We went to Basque Kitchen at 7pm because it was in metro's top 50 restaurants. While the food was delicious and James King's meals lived up to our expectations, we were really let down by the service. As we were new to Basque Kitchen, I was hoping our server would talk to us about favourite dishes and the size of portions so we could be informed about what to order. Instead, although there were only 3 tables being served at the time when we were there, we had to sit wait while staff were cleaning or being informed about the specials. I had to flag down a server who said she would serve us once she had finished what she was doing, despite three other servers standing at the bar talking to each other. When we did finally order, our food came out at different times which was fine as that is what you might expect from a tapas place. However one meal (the one I chose) took so long we had finished all the accompaniments and if our server had informed us the chicken would have taken a lot longer, I might have ordered something extra. When I mentioned that to the owner, she was defensive and overall, despite the delicious food, we had a really frustrating dining experience. The place had no ambience and was virtually empty, and given the service I was not surprised. Which is a shame because the food does not deserve to be let down by the front of house. I really wanted to give it one star but gave it two because of the food.

I tend to avoid Spanish restaurants in Auckland since I come from Spain and am usually disappointed with both the quality and the price. The food and wine at Basque was really very good. We had the sardines, the stuffed squid, the eggplant, the croquettes... all fantastic. My partner's favorite was the squid, mine was the sardines.
All in all it was a great evening and I recommend Basque to anyone!

Of all the cuisine types, Spanish is surely the best and Basque Kitchen & Bar does it very, very well. My neighbour introduced me to Basque Kitchen (thanks Sue) and geez I'm glad she did. My favourite dish = the grilled whole sardines!

really pleased to see Basque kitchen & bar make it into the Metro top 50 this year - they thoroughly deserve it.
I've been to the Newmarket restaurant at least 3-4 times and can honestly say have never left unsatisfied.
The Paella night is well worth going too - inexpensive and good fun (especially with a few sangria's) - the staff at Basque Kitchen are always really nice too.

Went out with friends to Basque Kitchen & Bar last night - fantastic! Another friend had told us about the place - apparently Basque Kitchen & Bar is her treat after an hour in the Newmarket pool!
There were four of us and to come away with a bill of about $260 for some nice wine and plenty of good food - we were all extremely pleased.
Can definately recommend Basque Kitchen & Bar to all and sundry!