Squisito Trattoria — Restaurant in Waitematā

We turned up, no booking but that wasn’t an issue, sat down and got on with our evening.

Dishes looked simple enough, the place was packed so our hopes were high…. That’s about where the good experience ended

Service: Rushed, dropped plates on the table rather than placed, dirty cutlery, the young teenager looked like he would rather be anywhere else, we got grunts from him as his preferred form of communication. We were told numerous times about the ‘rules’ of first table, but we weren’t on first table (wish we were, would have made the experience at least cheaper).

Food: pizza was ok, taste wise at least, soggy in the middle and uncooked bits of dough in the base- one of the table didn’t even start their pizza (back to service, no one asked her if everything was ok)

My wife’s risotto was dry and likely a day old and reheated.

We were so confused about our experience based on reviews, we ended up going to Lillian for dessert (pizzas close enough in price and looked 10x better) and were treated how you’d expect to be treated paying the prices advertised.

Maybe they just had a bad day, but we won’t be going back, if you’re paying nearly $40 for a risotto, you’d expect it to be fresh and served with a smile, no dropped in the middle of the table with a serving spoon already...

I went there over the weekend with two friends and unfortunately it was very disappointing. The quality simply did not match the prices.

The menu felt confused for an Italian trattoria, with far too many dishes to deliver any real quality. Instead of focusing on fresh pasta, seasonal ingredients, and simple Italian classics, it leaned on French-style sauce based dishes, pizzas made with low-quality ingredients, and even a so-called carbonara that were not the original recipe.

The pizza itself I couldn’t even eat. My friend’s risotto was served with the serving spoon already in the dish, coated in sauce, and was dropped in the middle of the table rather than in front of her. By the time our pizzas arrived, her risotto was cold. We waited to start together, but this only highlighted the lack of service etiquette.

The atmosphere was rushed and chaotic, certainly not the warm, authentic, and inviting feeling one expects from a trattoria.

Whether it’s due to poor ingredients or lack of culinary care, this restaurant doesn’t deliver on either quality or service. For the price, it simply doesn’t live up to the standard of a true Italian...

Loved the ambiance at night. Just like dining at a hole-in-wall in Italy.

Service was very good. Not sure if we had to wait to be seated, but we didn’t mind. They were understandably busy when we arrived.

Our maitre d’ was on point! Cheerful gentleman who was not shy to engage with our humor.

Food was great! The vegetarian pizza, even better. I wanted to taste everything on the menu.

Although, my vegetarian lasagna got a bit dry too quick, (I am a fast eater), and the bottom was really chewy. Almost tasted like cardboard? I was wondering if I was meant to eat it, but ate it I did. Haha It was good lasagna though, considering it was vegetarian.

Nice place with great food! Must give it a go if you are a foodie or just want to try good...