The Attic Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in Whau

Had lunch here recently. Lovely location on the deck outside although it is very hot sitting under the black awnings on a sunny day. We ordered a chicken pasta, duck fat fries and the butternut risotto. Service is rather hit and miss, I was getting up to go inside and place our order as we had been left for quite awhile with menus but met one of the staff who was on her way out to us. Food slow to arrive and only 1 out of 3 dishes was enjoyable. The duck fat chips weren't crunchy and the butternut risotto was bizarre - it tasted like curry powder and wasn't pleasant at all. I ate a small amount and then gave up. The chicken fettuccine was nice. One of the staff came out and I asked for a refill of water and gave her the empty bottle. 10 minutes later she hadn't come back so I ended up going and grabbing one off the bar myself. When we paid he asked how it was and I said the risotto was average, the girl walked past carrying our plates just then so he could see it had hardly been touched. He said absolutely nothing. A simple 'sorry about that' would have been nice, wasn't going to make a fuss and refuse to pay for it despite it being $26. For $93 felt like a complete waste of money and won't...

Food was actually really nice, we especially enjoyed the burger and the potato skin fries. What let down the night for us was the strange service that we had received in regards to drinks.

My husband had ordered a Speights Distinction Ale beer which is amber in colour and was served a Guinness instead. It's pretty obvious it was incorrect as the Guinness is very dark in colour (nearly black). He flagged down the server and asked if there was a mix up and the server admitted that he did not think the beer was right, but wanted to wait for us to try it to confirm. This was really bizarre to us - why would you 1. not inform the customer 2. wait for the customer to take a sip and confirm this instead of you confirming it before serving? It felt like they had either run out of the Speights or had poured the wrong one and was trying to serve the Guinness to us and assume we wouldn't tell the difference which was very strange. There wasn't an apology from the server and he just asked if we wanted to order another drink instead and at that point my husband didn't want a drink anymore.

Food is actually quite nice here, tables a little sticky but the weird drink situation is what threw...

Chose this place for my birthday on the 25th of February 2021.

Let's start with the important stuff; the food is top notch! My family gave the place a 10/10 for the food alone and they're a picky bunch.

The vibe is cool and relaxed. Old fashioned decor, like a good ol Pub but also modern with a great view as the restaurant is situated on the top floor.

Most important part for me was the service. The owners (kiwi couple) served our table and by golly the service is absolutely amazing. We joked, we bantered, had good laughs. They explained the menu very well, offered alternatives if things ran out on the menu and were eloquent the whole time.

I didn't have a birthday cake but the husband owner bought one out for me anyway, candles and everything. What a great experience!

The Attic is quite hard to pinpoint, especially if you've never been there before. The entry is a narrow flight of stairs in between two restaurants so you've probably passed the place a few times without knowing it was there. I know I have!

But don't pass this place up, book it out. Support your local cause they're pretty damn good.

Overall an amazing experience!

Thank you Attic Bar and team. We truly...