Best Steak sandwich in town well worth a visit The Phoenix…read moreon the Strand Gastropub with an atmosphere!

While road tripping across the north island of NZ we stopped by The Phoenix in Tauranga for lunch…read moreand it didn't disappoint. The Angus burger was terrific and paired well with the golden lager. Nice atmosphere and staff was friendly.

Terrible service. Incredibly rude staff. Disingenuous advertising…read more Avoid at all costs, plenty of other options around.

We were pleasantly surprised by the latest iteration of the bar/restaurant on the corner of…read moreMaunganui Road and Pacific Avenue. We received a voucher as a gift which allowed us two main courses and a breads and spreads appetizer. I'd called the day before to make reservations, but someone double-booked our table. A 50th birthday celebration filled most of the restaurant, so the manager offered us a seat on the bar sofa and two complimentary drinks. We waited 40-45 minutes for our table to open while enjoying drinks and eating our appetizer. Once seated, the manager apologized for the wait and offered another two free drinks, which we gladly accepted. For a restaurant that bills itself as a wine and tapas bar, we were surprised by the quality of the mains. My husband had the oven-braised lamb shanks sitting atop a pillow of creamy smashed potatoes. I tore into the succulent teriyaki salmon with tomato chili jam. Despite the fact I'd filled up on drinks and bread, I couldn't resist finishing every last bite of this salmon. It was hot, tender, moist and oh-so-delicious. The manager stopped by towards the end of our meal for a chat and we told him we'll return. Warm atmosphere, wonderfully-cooked food and gracious service make Ivory a rare find in the serve-em-and-leave-em climate one often finds in New Zealand restaurants.

What a great find! Took a wrong term, drove 50 km in the wrong direction - but was grateful to end…read moreup in Whangamata looking for dinner :) We sat outside on the ample deck - while not a great view - the overall atmosphere was lovely as we sat next to the bar and the staff kept popping out and chatting. My friend and I tried the crumbed squid (appie) and the market fish (salmon) and the soft shell crab for the main course. The squid came with a great puree (avocado?) and we loved the pineapple addition to the soft shell crab! We found the salmon to be a bit dry however. I think I'll definitely come back... for the pretty great seafood and....the goat inspired wine!! (check out the Nanny Goat Pinot Noir - worth the price).

Gorgeous ambiance, right on the river. Service was good. Brought food out promptly. Now the food,…read morewe had a lot. The winning tapa for us was the crudo. We ordered it twice! All the food we had was delicious, seems like you can't go wrong with anything you order. The drinks were also pretty good. I ordered the cocktail passionfruit sour. It was so good! Definitely a great spot for tapas and cocktails/mocktails with a great ambiance.

The food and service is fabulous. Best time to go is in the water weather when you can sit outside…read morein the fresh air and enjoy the river views. Thoroughly recommend,.

Big open interior with plenty of drink options and additional seating in the loft. Food was okay to…read moregood with fairly quick service. We went on a rainy day but I imagine this would be lovely on a summer night where you could sit on the patio. I would probably go again to try their feijoa cider ( seasonal) and try and experience during the summer

What a great place to try some excellent cider and get lunch. It was very busy during the summer…read moreholiday, so if time is a factor go elsewhere. For us, the wait was worth it, the staff were very friendly and helpful ( made sure we avoided some food allergies) and the views were amazing.

Stopped here for lunch. Street parking is crazy so we parked a street away and walked. It wasn't…read morevery busy inside. I ordered the children's spaghetti and meatballs. Husband ordered fish and chips. The food and service were good.

We stopped by for lunch, had the nachos (forgot to get picture) but they were great. Had the…read moreseafood chowder with the crunchy bread and there was a lot of seafood! Great stop, would recommend.

Had dinner and ordered the veganizer burger. Although it said on the menu that it would be a beyond…read moremeat patty which are very tasty they served a very bland selfmade burger. I was very disappointed. Appetizer was good though.

Ordered a steak and cheese with blue cheese. I got steakum meat. Blue cheese sauce( no real cheese…read moreon sandwich) came in a cup. 18.50 + 2.00 up charge for fries instead of potato chips. Absolutely horrible. I live here and decided to try it again after a horrible meal years ago. I learned my lesson for sure. By the way the soap dispenser in the women's bathroom wasn't working. Mentioned it to a manager. Not sure if it was fixed. 2/28/2026