Leigh Sawmill Cafe — Restaurant in Rodney

We stayed in the apartment area of the backpackers accommodation – it was disappointing for the price. When we arrived, we couldn’t turn on any ceiling lights in the main living area. It was very dark inside, even at 2pm. I spoke to the manager, who told me that the wiring was bad and the lights didn’t work. This was a known issue for which they didn’t tell us beforehand. After I spoke to the manager twice, they provided a standing lamp, however it was a very large room and certainly did not make up for no working ceiling lights. There was a hole in the bathroom above the shower where the extractor fan used to be, which leaked water when it rained. There was nowhere to hang your towel in the bathroom either, as they had removed the actual rod from the towel rack. There was no oven in the kitchen, and no microwave either. There was also no alternative option for cooking, as the backpacker kitchen was very much under construction. We ate dinner at the pub that night – food was great and very enjoyable. The lackluster experience could have been made up for here with a complimentary drink or dessert, however nothing was offered. Overall, the accommodation was nowhere near worth $250 per night, and we left...

Travelled up on a very hot day just wanting a cold drink and initially standing around waiting to be seen/seated and in the end after 5-10 mins of no one turning up went inside. Young lady who looked totally confused said to wait and then came back to say sorry they are full and long wait for food. Again stated just wanted a drink no food on one of the hottest days of the year and she went away again. A few mins later another lady came out and looked annoyed and stressed and asked what the issue was and clearly why we hadn't left and again just said wanted a drink it was midday on a weekend and could see empty seats and tables outside? She was dismissive and rude and then said they had a large booking arriving soon so no one else could enter. No sign outside or anything advised this after our long drive up and certainly no apology for the hassle and inconvenience. Not sure if were short staffed but clearly lacking in customer service and all in all a very unpleasant waste of time and won't ever go back again for sure. Very poor indeed. Would give zero stars...

So disappointing. Sad really because we think it's a staffing issue. A not busy Sunday but we were a largish group. Ages to get served. Thought we would order some table nibbles because we were told pizzas could not be ordered for another hour. But took almost an hour to get the nibbles! So drinks flowed while we waited. Then it took forever for our mains to come out. Another round of drinks while we waited. A ploy perhaps? Food was so staggered that most had finished when some were still waiting. Salad with some mummified chicken came out the last! In fact that was the comment around the table. Everything overcooked to the point of no flavour and so dry it was hard to eat. But buns hard and cold and chips undercooked. We didn't complain because it was a special occasion but we were faced with a staggering drinks bill because we had to wait so long for what ended up as very below average food. We have lunched here several times before and the food has been OK. That's what makes us think it's a staffing issue....