Our Reviews

"Deservedly an inner-city favourite for 13-odd years since it opened, O'Connell Street is a sophisticated restaurant reminiscent of the backstreet bistros of Paris. Sequestered in a former bank vault, the rooms are small & intimate, with broad windowsills that make the perfect repositories for the bottles of wine that are such a rewarding part of the experience here. Owner Chris Upton has a special interest in wine and he has built up arguably one of the best lists in the country, along with an impressive cellar. Put yourself in his capable hands for guidance on the ideal matches with chef Stephen Ward's excellent bistro menu."

**** 1/2

Cuisine NZ Restaurant of the Year Awards 2010

"This restaurant is regarded by some as the partners' canteen serving the law firms in Shortland St's tower blocks.

Which means the food has to be smart, filling and delicious, the wine list long and stimulating, and every little detail attended to just so. O'Connell St gets all that right, and makes it look so easy. So impressive. "

Runner up, Smart Casual

Metro Magazine Restaurant of the Year Awards 2010

"Chris Upton's excellent bijou bistro has consistently delivered a smart dining experience for more than 12 years. Chef Stephen Ward uses high quality produce on his tight menu, shying away from too many current trends and providing robust flavours and amply portioned servings.

John Logan capably oversees the dining room, bringing maturity and professionalism to the experience. The judges noted that O'Connell Street's staff are exemplary and should be the template for other service staff around the country.. A class act."

*****

Cuisine Restaurant of the Year Awards 2009

"What must restaurateurs do to get the tone for fine dining right in this city ? They should, of course, serve beautifully cooked food. They should have a wine list strong on boutique New Zealand labels, mixed with discerningly well-chosen imports and a top-of-the-line cellared range for the true connoisseurs. Their restaurant's tableware, decor and general ambience should all enhance the sophisticated pleasures of the dining experience. O'Connell Street Bistro does all of this."

Winner Best Service

Metro Magazine Restaurant of the Year Awards 2009

"To dine at O'Connell St is to surrender yourself to unfailing care. To drink here is to avail yourself of the best list ever. Every last detail is offered with finesse rather than fuss. This is a place to celebrate linen and elegance and the finest of attentions to food and diner."

*****

Geraldine Johns - Sunday Star Times

December 2008

"Winner for the second time in a row, this bistro has a terrific list of wines you would covet for your own cellar, a knowledgeable sommelier to help with the matches & an admirable passion."

Winner Best Wine Experience

Cuisine NZ Restaurant of the Year Awards 2008

"A basement-style haven in the city for a discerning, mainly business clientele, O'Connell St Bistro is hard to fault. The service, under the direction of Chris Upton, is assured and efficient, and the food is reliably good.

O'Connell St Bistro wins our best wine award with a brilliant list featuring lovely food matches, a strong range of choices

and an excellent cellar."

Winner Best Wine List

Metro Magazine Restaurant Awards

May 2008

"This former bank now holds more sensuous treasures.

On one of the inner city's cosmopolitan-feeling streets, the snug dining room evokes a modern European bistro, where well-spaced tables afford a convivial buzz without closeness.

The professional yet relaxed service is matched by the food - expert yet unfussy...A charming and engaging restaurant for grown-ups."

***** Winner Best Wine Experience

Cuisine NZ Restaurant of the Year Awards

August 2007

"A chic, urbane little restaurant in the inner city, the O'Connell St Bistro has a touch of old Europe about it with high windows featured on thick walls, discreet furnishings and strong artwork.

Classical technique underpins the appealing modern menu; go for the suggested wine matches, they are exceptional."

Gourmet Traveller

July 2007

"Go for pudding, go for lunch, go for - just go. If OCB suffers from anything, it suffers from being kept for "special occasions"."

***** Ewan McDonald - Viva magazine (NZ Herald)

June 2007

"It offers a lexicon of dining delectation: assured, polished, charming (service); un-fussy, without compromise, spectacular (food). It is a singular example of a stellar gustatory experience."

* * * * *  Geraldine Johns - Sunday Star Times

April 2007

O'Connell Street Bistro named as one of the world's top dining spots:-

"This smart and rather chic central bistro has only 12 tables, but size is not what O'Connell's is about. Great emphasis is placed on wine and all the great NZ names are here, with a few boutique wineries thrown in."

Vanity Fair on Travel - April 2007

"Everything about O'Connell St is right - the low buzz of happy diners, the three interconnecting rooms which lend such a feeling of intimacy, and the service, which is always knowledgable, assured & friendly."

19/20 - Claire Harvey - Canvas Magazine (NZ Herald)

September 2006

" This tiny backstreet restaurant is a true gem in Auckland's vast dining scene." Eat: 8 Drink:9 Look:8 Care:9

Lauraine Jacobs - Cuisine Magazine - January 2006

“If we could have stuffed the O’Connell St Bistro into our luggage & brought it back to the States, we would have..”
RW Apple Jnr – The New York Times - January 2004

“ Gorgeous.. and then there’s the room, the service, the wine and the food.”
Ewan Mcdonald – Viva’s A List (NZ Herald)

December 2005

“O’Connell St does food simply and beautifully. Ditto the service. It is a haven from silly, tricky stuff. It is my idea of heaven and I want to live there.” *****
Michele Hewitson Viva (NZ Herald) - February 2005

“Always one of our favourite rooms – chic by day and romantic by night, with charming, skilled staff who really engage. There’s something cosseted yet relaxing about eating here and it always feels special. It’s a great little operation.”
Metro Magazine Restaurant of the Year Awards 2005

"We consider the O'Connell St Bistro wine list to be the best we've seen this year, and when you factor in the exceptional wine service that goes with it, the case becomes hard to dispute. Let them match wine to your dinner:it will be rewarding."

Metro Corbans Restaurant of the Year Awards 2006

“There’s something alluringly chic yet intimate about O’Connell St Bistro. I’m ashamed to say I indulged in that ridiculous cultural cringe thing we all slip into and made the comment that you could be sitting in a restaurant in Melbourne, or New York. Why shouldn’t you feel like that in Auckland?”
17/20 – Jan Corbett - Canvas Magazine (NZ Herald)

June 2006

	O'Connell St Bistro Vouchers The perfect gift for colleagues, clients and friends.