The Aviary — Restaurant in Waitematā

I came here with a couple of friends for High Tea to celebrate their birthdays. While the food was very nice and the service staff very pleasant, the experience felt a little off - there were construction works going on outside, so there was plastic sheeting everywhere. More importantly, though, the Grand Millennium is both nowhere near the central, happening part of Auckland CBD and therefore feels a little "dead". We saw a few guests here and there, but the place felt weirdly empty. The kicker, though, is that the promotional photos and the description - hell, even the name "Aviary" makes it seem you're going somewhere upstairs, with a view. Nope - this is literally in the hotel foyer, and isn't remotely removed from people coming and going; staff and guest alike.

The food was very pleasant! A couple of really tasty, interesting nibbles such as the paté and the savoury cake-like thing served at the beginning. The brown sugar cream served with the scones was something we considered holding the staff hostage for in demand of the recipe. It's a shame that so many items on the menu had alcohol - one of my guests and I don't drink, and even if the volume was low, the taste prevailed.

The staff member who served us was absolutely lovely and had a good sense of humour. Somehow, it seemed like he was actually not meant to be a direct customer service person; he gave off an air of being a manager or above, so it felt a little odd...but overall, he was lovely.

Put bluntly, I would not recommend The Aviary High Tea unless you had a budget to work to - for which case, it is quite nice for the...

I was so excited to enjoy the high tea here, particularly with its unique presentation, however they cut off the bookings for the entire weekend on Thursday evenings (not listed on their website). I was told this is because the food is then prepared in advance and the staff aren't in for the weekend. I would hate to think of how poor things would taste by the end of the weekend that had been prepared days before... I could potentially come back on a future weekend, but with that in mind I'll visit another establishment elsewhere, and likely receive fresher food.

I would like to note that the staff working the bar with whom I spoke were very polite and considerate, and made good efforts to accommodate this, so this rating is not about them. It's about a bizarre policy I've never encountered anywhere else in the world (and I have enjoyed more high teas in various cities than I can easily count), and that I hope management/the chef will reconsider, as you've certainly lost a potential...

This is one if not the best high tea I've ever been to in Auckland and I've been to a few. Unlike others you are given each selection of food in three stages rather then all at once. Plus they allow you to choose two different teas with the tea pot matching your cup (not a big thing but a super cool way to tie everything together). They give you a lot of time in between to make for a much more relaxed time. The staff were extremely kind and accommodating, constantly coming around to refill water glasses seamlessly.

Onto the food which is amazing. Again probably the best I've had in Auckland. Looking at the food my vegetarian friend received also looked amazing with real effort put into it rather then just random items you often get.

A similar price to other places this is a must considering all of the above. It's an easy location if you are parking in the civic car park...