The Thirsty Weta Bar & Eatery — Restaurant in Waikato

Left disappointed and frustrated.

The pizza and ribs themselves deserve credit and were good for the price, however the seafood pasta was only okay, as was the fish from the fish and chips, and the chips in the rib+fish meals were definitely subpar (soggy) at best. Waiters seemed unorganised/uninterested. ~30/35min wait for food. It was recommended to us as the best place for dinner in town, however that's likely due to being the only place (other than specialised restaurants or usual takeaways). Do not bother if you are wanting a meal or are pregnant and unable to reserve the better seating inside (of which there isn't a lot); other tables do not comfortably fit the meals and they are unable to be put together, you will also be bothered by local drunkards hounding you and blowing smoke into your face.

The experience was absolutely not worth the price, this is more of a Sportsbar vibe/cuisine than an eatery/restaurant, and should be advertised and priced more that way.

Whilst we acknowledge the seating could in theory have been better via reservation and improved the overall experience, they did not answer the phone despite call attempts earlier in the day to find out about reservations for the evening, and were not particularly helpful about finding a solution re seating with the...

Can't remember where I've felt more unwelcome. Never again.

Update: Thanks for the response. Myself, my wife and 3 children plus one son in law. We just dropped in for a drink and pulled the tables together outside. I understand that this can be frustrating but they would have been put back in the same position when we left. The waitress, whilst trying to be polite, clearly stated we should ask first as they could be reserved. We replied that there were no reserved cards on the table "that doesn't mean they weren't, there could be someone in the bar who had reserved them". Well, how are we supposed to know and of course, they weren't reserved. She left the water and then proceeded to serve other guests and leave us sitting, waiting. In the end, I went to the bar with my son-in-law and ordered the drinks, much to the very clear annoyance of the waitress. I work in hospitality (development) and understand the pressures but we were also guests and all felt unwelcome. I rarely leave bad reviews but this entire episode left us all...

I have visited twice over the last three months. Both times for dinner. The first time was on a Thursday night and part way through dinner we were asked if we wanted coffees as they were turning off the coffee machine. This was about 8pm. The staff then proceeded to start packing up for the night around us and we got the message to leave. I gave them the benefit of the doubt as it was a weekday. We visited a second time on a Saturday night and the same thing happened again! We were asked about coffees even before we ordered our main, as again they were turning off the machine. Then during dinner the staff started packing up the place, even though the website says open till 12am. This was about 8.30pm on a Saturday night. We also asked for the dessert menu and it wasn't until we ordered the waitress advised that dish was not available. It's really disappointing as the food and atmosphere are really good. The meals are very good value for money. I would probably advise going for lunch so you don't end up feeling like...