Soul

Why didn’t I discover this place sooner during my time in Auckland? I was skeptical of a place in a seemingly tourist-​y part of town, but Soul did not disappoint once I suspended skepticism and visited for a meal with friends. The service and food were fabulous as was the location overlooking the marina. We watched the sun set and moon rise from our table on a perfect late summer evening. The lamb was excellent and the drinks fabulous. The bar tender even accommodated my special order Martini perfectly. That’s the mark of a good place — great food, great drinks, great atmosphere and excellent service and wonderful people!

Wonderful dinner sitting out on the terrace overlooking the viaduct harbor. We had to leave by a certain time for a second seating but were quickly served drinks, octopus salad as a starter and shared a snapper for main.
Efficient waitress and delicious food.

Outstanding restaurant. OUTSTANDING service. And the food is out of this world. Be sure to try the squid and the lamb is to die for. We where just passing through for the night after a cruise. If you are looking for a restaurant with
outstanding service and food. Then this place is a Must.

Is it worth the price? I think it almost is. I’m unsure why really but it does have a bit of Soul. You feel at ease here more than the other big names. Staff are great, food it brilliant — just be prepared to pay for it. I’d say special occasion place. Cocktails are delicious. See what you think. Maybe just go for a drink and a nibble if it sounds too costly. You can do that you know.

Spectacular dinner by recommendation. View was stunning into bay. Menu diverse. I ordered the crab ravioli entrée size and squid entrée size. Large succulent skid lightly battered and seasoned as a pepper and salt entrée. Husband had red snapper and loved it. Coffee options were fabulous at end of meal. Service impeccable

Had dinner here with 3 others on a girls night out. If you’re here for dinner, be sure to be around during sunset. Totally stunning. Beautiful atmosphere awesome wait staff, friendly barmen and the food, OMG the food! We ordered mains and dessert and both were faultless. Left with a button undone on the pants but no problem, just a few steps away we could dance away all that dinner.

I was lucky enough to go to Soul Bar & Bistro last summer for a pre-​Christmas work lunch. It was my first time dining here and I was thoroughly looking forward to it. There were about 15 of us in our group and when we arrived, the restaurant was full. However, since booking well in advance, we had a nice long table outside overlooking the water.
The first thing you notice when you sit down is the view. Seeing the water and all the boats in the distance makes you feel relaxed and the overall vibe makes you feel like you have all the time in the world. There are also pretty white flowers in hanging pots above where you are sitting, which beautifies the restaurant and gives it a nice summery feel.
We first started with drinks. The majority of our team ordered wines, but a few of us wanted to try their cocktails. I love tequila, so I ordered a ‘No Shit Sherlock’ cocktail (consisting of Olmeca Resposado Tequila, ginger liqueur, mango purée and fresh pressed lime, fresh basil and habanero hot sauce) which was so strong that it took me a couple of hours to drink! It was also a lovely orange colour and served in a nice glass.
For entrees, we ordered a mixture of dishes for everyone to share. My favourites were the South Island whitebait fritters with lemon butter sauce (melt in your mouth) and the oysters with shallot vinegar and lemon — this began my love affair with oysters! For my main, I chose the savannah beef fillet, accompanied by perfectly cooked gnocchi, green beans and jus. The meal was faultless and the beef so tender and juicy!
I was very excited about the dessert selection, but the ‘Valrhona Chocolate Fondant’ seemed to be the obvious choice! It looked heavenly — a three layered terrine with caramel popcorn, peanut brittle, peanuts and a salted caramel sauce. Everyone was watching as I cut through the middle of the fondant. However, no runny chocolate sauce oozed out like it should have. The waiter immediately apologised and went back to the kitchen, where the chef made another one. I really appreciated this gesture and the second fondant that came out was perfect. In addition, I had two sets of chocolate fondants to eat!
A few of my dining companions ordered the ‘Raspberry Crème Brulee’ with a gingerbread crumble and raspberry sorbet. Luckily, I was able to try some of it! It was absolutely delicious — sweet, crunchy and creamy!
We then ended the afternoon with a ‘Jam Donut’ shot each. This is half Baileys, half raspberry liqueur. It was a nice way to celebrate the end of the working year.
We all agreed that the service was of a very high standard. Considering that the restaurant was packed to the brim, we were very impressed with how friendly and attentive the waiters/​waitresses were.
Overall, it was a truly memorable dining experience. The food is delicious. The service is excellent. The surroundings are lovely. Highly recommend!

If you have the time to laze away a sunny winter’s afternoon, then I recommend you head to Soul! Relaxed yet classy, Soul continues to offer great food and service.
With 20 of my dearest friends (and if we weren’t that close before, after a bonding experience at Soul we are now) I enjoyed a fab experience.
We started with convivial pre-​dinner drinks in the bar, before being ushered to our table on the sunny verandah. A special menu had been devised for us at a set price offering 4 options for both entrée and main and 2 options for dessert.
I ordered a divine crab ravioli for starters followed by pan fried snapper with skordalia. All faultless. And washed it down with a little Elephant Hill Chardonnay. And I was impressed by the waitstaff considering we all kept changing places during the course of the afternoon.
Post lunch we retired to the ‘bar’ side of the verandah and imbibed in a few more cocktails.
A bit of fun, sun, great food and wine with terrific company … All very good for the ‘soul’ … Pun intended.

Been few times in this restaurant and always have good time. First the location is of course good right ub the viaduct in front of the marina, the service is efficient and also nice and you have a long long menu that you can choose from. My favorite the glazed lamb or the scotch fillet simply delicious. It is a bit pricey but I will say worst the food. A definitely worth place before heading out or for a lovely date.

Soul Bar and Bistro is the kind of place where you dine to impress, so I picked this Viaduct institution to treat Mum for Mother’s Day this year. A sumptuous three-​course lunch with prime, sweeping views of Auckland’s stunning waterfront? Soul had me Soul’d!
We chose to dine from the specially created set menu — a fixed starter and dessert, a choice between two mains, tea/​coffee, as well as a glass of chilled Prosseco for the special lady. The food was good, but didn’t knock my socks off. Mother’s pan-​fried John Dory (with saffron bouillabaisse, white beans and blistered tomatoes) was a bit of a let-​down, since the fish was dry and perhaps overcooked. My poussin main (with cauliflower cheese, smoky pancetta and truffle jus) was tasty, but like the starter (tuna tartare on squid ink toast), it didn’t leave me ‘wow’d’.
However, it’s not entirely a sad story! The shining star of the savouries was the dukkah-​spiced crushed baby potatoes, while the much anticipated coconut crème brûlée (with pineapple confit, banana marshmallow and passion fruit sorbet) likewise delivered, shatteringly crisp sugar crust and all!
Service was more quick and efficient than it was personable, but totally understandable given that staff were rushed off their feet. Even at 2.30pm, the place was pretty packed so if you’re thinking of taking Mum here next year, bookings are essential. As an aside, I’m also not sure it was the standard floor plan configuration, but the tables were set fairly close together and the space felt somewhat cramped.
Nothing really went wrong with our dining experience, but due to high expectations on my part and probably the Mother’s Day rush, I have to say I was a little disappointed. That said, we did have a good time! Hmm, I’ll have to give Soul another go on a non-Mother’s Day.

We didn’t book and walked in on a busy Saturday night. They were nice enough to set us up with a table. Ordered the corn and crab ravioli, the flavor was delicious however the big let down was there were bits of crab shell in it… :(

This is definitely not a place to go on a student budget — but it was my parents’ shout for dinner this night! Wow. Blown away. Absolutely delicious and the perfect spot to sit near the water on a stunning Auckland summers night. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals. And order dessert!!! They are works of art!!!

Soul knocked it out of the park the other night for me as the service was stellar, the food equally as good and the location on the viaduct harbor really can’t be beat!
Soul had been recommended to me by a local and I always «go where the locals go» as it usually gets me to some pretty great spots! I had called for reservations and I was glad I did as it was a celebratory weekend for Auckland and most places were packed.
Unfortunately, while I wanted to sit outside, all those tables were taken but they found a table right by the open window where I could eat and almost feel like I was outside.
But then the nicest thing happened. Just as I was served my first course, the hostess came by and said there was now a table for me outside and asked did I want to move. When does that ever happen? I can’t believe what great customer service that was! So I got the table I wanted, after all!
And speaking of customer service, both of the servers I had, Holly on the inside, and Melanie on the outside were terrific! Quick with suggestions and helpful in suggesting wines to go with my food given I am inexperienced in New Zealand wines.
For my starter, I had some black rock oysters. These were the most expensive oysters I have ever had ($ 6 each) but they were also the meatiest and had the consistency of a portobello mushroom. These were great! I also had the spicy tuna tartar which was good. Not as spicy as I would have thought but very flavorful and the presentation was lovely.
I also, had the steak special of the day which was also quite flavorful although a little fatty for my taste.
And be sure to save room for dessert, for while they call it chocolate pudding, it is much more a chocolate lava cake (or that’s what we would call it in the US) with some kind of white cream and ice cream. And this is beautifully served!
Dinner with drinks ran about $ 120 which was definitely worth it. And I also loved that they had live entertainment on the night I was there. I wanted to sit and linger on their patio all night and watch the people walk by.
And don’t be put off by the listing here showing dressy as the dress code. Given where it is located, people are in a wide range of attire. Nice casual would be fine.
Check it out! I think you’ll be happy you did!

Absolutely nothing special. A typical 3 star restaurant. Best features are the outside dining views of the harbor and people watching on the strand.
Quality of food is average/​good, prices are average in this sought-​after location, yet a positive is that you can actually have a conversation at your table.
Can be very busy waiting for a table, with slow/​disinterested/​inattentive hosts.

Oh my goodness. This is just my absolute favourite. I had the most enjoyable meal of my life at Soul and I can’t wait to return. Soul is the first restaurant I’ve been to and ordered things I’d never tried or thought I’d enjoy. I got white bait fritters and eye fillet, which at the time was way out of my comfort zone. Anything that can watch you while you’re eating it (Whitebait) or bleed after having been cooked (Fillet) terrified me, but I ordered them anyway and was so delighted by how much I enjoyed them. Everything was so flavourful and I was very happy to see an abundance of sauce on the plate. The service was also wonderful — my water and wine were topped up many times but I never once noticed it happening, which is a sure sign of a skilful wait staff. My dining experience was flawless and I’m always looking for opportunities to visit again.

This place is pretty cool. Wife and I stopped in with raw oysters on her mind. She got those and I went with the prawn and sesame toast. We both thought that everything was overpriced by at least a little bit… but the food was tasty and we enjoyed live music with a local guy who played a range of genre and artists.
We’d come back to this place.

Everything is a winner here. And that’s my pure unbiased opinion. My fave is the Agnolotti pasta dish which I almost always order… it.is.to.die.for. The tuna tatare is also pretty fantastic. I mean, there are moans of food delight each time we eat at Soul. The cocktails… well, it goes without saying.

While in Auckland, we stumbled across Soul in the Viaduct area. Blindly, we walked in for lunch, simply because they had spicy tuna tartare on their menu. We were not led astray. The food at Soul was divine and the service was phenomenal. We split the tuna tartare, tostada, pumpkin-​filled pasta, scallop risotto, sashimi salad, and side of brussels sprouts between 5 people. It was more than enough food and no one dish was better than the other. The location is beautiful, located in the Viaduct right next to the water. Even though it is winter, we sat outside in a heated patio. I would say out of the 9 or so meals I ate out in New Zealand, Soul was my favorite food. Additionally, it was not too touristy making it an appealing place for both visitors and locals alike.

Soul is one of those places where the outlook/​ambience is meant to complement the food. … And once upon a time, it did. I remember a beautiful lunch out on the deck in early 2008 where everything, including the service was superb. Now… well… it’s a bit meh. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still lovely, the deck is still gorgeous with those beautiful white flowers hanging from above (and occasionally getting into your food/​on the table, but they’re so pretty it’s totally fine) but everything else is TIRED.
The waiters are tired, they can’t be assed. They deal with fussy tourists and business people all day long. They can’t even be bothered giving you the specials in our case. Thankfully someone else came along to tell us that there were in fact specials that day. How you can get that wrong, I’m not quite sure.
I had a caesar salad to start. It was fine, but it’s just a caesar and I think I make a better one at home. I also don’t leave large chunks of eggshell in the salad either (well, I probs do, but it’s only me and AW so I don’t care). I followed this up with the savannah eye fillet — overcooked, which is a shame. I also took issue with the egg/​feta ravioli. Because I haven’t had this before, I feel like I can’t be all «that SO wasn’t right»… but it didn’t taste right… I’ve seen it cooked before on lots of cooking shows, and I know it’s quite difficult to get the egg still runny inside (which it was), but… the pasta was SO thick it was almost like chewing glue. It wasn’t nice and I wouldn’t repeat the experience.
So you’re probably wondering why I gave this place three stars because I seem to be quite displeased with my meal so far, right? I’ll tell you. The dessert. It was amazing. I got the chocolate steamed pudding with salted caramel ice cream and salted caramel pieces, plus honeycomb sprinkled on top. But the best part was that the ice cream came in another cake-​style piece separate to the pudding. So there wasn’t this big piece of ice cream plonked on top, even though that would’ve been delicious, it was a separate cake for me to enjoy! The pudding was oozing chocolate sauce everywhere… it was really a beautiful sight, I wish I’d taken a photo.
Now, a drawback to Soul is that it’s in tourist-​ville. But I decided to have fun with that, and I’m pretty sure I photobombed many photos heading back to different parts of the world. However, if you were looking for something intimate, I’d head elsewhere. You’re perched up top there, and it’s a gorgeous looking restaurant — what else are the tourists going to do?

Soul is probably one of the Viaduct’s top two; long established and setting the standard for the rest. What I love about it is its many guises. Late night shambolic cattle market, daytime yuppyville, ladies who lunch and so the list goes on. This place is many things to many people.
I’m most fond of a long lunch with wine outside on the deck, making the most of the sheltered corner site. But I’m also partial to a spot of dinner here because all the food is sensational and they have a separate Vegetarian menu so clearly it’s my kind of place.
Hilariously, if it’s a Friday or Saturday (or Thursdays too in Summer) you can linger over your dessert and digestifs and watch the place turn into something of a nightclub with a DJ doing their thing until the wee smalls. The entertainment of this cannot be undervalued as this is where you can see what the Real Housewives of Auckland City would look like (like they’re going to make that show). And late at night and liquored up, there are some formidable sights to be seen.