Cornelia — Restaurant in Waitematā

I booked a table for five at Cornelia weeks in advance for a family visit to New Zealand. I was traveling from Sydney, and my elderly parents were arriving from Perth. On the day of the booking, my parents, feeling unwell after a long flight, informed me at 11 AM that they couldn’t attend. I promptly canceled the booking online with five hours’ notice, only to be slugged a $125 cancellation fee charged to my account. I immediately called Cornelia, and a staff member assured me, “Don’t worry, you won’t be charged.” However, I confirmed the charge had already been processed. They advised me to call back at 4 PM to speak with the manager. After several attempts, I reached the manager at 4:30 PM. She dismissed my concerns, stating, “You accepted the booking terms, there’s nothing I can do.” Frustrated but determined to make the most of the situation, I requested to rebook for two. When we arrived at 6:30 PM, the atmosphere felt cold, and the manager, while polite, seemed inconvenienced. The restaurant was nearly empty, with only two other tables occupied. We enjoyed two main courses and a $90 bottle of wine, but the bill came to $180. When I reminded the manager of the $125 cancellation fee and my subsequent rebooking, she reduced the bill by only $50, effectively charging me $75 for the three absent guests from the original booking. Cornelia, you missed a golden opportunity. A simple gesture or waiving the $125 cancelation fee or comping the $90 bottle of wine (at a 30% cost of goods this would be a $27 cost to you) could have turned this into a positive experience. Instead, your rigid adherence to policy and lack of empathy transformed a potential promoter into a detractor. Charging $75 for a booking change in a nearly empty restaurant is unacceptable. I would not...

We had a First Table booking for four. Three of us arrived on time, but unfortunately our fourth guest was delayed by about 20 minutes due to a malfunctioning car park card and needing assistance to exit. While waiting, we ordered drinks and a few appetizers.

We were very disappointed with the manager’s attitude when she told us that our late companion would not be eligible for the First Table discount. Even after we explained the genuine reason for the delay, her only response was, “It is mentioned in the conditions on First Table” and “We can’t let you guys hold up our other orders” At that point, our appetizers hadn’t even arrived yet, so we couldn’t understand how we were “holding up” anything.

Her manner came across as unnecessarily strict and rude. We have never experienced this type of service in any restaurant before.

In the end, we decided to take away all the food we had ordered and...

Definitely one of the best Italian Restaurants in Auckland. It is not a big place, or on the main street, almost shy, like a well-kept secret, but well worth the visit. Don't expect a huge menu, but the magic is in the ingredients. everything you do order is perfection. The Warm Sourdough came with a magical smoked butter that made it so special. Delicious Grilled octopus with beans puree and pickled capsicum The homemade Fettuccini were too thick but the pork ragu and aged parmesan made me forgive it all and love it. The Deconstructed tiramisu is nothing less than genius. all the familiar flavours but amplify to a 100. The Pork meatballs were soft and melting in the mouth - served with tomato sous, basil, parmesan cheese, and with olive oil and garlic bruschetta for...