Stopped in for lunch while in Hahei. The outdoor seating is very nice and there were not many…read morepeople there yet so we had our choice of tables. There are nice flowers and greenery surrounding the outdoor seating. You go in to order at the bar. We ordered a beer tasting flight, a margarita, and the Margherita Pizza. The margarita was fine (I never really had a great one while in New Zealand), but it was cool and refreshing. The pizza was nice and light, good for a small lunch. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Don't forget a tshirt or hoodie on the way out!

Loved their cocktails and ambience! The staff was super funny (read witty with sarcasm) and we had…read morea great time enjoying a cool beverage on a hot summer day after hiking to Cathedral Cove.

The Cock & Bull is a feel-good place located just beneath the Cinemas in Botany Town Centre. The…read morewooden walls are lined with traditional English decor and you're welcomed with a roaring fire during the colder nights. The staff are a friendly bunch, but don't always bring your food on time. You have to order at the bar, so don't go waiting for service. The food itself is traditionally English too, with your plain, but satisfying fish n chips, beef burger or calamari delicacies. Mainly you go there to enjoy a certain atmosphere ,which changes depending on whether it's a family afternoon or a rowdy weeknight. A pleasant place to dine if you feel like a good, old fashioned pub meal sometimes coupled with live music too!

The Cock & Bull in Botany Downs definitely attracts some very different age groups. On a Friday…read morenight you'll find it full of twenty-somethings attempting to jam out to the live band of the week, but on a Saturday night it may be full of older men have a nice old chinwag during the game. In saying this, its hard to say what the Cock & Bull's target market is, but nevertheless, they seem to be accommodating for a wide age range- and thats a good thing. I've always enjoyed the service at Cock & Bull. Always welcoming, quick and cheerful, and you know your drink is in good hands. Their food is very well done- I tend to lean towards their salads, but they do great wedges, nachos and fries with aioli. Their aptly named Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Aston Villa pizzas are well priced and taste even better! Cock & Bull is a long-standing establishment in Botany Downs and really fits the gastropub mould. If you're looking for somewhere that does its job right in the Botany area, go no further than the Cock & Bull.

I ordered the Sirloin Steak with Chunky Chips and Mushroom sauce and it was very tasty…read more Steak cooked the way i wanted complemented with the mushroom sauce made this dish delicious. Service was excellent highly recommended.

Basalt is in a great location and looks from the outside, and indeed, from the inside like it'd be…read morea nice hangout. It has all the elements that go to make up a nice local watering hole: plenty of seating indoors and out, a decent menu, lots of sun (weather dependent), but sadly, whenever I've visited I've found both the food and drink incredibly over-priced, and the food especially really average. It's disappointing because I really want to like Basalt, it has a lot about it that appeals to me, but each time I try it I remember why I shouldn't come back again.

Now this is a proper British style pub. Instead of the usually boring beers that every pub has,…read morethis place has a great selection of boutique beers on tap; I think that's probably one of the best things about this pub. Well the food is pretty decent as well. They serve hearty dishes of traditional English cuisine, complete with mushy peas and everything. I had the bangers and mash from here and it was pretty tasty. Coupled with a smooth, creamy beer and I was a happy man. This pub is also located right next to the water; a pretty great location. And the prices are quite cheap. However, the staff weren't all that attentive; one seemed to be doing all of the work and serving customers while the two other girls were just chatting, meanwhile the line at the bar increased.

Great local pub with mix of regulars and people stopping by. Has garden bar area, inside lounge…read morealso with fire which would be good in the winter. Nice selection of beers, food was excellent and great kids menu quality which makes a nice change for pub food.

This place has so much potential. It's come out the other side of a massive face lift with a new…read morename... And boy did it need it. We have dropped in for after hours dessert on one other occasion as applejack. And while that experience was good, it's pretty hard to mess up dessert. This review is based on a full breakfast. We walked and engaged with staff who let us free roam a table. We chose outside on the patio. Good mix of large and small tables. Excellent flow and decor. Howick was packed and our usual cafes looked far to busy for my ideal. So it was nice to have a scattering of other patrons, and the space between tables felt really good. We tried to order a latte bowl, only to be told they come in mugs, OK fine.... No big deal.... But imagine my surprise when a tiny dinky half tumbler glass came out. Half foam! I pointed out I ordered a mug.... To which a sheepish "this is how latte is served here" was uttered by or server. I rolled my eyes and sighed and sipped the foamy latte. I ordered a Bacon and eggs on toast, convincing my fellow breakfast seeker to get the big breakfast so I could pick at his mushrooms and hash. We both asked for grain toast. Once again surprised with the result this time he had grain and my plate had white... I sent my plate back. By the time I was able to start my partner had wolfed down two thirds of his breakfast. And my bacon was half cold, and sunny side up eggs over cooked. None of these faux pas were acknowledged upon settling the bill... Which also seemed pricy, especially given the rather blasé service. I won't be rushing back anytime soon which is a shame given the ample parking and eye catching location

Really slow and small portions staff are really friendly but food just wasn't worth the 48 min wait…read morefor a starter ... Sadly won't be back

The prospect is a Howick institution, pub standing since the 70s the restaurant has rebranded…read moreseveral times since I've been in the neighborhood. We planned to have a quick drink one very busy Saturday night on the way home... But ended up dining at "The Good Home" we placed ourselves outside in the courtyard as we didn't want to eat at the bar but the restaurant was full. The garden is named something else yet again (the bosun's bar) but all three areas have little distinction and the service and menus go across all three. The menu is a very simple affair with standard pub dining. He settled on roast chicken which came out with a mount of mash and stuffing, perfectly cooked generous portion. I decided on pizza which was really disappointing, the cheese had begun to separate and the pepperoni was more luncheon than salami. I asked for basil in addition to the toppings and there was three leaves to show for it. The base was thin but not crispy, and the edges (pizza bones) hard and tasteless, left discarded in a pile on the edge of my plate. We decided we needed more veges in our diet and ordered a side of veges... Which arrived salted yet bland a tad over cooked (almost mushy) and half cold by the time it hit the table. The service was spotty as wait staff wasn't really tending to the outdoor area. Our order was taken promptly, the cutlery arrived about 10mins later, and the food seemed to take forever, according to my grumbly tummy. After the meal We sat with our done plates for over 20mins. We are both terrible sweet tooth's and the conversation was good. And wanted to see the dessert options... And perhaps another drink or two.... But I was cold and shivering even with two of the complimentary light polar fleece blankets wrapped around me. There are big gas heaters but we couldn't wave anyone down to turn one on. So the service cut short the night and we continued on at home.

Went here for Ribs night, they were awesome all you can eat for $20. But it's not really $20 cause…read moreyou gotta buy a drink otherwise you pay $25. As we kept on reordering the standard and consistency of the ribs dropped like less sauce and tougher ribs. Would've been good if they kept bringing the sides too like those potato chips and salad. Drinks are expensive as well. Almost like or as bad the town prices. But overall a good experience and would recommend to meat lovers

Food was amazing but service was shocking! Worst I think I have ever had. Went to get drinks at the…read morebar initially and was told to be seated and they would come to us, Ten minutes later had to get. up and go to the bar. Young Maori girl took the order of someone who. sat down after us and was clearing tables when we were obviously waiting to have our order taken. Every time we needed something had to get up and ask. This girl and another staff member chatting with each other when there were empty drinks on table and I we had our plates removed with empty drinks on the table and no one asking if we wanted another - whoever owns this place lost a fortune in sales this night. Finally approached this girl about her behaviour and she sneered at me rather than apologise! 5 minutes later she was chatting with her friend again!!! Wouldn't go back.

Food is traditional pub fare; simple, hearty and large portions. This is not gourmet dining and if…read moreyou detach from your cheffy ideals it is good pub tucker. The Steak & Guinness pie is a favourite of mine (pie & pint - can't beat it) but the burgers are also good - not had a disappointing meal here, nor have I ever left feeling hungry or wishing I had gone elsewhere. This is pretty close to a traditional kiwi pub. So set your expectations there and enjoy it. Good music nights - especially if you are a grown up. I enjoy it as a quiet lunch venue and as good place to stop off in the evening. The service works, but don't expect a frivolous "and how was your day". This is an authentic place - staff are friendly but not intrusive. The Barrel Inn has a large and loyal patronage - it is special to those who love it.

The food is great. But the vibe is unfortunately terrible. We asked the owner himself twice if he…read morecould put some music on and he literally flatly ignored us. We went on Sunday lunch time to celebrate St Paddy's day. Understandably they had nothing on for the day but they had cricket on and even when the game was done he bluntly ignored our request. Unfortunately won't easily be going back there.

I don't like to be a snob but..... Okay I'm going to be a snob. If you like fine dining like myself…read morethen Doolan Brothers is definately not going to impress you. It's a down home local frequented by down home locals. The pub formerly known as the Cock and Bull has been taken over by the Doolan franchise, Danny Doolans anyone? So while I haven't been there in its past life, I am fully qualified to comment on it in its present state. This is a good place to come if you are dining with any fussy eaters because the menu is really of such breadth as to cater to most tastes. I had the nachos, which was a pretty huge portion and was pretty nice, not enough guacamole though people! My partner had the 600 gram steak which was the largest piece of meat I have ever seen, he took up the 'challenge' (menu states if you finish the whole meal you get a free pint) and happily gorged himself almost to the point of explosion, he did get that drink though so fair play to him. We decided to go for dessert too, which was a big letdown, sticky date pudding was dry and the caramel sauce had become granulated and not nice. The service was nice and attentive enough, though there was a bit of a delay with getting our plates cleared and our dessert order taken. Overall it was a pleasant evening out, just not really to my standards.

Doolan Brothers have recently taken over all of the old Cock and Bull franchises, and I'm glad they…read morehave. The renovations and facelift have done wonders for this local pub, and the changes are positive. The decor is still traditional pub style, but not so dark and dank as before, reds and dark woods prevail. The food has taken a bit of a jump up, although the Sunday roasts with Yorkshire puddings were a little bit of a letdown, as the puddings were a bit bland, but the portions were healthy and it wasn't expensive, so fair standard for pub fare. On our second visit, we weren't quite as impressed though, after ordering a steak medium rare, it arrived pretty much well done, but then that seems to be pretty standard at all restaurants around town, you have to ask for rare to get it medium! But overall, a great little local pub to enjoy a beer in the sun and some good old pub grub.

First of all, we created a booking for the Bridgehouse restaurant a day before we planned on eating…read morethere. It was for my friend's 18th birthday. The rest if us are 17 years old. We turned up, in our best attire, ready to have a wonderful EATING experience, we were looking foward to the food, not planning on getting any drinks. We were turned away at the door because most of us were underage, and were rushed of the premises. Never once did they mention that we weren't allowed to eat there if we were underage, wasting our time and energy. Clarifying that we only wanted to experience the restaurant part of the place, never the bar We found much more welcoming service at Warkworth Hotel. Maiya is the best waitress there ever is in the world.

Fab food, excellent service, nice ambiance when the fire is going; and good sized portions with…read moreveggies with most dishes and decent sized dessert with cream and icecream - delish! Highly recommend!