Number 5 Restaurant

Lovely staff who remember us each time we visit. They have very unusual menus that are very delicious and it has a lovely ambience in the city.

I loved the restaurant building itself and the decor. The food was amazing too.

Great staff and service with an awesome ambiance. Degustation was amazing too

We went here for a works treat.  I am really grateful to be treated like this, but I don't think we got our money's worth.  It was a little disappointing...  From their blurb, they seem weighted to couples and romantic dining so groups may not be their thing.  On the other hand, they do also advertise for functions and private parties.  Apparently they have a waiting list for bookings, I wonder about that - they are a $$$$ restaurant and it seems to me that there's plenty of other places to choose from in Auckland in that bracket.    We used the upstairs dining area - a great little spot all to ourselves, with a log fire to warm us all up.  The venue was ok - not flash, not basic, maybe upper average furnishings.  The wait staff who served us were all excellent, without exception. They circulated with canapes - beautiful scallops on celeariac mash, a kind of average but under-presented chicken liver on crispbread item and a couple of others. Service was on the slow side, but that was down to the kitchen not the wait staff and we never ran out of conversation so it wasn't really an issue.  I had a starter of cider-braised pork cheeks (beautiful) with a celeariac and apple tart (ok), black pudding (underwhelming - seemed like a low-mid range commercial product) and crackling (an unweildy square with a thick layer of soft fat).  Overall, this would have been ok in a lesser restaurant.  The pork cheeks were incredibly tender and tasted wonderful, but they were less than 50% of the dish.  Other starter options were carpaccio of beef, scallops again or chicken liver again. As a main I had duck. It was over-fatty and overcooked but perfectly pleasant.  Easy to say with duck I know, but restaurants at this level should know how to cook duck without it drying out.  Two side veggies only - brussel sprouts and a pumpkin mash (tasted like it had swede in it?).  Other main options were blue cod or eye fillet. Dessert was a vanilla rice pudding with a butterscotch icecream - perfecly pleasant.  Other options were sticky toffee and liquorice pudding or rhubarb creme brulee. Cheese and biscuits - choice of 3 cheeses, and coffee.  Not many takes on the coffee as it was then 10:30 from a 6pm start. Overall, I am very grateful to be taken out, but I don't think we got our money's worth.  There is competition aplenty in this price bracket and next time I have a special occasion to celebrate, I won't be putting my name on the waiting list for Number 5.

My Aunt loves to tell me a story of her first grown-up date here in the high-powered, high hair 80's, and she got all dressed up, and booked a table for 5:30, and there was nobody else dining but her and her beau, given that hitherto unbeknownst to her, generally people eat later at restaurants than our parents do at home. So when I was a teenager living in high st in the late nineties, and coming here was the still the epitome of fine dining, I booked a table at 8. The experience then was unforgettable. Every time I've come here since, it has been sublime. Attentive service, exquisite food, lush, warm surroundings, the sparkling city lights outside, it is a gem of a restaurant, intimate and luxurious without being stuffy. Besides which, the mains are about what you'd expect to pay at any neighbourhood restaurant worth it's salt. And so good. The Atlantic scallop dish is superb, simple dishes like rice pudding are elevated. It's the most posh comfort food you'll find anywhere, but completely lacking in pretension, just beautifully made food. This kind of restaurant is such a welcome change from the prolieferation of tapas bars and casual eateries that are anything but. Will return again and again. 

Loved Number 5 when we went for a degustation recently. HAd great service and an impreccable meal - served with exceptional wines. Love the atmosphere as it's quite unique and quaint. Can't wait to go back!!

The old brick house is lovely to look at and has a wonderful feeling inside.  Many rooms beautifully and classically decorated with "real" fires burning in every fireplace. We were welcomed like family and shown to our table upstairs.  The view from our balcony table was lovely.  A lit up sky tower reminding us we were in the heart of Auckland. We ordered a Pims as an aperitif but the 'new' waiter said they didnt have it.  A surprise in a place of this standard.  So we settled for a vodka martini and a gin martini.  Holy hell they were strong!!  Not something we usually complain about but since I was driving I had to be careful. We had the 5 course degustation and were delivered beautiful meals including a lobster tail starter, pork belly entree, an unusual mint & cucumber sorbet ( which was amazingly very nice) and an aged hereford beef fillet was the main.  All were wonderful and tasty and presented beautifully.  They lacked the 'extras' of other degustations we'd had, like the balls of various tastes surrounding each dish, but I like the simplistic flavours resembling the best tastes of home cooked meals served in a 5 star way. The meals were small which suited me well but my partner felt the main could have been bigger.  The dessert, a rhubarb brulee, ended the meal beautifully and killed off any concerns of his leaving hungry. I loved the setting, the service was attentive and professional in every way.  The meal was fabulous and excellent value.  I have decided upon this place as the ideal, please everybody, fine dining establishment to hold my birthday party next year.  Ideally located walking distance from The Langham hotel makes this perfect for travelling family, or a romantic weekend break.

Just had a wonderful evening here.   We thought we would splash out and have a treat and it most certainly was!   The best scallops and most succulent lamb I have ever had.  All washed down with matched wines.  Great service too, very professional but not too 'pompous'.   Lovely comfortable decor and we had a seat next to the cosy fire on a cold and wet night- Bliss!

Wonderful meal. Everything was very good. Nice setting. Would dine again