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Reviews for Cafe Midnight Express

by Jason
2nd September 2011

This business is a MenuMania SponsorOne of the Business' Favourite Reviews

I went to Mightnight Express with some workmates for lunch today and all I can say is WOW! These guys really have it down to a fine art. The surroundings are fitting for the cuisine and the service is great. As for the food, the portions are a very generous size and taste of the meals are absolutely wonderful! And to top it off, the price was fantastic at $14.50 for a spicy grilled chicken dish with salad, rice and a nice condiment on the side. Some supposed 5 star restuarants could learn a thing or two from these guys.

by Eydie W.
18th April 2013

I ate at this cafe with my sister & her husband. We had the set menu on starter & main. The selection was great the food tasted even better. The service was also very good, my sister & I enjoyed the wine recommended to us.
The atmosphere, decor background music awesome.
I am planning on visiting soon with my work colleagues as I have told them all about my experience. It was Excellent.

by Joe B.
4th April 2013

Good food and service for a decent price. Portion sizes are good and it’s just a nice place for dinner all over.

by Jann M.
9th March 2013

Great host, very friendly staff; lovely food and tasty. Very happy to recommend this restaurant. The decor is cosy and with good Turkish theme as well as the music. I also recommended whether for lunch or dinner, the quality is as good for both. I had heard a lot about it, and it was as good as I had heard if not better. Well done Cafe Midnight Express.

by Keith E.
10th February 2013

After reading positive reviews decided to give Cafe Midnight Express a try. This area of Auckland city is not where I would seek places to eat normally but very glad that we did. The restaurant was busy but not crowded setting a good atmosphere. We were given a good table and always attended to very well. The waitress answered our questions on the menu items well and in a way that we were able to make a good selection. The starters came out in good time and were very tasty. The mains were large portions and well balanced with a variety of meats, vegetables and sauces. Unfortunately too full for desert but will be back to try them out soon. Price of both food and alcohol very reasonable.

by Jade L.
5th December 2012

I heard numerous good reviews of Midnight Express, and went to check out the place for myself.
YES…food and service was great!

A very strategic Mediterranean/Turkish restaurant in the heart of Auckland CBD and they serve authentic, delicious food. Cosy atmosphere as a plus point.

Will definitely go back there.

Photos: http://www.MenuMania.c…

by Meghan W.
1st October 2012

We were here a few months ago, we needed a place to eat before our movie that night. We wanted to sit further inside the restaurant and not by the door, however most of the tables further inside the restaurant were booked. To our delight, the lovely waitress said we could sit there, as we were there pretty early and the reservation wasn’t for another few hours, great service!

The waiter who took our orders helped us choose our starters, which was really helpful because we weren’t quite sure. We ordered bread with 3 different dips he recommended, delicious. Our mains were great too, great presentation on the plate. We were really impressed.

The only downside I would say is that the food is a wee bit expensive for what it is, and it is not the biggest portion. But otherwise it is a great restaurant, fantastic atmosphere with really friendly and helpful staff

by Amir
21st August 2012

Service with a smile, fresh, flavorsome and healthy dishes in a super friendly atmosphere. Never been disappointed by the food and its got to be our favorite casual dinning hang out. They always remember us when we go there, the kebab is always of highest quality meat sorrounded by fresh salads and home made humus and chutney. Not to mention the beautiful belly dancer on friday nights…;) Highly recommend it.

by Lena
1st June 2012

Love this place!

I used to be a semi-regular fixture at Mexican Cafe and would always walk past this place, finally curiosity got the better of me and I decided to have a late lunch here with a friend. It was around 3pm after the lunch rush, so it was just us in the restaurant. I ordered a Spinach Borek (spinach filo pastry) and my friend ordered a dish of fried seafood and french fries (we go to a Turkish restaurant and he orders fish’n'chips, what a Kiwi!). My Spinach Borek was delicious, I love spinach dishes in general but this was amazing! My friend thoroughly enjoyed his dish and the interesting Mediterranean sauces that came with it too.

When a restaurant is empty, I find it’s very easy for staff to often over-crowd diners in order to compensate for the lack of a crowd. Our waitress however was attentive without being pushy, coming around every now and then to fill up our water glasses and she always had a smile on her face! Service really makes all the difference, and we experienced fantastic service on this day. We both left feeling very satisfied and happy, and we will definitely be returning!

by David M.
14th May 2012

Four of us made the mistake of going here last night (Sunday). We arrived at 6 and it wasn’t THAT busy. We had a show to get to at 7 so decided to grab something quick.

Firstly when we arrived our greeting wasn’t very welcoming – as though we were being a bother! We promptly ordered our drinks and our meals. Since my wife and I had just been to a large late mothers day lunch she just ordered the Turkish bread and I ordered the holumi starter. Our friends ordered mains.

When our drinks arrived the Mojito apparently tasted like they forgot to put any alcohol in it!

Half an hour later asked where our meals were (bear in mind 1 meal was bread and another was a starter) we were told 5 minutes. 15 minutes later our food arrived. One of our party didn’t end up with the correct order! We couldn’t do much as our show started in 15 minutes. The food was great, how ever when I took my last mouthful of beer as we went to to leave I felt something in my mouth – I spat out a plastic mint wrapper!!

When we went to pay my friend advised that she was given the wrong meal the waitress just said “so do you want to pay for the one you ordered, or the one you got?” considering what she ordered was a main and she ended up with a starter, what do you think?? When I put the wrapper on the counter and said this was in my beer glass, her response was “o that’s not very good…. That will be $30….”

Will never be back again!

by chelsea
28th January 2011

Every time i come into this cafe i get a very nice vibe, the waitress is a beautiful Turkish lady ? perhaps? and is not intrusive when it comes to having time out with Lunch, the place is absolutely beautiful! one thing id have to say is that (seeing as my partner and i have been there so many times) the menu is some what the same, the food just sounds different but when you get it on the plate, its just mixed up. although i enjoy the atmosphere and the food, i would of liked a bit more variety, cheers

by Amy A.
3rd August 2010

Food always comes pretty fast and hot and nice, and last time I went there was a very friendly waitress who was always smiling so that was nice. Would go again but would order something different…..ordered something exotic sounding only for it to come out as a kebab!

by Lisa
14th March 2010

We had not planned to go here for dinner but as I hobbled down the road on my crutches, no steps looked very inviting! We had the set menu which we believe was absolutely fantastic value for money, food was outstanding and service could not be faulted. A little cramped but this did not affect our wonderful dining experience. Would definitely go back here.

by han
9th March 2010

been here a number of times and aways came away happy. only bad thing is that its always too hot inside there.

by SHERYL
7th August 2009

Went to midnight express with a group of friends visiting from overseas,I have been to midnight express on a number of occasions and we have always enjoyed the great food and friendly atmosphere.
As usual it didnt disappoint we had a great night my friends were really impressed and I will definitely be back

by Laine. f
16th July 2009

“Functions welcome”: the friendly motto plastered in bold on their promising website was FAR from what we experienced last night. 18 of us went there for my best friend’s intimate 21st dinner, but arrived to find the seating arrangements awkward as 6 of us were allocated seating separated from the rest of the party. We had hired a professional belly dancer as a birthday surprise BUT was then told by the manager that she’s “not allowed to dance” because we didn’t order enough food. He unashamedly took out his calculator right after we placed our orders and accused us of being cheap and losing him business! And that if he let the belly dancer dance, other customers would get angry and complain. I do NOT see how other diners would object to a short ethnic dance as dinner side entertainment for free let alone make a complaint. We had to turn her away but pay her in full anyway. And as I walked her out, he stopped her to ask for her number and told her to “come dance for me some other day” right in front of us! Appalling! The waiters were far from friendly either, very distant and cold. When the rest of our party arrived we were told if they weren’t ordering to give up the table when there were still plenty of big tables up front free. The food was so average; the restaurant is really just a kebab takeaway with good interior decorations. All in all, the dining experience was a nightmare; the birthday girl even had a tear up due to conflicts started by the manager. I have never experienced such rude service and will definitely never go there again!

Comment from hassan m. of Cafe Midnight Express 7/08/2009    Hide »

We are sorry you didnt enjoy your evening with us but as you can…    More »

We are sorry you didnt enjoy your evening with us but as you can appreciate we need some sort of notice if you intend to bring your own belly dancer,can you imagine if on a friday night when we have several groups everyone turned up with there own belly dancers wanting to dance,it would not be fair on our other valued customers

by Anvi
5th June 2009

The ambience and service is excellent. We were 6 of us and the mains arrived pretty quickly. The wine list is also nice and includes a good range of white and reds. I strongly recommend this place as good value for money.

by Melinda
29th August 2008

I went with a group of 15 for my birthday, unfortunately the nice back room was booked out and we had to have two tables, something they told me when I booked. They also suggested the set menu, so I had a price ($30 for entree and main) to tell everyone beforehand – good for those counting their pennys.
We all swapped seats 3 times during the night so nobody would be left out on the ends or the smaller table the whole night, I’m sure this didn’t make it easy for the waitresses, especially as we had vegetarians who had a seperate main, but they were very nice to us still. For a busy night the service was excellent.
The food was plentiful, tasty and what I expected from a trukish resturant.
I wanted a casual, friendly place where I could enjoy a shared meal with my friends and not break the bank doing so and I wasn’t let down at all.
I would happily go back again.

by Sandip R.
23rd June 2008

absolutely my most favourite middle eastern eatery in the country. not boring and great value

by Fatty
25th January 2008

I felt compelled to write a review after my boyfriend’s birthday dinner at Cafe Midnight Express was such a success. Delicious food, great atmosphere and friendly staff, I highly recommend.

by Salene A.
24th January 2008

This is my very favourite restaurant in the city. The service is good, the food is delicious and the atmosphere is cosy. A great night out and the best turkish in the city!

by Beth G.
9th June 2007

Theres a reason we keep going back, the food is good! Can get a bit hectic on Friday nights, but you can book a table.

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