Prego

Amazing food. Buzzing atmosphere. Exceptional service. Some beautiful to eat all ages. The surf & turf was so good. Polenta cake and the prawns. Delish. My partner bad the duck risotto. Delish. He kids shared pizzas. Beers, cocktails and wine were all perfection.
The desserts had were a chocolate one and a ginger steamed pudding which were both so so good. Plenty of cheeses and amazing dessert wines. The wait stuff were knowledgeable, efficient and overall and excellent night out… again!
Thanks prego

This Italian has been around for donkey’s on Ponsonby Road. Prego has had a recent makeover, it’s still a minimalist space but with some acoustic and furniture upgrades its better.
Most of the classic dishes are still on offer, pizza, fillet of fish on herbed risotto, iconic pastas however not the best I have had — my friends lasagne was just swimming in tomato and cheese.
My Seafood Marinara was full of lovely perfectly cooked seafood but not a lot of liquid, sauce or anything to coat the spaghetti. I thought Marinara was a tomato base sauce. So I was cracking on the pepper and wishing for more parmesan.
The service was ok although the waitress quite grumpy. Pity I couldn’t fit dessert as I had eyed up a few things. Prego’s must be doing something right though as they are always busy and I think they will continue to be. It was a cool space to share in celebrating my friends birthday.

Loved the experience and taste! Portions are perfect and dessert deeelish! Service wonderful, waitress very attentive, informative and sweet. If we have more time in NZ i’ll return for more good times. Chill atmosphere with nice outdoor and indoor seating.

Every time I go here I remind myself that I need to go here more often. It’s not snobby, it’s upmarket, and you want to come here. The American waiter that serves everyone is so chilled and informed. I love it here. Pasta is divine, mains are to die for and if you manage to get dessert (the cocktails are so good) then we’ll done. They do look good but I’ve never managed it myself. Would recommend surf and turf. Any pasta dish. The antipasto. Get in there.

Love it here, been going since I was young and always exceptional! Haven’t been for a while since I’ve moved to Aus but ill be back soon for a feast!

Fettuccine Alfredo and Rucola Salad: Yumm!
Spaghetti Carbonara has been my fav and glad its back on the menu

Went to Prego on a Wednesday night with a a friend for a farewell dinner. Interior is nice and minimalistic, with dim lighting. We arrived around 6:30, with plenty of open tables. However, it got crowded very quickly. Thankfully my friend and I arrived earlier. I ordered the Pappardelle Al Ragu, a braised lamb pasta with wide noodle. SO GOOD. It was a rainy day so it was a perfect comfort food. My friend ordered the Tortellini with spinach and pumpkin purée. The walnuts on top added a perfect crunch. A new flavor experience.
Service was good but as it crowded, and my table was shoved between a two crowded tables, the waiter took a long time to reach our table. We had to ask him twice for our check! Food definitely made up for it though!
In summary, expensive food but worth it, come early or make a reservation!

Prego has been around for over 25 years and it remains just as busy as the day it opened! Why? Well, consistency. You know exactly what you’re going to get at Prego.
For starters, the staff are really well trained. They know the menu and wine list inside out and despite their manic lunch & dinner rushes always seem to deliver a really high level of service. The same can be said of the food — it’s always on the money and is delivered within a reasonable timeframe. It’s for these reasons that Prego is a favourite for businesses lunches and dinners. The only downfall, you can’t book.
Personally, my favourite time to go is at 3pm on a Friday when things have quietened down a bit. They stay on a full menu right through out the day and it’s way more chilled. We often come here for girls long lunches, share a couple of pizzas and their calamari w rocket and aioli. Mention must also be made of their vitello tonnato — thin slices of veal and seared tuna with crispy fried capers and a mayonnaise type sauce. It’s seriously good!

Always sure to impress this old staple of Ponsonby Rd!
Everything Prego delivers is of a high standard from food to service to wine. I usually go for a long lunch… once you sit down its hard to leave :) My go to is sharing a pizza, calamari and salad with friends. They do also have a great more substantial menu if you want a full dinner.
There is a reason this place has been around for 40 years!

Fantastic, BUSY restaurant. We always try to hit up Prego when we are home in NZ. The whole Red Snapper is spectacular.

I have been coming to Prego with my family for as long as I can remember. We have never left feeling anything but totally satisfied. The menu offers everything you would expect of an Italian restauant, plus more. Especially perfect for families. Inside and outdoor seating make this restauant ideal for almost any occasion. Never had a bad experience here. Except on my latest visit I had a grumpy waiter who was very uncooperative when I asked to alter something with the meal I chose, he said «it wasn’t possible» which I wasn’t impressed with because restaurants should always be able to help cater to the dietry needs of guests, but I won’t hold it against the restauant because it was a one-​off event and the guy was probably just having a bad day. Fantastic restaurant, absolutely love it here, you won’t be disappointed!

Service: ⁴⁄₅
Food: ³⁄₅
Price: ³⁄₅ a little too expensive for its value.
Environment: ³⁄₅
This place was so noisy. Maybe it is on a Sat night. If you want to have some decent group conversation, this is not a place for you. We had to shout out the whole night, even with the person next to you. Food, ok. Not that special. My pizza was salty and the linguine needed some salt. But I have to say, the service was good. Staff were very friendly.

Awesome service, this girl named diva was looking after us and I can say she was the best and looked after us so well, She helped us pick the best options we ordered cheese and garlic bread with some tamator basil and mozzarella cheese ummm. it was mouth watering. then we got some gnocchi in napotali sauce. cant complain, finally we got some vegetarian pizza I thought it was a lil too’ tamotoiiee’ should have gone for what diva suggested. the mushroom and mozzarella one. Thank you so much we enjoyed everything. including the sticky pudding :)

«Prego» is Ponsonby Road’s staple — having being resident on the main strip for 28 years. I have had numerous exquisite lunches and sumptuous dinners here since the 90’s. The other night was no exception. Prego does not take reservations — so it’s walk-​in and wait, most of the time. The bar is nestled by the kitchen: friendly and inviting, with knowledgable and professional bar staff, which is always refreshing. After a 15-​minute duration we were seated and offered menus. I opted for Foxes Pinot Noir and my friend had a Peroni beer. We ordered the Calamari Frittati, Market Fish (Hapuka) on risotto, Spiced Beef Pie on mash. All courses were divine and didn’t disappoint. Prego is an Italian restaurant, hence synonymous for lush pizza & delectable pasta dishes, and seafood, of course! Entrees from $ 12.50, pizza from $ 25, Mains from $ 26 — $ 40, Desserts $ 14.50. Extensive wine/​spirit/​beer list! Do I need to say anymore? Just go.

we had lunch here today 25/​08/​2014 haven’t been for a while but the place is still one of the best locations in Auckland on a great sunny afternoon with friends
sat outside in the sun and enjoyed a good bottle of NZ white and the meals were great, my wife had the calamari I had one of their trademark pizzas half and half and our guests had the duck risotto which he said was spectacular all in all a great afternoon the staff were very friendly and knowlegable about the menu and the service was good as expected…

The whole fish (almost always snapper) is amazing here.
Great location, great food, and great for families.
Always good service and the food is solid.
One of my favourite restaurants in Auckland and not too pricey for what you get.

I think it’s very important, when reviewing restaurants that you’ve been to many times over the years, to not review them until you’ve been recently. I am a big Prego fan, have been for a long time, but considering that I haven’t been since about October 2012 (heaven forbid) I couldn’t bring myself to review it.
About five years ago my friend and I went to Prego for comfort food, wine and a damn good gossip. We sat outside under the fairy lights, covered in blankets kindly offered by the restaurant, drinking a bottle of red wine (probably cheap — we were only fresh into the workforce really) and scoffing down pasta. Now that we’re married, own homes, have busy jobs, it’s sometimes harder to have those nights, and to celebrate that we were indeed having one of those nights, we went back to Prego.
We did exactly the same thing. We sat outside under the fairy lights and right beside the damn good heater (seriously — where are they from? I need one for my deck), and we drank our red wine and scoffed our pasta. We were incredibly thrilled when we discovered the sticky date pudding was still on the menu as it was five years ago — comfort food at its finest.
And you know what, I really can’t complain about anything. They forgot to bring out the blankets, but maybe they knew the heater was pumping out so much heat, they’d wait to see if we got cold. We shared the calamari as you do, and it’s lovely, crispy, cooked to perfection… but I don’t like it quite so much anymore. That, however, is personal preference. I can certainly see that it’s a beautiful dish done well by the team at Prego.
My main, on the other hand, blew me away. I am really embracing the winter dishes of late. I crave beautiful tomato and red wine ragu dishes with meat so tender it just melts in the mouth. I cannot get enough right now. Naturally, that’s what I ordered. The waitress didn’t even mind when my friend and I suggested we would want a small mountain of parmesan cheese all over our pasta as it was delivered to the table. It was beautiful. It’s a simple dish, but when done well it is outstanding.
Prego, is, as ever, a brilliant spot for a casual week day dinner, a long boozy lunch in the sun on a Sunday, or a quick bite before heading off to do something else. Your wine glass (from a fairly extensive list) will always be topped up, the food will always be just as you expected it — comforting and soothing. What’s not to like?

Sometimes a girl gets a hankering for a massive bowl of pasta. Specifically, slathered in seafood and rich tomato sauce. This happened on a holiday in Auckland and after a quick bit of research I was on my way to Prego.
Hooray! The marinara linguini was excellent — super fresh and an abundance of fishy things. I added extra chilli because, hey, I’m a heat feind. Prior to eating this giant bowl of carbs I devoured the vitello tonnato which was rather impressive too.
With knowledgable service and a great wine list, I’d be happy to have Prego as my local Italian.

Ah Prego. How you endure. Still a place to see and be seen, still with some of the worst acoustics around. Still, we go. Because it’s fun and the food is always good and the people always worth a look (and a listen — those tables are close together).
I love the salads and usually have the Fettucine Alfredo without the ham. I appreciate it when chefs don’t get all arsey about leaving something out — it’s not like I’m ADDING something in that they «forgot» right?
I have so many memories from here; work do’s, girlfriend catch-​ups and I even had a very shortlived «thing» with a travelling barman in a previous life. Oh God. And that’s what’s great about Prego. It’s a backdrop to so many an Auckland tale suffused in garlicky Italian goodness and sozzled in the grape of the day. Just be careful on the way to and from the toilets.

I have been here twice now and from those two experiences I know that this will always be the restaurant I choose when I am wanting somewhere luxurious to go for dinner. It truly feels like a celebration when I eat here, the food is just incredible.
The décor is light and inviting during the day, with plenty of outdoor seating, then at night things change. It morphs into somewhere magical and romantic, proving the versatility of this restaurant.
Both times I have been, I have ordered the same dish, just because it was so so good I can’t bear not to have it. Once I had the calamari as a starter and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it!
I also noticed they offer some lighter tapas style dishes which I thought would be good to enjoy with my boyfriend over a glass of wine or beer. The service is great, really attentive and informative, if you can get them to read out the days specials it’s a must as they do it so well!