We came here because this is a great site, right on the seafront and within walking distance of where we live, but previous cafes have floundered.

What a lot can happen in a decade. Especially if you're a restaurant location on Auckland's famous food strip - Ponsonby Rd.

Ever since an after-function dinner before Christmas, we'd been meaning to revisit Coco's Cantina in Karangahape Rd.

The food at Takahe unfortunately doesn't live up to its spectacular backdrop.

The food matches the marvellous setting at Bracu, says Peter Calder.

Waiheke comes up trumps again with a tapas joint to get the tastebuds tingling.

A hot spot in the Viaduct Basin lives up to expectations in both cuisine and atmosphere.

Geraldine Johns samples Auckland's best crepes and discovers they make for perfect summer eating.

An Auckland hotel restaurant pampers its diners.

You can't keep a hungry child out of the kitchen. But how much do they learn from their mothers? Some of our top chefs and their mums talk about their childhood eating habits.

Nici Wickes nominates Coco's Cantina as one of Auckland's best Italian-style eateries.

Ewan McDonald nominates Mondial Cafe as one of Auckland's best eateries.

Who can be bothered cooking on your holidays? Geraldine Johns picks the best places for cheap, but very good ethnic food.

In the latest of a series on Restaurants of the Year, Viva reviewer Ewan McDonald nominates The Grove as one of Auckland's best restaurants of 2009.

In the latest of a series on Restaurants of the Year, Viva reviewer Nici Wickes nominates The Grove as one of Auckland's best restaurants of 2009.

The olive grove setting is perfect but quality of meals and service needs to be more consistent.

Restaurant Brands has lifted third quarter sales 4.7 per cent, led by strong growth from KFCn.

A Whangarei restaurant delivers on its promises.

The head of New Zealand's largest private front-of-house hospitality training institute says the country is setting itself up to fail at the Rugby World Cup because it does not have enough top-end hospitality staff.

Cafes and restaurants prove irresistible to smaller investors.

Divine food, attentive waitstaff: what more could you want for a celebration meal?

Yael Shochat's business has gone through several incarnations but the food and welcome remain impeccably good.

I do not pretend to have closely studied all - well, any actually - of the material presented to the Waitakere City Council and the Environment Court in the long battle to establish a cafe at this iconic West Coast beach.