Lone Star Taupo — Restaurant in North Island

I recently visited Lone Star Restaurant in Taupo, and unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience from start to finish. As a fan of the Lone Star chain, I had high hopes for a satisfying meal, but this particular location missed the mark in almost every aspect. Ambiance: To begin with, the atmosphere was lackluster. While the rustic décor is part of the Lone Star brand, this restaurant felt dark and dated rather than cozy. The lighting was dim to the point where it was hard to read the menu without straining my eyes. The overall vibe felt more like a rundown pub rather than a warm, inviting dining space. The noise level was also quite high, with multiple groups talking over each other, making it difficult to have a conversation. Service: The service was another letdown. When we arrived, it took an unusually long time to be greeted and seated, despite the restaurant not being overly busy. Once we were seated, we had to wait almost 15 minutes before someone came to take our drink orders. The staff seemed unmotivated, and the lack of enthusiasm was noticeable. Our server was polite, but it was clear that they were either understaffed or just not paying attention to the details. Water refills were sparse, and we had to chase down someone for the bill at the end. Food: The food was the biggest disappointment. I ordered the famous Lone Star ribs, hoping for a tender and flavorful dish, but what I received was far from what I expected. The ribs were overcooked, dry, and lacking in seasoning. The sauce was slathered on so thick that it completely overwhelmed the taste of the meat, which was a shame. The side dishes didn’t fare much better—overcooked vegetables and cold fries made the meal even more frustrating. The portions were decent, but the quality didn’t reflect the price at all.

One of my companions ordered the steak, and while it was cooked to the requested doneness, it was bland and chewy. For a restaurant that prides itself on its steaks, I was expecting much better quality. The side of mashed potatoes was lumpy, with a texture that seemed more like instant potatoes than anything freshly made.

Cleanliness: The cleanliness of the restaurant was another issue. The floors were sticky in places, and I noticed that the bathrooms were in desperate need of a deep clean. The lack of attention to basic hygiene didn’t help with the overall impression of the restaurant. It's clear that maintenance and cleanliness are not a priority here. Price: For what we received, the prices were steep. The food quality didn’t justify the cost, and considering the overall service and atmosphere, it felt like we were being charged for a much better dining experience than we actually received. I’ve had much better meals at other local restaurants in Taupo, and for the price, Lone Star didn’t offer anything remotely close to value.

All in all, Lone Star Taupo was a massive letdown. With uninspired food, poor service, and an underwhelming atmosphere, it’s hard to justify coming back. Taupo has so many fantastic dining options that I can’t see any reason to return here, especially when other places offer better quality and service for a comparable price. I would not recommend Lone Star Taupo to anyone looking for a good meal or a pleasant...

I booked the upstairs function area for a 21st birthday about 3 months in advance to make sure we could get in and organize dinner/cake etc. Upon booking, was told that this was not a problem at all and they were all ready. Tracy was lovely to deal with over the phone and email.

A couple of weeks go by and the restaurant had double booked by accident, so our booking was moved to 7:30pm rather than the original 6:30pm. Not a problem at all as Tracy called me asap and corrected the issue.

I called two weeks before the booking to organize a cake drop off. I was then asked if the 21st was a male or female party. When I questioned why it would matter, I was told that if the party was a male 21st, they wouldn't book it in. I had made it very clear to the booking staff that it was a family dinner with cake. (I am a female) The manager would not let me speak and would cut me off every time I asked a question so I left it at that and had my husband ring a week later to book platters as per the restaurants website requirements. We were told this was not a problem and they could be ordered at the restaurant by a very rude manager(?) (Tony).

Fast forward to the actual night of the booking, I was greeted by the same rude manager and told that "a bigger party has booked the function room so obviously you are a smaller group so will be downstairs." Again, I was originally told that we were sharing the function room upstairs with another group which I was happy with. But I was somehow put on a stage like area with the whole restaurant watching our gathering take place. If I had known this was the case, I would have booked a different restaurant completely.

When it came to ordering these so called platters, the manager decided to argue with us and tell us that they don't do platters and that we were wrong in saying he himself had told us it was fine just days before on the phone. His attitude was very poorly about the whole experience.

The only reason I am giving two stars is because the food we did end up ordering was delicious from the kitchen and the waitresses serving us were lovely in dealing with the horrible manager the whole time.

This experience has definitely put a dampener on Taupo Lonestar as it has been an amazing restaurant to cater our previous events and functions. I now wouldn't recommend anyone booking a function...

We thought we’d treat ourselves to a nice Easter weekend in Taupo, so naturally, we made the catastrophic mistake of stepping into Lone Star. And wow, what an absolute triumph in culinary disappointment.

First, we were seated at what I assume was a relic from some archaeological dig—a table so sticky it could double as a fly trap. The staff, busy perfecting their thousand-yard stares at the ceiling, clearly had other priorities beyond cleaning tables or making sure the cutlery didn’t look like it had been salvaged from a shipwreck.

We ordered the legendary Redneck Ribs—600g of smoky, meaty goodness, or so they claim. Reality check: after 40 glorious minutes (because slow service adds to the suspense, right?), we were presented with six bone-dry, pre-frozen excuses for ribs. I managed to scrape a grand total of six bites of meat off them, which is impressive if you think about it—precision in portion control rarely seen outside laboratory experiments.

Flavor? Oh, don’t be ridiculous. The only seasoning was despair. But credit where credit’s due—the microwave technician nailed the art of making sure my cold, tasteless ribs were accompanied by an equally uninspired pile of well-done buffalo chips. As for the salad, it arrived looking thoroughly depressed, limp, and devoid of anything resembling dressing or joy.

Just when I thought this dinner couldn't sink further into the abyss, I watched a local couple order the exact same thing and—miraculously!—receive actual ribs with real meat in 15 minutes. Ah, the perks of being a Taupo native, apparently. Seems Lone Star runs an exclusive “locals get actual food” program, whereas us unsuspecting outsiders are treated to a tragic science experiment in food deconstruction.

Suffice to say, Lone Star has secured its place on my personal blacklist. If I ever feel like reliving this misery, I’ll just gnaw on some cardboard instead. At least that has...