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.

Three out of four of the ladies toilets were blocked, one with faeces floating. Bar staff said they…read morewere aware of it and that it would be cleaned out over night! Why were the doors not closed & 'Out of Order' signs put on them?! This is disgusting! Would have left immediately but we had already ordered & paid for our Margaritas. At $19 each we were totally disappointed. Served in 2 different types of small cocktail glasses, rather than the usual Margarita tumblers, three ladies had larger drinks than the other three. Worse than that - the drinks tasted watery!!! We discussed this with the waitress who said they had started using a Margarita 'mix' over the last week & there had been other complaints. So why hadn't this been fixed already? Won't be going back. Shocking end to a great night where we had dined at the restaurant next door Mae Nam Khong - which has great food!

I came here before my tattoo appointment to grab a quick bite to eat. The staff was having a…read moremeeting but that did not make them any less attentive. I order a coffee drink and some nachos. In America we use salsa, they did not which was on but different. Enjoyed my drink and food. I wish I could have came on another night when they had music.

Enjoyed my evening here with friends the Venison sausage and pizza went down great with the Number…read more3 Red Ale. The service was prompt and food delivered together so no waiting to eat around the table. Highly recommend

awesome garden. Friendly staff, yummy food and great atmosphere. HIghly recommend if looking for a…read morecasual yet trendy place to grab some food and great beer.

After ten years on the strip, cabaret restaurant venue Finale closed its doors last year…read more Thankfully the place has been kept as a cabaret venue, just with a name change - Encore. This is the kind of place where you get a waiter and entertainer wrapped in one. You'll also get dinner and a show wrapped in one as well - a big buffet is on offer, and once you've eaten you can sit down to acrobatics, drag queen performances and singers. But don't think this is just for friends of Dorothy and Ms. Gale herself, this place should appeal to corporate groups and hen's nights too.

I went here as part of a hen's night group, like I imagine 80% of the visitors to this place have…read morebeen. It was a slightly odd experience, being surrounded by woman simultaneously shrieking with delight and making slightly off-colour remarks about the performers, but the performers were all very good; they've obviously done this for a while and knew exactly what they were doing. This place has had a change of management since I went there, so hopefully some of the more disappointing aspects of my visit have been changed: Wattie's tinned fruit salad is not "fresh fruit salad" and likewise, frozen veges may have been steamed but are a long way from freshly prepared vegetables. It was a pretty dispiriting dinner for anyone not partaking of the carvery meats.

If you're looking for typical Polynesian foods, My Samoa in Kelston is a pretty good place to…read morestart. Family run and owned, this little place is on the side street near Kelston Boys High School. West Auckland boasts many similar shops that claim to do "quality" and "traditional" Pacific foods. It can be so hard to find a shop bought meal that will match your mums, grandmas or maybe even your dads Sunday lunch - but My Samoa makes a valiant effort. Their taro is firm (not soggy/low quality) and covered well in coconut cream- $3 for a piece bigger than your hand isn't too bad going. They also sell cooked banana's (fa'i) for $1, again - great price and great taste. They then do a smorgasboard of prepared dishes including lamb flaps, chopsuey, chicken curry and other 'bulk' styled meals that can be bought in $5-$11 dollar chinese takeaway style boxes. They also offer many other samoan delicacies - $5 Luau (taro leaves filled with coconut cream), Panikekes (fried banana doughnuts), Keke Pua'a (pork buns) and much much more. The chopsuey is decent - they use a enough soy sauce for it to be tasty, however they do use some cheap cuts of meat, meaning you may find some small bones throughout your vermicelli. The pumpkin and lamb we tried today was delicious and just needed a bit of seasoning. The taro and banana's were all fantastic and alot better than the ones found down the road in Glendene- so I will definitely be back for that. We also get the fish/coocnut cream dish (Eleni) which was also very nice. If you've ever wanted to try some traditional Island grub, outside of the Pasifika Festival - My Samoa would be a fantastic place to start.

The best roast takeaway in Auckland. Is always packed in here on the weekend. But the service is…read morequick, no matter how busy they are. They seem to get your order out in less than 5 mins. Now that's fast takeaway. The roast potatoes are awesome. The chicken roast is value for money.

Good food. Friendly staff. Decent coffee. Funky sort of ascchetic without being overread more

Nice cabinet salads.meal was made to order portion a bit small but very nice.would definitely go…read moreback. Price ok

One time I came here with the other guys in my band. We were playing a house party that night and…read morewere in the process of taking the gear around. We stopped in for fish and chips, and sat and ate it outside in the winter sunshine, discussing plans for the night and for life in general. This is as close as I have come in my life to living like the characters in the Sopranos, and I have Grey Lynn Seafood at least partially to thank for this. Also it was pretty nice fish and the chips were good and I'm grateful it wasn't one of the scenes in the Sopranos where someone gets horribly murdered and tossed into the sea. All in all a good experience.

Getting "Wandering Eye" by Fat Freddy's Drop in your head after a trip to this shop is a common…read moreexperience - the New Zealand dub band filmed the video for their hit song at the Grey Lynn Fish & Chip shop. While the décor has been left to slide a bit over the years and the walls are getting darker by the hour, the shop that many call "Fat Freddy's Fish" still has the best selection of fresh fish in the area. They will also crumb it for their fish 'n' chips customers, which is an anomaly in Grey Lynn. Their chips are light and fluffy; definitely not bogged down by being left to sit in oil too long. While their opening hours don't extend far into prime fish 'n' chip buyers' hours, this place is still worth a look.