Nauti Penguin — Restaurant in Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community

On arrival, security gave us a warm welcome and they had great live music. Grabbed a table and went to order and that's where the issues started.

Ordered the falafel burger, no problem. Asked if they had gluten free buns, was told yeah sure so then ordered the Babe Burger which is a lamb burger with chips, hummus and side salad with a gluten free bun. Was then told oh, let me check and the server came back with no, they didn't have gluten free buns but I could get salad or fish and chips or another item. I said ok, I'll just have the burger with no bun. Paid, had sticker shock at the $15 pint of IPA, went and sat down.

Food arrived, falafel burger was fine, a bit heavy. What was supposed to be the lamb burger without the bun was a salad with chunks of lamb. When I let the server know this wasn't what I ordered, I was told it was the lamb burger without a bun... obviously it wasn't. After we pointed this out, she came back with a plate of fries, the hummus never made an appearance. While the salad was edible, it wasn't what I ordered, had a dressing that I wasn't keen on and again, not what I ordered and paid for. The server didn't want to know anything more and avoided our table for our remaining time.

Don't recommend if you are looking for food... drinks and live music sure but...

Absolutely disappointed!! with the Russell Pub terrible customer service towards their maori customer base. Me and My sisters who are very local to Russell have been to this Pub many times before have never seen so much disrespect from the people running the bar not only did we get racially profiled as young maori girls who we're not allowed to eat in the restaurant of an ID issue even though there were little pakeha kids half our ages eating in the bar with their parents but Nauti Penguin Facebook page had the nerve to take my comment down after discussing my issue with their employees. This is absolutely disgusting behavior coming from a restaurant and pub business!!

With our food was delayed the people the ordered well after us got their food first. The two ladys behide the bar were very rude and had a very disgusting "I don't care" attitude and facial expressions.

Racism is a very real thing. Sort it out...

Visited the Nauti Penguin recently during the off-season, expecting a laid-back, welcoming vibe that matches the charm of Russell. Unfortunately, it was the complete opposite.

Despite the place being nearly empty, service was slow and dismissive. Staff seemed more interested in chatting amongst themselves than acknowledging customers — no greeting, no eye contact, just a general feeling that we were an inconvenience. Not what you’d expect in a small town during quiet season, when hospitality should be at its best.

The overall vibe was rough and uninviting. Loud, inappropriate music blaring into an empty room, and a few locals at the bar being crude while the staff just laughed along. It felt more like walking into a dive in the middle of nowhere than a waterfront venue in the Bay of Islands.

It’s clear this place has lost its way — there’s no pride in the service or experience anymore. Russell...