161 Ponsonby Road,
Ponsonby
Auckland,


(09) 360 5203

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Hard to grade. As a bar 0. As a restaurant, 4 out of 5.

Call yourself a bar? Hardly. Troy Restaurant & Bar is definitely all restaurant and sod-all bar that I could see.

There’s no relaxing bar area and it’s clear most punters come here to eat unpretentious, reasonably-priced nosh and watch a spot of belly-dancing on Friday and Saturday nights.

It’s the sort of place you come to with a group knowing the food will be solid standard-fare Mediterranean and even if the waitress doesn’t speak brilliant English and someone does a runner before paying, you won’t be forking out huge amounts of dosh. But you will have had a good noisy well-watered and well-fed evening.

Troy is upstairs which means they’re not likely to get passing traffic wanting a drink after work. But it’s popular in the weekends and bookings are essential Friday and Saturday nights.

Once you’ve made the effort to leave Ponsonby Road and wander up those stairs you enter a carefully constructed Mediterranean rustic world with Greek taverna wicker work chairs, faux Greek columns, a faux pizza oven (it’s really gas), faux vines curling around the metal chandeliers, and two faux tented dining areas for groups who want that sort of thing. There’s also a glitter ball.

But the smell of garlic is very real and mouth-watering, and the menu is extensive. Troy offers three cuisines which it calls Auckland, Istanbul and Rome with meals hovering around the $21-$25 mark.

Service is excellent and I rather liked the natty waiter with the sleek hair, sharply carved sideboards and huge silver medallions dangling down his hirsute chest.

The wine list is basic but reasonably priced (from $6.50—$8 per glass) but don’t ask for anything more complicated (cocktails).

Troy does the mid-priced ethnic restaurant thing well. But a bar? I don’t think so.