The fact that we had to make a reservation to eat at 5.30 tells you everything you needed to know about this place. Every table but one has reserved signs on when we arrived We first visited in 2019, and in 6 years it's only improved. We both had the Hawaiian fish burger, which sounds simple enough, but it's the freshness of the fish that makes it special. Definitely give that a try. Great selection of other fishy goodies too. read more

Hunger Monger - Hawaiian fish burger omnonom - Seafood Near Me - Napier, HKB

Delicious food, great simple ambiance. Staff were very busy, yet still attentive. Good wine suggestion!

This was our first dinner in New Zealand, and we got off to a great start. We had reservations, which was good because the restaurant was full. The atmosphere was nice, service excellent and the food was delicious! read more

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We had an incredible meal here! We ate a light dinner here since we had large meals for breakfast and lunch today elsewhere, but the flavors at Hunger Monger were so fulfilling that just a few small bites left us feeling perfectly stuffed! This is a restaurant that sincerely cares about cultivating unique and decadent flavors. The menu contains many gluten free, vegan, and dairy free options, but it still satisfied us (two voracious omnivores without dietary restrictions). The seafood was incredibly fresh and perfectly prepared. In addition to the melting halloumi cheese pops; citrus marinated fish with coconut cream; and pacific rock oysters (all three included in the pictures I've attached), we also ordered the Wangamata scallops on a skewer. All were small plates, but the flavor was huge. I also enjoyed the Schubert Sauvignon Blanc and the Hawkes Bay Brewery (non-alcoholic) ginger beer. read more

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Incredibly fresh seafood with great personal service. Anishka and her husband who's the chef are there to make you feel at home. Lots of locals . read more

(we visited prior to the cyclone that hit the area in Feb 2023) Fantastic place practically on the water in Napier! They have a lovely outside seating area with sheepskin seat covers (heaven). We didn't have a reservation, but they were able to accommodate our larger group and the service was super friendly. Fish was fresh fresh fresh! Hope to get back in the future! read more

I get when a restaurant is full, it's tough to seat. Don't be rude and dismissive though. The older woman with dark hair who couldn't even bother making eye contact and just waving her hand away at a potential patron is so offensive and surprising to come across in New Zealand. Would not suggest. read more

We came here for dinner last night. Since we weren't terribly hungry due to our lunch earlier, we ordered smaller plates or split an entree. Between the boy and I, we split the small sashimi (good value for the dish, wasn't consistently sliced but good) and the seafood stew (large pieces of seafood like clams, citrus butter with bread was nice/interesting) and bowl of ice cream (feijoa and pear was unique but it has some aftertaste that didn't sit well). Overall, the meal was okay. What bothered us was how slow everything was. It ended up being a 2.5 hour meal for 6 people of 5 small plates, 3 entrees, and 3 desserts. There are 13 tables with what appears to be 3 servers. read more

Hunger Monger Seafood Restaurant is an attractive place filled place with an open kitchen. Service is friendly and good. The only complaint is that they salted the fish much too much greatly detracting from their taste. Reservations are suggested as they do fill up. Their seafood offerings are of course fresh. read more

Hunger Monger - Seafood Near Me - Napier, HKB

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If you love seafood, then you will love Hunger Monger. We found this restaurant by chance, while walking along Marine Parade in Napier. The restaurant was full and the ambience alive, so the next day we went in to book a table for our final night in Hawke's Bay. Run by Polish couple, Fraser Slack and Agnieszka Wills, the menu is predominantly seafood, where diners can enjoy oysters, Aussie prawns, grilled fish, Cook Strait octopus, squid, sashimi and salmon to name a few. Also, 98% of their wines and beers are local to the area - many I had never heard of before. We had a glass of the Beatrix Rose by Alpha Domus (Bridge Pa) and Brookfields Pinot Gris 2016 (Ohiti Estate). The Pinot Gris was a stand out, so much so, we went to New World afterwards to purchase a few bottles of it! For starters, we enjoyed their Tempura Prawns with dipping sauces - big, fat, juicy prawns, which were gone in a flash. For mains, we ordered the Grilled Fish with Salads, and Grilled Fish with Kumara Miso Mash and Broccolini - the fish of the day was Kingfish, and it was perfectly cooked. I was pleased with the portion sizes and for $23 and $26 respectively, both dishes were reasonably priced. The Kumara Miso Mash was also a highlight, as I have only become a fan of kumara in the last four months... can't get enough of it! For dessert, I loved their Deconstructed Tiramisu with Hawthorne Coffee mousse. It was decadent, rich, and a sweet way to finish the night. The service at Hunger Monger was excellent too. A shout out to Rose, Marco and Alice for their friendly hospitality, which made our night a very enjoyable one. Tip: Definitely book - even though it was a Tuesday, it was packed to the brim. In the space of 1.5 hours, 9 groups came through, who were all turned down as it was fully booked. read more

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Dinner for four, 2 couples celebrating a birthday and a 'going away' party was a 'mixed bag' experience; some fine moments, some ok , and 'not so'. Starter was a double order of dumplings (gyoza) served with bonita shavings sitting in a mayonnaise of Japanese style, one of our group having lived in Japan shouted THIS one for the 'table'. Server said order TWO plates as they are served in 3's. Over priced and soggy texture, though flavour was good sums up the dish nicely. Mains were ALL very good, ordered 4 different ones and shared a bit here and there, as u do in a friendly setting. My sashimi was excellent and fresh, not had a better one in this provincial NZ city, ever = the high point of my meal. Wines expensive for the 'class' of the room and ambience which is very basic. Seating uncomfortable, accoustics poor, no stemware or wine 'service', a "no BYO wine" policy from a place which doesn't do justice to the world class wine region it's located in = low point of the dining out experience, this is the 'not so' mentioned in the introduction of this review. Desserts nothing special, this is a FISH restaurant and they do THAT well was the consensus at our table. Ditto 'service', friendly enough but didn't match the price point in our experience. Conclusion: If one wants really good fresh seafood and doesn't mind paying $$$$ prices to dine in 'average' surrounds, sans comfort & luxury...... a-ok read more

I walked by this place on the way to a different restaurant recommended by the hotel. This place is small but charming. Looked at the menu for reference then headed to the recommended restaurant. After I got to the the other restaurant and looked at the menu, I returned to this place because it has more to offer. First there are more choices and then the price is unbelievable. We order a couple of local craft beer, fish taco and grill fresh catch. Both were fresh and very tasty. All of the fish here are fresh catch and delicious. The operators were so friendly and nice. Highly recommend you give this place a try if you like high quality meal at a reasonable price. read more

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Interesting blends and fusion of flavors. This is a busy place requiring a reservation. read more

Hunger Monger - Bustling kitchen pumping out wonderful and Interesting dishes. - Seafood Near Me - Napier, HKB

Went for an early dinner. Wine list could use a bit more bench strength. Grilled octopus was very good. Grilled sardine had a bit too much breading on it, but otherwise very tasty. The grilled Salmon entree was very good and creative in its preparation. My main reason for not giving more stars was really around the service. I had a hard time getting the waitress's attention. She was doing her best but they probably need at least one other person on the floor to adequately support their clients read more

Fantastic meal. Excellent service. We were looking forward to an excellent seafood meal - and Hunger Monger delivered. We enjoyed a ceviche and seafood gyoza to start. Flavours were perfectly on point. Enjoyed two delightful fish dishes for the mains. If you're craving seafood, this is THE spot you need to go. Great service and fantastic food. read more

Called to ask if there's a wait to be seated. I was told they can seat me in an hour but ONLY FOR 1 HOUR. I've never heard of a place that would rush you to eat just so they could attend to more customers. Absurd. read more

Wife and I stopped by as this was close to our hotel. We were completely amazed!!! The food and service was the best we have had in New Zealand. The fish and chips were the best I have had in 15 years... saying that as a Norwegian. We ordered a second fish and chips because they were so good. Enjoy a nice salad, fish and chips, and sashimi plate. Tiramisu for the cap on the evening. Perfect meal + 2 glasses of wine for $105. We will be back. read more

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Found this cute little place near our hotel one night. It looked very quaint and warm from the outside. Luckily we rang ahead to reserve as the place was packed when we got there. Service cannot be faulted. Despite the full house our meals arrived only about 15 to 20 minutes later. More importantly the food was very very tasty and fresh. definitely worth the price! read more

Imaginative seafood. Don't come here if you don't like fish. But if you do, you'll love this place. Basically a storefront, with I think owner-chef curated daily menus. Local NZ species. Very friendly service. Seems popular with local people, which is usually a positive sign. We ate here our last night in Napier. Otherwise, we would have returned the next day. You definitely need a reservation. read more

One of the best meals I've had in a long time! The bouillabaisse was outstanding, the mussels outrageous and the fish sublime. The owner was completely committed to making sure that everything was perfect! The place was packed with locals - I think we were the only tourists. Coming back tomorrow to try the smoked fish chowder which was highly recommended by other diners. Had a bottle of local Chardonnay which was perfect. We are very picky diners and we were both extremely happy that we chose to come here. read more

The fish was perfectly done and delicious. The side of Kumari miso added a perfect sweet balance to the fish. My husband's side of chips were the most perfect fries I've ever had. Golden crispness on the outside and a creamy almost buttery inside! read more