Very good restaurant with friendly servers. They have daily specials in addition to their extensive regular menu. They serve New Zealand lamb, beef, pork, and chicken. They also have an extensive alcohol selection though we didn't try any during our visit. There is a large interior space as well as an equally large outdoor patio. They have outdoor string lights that help set the pleasant ambiance. A mixture of high and regular tables line the space. We ordered a Lamb Shank, Pork Ribs, and a Custom Grill with 2 portions of beef and 2 portions of lamb. All food came out in about 15-20 minutes, which was a bit long but we had ordered close to their closing time. I appreciated that they didn't complain, but were smiling and happy. Never once did we feel like we were being rushed out. Everything we ordered was delicious and tender. The chips (fries) that came with some of our dishes were crispy and fresh. The salad that came with my custom grill was perfectly tossed together. The prices are a bit on the higher side, but the quality cannot be beat and the service was 5/5. We'd be happy to return here if we're ever back in the area! read more

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Well, restaurant on this food row. It may be a brewery but unfortunately I couldn't drink considering all these winding roads all around. Food good. Most steaks are brought cold and you sear them on a hot stone. We had no time for such play. Steak was good. Great music and music videos up on the monitors. All the songs are my type if I may say so. Staff professional. read more

Craft Bar & Kitchen - Sirloin - Bars Near Me - Rotorua, BOP

Good selection of beers and great food. Friendly and quick service. The shellfish was fresh and delicious. Did the grill that you cook on a hot stone at your table. Very nice. Patio seating is great on a fair weather day. read more

Craft Bar & Kitchen - 3 beer tasting - Bars Near Me - Rotorua, BOP

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As one of the last open restaurants on a Sunday evening in the touristy area of Eat Street, we had low expectations. Fortunately, both our meals were very good. I had the cook-it-yourself-on-a-stone filet mignon with roasted potatoes and a Caesar salad. The cook did a great job, if I do say so myself, though he was a bit sore from a third day of downhill mountain biking, which made him slightly cranky. The meat was good quality and cooked pretty quickly when cut into thin slices on the 400 degree stone. It came with two steak sauces but I gave no idea why anyone would put a sauce on quality piece of meat, especially one with good seasoning, which this one had. The salad and potatoes were likewise flavorful and well prepared. My Chinese girlfriend had a rather pedestrian looking fried rice but enjoyed it very much...and she is a stickler for quality Asian food. The meals came quickly and with a smile, though, fortunately for us, they were not very busy at the time. Overall a solid choice when dining in Rotorua. read more

Craft Bar & Kitchen - Stone cooked filet hit the spot. - Bars Near Me - Rotorua, BOP

Food was good. But the ambiance and service was just not welcoming. A smile might have warmed the place up.

Stopped in for dinner after a long drive from Wellington. So happy we chose this restaurant over the many choices in Rotorua. Enjoyed a cheese burger, dressed with fresh slaw and bacon that had a fabulous smoky flavor, served with a side of fries. The service was quick and friendly. My beer flight was served perfectly chilled. I would definitely recommend this restaurant! read more

Craft Bar & Kitchen - Cheese burger and beer flight - Bars Near Me - Rotorua, BOP

Amazing Beef Wellingtons and fried cauliflower We came here after a long day of ziplining and luging. We have always wanted to try beef wellington and we were highly impressed. We also had a couple of drinks and some popcorn cauliflower. All of the food was super delicious. The staff was very good as well. I would def recommend visiting Eat Streat for CBK. read more

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READ THIS REVIEW: Don't give a shit what any of these reviews say, maybe other stuff here isn't as good but if you come to new zealand. You absolutely have to have the chicken pesto pasta from here. As someone who doesn't leave reviews fucking ever. Take it from me when I say shit rarely blows me away like that dish did. I've had hundreds of restaurants worth of pasta among other dishes and this was the best one I can remember in atleast the last 5 years. Sorry not sorry but I legitimately wanted to give the chef a hug because this specific dish was so good. Best plate of pasta I've had in years. read more

One visit: cool place to hang out, have some drinks and chat. Their berry cider was quite nice, didn't try any other drinks. A bit loud, though -- don't go for deep conversations, be prepared to shout a bit! And definitely don't go for the cauliflower appy, that was rather dreadful! read more

Can't speak for the beer but the WiFi was solid and there is an extensive menu for any part of the day. The WiFi was so good I came back a few times as I stayed at the Regent a block away that had terrible WiFi. The taco assortment for lunch was nice, plenty to eat, but the fish in the fish taco spent more time in the freezer than the sea. read more

Craft Bar & Kitchen - Trio of tacos - Bars Near Me - Rotorua, BOP

Disappointed in the service and the food. We waited about 15 minutes before anyone even acknowledged us. By then we had helped ourselves to the menus. The waitress didn't have many recommendations in terms of drinks. We ordered the smoked salmon dip, wagyu beef burger and roast beef sandwich. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of dip given for the appetizer. The entrees, however, did not meet our expectations. The wagyu beef did not taste any different than a regular burger. The patty was also half the size of the bun. The roast beef was supposed to be tender according to the description, however, we received roast beef that was grisly and chewy. The food also didn't arrive hot. Fries were a little stale. We voiced our opinion about the roast beef sandwich, but she didn't offer to make it any better. Overall, not impressed with anything about this restaurant. I would not recommend this restaurant. read more

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Rotorua was our first stop here on our honeymoon and we wanted to drink and eat some fish and chips. The bar serves a lot of the tourists that come through, and it's waiting staff respectful and polite. Fish and chips was good and the Sampler beers were hoppy. Cheers!!! read more

Craft Bar & Kitchen - Fish and chips - Bars Near Me - Rotorua, BOP

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After entirely too many greasy meals in Rotorua, I'm so glad I found CBK. Lovely outdoor seating and you can hear some of the live music they have going a few doors down. I ordered beef and lamb on the stone grill which you cook yourself. Both were delicious. The wedge salad was a bit disappointing but the duck fat potatoes made up for it. read more

Craft Bar & Kitchen - Beef and lamb stone grill - Bars Near Me - Rotorua, BOP

Cool spot that is one of the few open on a late afternoon on Eat Street. At least for us the service was friendly and great. It wasn't crowded so service was fast. The stone grill is a cool idea particularly on a cold spring day. Very fresh venison with a hot stone. Nice to salt the stone. The venison itself was super tasty and not gamey at all. We like the accompaniments too. The veggies were nice. Broccoli and peas. The potato was great and nicely roasted in foil. Super sweet and flavorful. The beet was actually a highlight. Eat Street itself is a really nice concept. It is nice to haveany places on one block k! read more

Located on Eat Street. We stopped by after 9pm on a Wednesday, and only a limited food menu was being served due to the time of day. The potato wedges were advertised as served with "sour cream and bacon and salsa" -- it was actually something very suspiciously like cream cheese, no noticeable bacon, and a tomato-y sweet relish. It was pretty good but didn't match the description. A pretty hefty serving so it can be shared amongst 3-6 people as an appetizer. The bacon-wrapped smoked chicken was actually pretty good. I'd get this again. Service was good. There was indoor and outdoor seating. Outdoor seating was comfortable due to heat lamps being on. read more

The location and atmosphere was perfect for a relaxing lunch. The service was fantastically fast and friendly. The burgers are phenomenal and the cauliflower bites were yummy. Enjoyed a tasty beer flight and enjoyed the music variety from their electronic juke box options. read more

Average bar food with average service. Not much else to say. There are other places in Rotorua that are tastier, cheaper and more fun. There is a good selection of drinks, though. read more

I'm not sure what is with the bad reviews. My family came here for dinner on a Sunday. The staff were very nice and helpful, the beer selection was good, not a huge selection but a good amount to pick from. I got the hot stone dinner which was good, the meats were good cuts and the side were tasty. read more

I came here at 7Pm and the menu looked great so came in. Unfortunately, even with decent food the service was soo disorganized I wish I could give half a star. Whoever is the manager didn't have control of the place as people were waiting for and hour and a half for salads when some people were given grilled food waited for 20 minutes. Unfortunately we were on the wait an hour and a half for mediocre food. Something must have been off because it was completely disorganized, we even grabbed our own menus and had to get ourselves water. read more

First off, the beer selection is quite good. A beer for every taste palate at a decent price. Seafood Chowder and seafood fettuccine are both delicious and affordable. read more

One of those "If I could give them 0 I would" reviews. Party of 10. I ordered the surf and turf, rare. I got blue, with uncooked bacon wrapped scallops and some pathetic excuses for squid rings that felt like they'd been defrosted AND cooked in a microwave. Badly. My wife had bones in her overcooked salmon. My cousin had chicken so dry the fries were more moist. And they were also overcooked. The only 2 acceptable meals were a pasta dish and the stone grill - which of course you cook yourself. We waited 20 mins for drinks and an 1:15 for food. Total bullsh1t. Avoid this place The only good thing was the beer. read more

Great food & good drinks. Loved the unique veggie burger, would've taken a pic but I forgot to because I ate it so fast! My husband love the regular burger, nice and smoked. Good all around menu, it has something for everyone. The cocktail flight was delish too. read more

We stopped on Eat St. for a quick late lunch; so we tried a few items off their appetizer menu. The dining room was not very busy, we sat down at a table and a waitress brought us some menus. Everything looked delicious but we choose to go with the Smoked bacon wrapped chicken, seafood chowder, and potato leek soup (from the daily specials menu). Smoked bacon wrapped chicken was a little salty for my taste, and the chicken was a little dry. The seafood chowder was deliciously filled with large pieces of mussel, clam, and very flavorful. My husband's potato leek soup was also very tasty and flavorful. The french bread that came with the soup was very good (even after a few days) and provided a perfect compliment to the soups. read more

This place is cool and vibrant. We had a slightly average meal and when ask our comments were received positively and that's great because it seemed like they are really determined to make this bar and kitchen the best they can. However I would like to give them another tip though: When your waitstaff are literally running around trying to keep up with service, put on another waiter, slave labour is a terrible look. And those staff will start to underperform and forget some details of there job (I won't go into that much detail). read more

Craft Bar & Kitchen - Bars Near Me - Rotorua, BOP

Probably one of the most interesting restaurants here in Rotorua with an extensive menu, large portions and delicious food. Came here twice with my husband and tried stone grill steak, lamb with scallops as well as pork belly bites and the salmon main. All of them were absolutely fabulous! We would come back again and again for sure... Now on to their rhubarb and apple crumble...! read more

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Just tried to eat here, the restaurant was barely half full and the bartender unapologetically and impolitely informed me there was not only a 30 minute wait on food but drinks as well. The bar is was totally empty. There are plenty of other options nearby. read more

My friend and I enjoyed a delicious lunch. The CFK salad and chowder were fabulous. The wait staff was friendly and prompt. The place was clean with a good vibe. We would come back for more! read more

Food was decent for the town. Service was typical of New Zealand, friendly yet confused.

Surf and turf was excellent. Loved the rib eye steak. Very tender! Squid rings were good, but they could have been more crispy. Bacon wrapped scallops were also good. read more

Not my favorite... salads were horrible. The meat is brought to you on a hot stone and you cook it yourself. While a cool concept we really didn't understand that was what we were in for. Your clothes smelled and it was hard to tell when your piece was cooked. Not great for pork in my opinion. Perhaps if it had been presented differently the experience could have been different. But after touring since 7 am, the last thing I want to do is cook my own dinner and guess on if it is cooked. Sorry folks.. big miss for me read more

Decent outside environment (and wi-if) during a Thursday night street fair was not enough to offset the food, which was below average pub food at best .... with small portions. There are plenty of options for food in this area so unless you're looking for just a pint then I would go elsewhere. read more

After driving the morning to get to Rotorua, my wife and I took a stroll down 'Eat Streat' and decided to check out Craft. Going in, based on the reviews, I knew that I was in for service that was a bit on the lax side, and especially if you cannot get their attention to take your order at the beginning, you will end up waiting a while (we probably took a good 10 minutes from clearly putting our menus down to a waitress taking our order). It is puzzling; even though it was somewhat busy at lunchtime, there was definitely enough staff to handle the volume...I think that they are held back in part because they have a few employees dedicated solely to busing dishes instead of checking on tables. Once we placed the order, the food and the drinks (save for my wife's water, which was initially forgotten) came in relatively timely fashion. The waiters definitely don't give you as much attention as other places might, but as long as you can get your order in, this should not matter as much. The drinks menu is pretty lengthy here, with a focus on craft beers (one of the wider selections I have encountered in NZ so far). The two Good George beers (the APA and the IPA) that I tasted were decent, although not anything spectacular. To start off, we shared the seafood chowder, which is a bit on the heavier side but is really, really good. The broth is smoked, and this permeates throughout the entire soup and infuses everything else in it. I also liked it because while it has an assortment of fish and mussels, it does not come off as having every last random piece of seafood thrown into it. The toasted brioche that is also served on the side is great for dipping in the soup as well - very lightly crisped on the outside, providing nice texture along with the prototypical buttery flavor of the brioche. For our entrees, my wife went with the steak sandwich, which, aside from being absolutely gigantic, was not all that flavorful and was definitely the worst of the dishes we had here. It was also a bit on the chewy side, making it a tad difficult to really bite into and eat easily. My cedar plank-grilled salmon filet, on the other hand, was delicious; the cedar is really grilled into the flavor of the fish (which could be cooked slightly less, but was fine nonetheless), and the aioli on the side adds a nice herbal twist without being heavy or overpowering. The side potato salad is a bit bland, though, and the salad is plain as well. We were too stuffed to do dessert afterwards, but the skillet cookie sure looks appetizing. For a gastropub-style spot, Craft is pretty solid if you can tolerate a bit of waiting at the beginning. Most of the food (particularly the seafood dishes) seem to be well-executed, and if you are looking to knock a cold one back, you can probably find a beer that fits your style. read more

Food was so so. The beer selection is decent. Ordered the fish and chips deluxe and the waitress messed up the order. When we called it her attention she didn't offer to include the deluxe only said she missed it. The stone grill was ok but I would've expected a bigger prawn. Cool atmosphere just would've liked better service. read more

Just don't go here. I got a "salad" which included 5 ingredients and they literally forgot to include the lettuce (one of the five ingredients). When I asked for it they brought me 6 pieces of lettuce for an $18 salad which was basically a plate of raisins. The rest of the meals we ordered were essentially on par with Applebee's (an American chain restaurant serving obesity and frozen meats). The beer was good, but when we asked about them the wait staff relayed that, I quote, "I literally have no idea about the beers." I mean, it's a brewery so..... Basically if you want to pay astronomical prices and be served by people who won't look you in the eye or give you water, when you are in an alley of much better restaurants, go ahead it's your life to waste. read more

Great service by friendly staff in nice atmosphere. Tasty, decently portioned meals. (Chicken in pasta dry) Fortunately we were there during a quiet part of lunchtime so could nab one of only two smoking tables, the wooden stools only reason didn't linger longer. read more

It took 30 mins to get a water and over 2 hrs to get the last of my food. I was alone and the place was not super busy. I am not sure why my waitress kept wandering around the bar and back when she was not serving any of her tables. We all were having the bus boys and bartenders get us drinks, menus, etc. Food was okay but the service killed it. First time in my life that I didn't tip. read more

Sunday lunch time. Ordered a starter and a burger for the main. Starter came quick, but one hour later, I was still waiting for my burger. Apparently the staff wasn't sure of my food order, but no one could be bothered to check. Would give them a one star, but to be honest, other people's food did look decent. Just be careful of service. read more

Cute spot on Eat St. in Rotorua. Would recommend sitting outside if you can tolerate the geo thermal sulfur aroma that takes over the whole town. Loved how the servers rotated around and whoever was available tended to our table. The beers took a little while to come out but I think that might just be because we're impatient Americans. There was a huge drink selection, so we really couldn't go wrong. I got the flat iron chicken burger which was huge and delicious. The only gripe I have, which I'm finding all across NZ is that the bacon wasn't cooked enough. The chips and sauce were also great. My husband got the burger which he said was delicious. I saw a lot of people getting the stone grill, which I don't really understand why you would want raw meat brought to your table on a 400 degree stone, but hey, to each their own. Definitely check out his spot if you're in Rotorua! read more

Reasonably priced. Very fun and novel food. The hot slab cooking at the table was very unique. Though it was unusually busy (and the service was subsequently slow and a little inaccurate in terms of our drink orders), we had a good time and enjoyed our meals. read more

Nice atmosphere and cool looking restaurant. Beers were good but food below average. We also waited wayyy to long for food. I am sure there are better places. read more