Mangawhai Tavern — Restaurant in Northland

Very poor experience. We booked for dinner at 7pm on Easter Sunday and it was a place we could bring our two dogs with us so that was good. However when we arrived we were advised to walk out to any of the tables in marquee which was fine but considering we had booked a table was not even reserved for us and were seated at a dirty table which we had to request to get wiped. Then we decided what we wanted to order and the young lady came to take our order for drinks and also meals however we asked for the oysters and she went to check came back and said there are no oysters so we ordered and shortly after she came back again saying they do not have salmon okay so two of us then ordered the prawn pasta and again the lady came back shortly after saying they don’t have it either okay we said and changed order again and cancelled the garden salad originally ordered and she acknowledged this. Anyway when we got our drinks was told one drink was accidentally put in the wrong glass and therefore the entire drink tasted like water rather than the cocktail it was supposed to be. Finally got our meals the garden salad we cancelled anyway we ate it anyway in the end. However the three chicken legs were burned but undercooked on the inside looked like they were just cooked in a deep fryer, the ribs were okay. Meals were edible and came out quick so we finished and they already started closing and it was only about 8pm or so. Anyway after paying we realised the bill paid was higher than we thought so went back and they charged us for the cancelled pasta, there was no apology and we were refunded in cash so they could save the money on the merchant fee by refunding to the same credit card. The $50 note like a crunched up bit paper pulled out of a pocket. This place is not recommended and will charge for things not ordered....

On an overcast Sunday a group of us came to the Mangawhai Tavern for lunch. Our friends who were already there, had the fish and chips and we could smell the grease and oil from the next table, they said it wasn't very good either. Once we ordered our food and drinks we waited a while for the drinks to arrive and when they did they arrived with no cups or glasses to be drunk in (jugs of beer). When the food arrived, it came with no cutlery to be eaten with. Then once everyone had all their food, cutlery, glasses for the drinks I was still waiting for my meal which the lady said had been given to someone else and mine will be out soon. Once it had arrived, it was luke warm, I believe the pork belly was undercooked, it was greasy and fattier than a normal pork belly and it also had zero crackle whatsoever. Also our waitress had told us it came with mashed potatoe which it seemed to be missing when it came but after waiting so long I was too hungry to question it. If you like deep fried greasy food then you might like this place but I hope to never have to eat from this place again! Also don't expect prompt service as you won't...

Mangawhai Tavern is always busy pats to book few days in advance, we were lucky we booked the same day in the morning around 11am for dinner for 2 and just managed to squeeze in. The place is a very old tavern brought back to life with a modern style The setup is good there is indoor and outdoor dining and a separate sports bar with pool table pokies and big screen TVs The food is good I had the Ribs and my partner had a chicken burger and chips which in hindsight I would have preferred over the Ribs which in my opinion was priced a little high for what they served. The service was Okay I would have preferred the waitress finish up with settling the bill instead the Manager noticed I was waiting in the bar queue to pay and asked me if I would like to settle which was nice he noticed. The manager asked at the start the middle and the end how was the meal and if anything else he could provide which I thought was outstanding Want a decent meal and learn some history with the old photos on the walls head to...