Soul Bar & Bistro

Been coming here every so often for years,   and it definitely hits a reasonable standard,   but the last couple of visits,  it seemed to have gone from an exceptional place to just a restaurant like any other.      It seems to have lost that little extra and mainly thats in the service.    The food is still pretty good with a reasonable selection and flavours -  cant say im impressed by a piece of paper for a menu that can fold into a hat - seems a bit cobb and co,  but maybe thats me .  The biggest issue was with the speed of everything,  despite being lunctime on a weekday - 80% of the seats were open,  took at least 5 minutes to get a table,  then another 10mins before a drink order then we had to call for the waiter to take the food order then that took over 40mins to turn up -  in the end had to scoff it and run for the door,  yet again find someone to pay the bill .    The food itself there was no complaints.   I get people like to have long lazy lunches etc but asking would be good .     So yeah,  not bad food,  viaduct location,  on the upper end of price and so so service,  perhaps they were just having a bad day .      The biggest problem in returning soon is so many options nearby.

Firstly, great food and good service. The entrees our party of four ordered were universally fantastic - especially the squid, which was cooked to perfection. The wait time between entrees and mains was unacceptable though - close to an hour, and by the time our meals arrived we were famished. Thankfully, these didn't disappoint either, nor did the desserts, which arrived soon afterwards. (The chocolate cake and the sticky date pudding were particularly brilliant.) And then there was the clientele. If a comet hit Soul on the Thursday night we visited, Auckland would have lost a lot of its accountants and advertising executives. Given Soul's whereabouts in the centre of the Viaduct, I suppose it's not too surprising that the clientele consisted mostly of groups of white males in their 40s, dressed in business casual, talking loudly and drinking heavily. So, great meal but slightly slow service, and a few too many slightly inebriated blokes spoiling the vibe. We'll be back, but probably earlier and on a quieter night.

Good food but unfortunately we had a bad experience with one of the waiters being quite rude. As soon as we were seated he asked us what we'd like to drink without getting a chance to even open the drinks menu. We told him we hadn't decided yet so he left us alone and came back after what seemed like only two minutes. This continued throughout our meal and got quite annoying  

Lazy lunch, terrific service, delicious wine and food. Great people watching and a consistent sunny day pleaser.

Always a great vibe with friendly people who love to spin a yarn. On-to-it staff help as well.

I dined at Soul again but this time with a group of 20 for dinner and we were looked after so well. How the chef managed to get all 20 meals out at the same time, hot and delicious is beyond me but he/she did and we were very happy!  Great service, drinks always offered, water glasses always filled!  Then down to the bar for a boogie after dinner. This is a top restaurant and bar that everyone should visit.

The girls and I went to Soul for lunch on Saturday!  Amazing food (you must try the duck), amazing service, amazing wine and coffee.  Try to get seated out on the balcony, although its first in first served to sit out there.  If you haven't been to Soul, you're missing out

Love the food, love the setting and always feel important when I dine at Soul.