We just grabbed takeout from this place, a bit out of the way but located right on a large road --…read moreparking is a bit annoying, hard to see oncoming traffic when backing out! We ordered several things: - garlic bread: not what I expected (it's a baguette but not sliced lengthwise but rather the short way, partially so you can easily tear off pieces, buttered and garlic-ed), but very tasty and would order this again! - fries ("chips"): tasty, delicious! The Bandito Chips were _loaded_ with toppings! The Naughty Chips were much less loaded and needed a lot more of their jalapeño pieces!! - a couple of burgers: we tried the 50/50 bacon/beef meats, which I think are just too "meaty" for my tastes. All three of the sauces, which we thankfully got on the side, are sweet ... why are so many sauces weirdly sweet here? I suspect we will like these more with just mustard and mayonnaise, and lettuce and tomato. Next time, I would stick to plain old beef. - sticky toffee pudding: the worst of the bunch, tasted burnt and not much like toffee at all; I would not get this one again!

Off the tourist routes, this BBQ joint, on the corner of Old Taupo Rd. (Thermal Explorer Hwy) and…read more Pererika St., is worth the stop. Though we have yet to try the other offerings, the hamburgers and chicken burgers are delicious! Try the chips with Factory Sauce, instead of aioli, for something different. Great food and great people make this the perfect lace to grab a bite to eat.

Unfortunately, they are Closed there is a different restaurant now. We miss the fat cow.read more

Great location in the shopping/bar section. Great selection of local beers and really good food…read more The wood grilled Brie is really good--a must do starter. Highly recommended!

A delicious BBQ place in Taupo is very welcomed. We were really hungry after walking the Tongariro…read moreCrossing. You can definitely smell BBQ as you walk into the restaurant and that's not a bad thing! We started with some wings and they were the right thing to wet the appetite. You can smell and taste that hickory that permeates throughout the wing. For our entries, we opted for the smoked pork chop and a side of St. Louis ribs. The smoked pork chop was cooked well and it was good thick cut too. The crackling and bone sauce just provided for flavour and texture while working your way through each bite of the pork chop. The ribs were super sauced and the meat was almost fall off the bone. It took a little pull to get the meat away from the bone but I liked it that way. They were pretty finger licking good. We had a good time trying all their different sauces with each bite of our food too. Overall, this is a good spot for some BBQ if you are in the mood.

Very much family restaurant, food average. Thought we would get good Smokey flavours, very bland. I…read morehad beef short ribs and my wife had pulled smoked beef with mac cheese, worst Mac cheese tasted. Apologies we have high expectations after eating at a number of Texas Roadhouse chain stores which smash SMK

This was one of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. Do not go to Seoul Restaurant in…read moreRotorua. The staff were not only rude, but they also tried to scam us by adding hidden surcharges to our bill. When we questioned it, they claimed it was because we were paying with a credit card -- but we weren't. We were using EFTPOS, which does not incur any extra fee. That's outright dishonest. The food was terrible. Low-quality meat, poor taste, and the so-called "unlimited refill" is a complete lie. The staff got visibly angry when we tried to order more meat or side dishes -- even though it was advertised as all-you-can-eat. This place feels like a tourist trap, and they clearly take advantage of people who don't know better. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone. Save your money and avoid the frustration.

Came here because Yamoto is closed on Monday and I desperately need my rice. There's barely any…read moreservice here (had to ask for water, utensils, napkins, banchan). Fish cake on the banchan doesn't look fresh. We ordered kimchi jjigae, spicy squid BBQ (both a little too spicy for me) and oxtail bone soup (there isn't any bone actually but after adding a little salt, it's pretty good). A lot of people ordered the BBQ pork & squid (2ppl portion) which is served on a grill on the table. There's a sign saying that if you want refill for banchan, you have to pay. There's also minimarket in the store.

We had lunch here today before our caves tours. They offer an all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet…read moreplus a selection of bbqd protein....white fish, salmon, steak or chicken. Nancy was ok with her fish, the steak was well grilled but a tad small considering the price. The buffet options included two kinds of mac and cheese, a reasonable vegetable curry (but overcooked vegetables), some pretty good roasted potatoes and nice coleslaw slaw. Nice desserts including a to tie for pavlova, carrot cake and anzac cookies. We were in and out in 45 minutes

This was a really great place for lunch near the caves that is kinda off the beaten path. We found…read moreit when looking up restaurants on tripadvisor and decided to give it a try instead of eating at the touristy cafes at the attractions themselves. We were almost positive we were lost as our navigator took us off the main road and out into the wilderness. We drove up a hill for sometime wondering if we had missed it when suddenly we pulled into a large gravel parking lot with a little sign that said Roselands thattaway. Due to the climb you took to get there, Roselands boasts unbelievable views of the countryside with its large windowed dining room. Their dining room is a large open space with a buffet and lots of long tables and chairs suggesting they draw quite the crowd in the summer months. Unfortunately most of the items on the BBQ themed buffet I couldn't have because of it containing gluten, but I did sample the salad, potatoes, and rice and they even went through the trouble to cook me up something special without the BBQ sauce on it. The husband enjoyed the BBQ as well as the plate of desserts they brought out to us. Overall it was a beautiful place to lunch and I really appreciated the extra effort they took in accommodating my gluten allergy.

Review Title: Extremely Disappointing Family Dining Experience at Wholly Smoked Rotorua…read more Our family of four (two adults and two children) booked a 5:30pm table at Wholly Smoked Rotorua expecting a relaxed evening of barbecue-style dining and smoked meats. Unfortunately, what we experienced was one of the worst restaurant visits we have had in Rotorua. We were seated promptly and given menus, but after placing both our drink and food orders we sat waiting for over an hour with no service, no updates, and no meals arriving. When we finally asked, the waitress told us our food would be "five minutes away." After the long delay, meals eventually came out - but one was completely wrong. A steak that was ordered medium came out well-done and was taken back to the kitchen to be "remade," with another promise of "five minutes." We waited an additional twenty minutes, during which time our children were exhausted and still hungry. By 7pm - ninety minutes after arriving - one child had not been served at all. When the replacement meal finally came out, we had already asked for the bill and decided to leave. To make matters worse, the EFTPOS machine failed three times, making even paying a frustrating ordeal. Despite the positive online reviews we had read before visiting, our experience at Wholly Smoked Rotorua was extremely poor. Slow service, incorrect meals, excessive delays, and disorganisation completely ruined what should have been a simple family dinner. For a restaurant that markets itself around quality smoked meats and family-friendly dining, this was a letdown in every respect. Rotorua has many excellent restaurants, cafes, and takeaways that actually deliver on good service and value - sadly, Wholly Smoked Rotorua is not one of them. If you are looking for barbecue, smoked meats, or a family-friendly restaurant in Rotorua, I would strongly recommend trying elsewhere. One star - very disappointing and not recommended.

They offer a wonderful menu for lunch at exceptionally reasonable prices. I enjoyed a steak with…read morechips and a small salad. The steak was cooked perfectly and they substituted garlic butter for creamy mushroom sauce, it was fantastic. The chips were perfect. Would not hesitate to go back for another meal.

I've not been here for dinner, but I've had their lunch specials (blue plate special?) on several…read moreoccasion. They never disappoint. Add a side of kimchi and you're guaranteed a heavenly experience. The service is mediocre, but you can't really ask for higher quality Korean food at noon on a Tuesday. So, don't complain. You might be turned off by the tired look of the place from the outside... and the inside... but don't get distracted. Just try it!

A small homey restaurant in Hamilton city. its reassuring to see many Korean families dine here on…read morea week night. There is a selection of the usual Korean dishes like bibimbap, bulgogis, tofu stew, etc as well as the famous Korean BBQ. You get 4 side dishes with most orders. Not the most special side dishes but are generally well made. I had this huge craving for some Korean fried chicken and went with the honey soy chicken, but was a bit disappointed with the taste. The fried chicken was mostly batter and not much meat. The service was pretty average, but thats the general experience from most asian diners. Would probably return again to try out the BBQ... it sure smelled nice from the table next to me!

Decent Korean restaurant for a place like Rotorua. The lunch special is pretty good for NZ$9 and it…read morecomes with banchan too. The black bean noodle is ok too for Rotorua standard. The lady at the counter was nice too.