The Engine Room is one of my favourite special occasion places. The service is very attentive (without being too much) and the food is just delicious. The schnitzel is one of my favourite meals, and I must admit I haven't tried any other mains (apart from having a bite of someone elses), because I always order it! I recently tried the twice baked goats cheese souffle after hearing so much about it in various publications, and it did not disappoint - so tasty and a beautiful texture. I didn't have room for dessert after the entree and main, but they are very good and the churros some of the best I've tried. Be aware that there are two sittings each night. You don't feel rushed at all, but it isn't really the kind of place you spend a whole evening at.

I went to The Food Show in Auckland 2yrs ago & was lucky to hear Peta Mathias talk about her travels. When someone asked her what was her favourite place to dine in Auckland was she replied "The Engine Room". She is a real food traveller & knows her stuff. I was lucky enough to be taken to The Engine Room last November for my 40th birthday. It was by far one birthday I'll never forget!!! The food totally blew me away. The atmosphere and service was fantastic. They soooooo deserve an award. Well Done!!!!

Heavens! People who throw their toys out of the cot... If your meal is disappointing, say so and give them the opportunity to put things right. We have been to the Engine Room 4 times, for both lunch and dinner, and the food has been consistently excellent. It is expensive, the portions are large (HOW can people eat 3 courses?), but the flavours are superb. It is our 'special occasion' restaurant. The service is attentive, and Natalia is a wonderful host. Long may it stay in business! (NB It is actually the old Post Office, not one of the local character villas).

The worst dining experience ever! It was such a disappointment. The food was served in a pool of oil and I couldn't even eat my meal. The prices were for fine dining but the meals were worse than KFC.

Went to the Engine Room for dinner on a Friday night - the food was nothing short of spectacular and the service was great, however it is very pricey so more of a 'special occasion' place to go and they didn't hand out menus. The menu was written on a board above the kitchen which was very difficult to read (scrawly handwriting, not printed) and the light from above shone directly on it making it difficult to read. Menu aside, my experience was nothing short of outstanding and would most definitely go again. (4.5 out of 5)

Three weeks later I am still raving about the food and service at the Engine Room. Its obvious why it has received the awards it has. Having eaten at some of Auckland's top restaurants this far more modest, cosy, suburban place has blown me away with the whole experience. We dived in here on impulse on cold, winters evening after seeing a movie, great idea. I chose the entree size of the Handmade Potato Gnocchi in a rich tomato sauce with Ricotta - still cant get those incredible tastes out of my mind -it really was soul food. I cant recommend this place enough and cant wait to go back.

"The Engine Room" – Not yet found on any food guide or award winning list, but simply known in the best way, by "word of mouth" – The Engine Room is located across town at North Point, far from the fashion spots.
This is a very interesting newcomer restaurant run by the very promising chef Carl Koppenhagen and Natalia Schamroth, and is part of the large choice of restaurants for the city of Auckland. The restaurant is located on the ground floor of an old villa, and includes a melting pot of tables, kitchen, bar, all together. It's full every day and difficult, of course, to get a table without reservations.
By the way, since you come from abroad, reserve in advance for the tables on the far right back corner of the restaurant by the windows. If not, you need to accept any table in the middle, in front of the kitchen or near the entrance. But anywhere you sit, it is the only way to sample this "new gem" of Auckland’s favorite spots.
"The Menu" (*) My suggestions:
# Thai Duck Salad-Noodles, Coconut, Mung Sprouts, Coriander (*)
Chicken & Pork Terrine, Cress Cornichons, Pickled Cherries (*)
Grilled Scallops, Fennel, Radicchio and Green Chili (*)
Pan fried Kingfish, Cannelini Beans, Salsa Verde (*)
Churros con Chocolate (a Spanish delicacy) (*) Balinese Black Sticky Rice, Coconut, Pineapple (*)
So don’t hesitate on your next trip to Auckland, try to discover this nice little restaurant far from the tourist traps.

Two of us dined there 1/3/08
Service between two waitresses was excellent.
My starter was the pork and chicken terrine, i personally thought it was lacking in depth of flavour as if it was just out of the fridge and too cold, my expectation was of a sweeter relish and felt a little let down. 3/5.
I had the steak which was as good as any i have ever tasted! 5/5 highly recommended.
Panacotta/apricot desert was beautiful 5/5
My partner had the same except for starter which was pasta. 3/5.
Personally neither of us liked being so close to the next tables but if that doesnt bother you, you will really enjoy this restaurant.
All in all for us we had a lovely evening.

We live close to the restaurant,and love going out to the local restaurants and cafes, however we have experienced a disapointing approach from the staff at The Engine Room. We rang to book a month in advance, and was asked for credit card details. On prompting, we found that we would be charged $30 per head upon cancellation, automatically to the credit card. On principle, we decided not to book. This is considered to be unethical practice and an insult to our integrity, not to mention, a likely breach of credit card or consumer legalities.

What, are you guys kidding?....goes to show the kiwi tall poppy syndrome is alive and well! I've been to the Engine Room 3 times now since it opened it's doors and it has consistently not let me down.

In my opinion, without question one of the very best restaurants in Auckland and, reading some of the user reviews here, I don't see how people can say the food was great and still only give them 2 stars!

So take my advice, book early, take a few chums and order the Steak Frites - you will not be disappointed I assure you!

We had been waiting to get into the Engine Room for ages. When we finally did I was a bit disappointed.
The food was OK, my Souffle was lovely , but my partner had the pasta which he found a bit bland, then he had the steak, which was a bit too tough and just really basic steak and chips. I just thought that for the price I did not get my money worth. I won't be going back.

Eight of us went to the Engine Room last Friday. The food was beautiful however the service left a little to be desired. First off the waiter had to take the drinks orders one by one which was pretty poor really. Then the waiter asked our friend who had just seated if she would like a drink as she was reading the drinks menu and then came back with a wine glass and proceded to pour my bottle of wine I had just ordered into our friends glass! I was gob-smacked. I didn't mind my friend having a glass of wine but how did the waiter know that we were not good friends? I thought it was very rude and his manner was far too abrupt for my liking. I won't be returning to the Engine Room again.

I went to the Engine Room last night for a meal with my wife and I thought the staff were amazingly polite and efficient. The food was perfect and it certainly looked like everyone else in the room was enjoying themselves as well. So maybe the reviewer below had a bad night?

I recently visited the Engine Room on a Friday evening with a group of nine people. When we booked we were offered a 6:30 slot or an 8:30 slot, with no mention that any of the slots had "time limits".


The meal went rather slowly, which was not a problem per se, and at 8:20 our orders for dessert were taken. We ordered a few desserts, some cheese and a couple more bottles of wine.


At 8:30, we were abruptly informed that we had to vacate the table as it was only available for us to use between 6:30 and 8:30, i.e. after happily accepting our order for desserts and more wine (an order which probably alone amounted to over $200), we were given no time to enjoy this order and asked to leave.


One of a party had a small baby sleeping in her lap, and not withstanding this, the waitress asked us to wait outside on a rather cold night for our taxi. Her comments were supported by someone from the Kitchen (the head chef?), who insisted we leave.


We had international guests with us and it was a very embarrassing indication of Kiwi service at its worst. To be avoided.