Drift Cafe, Restaurant & Bar, Napier — Restaurant in Napier

UPDATE TO OWNERS RESPONSE !! With Photo attached 12/01/2022

As i cant reply to the owners response I have had to edit my original reviews First off please don't fact check me as it is you that is still wrong.

1. yes, you did communicate that their was a mistake made. We were a family of four and when only three meals arrived at the table there was an obvious mistake and another meal was made.

2. At NO point were drinks offered unless your talking about the 3 drinks that I ordered and paid for myself?

3. I paid full price for that meal thank you please check my receipt below

we ordered

1 x Drift homemade whole loaf = $12 2 x Drift cheese burgers & fries which were $15 each from the lunch menu = $30 1 x Fishermans Plate = $34.90 1 x Chicken & Brie burger with fries = $22.20 and 3 x lemon lime and bitters $5 each = $15

That totals $114 as you can see that is what my payment shows i paid so WHAT meals did you NOT charge me for ? Please mention it correctly when you respond to a review ! Again maybe another lapse in communication with your front of house staff because I definitely did not receive any free drinks nor meals so please don't state otherwise.

We waited 45 minutes for mediocre food the place was busy but I wouldn’t say overly busy so unsure of why the meal took so long … when the food did arrive one meal had not been written down by the waitress so we then had to wait longer. Wait staff was apologetic however offered no discount or reimbursement due to wait time. We were a family of four with two kids … who struggled to wait near a hour for food would of been a great idea to incorporate Kids packs but no such things were offered …the restaurant itself was clean and tidy but I can’t see us returning to...

We booked dinner using the First table deal. And found the parking right outside the restaurant, the decor was very modern and trendy, this was apart of the Hotel so saw the buffet along one side which not used due to it being dinner time but that was interesting, the noise was fine, no music. Found booking through First table very simple and once we reached the restaurant the man who served us very accommodating to us using the deal. Tables were very nice dark stained wood and the napkins were paper Menu font was very stylish and felt very up market. When we arrived we didn't have to wait very long before being seated after a few minutes the man took our orders, at the end we paid up at the reception areawhere the man had already had our food discounted as per First table agreement. The staff had a uniform on and were very tidy, they were knowledgeable, and Kesha after explaining I had ordered my dog something off the menu kindly gave me a paper plate and foil to take the food to my dog outside in the car (we forgot his dog food at the hotel) so I really appreciated that and Ash the bar manager was super professional and friendly so great staff these things truly make me remember a places Thankyou. Food was delivered in a very timely manner. I ordered the chicken nuggets for my pup. And also the Eye Fillet with mushroom sauce and fries and seasoned well and partner ordered the Double shanks with red wine sauce and mash. My meal was perfectly medium and sauce was yummy the shanks were delicious he said he is a big man and was struggling to finish his meal so he was very happy too, meat fell away from the bone. I rate my dining experience a 9/10 and highly recommend. When we are back in the area we will definitely...

Arrived in Napier on Wednesday the 9th staying at Quality Inn Napier and went to Drift for dinner. The restaurant itself has an older appearance which I thought suited a seaside venue without glitzy pretentions of a tourist trap. Sandra was my main server, with a young man working with her. Sandra was friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about the offerings. I am a fussy diner, there are foods I hate and foods I am allergic to and throughout my dithering and questions Sandra was patient and helpful, offering to remove things from dishes and exchange things. I can not praise her enough. If she can keep her fantastic attitude while dealing with my dithering then she is a "rock star" and deserves 5 stars out of 5. The next day I went to the breakfast Buffet at Drift. It is pretty standard, with the offerings and quality for a breakfast buffet. As with the type it is impossible to keep the food as hot as we would like... if the warmers are set hot enough to keep the food hot the food quickly over cooks and becomes rubbery and shrivelled, so those of us used to buffet know the food will be fairly cool. However, Sandra told me that they are happy to heat your plate of food some more in the kitchen if asked. And if you don't like scrambled eggs she will ask the chef (awesome guy) to fry or poach a couple of eggs for your buffet. They have a good quality instant coffee available with the buffet, but anything fancier (barista style) has to be bought seperately. That's just how it is with all buffets. Even lukewarm, I had no problems with the food and again, the service was exemplary. Thank you Sandra for making my time in your restaurant...