Red Earth Bistro and Wine Bar — Restaurant in Papakura

I REALLY wanted to like this place... but TLDR overrated, overpriced, underwhelmed, couldn't even turn out a decent mac'n'cheese. I spent years in Papakura and I believe in its potential and community ... but this is just not there yet as the "classy spot" down here. The mac'n'cheese was so floury... and flavourless... the staff wasn't very knowledgeable in general. The mixology lady was bloody amazing... seriously saved the evening a bit. The wait staff were ok... doing their best (allow decent paid training time) but the food was a let down... the squid had no flavour... and it wasn't even well cleaned... it had an inner, inedible layer still attached (see images). Our main problem though is that there were fruit flys absolutely everywhere!!! We had to cover our cocktails with our hands. The duck parcel was ok... but like, is one overly deep fried parcel of duck meat with no sweetness in the sauce to balance it really part of a shared taster? Scallops ... ok, well cooked but you would expect female scallops.... (we had one scallop with proper row and the rest were white male scallops which don't have the subtle flavours). I dunno... just one day after reopening you'd expect dedication, perfection... I guess maybe I just...

Red Earth Restaurant on the main street of Papakura is truly a hidden gem. From the moment we walked in, the ambiance was warm and inviting — the perfect setting for a romantic date night or a special evening out.

We began our meal with the Seafood Chowder and the Firecracker Prawns. Both starters were absolutely delicious — the chowder was rich and comforting, while the prawns delivered the perfect balance of spice and flavor.

For our main, we chose the Hanging Lamb, served with fries and a garlic roasted red wine sauce — simply divine. The meat was tender and packed with flavor, and the sauce elevated the dish beautifully.

And then came the showstopper — Sticky Date Pudding with Ice Cream. The presentation was stunning, and the taste... unbelievably good. It was the perfect sweet ending to an unforgettable meal.

A big shoutout and heartfelt thanks to Naummu, Shiva, Janaiya, and Bella — each of them made us feel incredibly welcome and provided outstanding service throughout the evening.

Highly recommended — if I could give more than five stars, I absolutely would. Compliments to the chefs and the entire team at Red Earth. We’ll...

A beautiful place that once you enter could be anywhere in New Zealand. The atmosphere is really good for a nice night with your partner or just come here for the outstanding food. The seafood chowder is so tasty, thick and so full of seafood I could have eaten 2 or even more bowls of that and the warm bread roll that comes with it is perfect. We shared the 9 hr slow cooked lamb shoulder with just melted in your mouth and the gravy/jus was a perfect sauce to accompany the lamb. It also came with potatoes and we ordered some broccolini. The potatoes were well cooked, but could have been slightly warmer as could have been the Brocolini but the lamb certainly lived up to the expectations. The sticky date pudding was OK, I just felt it needed a good vanilla ice cream instead of the salted caramel as there was a bit too much going on. A little extra sauce would have also been nice. The service was amazing and my partner and I will certainly be...