In Hamilton for 2 nights. Enjoyed this spot twice . One of…read morethe few bars we could belly up to as many in NZ seem to have no stools. Great cocktails and beer selection. Friendly, engaging staff.

This is a serious contender for best bar in Hamilton. I came here Saturday night with my husband…read moreand a couple friends. Why, why have I not been here before now?! I used to live just up the block! My husband had already been here and, somehow, did not bring me in immediately. This is one of those places where I had a "love at first sight" moment. Even on a fairly crowded night, the vibe in this place is super-cool. It's small, almost uncomfortably so, but in spite of that (because of that?) it has a great intimate feel. The cocktails are pricey, but different and skillfully prepared. There is a good selection of whiskey (my whiskey-loving friend tells me). There was a DJ artfully spinning a weird, awesome, "did-he-just-do-that?" selection of tunes. The decor is comfortable/cool, with walls of exposed bricks and "I never want to get up" comfy couches. The back walls are lined with loads of books and one portion of the ceiling is covered with records. They appear to have some bites to eat, but admittedly, we were just there for drinks. It's a little tricky to find, set back from Victoria Street down a side alley. But, it's SO worth finding.

Staff were very pleasant. We didn't have a reservation but they found us a table and it was quite…read morebusy. Restaurant looked like your average steakhouse with rustic furniture and fittings. Our party of three each had an entree and a main. The entree's were excellent fresh tasty and good potion size. For the mains, the fish and risotto were superb however the reason for 3 stars is the steak was sub par. The chef had cooked it perfectly but the product they had to work with let them down. Another black mark was that they didn't have fresh ground black pepper, just the horrible generic dried stuff in the shaker. For a place that hold itself out as a steak specialist the quality of the steak was disappointing for the price.

Loved smith and McKenzie, went about 6 months ago for a birthday and food was fantastic! so were…read morethe cocktails. Atmosphere was great and had a nice outdoor area. Servers were lovely and very quick. Cannot comment on kids menu etc as none with us that night.

Definitely an upscale dining option with a laid back vibe. You can get away with wearing probably…read morepretty casual clothes but if you're going on a date night why not spice up your wardrobe?! In all seriousness....Delicious food. Pretty presentation. Slow service. Worth going! I had the duck plate, super delicious and a lot of food. Many of my colleagues had starters (entrees or in America, appetizers) that looked yummy. Favorite seemed to be the bread and the tortellini. Dessert was also popular.

We were served by a child who had no clue about serving (not his fault!). We were looking forward…read moreto a wonderful meal, but instead found ourselves becoming more and more frustrated. We ordered an entree (known in the USA as appetizer) with cocktails that was delicious (prawns and salmon). The service was extremely slow, so we ordered bread, waited over 10 minutes and asked our waiter for an update, but he said he thought we wanted it with our main course. We did not, and reminded him again that we wanted it before the main. After checking on the bread, our waiter returned and apologized that they were short staffed and the bread would take a bit longer. There were 4 tables (including us) with no more than 3 people, occupied in the entire restaurant. We then informed him that we had changed our minds about the main and wanted to close out the tab. He apologized profusely, and we again explained that it wasn't his fault for not having received any training in serving. The restaurant is pretentious and over priced. Wine pours are about 3 ounces for $17 NZ, and a martini with well vodka with half the amount of the usual alcohol for $20 NZ. On our way out, we saw that there were 2 chefs cooking for 4 tables! We do not understand how this is considered short-staffed.

I've lived in Hamilton and haven't had too much occasion to go bar hopping, as a 30-something with…read moretwo small kids. However, a few Fridays ago, my husband and I were out "late" with a friend and this was one of the places we landed. I really love the decor! It's modern and inviting, dark enough for some ambiance and to flatter everyone. I think I may have come in here once a long while ago, saw the price of the cocktails and decided I would never come back. But, I'm glad I did. Now that I'm kind of over the sticker-shock prices of drinking in New Zealand, I realize that this place is indeed pricey, but mostly worth it. It's also entirely possible that the prices of the drinks keeps a certain subset of young party-goers out, which at my present stage of life, I'm completely OK with. I had a "passionfruit cheesecake" drink. We were sitting near the bar and I had fun watching the bartender construct this little gem, which was complete with a "crumb" bottom. It was awesome. I'm not sure it was quite $17-awesome, but I'm just trying to focus in on my enjoyment of the evening and block out the price of the drinks. My husband had chilled amaretto. He was happy with it (not that it takes still to make it). Our friend had the "Winnie the Pooh," and really enjoyed it. This is definitely a good stop on Victoria Street for good atmosphere, good drinks. It's probably too expensive to be most people's "regular bar," but it's perfect for an occasional splurge on a night out.

This place is pretentious. I came here wth my best friend before a concert, and when she ordered​…read moreher drink the bartender she'd her if she was sure she wanted it as it was 'pretty expensive' (it was $15). She got a bit confused and then asked if he had any good cocktails he could make, and his response was 'not tonight, we're busy'. As she then thought about what she wanted, I ordered 2 fingers of bourbon, to which he responded "are you sure?". When I said I was, he poured a shot, then again asked if I 'Really wanted more'. When I replied yes, I know what two fingers is, his response was "its pretty expensive, are you sure?". This bartender was both offensive, and arrogant. He purely judged us based on our appearance, and then repeatedly implyed we could not afford normal drink prices. Will not ever come again, this bartender should be fired for losing (well paying) customers.

Excellent service and great food , had party of 12 and the waitress was good with coming back and…read moreforward, didnt have to wait long, had a great kids menu and cocktails were delicious! Great atmosphere! We were there when there was live music.

I have been here several times since it first opened. This place is brought to you by the same…read morefolks behind The Roaming Giant. There are a lot of things I really like about The Wayward Pigeon. First, since it is not in the CBD, parking is generally easy, plentiful and free. There is a good amount of indoor and outdoor spaces, table service and bar areas. On my most recent visit (last night), I had the Bang Bang Chicken Salad, which was delicious. A nice combination of crunchy and a kick of heat that built over the time I ate it. I also had kombucha to drink, though there is a very good assortment of beers and wines available. My husband had the pork scotch, which had a good flavour, but was perhaps a bit over done. Other people in our party had the fried chicken pieces and pizzas. Everyone seemed to agree that their food was pretty good. There is a great place to meet up with a group, large or small. The atmosphere is a sort of retro casual, the colour palette reminds me of the 70's. Call head for reservations - we called on the Friday for Friday night and they were fully booked indoors. We still ended up with a great outdoor space under the heaters. Will definitely return.

Walked in due to the price posted outside - at NZ$13 for my meal and coffee, this was the best…read morebreakfast deal in Rotorua. Eggs are made to order, home fries are certainly from frozen, but the speedy service, quantity of food, and low price made up for it! It's breakfast, so it's pretty much the same everywhere. If you are expecting organic or farm-to-table, you probably want to keep walking. Bonus: could get an American style coffee which can be a bit of a challenge. Located close to town center. One catch was that my credit card didn't work and I was requested to pay in cash. Sounds like there is sometimes an issue with out-of-country credit cards. The five stars are because this is exactly what was advertised - decent food at a low price.

Nineteen Eighty One is a great local restaurant in Manukau, right opposite the Westfield Shopping…read moreCentre. It's a fairly new establishment in the area, but it's become a regular hangout for a few beers and very good food. You definitely feel the '80's vibe when you're there, and its always nice to see a little appreciation for that era. Their pizzas are delicious, particularly 'Rangi's Hangi' and 'Larry the Lamb'. They do a very nice caesar salad and my favourite main has to be the crispy chicken burger with aioli and melted brie- one of the best restaurant burgers I've had. They've got a good range of ciders and do a few cocktails to quench your thirst. They also serve most of their drinks in 600mL milk bottles, which is a really cool touch. I'd have to say that Nineteen Eighty One is best known for their fortnightly Wednesday quiz nights. The place gets packed and its always a good laugh- there's even a prize for the team that comes second to last.

This was our first visit at 1981. The waitress was very friendly and informed us of the "Specials"…read more I asked if I could non alcoholic version of one of their cocktail's, she said no problem. We had the garlic cob for Entree. For Mains, My wife chose the Steak & Kidney pie with mash. I had the sundried tomato and feta cheese stuffed chicken fillet. My wife said it was the best pie she had ever eaten. I really enjoyed the stuffed chicken too. The decor brought back lots of memories.

We had a great lunch time dining experience,as always the food is delicious, good portions and…read moregreat service. I always feel special when greeted by Rochelle and his staff. Thank you for a fabulous experience.

Situated right on the Strand by the water, Macau has a perfect location…read more This Asian fusion restaurant proposes nice delicate dishes in a great atmosphere. We started our lunch outside, enjoying the sun and the view on Macau's nice terrace. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans and it started to pour once we had started our mains. The staff was very friendly and moved all our dishes and drinks inside before anything got wet. In the end it wasn't too bad as the restaurant's decor is really cool. I really liked the origami graphic chart used throughout, from the menus to the toilet signs. But most importantly, the food was great! My salt & pepper soft shell crab was served on a nice salad. They were yummy and perfectly cooked. All my friends were also very satisfied with their dishes. If you are in the neighborhood, don't hesitate to stop by, you won't regret it !

On our last day, it was just non-stop rain as we were killing some time before heading to the…read moreairport. We walked nearby our hotel to My Bar, a tiny place with more outdoor tables (although obviously not the best place to sit on a day like that). Heading inside, we were greeted with a cozy place; mood lighting, exposed brick, wood floors, and tiny table nooks along the wall. The bartender was friendly and got us some drinks. They have a full selection of hard drinks, but I was here for the beer. They have six tap handles, all from the larger breweries of the country. I chose a flight of three. We slowly sipped our drinks and listened to the rain. Prices were reasonable, it was definitely worth a few minutes for some drinks!

Great bar! Stopped here one night & sat outside. Relaxed, friendly service; beer was great. Had a…read moreramen dish from a restaurant next door. Liked it so much, went back the next night.

A wonderful bar at the first floor, at bit difficult to spot the entrance, but once you are there…read moreit's gin heaven. The selection of the gins they have here is rather impressive, including quite a lot that I already know and even more that I don't know. There is a lot of expertise here, so if in doubt, just ask. They are more than willing to help you out. In case you don't like gin, they also have cocktails based on other alcohols.

This place was great when we went in Dec 2018 but we could Lok s not find it last night. I think…read morethey are closed.