Love this trendy watering hole hidden down an alleyway in Napier. There's friendly service, a Dj on…read moreFridays and a delicious fried chicken on the bar menu that I will go back for!

It was a Friday night. Napier was still in full 'winter' mode as I wandered the empty streets,…read morelooking for something fun to do on a one night stay over. I was about to get Indian take away and go back to the hotel when I heard music and conversion down an alley. It turned out to be Monica Loves. A cute little tapas/hangout bar, it is definitely the middle class hipster bar of the area. It was virtually the only place with more than 3 people inside. They had a DJ spinning at 7:30, but I didn't wait around for that. There was a good selection of beers. Some wines. I had an excellent IPA (sometimes hard to find in NZ), although it wasn't on tap. The food menu consisted of fine meats by the 50g, and a dish called BREAD for $9. I almost got the nut plate, but the bar tender never asked me if I wanted anything from the food menu, so I drank my beer and headed out. Despite the minor complaints, this is what I was looking for. I have know doubt that small groups looking for a place to chill would not be disappointed here.

Great service. Super nice staff…read moreJust had drinks. Great location in Napier Parking not bad by meter

Awesome business! To keep the flavour consistent across the whole country. Nice Vibe, rough is just…read moreright for lone star.

Dinner for four, a 'going away' party with special wine…read more All MAINS well executed, particularly the red meat choices. Grilled to perfection was my 400g rib eye, and accompanied by a tasty mixed greens dressed salad, chips not wanted but no substitutions. Starter platter was okay, a tippy platter, some cheeses and 'bits' could have used some 'imagination', maybe crudite and dips would have been nice..... For me....the wine list was local and VERY good, albeit no 'aged' wines. Solution: We got permission to BUY their YOUNG wine and sub in OUR AGED to perfection version from the same vintner, Peter Robertson, and his BROOKFIELDs HILLSIDE syrah = marvelous. (2016 bought from 'Off the Track' removed and cellared, the 2013 we brought from our cellar to consume in the restaurant.) Lovely stemware, my suggestion to decant fell on deaf ears sadly. Staff is pleasant in the family themed restaurant. Kiddies playing: Young ones leaving doors open to the outside play area constantly had us up and out of our seats to close doors on the cool evening last week = mildly amusing. Tasty food. Quality good. priced on the high side. 3.7 stars rounded up 4 stars on the yelp meter pics to follow

In the small fruit bowl region of hawkes bay New Zealand you can find a great lifestyle restaurant…read morebetween Hastings and havelock north called "Off the track" that has great views of te Mata peak and the orchid/vineyard country. Food was great, tasteful and fresh. Recommend the white bait fritter special with fresh veggies or the big breakfast which had decent portions and fresh produce sourced locally. Not too packed but able to cater for a decent crowd.

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.

A delicious BBQ place in Taupo is very welcomed. We were really hungry after walking the Tongariro…read moreCrossing. You can definitely smell BBQ as you walk into the restaurant and that's not a bad thing! We started with some wings and they were the right thing to wet the appetite. You can smell and taste that hickory that permeates throughout the wing. For our entries, we opted for the smoked pork chop and a side of St. Louis ribs. The smoked pork chop was cooked well and it was good thick cut too. The crackling and bone sauce just provided for flavour and texture while working your way through each bite of the pork chop. The ribs were super sauced and the meat was almost fall off the bone. It took a little pull to get the meat away from the bone but I liked it that way. They were pretty finger licking good. We had a good time trying all their different sauces with each bite of our food too. Overall, this is a good spot for some BBQ if you are in the mood.

Very much family restaurant, food average. Thought we would get good Smokey flavours, very bland. I…read morehad beef short ribs and my wife had pulled smoked beef with mac cheese, worst Mac cheese tasted. Apologies we have high expectations after eating at a number of Texas Roadhouse chain stores which smash SMK

Server spilled entire glass of wine on my wife's leather pants. Pants were ruined. Refused to do…read moreanything and now ignoring us. Food was also weak. Talk about taking zero responsibility. Skip and go somewhere else.

Great share plates for a late lunch. We had the shrimp, pork dumplings, and Korean fried chicken…read more The Caesar type salad wasn't great though.

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!

When in Taupo, New Zealand... be sure to grab a meal at BurgerFuel!…read more While strolling at shops looking for souvenirs, it was time to grab a bite to eat. Wanting a view of the lake, we stopped into BurgerFuel. They had music playing from inside, outdoor tables and row seating facing the lake. I ordered from the Breakie menu and grabbed the eggs Benedict with salmon (pictured). My friend had ordered nachos with bbq pulled pork and it looked amazing (not pictured). Along with a pint of Lakeman Pale Ale to wash everything down for the afternoon. Great meal, nice location... stop in when your on the north island and by New Zealand's largest lake.

I am not much of a burger fan. I usually find the patty too dry, the bread too spongy, and the…read morewhole idea of a burger kind of underwhelming. But when we're traveling, we're trying focus less on fancy meals and more on the sightseeing. Strolling along Lake Taupo, however, Burger Fuel drew me in for some reason. Perhaps it was the bustle in the place, perhaps the tantalizing aromas emanating from the kitchen, that made my mouth water. This, combined with the promise of fresh, organic ingredients, as well as an interesting flavor palate, caused us to stand in line at this popular New Zealand burger chain. We were not disappointed. It's a pretty small place, wedged in between other, larger restaurants, with a limited number of tables, inside and outside overlooking the lake and a lovely sunset. It was a first for us to have beetroot on a burger -Kiwi Burger-, but the flavor complements the burger meat amazingly. My burger also came with bacon and mango! What a burst of flavor!! Yeah!! It's time to bring Burger Fuel to Los Angeles, people!

We came just to see the airplane during our stop in Taupo…read more We agreed with their sign that it was the coolest McDonald's we've visited. The plane was well maintained and by the cockpit we read about its history and how it got there. This McDonald's can deliver your order to your table except if you want to sit inside the plane. You are on your own to carry it up. Based on the width of the fuselage there was only about 10 tables that could seat up to two persons only.

Awesome DC-3 airplane dining. The place is so busy! Service was good, no complaints. Food was as…read moreexpected, tastes good, great fries! A bit noisier than usual but the location was packed so nothing unexpected. Visiting from the US and this was a must see Maccas! Thanks for the experience!