Restaurant Rec: Cibo
I recently tried Cibo, a long-time Parnell establishment, for the first time. This places gets two very enthusiastic thumbs up, especially for a medium sized gathering. Hospitality service in New Zealand has never been on par with what I was used to in the US, and of course covid and border lockdowns have only exacerbated the problem. There have always been long delays in food and beverage service at every place except Cibo. This is the first restaurant I’ve found that handled a bigger group (there were 23 of us) with ease.
Cibo is tucked into Parnell, so parking isn’t the easiest unless you want to pay $5 per half hour in a parking garage. Uber is definitely the way to go, especially if you are planning to imbibe, which you should plan to for the whole dining experience. The outside is an unassuming grey facade of an old chocolate factory. It took me a few looks before I realized I was in the right place, but inside it is colorful and well designed. In the back of the restaurant there is a good sized covered garden so we go the best of both worlds: outdoor dining with an indoor feel.
I was greeted with a glass of bubbles, and no one’s glass was empty for long. Our group had two servers who were by far the most attentive servers I think I’ve had since moving to New Zealand. I was pleasantly surprised that our food came out quickly and together - something that never seems to happen with larger groups here.
The restaurant provided a set three course menu for our ladies’ lunch with a good mix of meet, fish, and vegetarian items. I selected a sashimi for my entrée and the fish of the day - a snapper - for my main. (Side note, New Zealand follows the French/European names for courses, so Kiwi entrées are appetisers and mains are American entrées here.) Both were fresh and outstanding. My only complaint about the entire meal was that somehow I wasn’t given a pair of chopsticks like everyone else who ordered the sashimi. It was the one service slip up I saw for the whole meal.
Dessert was shared platters of all sorts of tasty macarons, brownies, lemon marshmallow bites, and other goodies. Since we had a section of the back garden all to ourselves, we were able to get up and mix with everyone at the lunch. There was no pressure from the staff to rush or hurry out. They were more than happy to keep pouring drinks.
Cibo isn’t a quick, cheap meal. It is on the pricier side of dining, but but no means is it unreasonable for the experience and quality of food. I would definitely recommend for a nice(r) night out or event dinner.
