Eight at Cordis, Auckland - Grafton

Food was great, fresh and had more varieties. Clean and good service. The prices was a bit expensive. Taste is normal, not too amazing for me. Difficult to find car park around there. And I don't understand we used the service of hotel but still need to pay car park. 6Jun21

Excellent variety of meats, and vegetarian options in a range of cuisine from Chinese to Indian and Grill. Seafood options were fantastic too.

With all the raging reviews of the buffet and its cost, honestly I expected a little better... There's no buffet currently, it's what they call a "buffet to table" experience, essentially meaning a set selection of foods brought to your table and not needing to get up and get food. I totally understood this, but really expected the food to be better than it was. Had bread and butter to start off with - seemed appropriate. But the bread was cold, stiff and a bit dry also. I realised that multiple tables that didn't have anyone there for up to 30 minutes (or so) had a bowl of bread already sitting at the table. It would've been nice to be served some warm bread so that the butter could melt into it. I was very much looking forward to oysters, but these were very small and had lots of shell pieces/sand/grit in them. I understand they were fresh, but if they're going to be that small to serve, why bother serving them at all? The mussels didn't really come with any seasoning of their own, just had to use the leftover lemon slices to season the cooked mussels. At least the prawn and cocktail sauce paired nicely. The salads and maki rolls were just average - the rolls didn't have a lot of flavour to them. The mains were also a bit of a let down! My favourite of the mains was the butter chicken, hard to go wrong with a butter chicken right? The baby grilled octopus were really lackluster, "seasoned" with lemon oil but honestly there was nothing much to it, just a chewy texture and not much flavour. Even their tagliatelle was underseasoned and very plain tasting. Desserts were much better, but definitely for those who have a pretty extreme sweet tooth. Probably the most enjoyable aspect of this totally underwhelming experience was how aesthetically pleasing to the eye the venue is, as well as the bathrooms. The service was very friendly. I'm not sure I'll try this again, maybe if the buffet experience opens back up.

Can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet! I've been here many times over the years and consider it to be the best buffet in the CBD. Friends and I were here for Christmas lunch last weekend and we were stuffed to capacity but we of course made room for dessert. The highlight for me was the doughnut. In terms of starters, the beetroot air baguette was tasty but the beetroot flavour was not strong enough for me. Some sort of goat cheese tart with fresh beetroot would be a winner in my book. The chicken, slaw and maki platter were also delicious. In terms of mains, the beef (that truffle mash was fire), butter chicken and ham were the highlights for me although the duck fat potatoes (which are always my favourite from the buffet) were a little water logged on this day. Despite, this Eight is great and I'll always go back. The next visit will need to wait at least a few months because I'm still digesting!

We arrived at the restaurant on 16.01.2022 for my mothers birthday. We were warmly greeted by a Polynesian lady in the reception area of the Eight Restaurant. While another Asian Lady wearing a similar suit of uniform with glasses rudely interrupted our conversation, authoritative tone that we need to wear a mask inside the restaurant. At the same time, in the buffet area (guest can only remove their face mask when they are about to eat). We didn't appreciate how this was communicated to us from her tone and gesture towards us. The Asian lady with glasses who was a supervisor was condescending how she talked to us and dared even to look at us all head to toe. For a restaurant supervisor, we expected her to be more accomodating not to leave a sour taste from the beginning of our visit. The Polynesian lady couldn't help but diffuse the utterly initial ruined experience by escorting us to our table and apologising for their colleague's behaviour. I questioned the restaurant policy if it is mandatory to wear masks how come half of the guests in the buffet area were not wearing masks. We were advised that they will conduct a reminder to the guests to wear a face mask when not at the table to eat. The restaurant has a fantastic 5-star layout. It was such a mind-blowing experience to enter the buffet area; it was such a spectacular view to have a mini travel adventure to each food station. I enjoyed the American, Indian and seafood stations that truly embellish some of my travel experience. We loved the food experience; all the food was delicious, fresh and genuinely well thought out. Our leading Food and Beverage Specialist, Jason was professional; he was on top of the service with the help of Nicky. Both Jason and Nicky truly changed our initial negative experience to something memorable for my mothers and our family to remember. They both provided such a humble, genuine and five-star experience that this was evident when they checked up on us and had a real conversation about how our day and dining were going. It is pretty rare to have Food and Beverage specialists converse or share stories with guests. These days almost my past restaurant fine dining experience has constantly observed and experienced with waiter/waitress just serving food to guests looking like robots forgetting that food is consumption and experience is a scar that can be looked at later on. Jason and Nicky truly represent Eight Restaurant. I believe they genuinely announce that the place is a 5 Star Buffet not just for food but a memorable moment to hold on to. Food and Beverage flavours, flare and execution rate 5/5 Reception Staff 2/5 Food and Beverage Service 4/5 Overall rating would have been 4 stars but due to the initial negative approach. I give 3.

A lot of food variety, place is neat and good ambience. Staffs are accomodating and professional. I enjoyed their food they are yummy and worth the price. Definitely one of my go to buffet in auckland.

Two of us went there for the buffet lunch for our birthday. The overall experience was average. Service was mixed between front of house staff to waiters. Warm greetings, a surprise birthday treat, having to ask for our plates to be removed and water to be refilled. The food was varied, well spread out and continuously refilled. I was surprised lamb was missing from the grill selection. I preferred eating items cooked on request so appreciated having this option. It was my first buffet experience at Eight and will be my last. The reason for this, the price was not worth the average experience.

Superb restaurant! Staff are lovely and welcoming, and there is an exceptional range of food - a good opportunity to explore different cuisines as well! From sushi, to ostrich, to steak, to lobster tail, there’s something for everyone! If you’re a seafood lover, you’re in for a treat with the abundance of salmon, oysters, and prawns! The desserts are good (nothing out of the ordinary), and the chocolate fountain is great to dip marshmallows in, and the kids are sure to love that as well! ? The restaurant is extremely tidy, as are the bathrooms! Has a luxurious touch to it, very spacious, and an ideal place for celebrations and group dinners! Very easy to make a reservation over the phone, but it can be on the pricey side especially on the weekends. There is no parking which can be a pain, so be prepared to pay for parking somewhere along Symonds St and then walk from there to the Cordis. Overall, a fantastic restaurant!