Smoking Shack — Restaurant in Waitematā

RESPONSE TO YOUR REPLY: The only reason we asked to move tables was because the first one was uncomfortable we were sitting on an angle and one of the chairs was wobbly. We were then told our meals wouldn’t fit on the table we moved to, so we were placed back at the original one, which we accepted.

The food was overly salty but we didn’t raise it at the time because we generally avoid confrontation, and is also why said to throw the leftovers away. We accepted them being boxed out of politeness. The saltiness is also mentioned your other reviews so we are not the only ones to experience this.

When the cheesecake was also disappointing and the texture was genuinely off we decided it was worth giving feedback. We were met with defensiveness rather than understanding. Based on how the cheesecake complaint was handled, I honestly believe we would have received the same defensive reaction had we mentioned the salty mains.

Taking the mains back from us was only done after we gave our feedback about the cheesecake. The waiter came to our table and said “we will take the cheesecake off your bill but the chef has asked that we also take your takeaways back too” these were his exact words and a consequence of giving our feedback.

Your response to my review still comes across as defensive rather than fully just acknowledging how the situation felt from a customer’s perspective which is so disappointing.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I visited Smoke Shack on a First Table booking and was looking forward to the experience. We ordered a few dishes and dessert. When we couldn’t finish our mains (as they were overly salty) the waiter kindly asked if we’d like them packed to take away, but later explained that First Table rules don’t allow takeaways. That was fine, we asked him to just throw them out. He then kindly came back with the food boxed anyway as a nice gesture, which we appreciated.

We then had dessert. The crème brûlée was really good, but the cheesecake was extremely lumpy, with a texture that felt poorly mixed and was really unappealing. When I mentioned this, the waiter told me “that’s how our cheesecake is,” which felt pretty gaslight-y and dismissive as I’ve never had cheesecake presented like that. He then asked what I wanted him to do about it, I simply asked for it to be removed from the bill since I couldn’t eat it.

The waiter went back and forth with the chef, returning first to tell me the cheesecake had been “served all week with no complaints” (which made me quietly wonder how old it was). I reiterated that I wasn’t saying it was old, just that it tasted bad because it wasn’t mixed properly. The waiter then brought up that they’d already let us keep our leftovers, implying that might affect their decision, even though I had originally told him to discard them and had already thanked him for the gesture. Eventually, they agreed to remove the cheesecake from the bill, but only if they took back the leftovers they’d already given us. This felt unnecessarily petty and left me feeling like a naughty kid being punished for giving feedback. It should not have been taken so personally by them and is not a ‘tit for tat’ thing.

When we then went to pay, the chef came out and insisting it was not old, it was made correctly, and that the cheesecake was “meant to have lumps”, despite me explaining (again) that I simply didn’t enjoy it because of the texture. The whole interaction felt confrontational and awkward. The chef then insisted we take the leftovers back which I declined, but he handed them to my partner when I left. I even Googled later to see if cheesecake is ever supposed to be lumpy which if you look it up it will tell you a big fat “no”.

How the feedback was handled made the experience feel so awkward and unwelcoming. It was a minor issue, but the staff’s defensiveness left me doubting myself and questioning the whole situation. Unfortunately not everyone likes “lumpy cheesecake” so maybe state it on your menu or take similar feedback professionally next time. Would definitely not go back...

Amazing food, amazing service and the vibe is great. The team at the Smoking Shack is amazing very polite, patient and take the time to ask if everything is going ok and how the food is. I had first tried them in January for my girlfriend's birthday. She saw them on a TikTok review and was wanting to try it. It was a Saturday afternoon not too busy, heaps of seating and 5 of us had gone. We got the family spread for $174, which was most definitely worth it! So much food, it was fresh and even had left overs. I have tried a few other smoke places around NZ and this is definitely the best. I had a conversation with one of the owners, Varun. It was an evening when we'd went in and he was telling me how they cook the meat, how they started and was very informative about their company that he is so obviously proud of. We were there last night and had come a little late. After we had ordered our food Varun came out and just let us know he was low on a certain meat and was not wanting us to be disappointed. He compensated us with other extra meats and I asked him for some more of that green stuff 😂 which he happily brought out. We've been to the Smoking Shack about 10 times now and they never disappoint. So happy we came across this awesome place.

10/10 would definitely recommend. Worth the money Worth the...

Location Great, Off Street Parking, lucky we arrived 30minz prior our booking, 4 cars away from entrance. Venue small, heater was on as it was a bit windy. I asked if we could move to the inside nearby the smoker, due to our elderly mum shelter from the wind. It would be great to see next time a wind cover divider, a few more lower tables to be connected as family tables. It's good the high tables, if your having drinks and want to exercise your thigh muscles. Not WC friendly, but I'm sure the venue happy to make space for wheelchairs. Awesome service from venue, I had a brief moment with the Owner, very camera shy but said he would take our family pix. Owner said it's its 5th week since opening. Food.....I love meat, no complaints in that department, Kid Meals available, Family intake ..x1 #2 plater, burgers n fries, ended up doing a Doggy Bag, would like array of salads to be suggested. Order our Dessert, but i wanted as takeouts, family shy, but thats my crowd...lol. Alcohol choice there, like the water bottle with the small shot can. I hope to see their brand logo on the servettes. Wishing the Venue all the best to its Eatery Venture. Kia orana...