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.

We accidentally stumbled upon this restaurant, when our original evening plans fell through. What a…read morepleasant surprise!! We did the NZ$25 AYCE dinner. You get traditional Korean sides (kimchi, bean curd stuff, pickled potatoes, etc.), soup, dumplings, shredded salad, white rice, and three different types of meats for BBQ (chicken, pork, and beef). Get the sides and sauces yourself at the middle tables. For the meats, they'll keep brining them out to you as long as it looks like you're eating everything. The staff was friendly. Atmosphere is relaxed and there's a good amount of tables. Good for big groups! They have free WiFi if you ask for it. Come here if you're hungry and in the mood for Korean food. Not the "best" KBBQ I've ever had, but it's a good deal for the AYCE.

It took the kitchen quite a while to have our orders served because there was a big tour group came…read morein about the same timers. We had to get get our own side dishes-contrary to what we experienced before that the waiter brought them to our table. Also the selections of the side dishes were fewer than what we were accustomed to. The pancake was very delicious! My vegetarian bibimbop was up to my expectation too.

Unfortunately, they are Closed there is a different restaurant now. We miss the fat cow.read more

Great location in the shopping/bar section. Great selection of local beers and really good food…read more The wood grilled Brie is really good--a must do starter. Highly recommended!

Very good food at the Mongolian Restaurant Gengy's. They offer an all you can eat dinner for NZD…read more33.95, if you leave before 7.15 PM you get a NZD 3.00 reduction. You choose your uncooked ingredients from the buffet and drop the bowl at the grille, where it is nicely cooked for you. Everything tasted very well. Just the location itself could be more stylish, as it is now it is made to serve a lot of people at the same time.

great concept! we had the all you can eat BBQ and topped it off with pancakes and ice cream…read more they've got an extensive cocktail menu and a fair bit of beer and wine available. very friendly staff and BBQ cooks. would absolutely recommend for the hungry crowd.

We loved our stay at the B&B @ The Redwoods. Vivien is such a lovely host. Upon arrival, she…read moregreeted us and gave us a tour of her inlaw suite downstairs. We had the whole downstairs to ourselves, and it was more than enough room for the two of us. Our bedroom was very cozy, nicely decorated, ensuite included, and the bed was very comfortable. I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow. She also has a lovely living/dining space downstairs, where we enjoyed tea, coffee, and a variety of delicious New Zealand fruits. Our breakfast was also a superb layout complete with eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, cereal, yogurt, and of course more kiwi and other local fruits! Thank you, Vivien, for introducing us to feijoas!!! We were looking for them everywhere we went after our stay with you. Vivien was also super helpful when we were trying to decide what to do during our stay in Rotorua. She made some great suggestions based on what we wanted to experience, gave us some coupons (score!), helped us plan out our itinerary, and even directed us to an amazing Chinese restaurant for dinner that specialized in amazing authentic hand-pulled noodles (which I was also obsessed with). YUM!!! I can't imagine our trip in Rotorua to have been any better, and it's largely thanks to our wonderful host who took great care of us. Highly recommended!

Vivian has a great facility and truly takes care of all the details, from confirmation of booking…read morevia e-mail to sitting down with us on arrival with afternoon tea and welcome recommendations about must-see local sites and eateries. Her rooms were spacious and well appointed for a couple and baggage. The rooms are en suite which makes life very comfortable. Breakfast was a treat as it was a la carte and on our schedule. A superb stay in Rotorua!

We had lunch here today before our caves tours. They offer an all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet…read moreplus a selection of bbqd protein....white fish, salmon, steak or chicken. Nancy was ok with her fish, the steak was well grilled but a tad small considering the price. The buffet options included two kinds of mac and cheese, a reasonable vegetable curry (but overcooked vegetables), some pretty good roasted potatoes and nice coleslaw slaw. Nice desserts including a to tie for pavlova, carrot cake and anzac cookies. We were in and out in 45 minutes

This was a really great place for lunch near the caves that is kinda off the beaten path. We found…read moreit when looking up restaurants on tripadvisor and decided to give it a try instead of eating at the touristy cafes at the attractions themselves. We were almost positive we were lost as our navigator took us off the main road and out into the wilderness. We drove up a hill for sometime wondering if we had missed it when suddenly we pulled into a large gravel parking lot with a little sign that said Roselands thattaway. Due to the climb you took to get there, Roselands boasts unbelievable views of the countryside with its large windowed dining room. Their dining room is a large open space with a buffet and lots of long tables and chairs suggesting they draw quite the crowd in the summer months. Unfortunately most of the items on the BBQ themed buffet I couldn't have because of it containing gluten, but I did sample the salad, potatoes, and rice and they even went through the trouble to cook me up something special without the BBQ sauce on it. The husband enjoyed the BBQ as well as the plate of desserts they brought out to us. Overall it was a beautiful place to lunch and I really appreciated the extra effort they took in accommodating my gluten allergy.

On a roadtrip through the area, my wife and I were looking for a decent sit-down dinner to have a…read morepint and rest. Peach and Porker fit the bill just right! My wife had the chicken fettuccini and I had the pork belly. Service was attentive and we never waited unduly for anything. The manager even came by a time or two to say hello.