Great experience. This cozy diner has a relaxed small town feel but great cooking. Muffins were…read moreexcellent. Eggs and waffles were well prepared. Like the self-serve toast station that allowed you to make your own toasts. Went back the next day as well. Best breakfast in Rotorua.

Excellent breakfast place! They have full Meals which are…read morereasonably priced. I ordered the French toast and it was filling! If that doesn't fill You up, there's the unlimited toast and spreads. They have wheat and white bread with every jam imaginable and butter, crunchy and smooth peanut butter, vegemite and some other sauces that go weird with toast, like sly sauce, bbq, etc. If you're just looking for a snack, they've got these pot pie things that are only $3-5

Delicious food!! I ordered the vegetable filot and creamy pumpkin soup, kids ordered strawberry…read moremilkshake, choco milkshake and mango smoothie. Everything was soo delicious! The gentleman at the counter was very pleasant and helpful. I'm glad we stopped by here to grab lunch!

We ordered Sausage Roll, Ginger bar, Cappuccino & hot cocoa - all the savories were scrumptious! We…read morealso ordered Pork Belly Roll to go. Service is excellent and ambiance is laid back.

Good good feed!! Tasty chicken.. good burgers.. not amazing…read moreto die for.. but hearty and filling. I would've like it served in traditional American baskets or plates but everything is served in paper containers. Still, guys are cool and even served us extras after their closing time.

Finding a place to eat in Taupo proved to be quite difficult. After the morning out at Wairakei, we…read morewere ready for lunch. We'd passed Pauly's Diner the day before and it looked promising. It's right next door to The Juice Station. We dropped in on a Wednesday afternoon (around 1:30pm). They've got tables both inside and out. The guys working inside are super chill and friendly. They explained the menu and then let us take our time deciding. Hilarious that they're closed Tuesday but on the hours sign, it says Pub Day! Work hard, play hard right? The menu is small but it's all about the burgers. They also have fried goods, shakes and a kids menu. There's a lunch deal (11:30am to 3:00pm, weekdays only). You get a burger, fries and either a can or water ($15.00 to 17.00). - L&P (lemon & paeroa) can - not too sweet. Hint of lemon. - Roast chicken sub ($12.00 NZD) - with gravy cheese and mustard. Lucky for my dad, they had a batch of cheese-less gravy. He really enjoyed his sub. - Fish lunch deal ($17.00 NZD) - fish of the day, herb oil, lettuce, jalapeño mayo and pickled red onion. Forgot to ask what type of fish it was but everything was delicious. Perfectly battered, flaky and the herb oil (almost like a basil pesto) was tasty. - Chicken lunch deal ($16.00 NZD) - Southern fried chicken (SFC), coleslaw and honey butter. The fried chicken was perfect; crispy, tender and nicely seasoned. The slaw was nicely balanced (little bits of celery added a nice texture). I don't go for burgers much but Pauly's Diner hit it out of the ballpark. We were delighted with their version of American burgers! Better even.

Review Title: Extremely Disappointing Family Dining Experience at Wholly Smoked Rotorua…read more Our family of four (two adults and two children) booked a 5:30pm table at Wholly Smoked Rotorua expecting a relaxed evening of barbecue-style dining and smoked meats. Unfortunately, what we experienced was one of the worst restaurant visits we have had in Rotorua. We were seated promptly and given menus, but after placing both our drink and food orders we sat waiting for over an hour with no service, no updates, and no meals arriving. When we finally asked, the waitress told us our food would be "five minutes away." After the long delay, meals eventually came out - but one was completely wrong. A steak that was ordered medium came out well-done and was taken back to the kitchen to be "remade," with another promise of "five minutes." We waited an additional twenty minutes, during which time our children were exhausted and still hungry. By 7pm - ninety minutes after arriving - one child had not been served at all. When the replacement meal finally came out, we had already asked for the bill and decided to leave. To make matters worse, the EFTPOS machine failed three times, making even paying a frustrating ordeal. Despite the positive online reviews we had read before visiting, our experience at Wholly Smoked Rotorua was extremely poor. Slow service, incorrect meals, excessive delays, and disorganisation completely ruined what should have been a simple family dinner. For a restaurant that markets itself around quality smoked meats and family-friendly dining, this was a letdown in every respect. Rotorua has many excellent restaurants, cafes, and takeaways that actually deliver on good service and value - sadly, Wholly Smoked Rotorua is not one of them. If you are looking for barbecue, smoked meats, or a family-friendly restaurant in Rotorua, I would strongly recommend trying elsewhere. One star - very disappointing and not recommended.

They offer a wonderful menu for lunch at exceptionally reasonable prices. I enjoyed a steak with…read morechips and a small salad. The steak was cooked perfectly and they substituted garlic butter for creamy mushroom sauce, it was fantastic. The chips were perfect. Would not hesitate to go back for another meal.

Visiting the area and Yelp has very few current reviews. Had dinner here last nite. The drinks were…read moregood, but an odd NZ thing seems to be that if a drink isn't on the menu, they can't make it? Drink requested was a cosmopolitan. They have all the ingredients, but sorry no. Anyway, food, apps and meals were all very good and as described but came out sporadically, with last meal (party of 4) a full 15 mins after the rest. A good value for the cost. Would go back if we were here longer.

DONT DO IT. Like me, you have read the previous reviews, there all bad. But like me, your hoping…read morebecause the reviews are 3+ yrs old, it may have improved. It hasn't, don't do it. The meals are all prepared, plated out the back in a chiller, they sear the meat and send it out. The mashed potatoes ect have a crust shell on them. We had; Shrimp cocktail; should've called it a sauce cocktail, there was more sauce than anything else. Pork belly; it was all fat and skin. I get this meal everywhere all over the world and this was the worst and most expensive. Steak. Why ask how you would like it cooked if your just going to do it rare. Kids go Mac cheese, Cheerios and bbq bburger, they had no complaints, but again, all pre-prepared meals warmed up. Kids Cocktails were the only reason the got any stars. This meal cost almost $200 for 3 little kids and two adults. For $36 steaks and pork belly they were crap. Everywhere is better than this. I hate giving bad reviews but I just don't want anyone else to have a bad experience here.

The best Irish Cottage Pie: tender chunks of lamb in subtly seasoned herb sauce and topped with…read moremash (mashed potatoes) and sharp cheese. Came piping hot and stayed hot then warm throughout the meal. One pint Kilkenny meal! Friendly, attentive service. Typical Irish bar vibe. The Beer and Guinness pie has a spicier sauce and beef not lamb. Both are great. I would order both again and it will be a tough decision as to which to order. Enjoy!

We'd spotted Hennessy's Irish Bar the day before and saw that they would be showing the Super Bowl…read more We decided to drop in on the way back from doing some morning activities and caught half the game. We came around 2:30pm on a Monday and it was busy. It's a typical Irish pub. They have a lunch special ($12.50 NZD) with 9 options. Sadly, they'd already run out of the lasagna & salad. The main menu is split into starters, light meals & snacks, gourmet burgers & sandwiches, mains, salads, vegetarian meals, kids meals and desserts. - Clam chowder ($12.50 NZD) - B wasn't feeling well so she opted for a soup. She said the clam chowder broth was sweeter than normal but had a good amount of seafood in it. - Ham, cheese & tomato toasted sandwich ($12.50 NZD) - served with fries. Fries were boring and barely crispy. My dad got his sandwich without cheese. It looked minuscule. - BLT Baguette ($12.50 NZD) - served with chicken schnitzel. The bacon was more like a slab of dry ham; took out half of it. It was decent but nothing more than that. I could have ate another. Food wise, go elsewhere. Best to come here for just drinks and to catch whatever sport you fancy watching.

My husband and I stopped here for lunch on our drive from Auckland to Wellington. I must say,…read moreparking in this area is not easy to find at lunchtime! We had to park about 3 blocks away and walk. This is located close to the lake, and had some beautiful views. If it were cold and rainy, we would've opted to sit on their patio. The service as quick and the food was delicious! I had a pie and my husband, I cannot remember what he had but he loved it. If we weren't driving, we would've had some drinks. A nice selection on the menu of food and drinks and everything was delicious. I would definitely go back!

Food was Good! Location Great! Nice Patio with Lake/park views! Very walkable area! Parking was…read moreeasy!

Best Steak sandwich in town well worth a visit The Phoenix…read moreon the Strand Gastropub with an atmosphere!

While road tripping across the north island of NZ we stopped by The Phoenix in Tauranga for lunch…read moreand it didn't disappoint. The Angus burger was terrific and paired well with the golden lager. Nice atmosphere and staff was friendly.

I had to try my first Chili Dog, while my wife had Chili Cheese Fries. I choose the Lime Milkshake…read moreand my wife had Hot Cherry Chocolate with cream and mini chunks of chocolate to wash our meals down. An enjoyed lunch, a few more options to try next time. With the waitress's dressed also in the 50's style it added to the experience.

The Jukebox Diner has great parking, and the staff were really friendly staff. The food was great,…read moreand the food was great.

Stopped here for lunch. Street parking is crazy so we parked a street away and walked. It wasn't…read morevery busy inside. I ordered the children's spaghetti and meatballs. Husband ordered fish and chips. The food and service were good.

As a burger lover I feel you judge a restaurant on the quality of their burgers. At this restaurant…read moreI had their bacon cheeseburger and while it was very large, it was not memorable. The beef is tasty but, I couldn't taste the bacon and It needs a special sauce. The restaurant needs to work on that. Also if you have this burger ask them to hold the cucumber slices. Cucumber just does not belong on a burger!