfect! You are the best!!! love and appreciation from jules...

Being from Europe originally, I sorely miss tapas and pintxos. This place excels in them, as well as a few bigger dishes, including what looks like a fantastic paella. But I would recommend you get some friends and just share.

Everything I've eaten here - from the gorgeous bread and dips, to the unmissable goats cheese croquettas - is killer, with bags of flavour, and is as good as any I've had in Spain. I even ate dessert there - a kind of riff on the tarta de Santiago - and I'm normally all about the savoury.

Wine seletcion includes some from their vineyards, which you can see from the terrace, as well as Spanish and further afield. Most of their own wine is by the glass as well as bottle, so you don't need to miss out.

Service is good, efficient without being in your face, and the whole vibe of the place is lovely. If you're in Waiheke, go - especially as they have Friday night jazz regularly.

Worthwhile noting that if you get a bus here (and there are many that go regularly from Matiatia, Oneroa and elsewhere), it's a bit of a walk up a steep path. However, assuming you're able to do so, it's worth it for the view, and the extra glass of Pedro Jiminez you can treat yourself to. If you don't fancy the walk back, the front of house folk will get you a decently priced taxi ($30...