The Mussel Pot Restaurant — Restaurant in South Island

From Picton we took the very curvy Queen Charlotte Drive along the coast towards Havelock. A demanding route, especially if your stomach is not used to so many curves. But we took it a little slower and stopped from time to time in order to breathe deeply and enjoy the nature.

There would have been also the possibility to drive over the State Highways 1 & 6 - so to speak to make a hook - here the track is longer, but the road is much straighter and it should be almost ten minutes less driving time. But we didn't want to miss the great view and with what followed later the "curve training" was a great thing.

When we passed the sign of Havelock after 35 kilometres it was again time for a short break. Havelock is not very big - at least seen from the through road. We just followed the next parking lot sign, parked our car and started to explore on foot. Already before we reached the village, we noticed some big basins on the sea side - but we did not know at this time that mussels are bred here.

This changed quickly when we arrived at the through road, as nearly all shops in Havelock seemed to have something to do with mussels. Of course, this suited perfectly, as we were more than open-minded towards a meal. So we headed directly to the next - apparently also the most famous - restaurant in Havelock, The Mussel Pot.

Sometimes - not always - it is good not to have been informed in advance, so the fact that there are very tasty mussels was a big surprise for us. It was about 14:00 o'clock and the restaurant was fortunately still open. We entered and were welcomed in the friendliest way.

The interior of The Mussel Pot conveys a very special atmosphere. Already from the outside this restaurant is decorated with huge green shells and a huge cooking pot on the roof. There is also a beer garden like area outside with a handful of tables. Inside, there is a lot of down-to-earth wood, Mediterranean colours and all kinds of objects lovingly made from mussel shells. The whole restaurant - whether guest room, bar area or the restrooms - everything was spotlessly clean.

It took less than two minutes and we could place our order. But this was easier said than done. I had made it easy for me and ordered a ribeye sandwich - that I would get some of the mussels was already clear to me here. My wife was quite "slain" by the offer - what should she order?

There were mussels in about 100 variations - with brew (tomato, wine, etc.), boiled, fried, grilled - gratinated with cheese, and, and, and... The choice fell on a kilo of mussels with classic tomato brew and another kilo grilled with garlic.

Not five minutes passed until our meal was on the table. The mussels were breathtaking - on the one hand huge...maybe 2 to 3 times as big as the big mussels at “the Italian restaurant around the corner” - on the other hand cooked to the point, soft, juicy and each perfectly seasoned. We were blown away from the quality - there were no closed, empty or smashed shells or even sand - and the taste. One thing was clear, they knew everything around mussels and I have to admit that until today these were the best mussels, I have ever been able to enjoy.

Yes, the ribeye sandwich tasted great too, but the mussels alone would be reason enough to travel to New Zealand again! The Mussel Pot is by far the best mussel restaurant I have ever visited. All ingredients - especially the mussels - are super fresh and of selected quality... it was a real stroke of luck that we "stumbled" over this restaurant.

Should you visit the South Island of New Zealand and also like to eat mussels - from us a crystal clear recommendation for a visit to The Mussel Pot!

Feel free to follow my Google Maps profile, check out my other reviews and be sure to visit...

I had never heard of The Mussel Pot until last week, when our boat trip ended in Havelock. This seemed like the perfect restaurant to share a farewell dinner with our friends from the boat, so we made a reservation for 7 PM and arrived on time. The place was packed with a good mix of what appeared to be both tourists and locals. While waiting for our food, we saw some impressive-looking desserts being served to tables around us, so we knew we had to try them.

We asked for the dessert menu, made our selections, and ordered 6 different items. To our disappointment, the waitress returned shortly after to tell us that since it was nearly closing time after a busy night, all the desserts were out except for the tiramisu. So we ordered a couple of tiramisus, which turned out to be too dry, flavorless, and ironically tired-tasting.

This was unexpected since up until that point, the food had been very good - large portions, fresh ingredients, and a capable chef with a light touch.

When I picked up the check, the manager asked about our meal. I candidly replied that it was lovely but too bad about the desserts. They responded with surprise that as far as they knew, they had everything on the menu. Turns out the chef was only joking with the waitress, said the manager. They said this in such an unconvincing and carefree manner that, given the low quality of the tiramisu, I can't help but wonder if they simply wanted to sell it before it spoiled.

In conclusion, if you're in Havelock and hungry, go to The Mussel Pot, but don't necessarily trust the waiters or you may end up...

So we live locally and we’ve heard about the Mussel Pot for years. We had visitors, so we thought it was a great occasion to take them to lunch and show off the local cuisine. We were so disappointed by this experience. The staff may not realize they come across as inflexible and more focused on efficiency than guest experience. We came in for lunch and there was only one other table sat. We had a reservation, but they said a smack Dab in the middle of the restaurant and when I asked to be moved to an empty table on the edge, we were told no it was reserve reserved, but there was no reserve sign on it. That table would remain empty for the entirety of our hour and a half visit. They gave us an extended time to look at the menu so by the time someone came over, we were ready to order food. We were told that we couldn’t order food. We could only do the drink order with this person. So we had to wait until after we received our drinks to order our food by now, the restaurants full. The person who brought our food, barely acknowledged the table. The food was OK, but if I had known that the quality was pretty average, I would have skipped it. I’m so disappointed in the experience because we really talked to this place up to our overseas guests. I think the staff needs to remember, it’s the guests who keep the lights on and a bit of friendly flexibility goes a long way in respect...