Alfrescos is ok. The food is nothing to write home about and the service is often quite slow. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner which is handy and do have good live music at times. Not my first choice in Paihia, but could be worse. read more

Loved this place The food was delicious! It had a cozy feel to it in wintery night We were all impressed with our meals Steak And fish and chips Sadly the chicken wasn't as exciting. But not the chickens fault read more

This place is right on the beach with a great little view. The staff were friendly and very responsive. I had a cocktail (espresso martini) and the family had coffees and hot drinks. It all tasted pretty good. Would come back again. read more

Chose this place on the advice of our Air B&B owners. However it was the beginning of the summer season and the place was packed. We were let right to a table which was cleaned under our noses. The newly hired waitress brought the menus straight away but then wasn't back for literally 20+ minutes. When we finally got her attention and asked our questions about the menu, she wasn't able to help. "What's in the Fish Special?" we asked. "Not sure." she replied and went to ask someone. "Fish!" replied the manager from behind the bar. Not amused, we asked more specifically if there were shellfish - not desired. We're informed its shellfish free, but there are only two left so we should order soon. We do so right then and order the fish special and a pasta dish. Five minutes later we are told they're out of the fish special. Ugh. Thirty minutes wasted and still hungry, we went to Ruffino's and enjoyed some homemade pasta. If Alfrescos is going to be open and serve the public, they'll have to learn how to staff up for summertime without risking outright embarrassing stories like this. read more

Cannot really see how this place gets scored over a three in anybody's books. Four of us went in Jan '17 and we had: 1. REALLY bad service (slow and needing constant reminders about drinks etc) 2. A rare steak come very well done, sent back, then came again very well done. By this time all others had been served and eaten. 3. The table we booked wasn't given to us, we were told we would be sitting inside when we arrive (on time) When we said we'd eat elsewhere they suddenly found room. Ok so the good: 1. Great beachside location 2. Service was very polite and friendly despite being terrible 3. The manager type person said we wouldn't be charged for the steak. ( it was actually on the bill but we pointed that out and it was rectified, honest mistake I think) 4. The other three plates of food were a easy 3-4 star plates of food. Overall I certainly wouldn't recommend but guess others have had great experiences here. read more

We were staying nearby so this looked like a good choice. It has a view of the water and everyone that worked there was very friendly. They have a good menu and the food was reasonable for New Zealand. I had the salmon and it was fixed just right. Good meal read more

We went on a Friday night of a holiday weekend and didn't have a booking, but were lucky that the owner's mother had just called and cancelled her table. We sat at the front of the restaurant with a view of the street and ocean (it was raining so the plastic sheeting was down). We started with the beetroot and goat cheese salad. The goat cheese was breaded, fried and wonderful. The entree portion of salt and pepper squid with fried capers was good sized. The squid is not fried and was cooked just right. The daily special of lobster ravioli in a lemon cream sauce was very good, but the portion was small, only 4 ravioli. The lemon and lime pie had dense concentrated flavors. Good service. read more

Had a lunch and a few beers recently. It was excellent. I had the calimari and we also had the raw oysters. Calimari was superb, oysters were huge, the big ones were average and a bit slimy. Average size ones were great, largeness isn't a good thing apparently. Great beer called Stoke gold not to be missed. read more

Cold, damp night and in moments I had a scotch and some of the best clam chowder I've ever had in my life in front of me. Followed up with excellent calamari and classic local oysters on the half shell with Tabasco. Who wants a burger? Attentive service as well. read more

We got there close to 10pm and the restaurant was not only opened but served delicious food! They have an outdoor section that is covered in case of bad weather with heating lamps (a nice touch as it gets chilly at night even in the summer). Service was great and we didn't feel rushed to eat our meal even though it was super late. Ordered the mussels, lamb loin over Greek salad and garlic fries and had a Monteith's Crushed Pear Cider. Let me say I was in cider heaven in New Zealand. Every restaurant has cider on the menu and they are all sweet and yummy! Craft beers are abundant as well. The garlic fries were very garlicky in a good way & thick cut although I did find a bit more oil than I might have preferred if I was eating healthy. The mussels were huge, came with bread (a bit crunchy - savory) & the sauce reminded me of a flavor I would find in Thai food. The lamb was a little drier than I would have liked but the Greek salad was refreshing. With the bill came chocolate covered marshmallow fish - maybe strawberry? It was good. The Kiwis seem to love the chocomallow fish! read more

Wow. What an amazing brunch my husband and I had here at Alfresco's! To start my husband and I both had the creamed paua, for mains my husband ordered the taniwha burger, I ordered the salt and pepper calamari, and to share we ordered the unbattered seafood platter. The service here is great! Our waitress was extremely well versed in the menu, the specials, and literally everything else we wanted to know regarding portion size, freshness, ingredient sources, and comparisons with other menu items; we were so impressed with her level of dedication to creating a great dining experience for us. She has a tattoo on her face, if you go here ask for her to wait on your table, she'll take great care of you. And the food... let me tell you! the food at Alfresco's is so good it'll make slap your mother. Fresh, rich, hearty, exciting, and the presentation is so Instagram worthy you'll be fighting yourself on whether or not to snap a pic first or rip right into the plate. Perfect for celebratory meals. My husband was so pleased that we chose this place for his birthday brunch. Money very well spent! We will absolutely be returning to Alfresco's during our next holiday in Paihia. The best seafood meal I've had in a very long time. read more

After 3.5 weeks in New Zealand, eating everything from dehydrated meals to supposedly world class 5 star, THIS was the best food I've had in this country by FAR! I ordered the venison with mushrooms, spinach, and kumara with an au jus. As someone who was raised on venison, I can say this was some of the best tasting deer I have encountered and the accompanying vegetables were equally delicious. It wasn't a massive course, so I opted for the creme brulle for dessert and it was incredible too- including a sweet berry compote and biscotti to go with it. Prices were comparable to the rest of NZ and the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. This restaurant has a serious future in my opinion! read more

I had a long weekend break in Paihia, from Breakfast to dinner the food was really good. Polite service and acceptable cost- I highly recommend the Eggs Benedict, for breakfast! Many locals go there so that's a good recommendation. The place has a personal touch. read more

The main meal was great but the dessert took over 30 minutes to prepare. We were there curbing a storm and had water and wind hitting us often. Would have been nice if the staff had offered to move us as the place cleared out and we waited for the dessert. read more

I liked the homemade granola but the scrambled eggs were a bit too runny. I wouldn't pay to eat there again. Waitress was nice but the bar tender called my wife rude for no legitimate reason. read more