Coast Bar - Bites & Brews Orewa — Restaurant in Hibiscus and Bays

Went there On a Saturday afternoon for lunch.

Ordered Meaty Mcmeat Face (meat platter which is now $39), Lotus (beer $9.50), and Doctor (beer $11).

Personally, I don't like noisy restaurants and this restaurant was uncomfortably noisy especially from the bar coupled with bad acoustics.

Beers arrived first. Right away, I noticed the beer was not poured properly. Foam disappeared too quickly and the glass seemed much less full without even having had a sip of it yet. At least I hoped the beer would make up for the unpleasant experience so far but to my dismay, it failed to do so and I was left more disgruntled. I expected higher standard for a brew bar that speaks highly of their own beers.

Next, the food arrived. Immediately, couldn't help but feel even more disappointed by looking at the size of the platter and the portion on it. It was way too little to be called a platter for two. Two children maybe. I thought to myself, at least if the food tasted good, I won't feel so bad about paying $39 for such small amount of food, but no, the food was terrible to say the least. The only thing that they made that was mediocre at the most wad the pork ribs. The seared steak they call it was nothing but fully cooked cheap beef pieces which were so dry and salty, it was like very tough jerky that has been dunked in very salty soy sauce for weeks. The fried chicken pieces were very crispy on the outside but the meat was also very dry and overcooked, which tasted like deep fried sawdust that had gone bad. Tortilla that came with it was also very dry and stale. Greens were good but looked lifeless. And what was the point of bowlful of olives, only item which they gave generous amount of? So we can order more drinks to wash down disgust and salty foods?

Initially, I was going to order their Wagyu beef burger but glad I didn't. Saw one going over to another table and it was a mere size of a slider (priced around $23). And the person who ordered it didn't even finish it and left.

It was utterly disappointing and total agony to dine there. It might be cozy and offer good view but for me it's not worth it and it's too pricey.

No one came to check on us and to the end ask us how the food, or the experience was, but considering how upset I was, I'm...

Came in here tonight, staff were all very friendly, atmosphere was nice and the waitress who greeted us at the front was very thorough and made us feel very looked after, which we appreciated a lot.

We asked if they could do a vegetarian version of the Nacho's, and were told we could, which was great as I think most restaurants should provide this kind of diversity in their menu, as they open up their demographic to a whole lot of people. The Food came out tremendously quick! But with our nachos, we weren't very impressed, It was just canned baked beans, (not a lot of it either, which i don't know if i'm grateful for or disappointed about) on top of corn chips, with Guac, sour cream and cheese.

Now, i work on the line in a busy restaurant myself, and I understand how it can get when people come in who are picky, or have dietary requirements, It can be time consuming and stressful and y'all had a full restaurant. But I wouldn't have minded waiting longer for a better meal (which you could provide with a baked bean base even, sauteed vegetables, fresh tomato, herbs, spices, whatever), or have been refused the meal and told to choose something else from the menu.

Anyway, i decided to give a 4 star review still, because I watched the care our waitress took in dealing with the situation, she truly took pride in the restaurant and knew that the kitchen was capable of more than what we were provided with. I watched as other food came out, it all looked delicious and beautifully presented. We didn't have to pay for our meal, which i appreciated.

I would come back, I'd probably go for a meal with meat, because they looked crazy delicious, but I just wanted to leave a review to maybe improve the vegetarian experience for someone else, or just get the waitress some praise for being a...

The place has gone downhill since it got new ownership. The staff are great, always friendly and give great service and everything wrong with here is nothing to do with them.

The lack of stock is terrible for pub/restaurant you would think it would have stock but it doesn’t. The owners don’t buy anything which is no fault of the staff or managers. 90% of the time there is 2/3 beers on tap. And other alcohol there is very little. And the ones that have to deal with it are the staff. It’s terrible to see them deal with complaints and/or angry customers when they can’t control what the owners buy and what they don’t buy.

The place is constantly understaffed and from the years I’ve been coming here I can see how people come and go which is just been because of the recent ownership.

It’s horrible to see how the staff are being treated as they are the glue that’s holding the place together. I’ve talked with other regulars and they agree that they also only come for the general staff and hate to see how it’s become.

The owners should be disappointed in themselves for what they’ve done to a once beloved place.

If I could give 0 stars I would and again it’s nothing to do with the staff/managers/kitchen it’s all to do...