Bedford Soda & Liquor — Restaurant in Waitematā

I don't normally do reviews but this time I will. Been to this place a few times in the past and thought to bring the kids here today for the 1st time. Bar was so messy. You can see dirty glasses all lined up on the bar. If bar looks like this, how much more the kitchen? We ordered 730ish and waited til 820ish for our food to arrive. We saw the food out the kitchen window (not sure what you call it) and was sitting there for almost 10mins before it was serve. The tater tots (mini hash browns) were not hot anymore coz of long wait before it was given to us. 2 staffs working in the kitchen, 1 bar tender & 1 waitress with approximately 5 tables for food + drinks (2tables are eating already & 3tables waiting) & about 3 people drinking in the bar. It was clearly not managed properly. Not enough staff causing dirty dishes piling up, long wait for food, poor quality of service, etc.

A lot of retaurants or resto bar have improved but this was one of the few who degraded. It's a shame that we told our kids that they will love it there only to find out that it was the other way around. This will be the last time we will eat...

Really disappointed in the service - food and drink was good and something different - but completely let down by the unhelpful staff.

When we arrived we were told our reservation was not there, and we were shifted to a small corner table not suitable for our group of 4. Later, we noticed a table set and reserved - but had been empty for almost an hour. We asked about it, and turns out that it was indeed our table; apparently the name on the booking had changed after we arrived, but we were not told.

The menu is also unique in that you tick what option you want on the laminated menu - but this was not explained to us, and when we handed them back to our waitress we were simply told that "You've done this wrong." We asked to keep seperate tabs and were told "No." Definitely not made to feel welcome!

Probably won't be back, which is a shame because the cocktails and food was excellent and reasonably well priced for Ponsonby. But with so many other great places to visit, it's hard to...

We came here for drinks to celebrate on a Friday, and it was great. Located in Ponsonby Central, it’s a nice place to visit after dinner. It wasn’t as busy as I expected. We were greeted right at the door and seated straight away. It was good to have indoor and outdoor seating options.

The staff explained the drinks menu as it was our first time. I really liked the types of drinks they had, and they’re happy to make classic cocktails or mix things up for you. I had a range of cocktails and daisy drinks (simpler cocktails that are slightly cheaper). I loved the different characters of the drinks. They’re aptly named. My favourite was one called 'The Golden Ticket' – the subtle fruity citrus hints made it really light but punchy.

They have a good mix of light and dark cocktails, so there is something for everyone. They also have decent snacks; we only got the chips, which were pretty good. A good venue with attentive staff. Keep it up, and I can’t wait...