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The Mussel Pot

4.4 (27 reviews)
ModerateSeafood

The Mussel Pot Photos

THE MUSSEL POT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for groups
Outdoor seating

Recommended Reviews - The Mussel Pot

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Exterior
Jonny M.

We decided to stop in Havelock for lunch as they're famously known for being the green mussel capital of the world (or so their sign proclaims). The Mussel Pot is located right next door to Coffee Hypnosis. We dropped in on a Thursday for lunch and everyone was outside eating on the shaded backyard/patio. Staff is friendly and it has a relaxed laid back vibe. Interestingly, a couple behind us got charged $1.00 for an extra side of ketchup. Seems excessive when they're making a killing on mussels already. You pay inside once you're done and ready for the bill. - Grilled mussels ($21.50 NZD) - 13 to 16 grilled on the half shell topped with bacon and cheese (worked nicely), garlic and herb butter (this was my favourite) and sweet chili, coriander and ginger sauce (not so great). We got 15 grilled mussels on our platter. Pretty good. - Fries with tomato sauce ($6.50 NZD) - pretty dinky portion and the fries needed to be cooked longer. Not crispy enough. The garlic and herb butter turned out to be a good dipping sauce. Green mussels are the star here but technically, you can go the grocery store and get the same amount for 1/10th of the price. If that's not an option, then come to TMP. 3.5 stars.

Suzie L.

Mussels for lunch! After reading all the reviews, my husband and I stopped here to try the green lip mussels. We chose to have them steamed - 1 in a chilli, garlic, oregano and tomato sauce and the other in coriander, ginger, chilli and coconut cream. It was very delicious but we found the coconut cream a little too rich for our taste - coconut milk might have been a little better. We also ordered some of the house made bread which was very good. The mussels were cooked perfectly and the prices were reasonable (about $20 per kg - which is around 20 mussels).

Liza K.

We were starving on our way down from Picton after taking the ferry from Wellington. This place just so happened to be in what seemed almost the middle of nowhere (as many places along the road in beautiful New Zealand!) and man oh man, what a gem to find! Green mussels are their specialty - see below. My husband got a pound of them and devoured them immediately! They have a really cool story about mussels printed out on the menu as well which I always appreciate when restaurants provide you with something to read! ;) The only reason this place is a 4 not a 5 is because my own dish, a pasta dish with bacon, was not my favorite. I can't exactly place what was off about it, but it was not my favorite alfredo pasta that I've had. Scenery around this place is magnificent as well (but then again, so is all of New Zealand!)

Rob B.

Really never had mussels this good. They didn't need any fancy preparation. The information was super helpful to any mussel lover. Service was uneven but friendly, typical of New Zealand. No tipping culture can lead to painfully long meals. FYI 1/2 a kilo is more than enough for one!

Kim W.

This was a super yummy spot and seemed to be a great value. We had the platter which had all types of mussels that were so yummy. Least fav on the plate was the pickled. We also had the Thai coconut and the grilled. The favorite for me was the Thai coconut and the wine garlic steamed. The mussels were so large and tender. Make sure your drove takes you to Havelock and stop here!

Exterior....roof is crawling with cute green lip mussels
Stephanie R.

Definitely stop in if you're in the Marlborough area or passing through on your way to Nelson. The mussels were delicious! We ordered the sampler, which came with mussel chowder, and mussels prepared several ways: grilled, smoked, battered and fried, steamed, baked, and in a garlic butter sauce. We loved all of them, and decided that as long as we were in the green lip mussel capital of the world, we may as well fill up. We then ordered a pot of mussels in a Thai green curry and coconut sauce and some bread to soak up the sauce. These were a slam dunk, absolutely delicious. A bit creamier sauce then expected, but still had a bit of spice to it. The decor is also great - a bunch of cute green mussel statues march across the roof, and an outdoor eating area houses more statues. Each table is also set with a booklet about the mussels and how they are grown - very interesting to us as tourists who had heard that the area was well known for mussels but knew little beyond that.

Garlic cream mussels with house sauv blanc
Elena C.

Seriously delicious. I wanted to grab that pot and drink all the garlicky, creamy deliciousness but thought I might get strange looks. The info sheet on the tables was incredibly educational...learned a lot about mussels and the proper way to care and cook them. Mahalo (thank you) from Oahu!

Steam mussels.
Tiansew Y.

Great big chunky mussels. Try the Mussel Pot Sauvignon Blanc. Take the mussel platter to hv the varieties. All delicious. For those that are not a fan of shellfish, they have pasta, sandwiches, burgers and a kid's menu.

Garlic, white wine and herb green lip mussells
Zhai O.

Popped in for lunch at Havelock's little gem The Mussel Pot cafe for some world class mussels. The Green Lip's here were enormous and will struggle to find larger anywhere else. A large pot was sufficient for myself and my partner, which was perfect for lunch, however if we were having dinner I would have opted for the chilli, garlic and tomato which smelt wonderful at an adjoining table. A must do if ever in Havelock.

Steam mussels

Really Fresh. Just lemon is good enough so you can taste the fresh mussels. Very helpful and friendly staff. They also have good desserts too.

Delicious food! Great portions. Lovely waitress. We got the spicy mussels with chili, and the creamy garlic ones. Both wonderful. Calamari was delish too.

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1 year ago

The most tender calamari I have ever eaten! The warm mussels were also incredible. Stop by on your way through town.

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Review Highlights - The Mussel Pot

The mussels, fish and chips and mussel chowder were delicious, and the service was prompt and friendly.

Mentioned in 3 reviews

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Cod & Lobster Brasserie - We waited a bit for a table.

Cod & Lobster Brasserie

4.9(18 reviews)
40.4 km
$$$

I am HUGELY remiss in posting a review. Today my daughter called me "remember that place in Nelson…read moreNZ with the smoked manhattan drinks?" Oh yes I do, in fact it was a highlight of places we visited in New Zealand. Inside is a pretty classic setting. Black tablecloths with white butcher paper. Clean, cozy. The first thing we noticed was this very small bar with 6 tiers of shelves hosting all sorts of spirits and alcohol, and the bar tender was ever so gracious. Our table wasn't quite ready but we enjoyed our chat with the bartender and honestly could have waited longer. The menu for drinks and food was immediately appealing. We tried their smoked manhattans. Delicious. They made it at the table and that was just fun. I got their scallops. Fresh, simple goodness. We shared their fries and I rolled my eyes. Great food, service and overall a charming relaxed and gem of a place in Nelson. Highly recommend!

A delightful setting with great seafood. Ok you hungry travelers tired of mediocre tourist food--…read moretry Cod and Lobster in the town of Nelson. Named after the British Admiral but hey, hi there anyway. Fresh is the name of the game here. You want it, they have it. A beautiful setting. Inside and out. I love it didn't feel touristy. Crazy good bar- see pic-- and great wine list. A lot of great regional pinot noir. Fairly priced for very high quality. I paid around $90 NZ for a hard to get delicious bottle. Try Burnt Cottage if you're into Pinot. Go here. Don't hesitate

Photos
Cod & Lobster Brasserie - Nice entrance.

Nice entrance.

Cod & Lobster Brasserie - Black Magic

Black Magic

Cod & Lobster Brasserie - Seafood Platter for two

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Seafood Platter for two

Urban Oyster Bar & Eatery - Korean style market fish ceviche

Urban Oyster Bar & Eatery

4.7(36 reviews)
40.1 km
$$

Overall great vibes and great flavors. They put a lot of care into changing up their menu regularly…read moreto showcase different local or seasonal items which makes for a fun experience. The service is a little hit or miss at peak times, and they seem to forget about us after we get seated, so prepare to be a bit assertive to get attention.

Don't visit this place during busy times. They take on way too many customers/tables than they can…read moreservice. We ordered just two dishes. Oysters, which doesn't require cooking, and one hot dish. The oysters came out after 10 mins, as expected. But after more than a hour, and no second dish, we walked out as they repeatedly gave untrustworthy wait times. When we ordered, we were told a 30 minute wait. After 50 minutes of no dish, we enquired. Waitress talked to chef, came back with an exact 7 minutes needed. 12 minutes later, still no dish. Waitress goes to kitchen again, comes back with 2 minutes. Guess what happened when 2 minutes later passed... No offer to comp dishes or drinks while waiting, no sincere apologies. Just an excuse than "it's busy at the moment, food will take longer". So yeah, just don't go during busy times. Clearly too popular and they're treating it like a cash cow now. Oysters weren't actually that good. Small oysters, not juicy and tasty. We had oysters at another place in town the same day, and it was night and day.

Photos
Urban Oyster Bar & Eatery - Beef tartare

Beef tartare

Urban Oyster Bar & Eatery - Passionfruit margarita

Passionfruit margarita

Urban Oyster Bar & Eatery

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The Smoking Barrel - French toast...

The Smoking Barrel

4.4(12 reviews)
65.9 km

Great ambiance. Friendly waitress. Looked clean and stylistically decorated. Bathrooms nice and…read moreclean. Food was above average, excellent sized proportions. My hubby had the burger - it was massive and he loved it. Daughter had the chicken and waffles which were a little spicy for her taste. I had the brisket and eggs. Perfectly poached eggs and great bread. Unfortunately the brisket wasn't great, a little tough and lots of fat. Overall I would recommend and would return to try other items. They had a nice looking outdoor area also.

I can't believe I haven't made a review for this place yet! I spent a lot of nights and hungover…read moremornings here haha. In my final few months in New Zealand I lived in a super small town, less than like 7k people small. It only had 1 main street and this was one of the few highlights of it. This restaurant is popular for the bbq, the inside of it gives off a USA vibe too. It had a big old looking front of a farm truck that they used as their cafe order window, barrels everywhere(hence the name) felt like I was somewhere in the middle of America eating here. As far as the food goes, it's a versatile place. The BBQ is their specialty but they also have some fun breakfast items and, a fantastic gourmet donut selection. I've had the pork ribs and lamb ribs, I loved both equally as much. Can't go wrong with either choice. If you're there for lunch give the brisket burger a try! And for breakfast try out the donuts or get the smoked slamon eggs benny on a bagel with a Chai Latte! Chai in New Zealand just hots different. They also have a carnivore brunch platter which is something I would expect in the deepest parts of Texas haha. So if that's your thing go for it. Sausage and bacon are really the only meats I can do for breakfast. The nice thing about their breakfast menu is it's all day! The prices are pretty high here, but it's one of the only "nicer" restaurants within about 20km, so I guess it's understandable that you pay for some quality food and a nice night out dinner. I enjoyed this place a lot. All the memories with friends, the friendly staff, great food at any time of the day. It kinda reminded me of home and that was comfy. It's a 5 star from me!

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The Smoking Barrel - Inside The Smoking Barrel

Inside The Smoking Barrel

The Smoking Barrel - Donuts

Donuts

The Smoking Barrel - Donuts

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Donuts

The Mussel Pot - seafood - Updated May 2026

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