Mangonui Fish Shop — Restaurant in Te Hiku Community

Today, Stuff listed the Mangonui Fish and Chip Shop as the main reason for Mangonui to be among one of the six small NZ towns to stop at during the holiday season. What a complete disservice to NZ!!

We read and heard the same tripe consistently over the years, so thought we'd visit recently.

The views from the seated area (restaurant?) are great. That's about it. The service was below par and as for the food - what was this Stuff reporter thinking?

There are many many many fish and chip shops around New Zealand with better food than here. Ask the locals. We did. They all eat takeaway fish and chips from the local pub. We saw the price list - way cheaper and, the locals say, way better.

I was very underwhelmed by all three food components - the fish, the batter, the chips. I actually only finished them due to bring hungry. My partner was underwhelmed by the price, expensive! So, being a connoisseur of seafood chowder, she opted for that. Her worst ever. I could see why. Small. Watery. Lacking seafood. Difficult to eat with a flat wooden spoon.

The business had changed hands not too long before we tried the product. That was 2 or 3 years ago. In fairness, we might try again as perhaps they're now back in a rhythm. But woe betide if it hasn't improved.

I would have to assume the Stuff reporter hadn't visited recently, or was relying on heresay. They're struggling as a news outlet recently, but surely they can afford to expense through food from enough fish and chip outlets to rank this one where it actually belongs.

Besides all that,...

My little boy ate an expensive ice cream that we brought here,.the view was hidden behind a chicken wire they had put around the windows,.the table and chairs were sticky. I saw a man ordered king prawns and they came out looking like shrimp you by from the Pak n save freezer and his chips looked the same. When we went to order our dinner the menu was so hard to understand,.if you get a fish burger your fish isn't fresh despite the fact that it costs 25 dollars and they showed us the fish that you would get and the fish looked so old and shrivelled up thawed from the freezer. If you wanted a fresh piece of fish they weigh it per 100 grams it was 16 dollars per 100 grams so she put a tiny little fish on the scales and that was going to be $17. 99 for a tiny piece of fish!!!! I mean what fish and chip shop weighs the fish! The lady that was behind the counter was rude and completely unwelcoming,.she acted like she hated her job and hated us being there. We ended up walking out and eating down the road at Cable bay,.I had a beef burger with a homemade patty delicious,. although when I asked if their fish was fresh the lady said it's Dory, not sure what that meant. Fresh...

We really wanted to eat fish and chips here again after visiting in Nov23 while up north where our Nov 23 visit was awesome and the business was fairly quiet.. While up north yet again we searched google who said the shop was open New Year’s Day 2024’ so we made the trip from Kaitaia to Mangōnui. The place was absolutely packed and very busy but the staff working New Year’s Day were plentiful, experienced and very friendly/accommodating. Obviously well trained and decent people. There was a 15% public holiday surcharge which was clearly displayed inside the business and we were fine with this as we also operate a business and costs for staff must be covered on public holidays to make actually opening the business on this day actually worthwhile. Food was amazing, we ordered Hoki, Bluenose, fat chips, a Kina pot, marinated mussel pot. Spent around $165. We also ordered x2 large coffees which were promptly made which was refreshing. For how hectic and busy the place was on this day we came in I was super impressed with how the staff handled the onslaught of customers. If that’s not a “stress test” I don’t...