Review Chin Wags Restaurant & Bar - Auckland

Had a lovely dinner at Chin Wags and will definitely be back! Meals were all lovely presented and tasted amazing and staff were friendly. Busy little place but still felt private. The southern fried chicken entree as yum, they have a lovely sauce like mayo, we had chips, pork belly, steak and stuffed chicken. I was looking forward to the dessert (although already full) but it wasn't cooked enough a little hard but the banana split was yum. Like I said, we will be back as there was lots to choose from and the $55 entree, main and desert was well worth it!

Went in and got a takeaway pizza the other night, owner was slammed but did an awesome job! Had a few drinks whilst waiting with great service. Pizza was great!

Quality food and generous helpings - great value night out here

Great service from the waiter, great quality food from kitchen especially for the price. Good variety of food and drinks to choose from. Have been a long time customer and will always be coming back here for a great night out. Highly recommend to everyone

Friendly helpful staff...food we had was delicious some guests were not able to have first choice for a meal lamb as it was still slowly cooking??? Would go again though. Great local restaurant...

I can't stop talking about this place.. great food and great hosts

Dropped in for dinner tonight, had lamb shanks and pork belly, both were top notch. Thanks for a great meal.

Small out of town place with lovely food, a busy place, food was fantastic and staff very happy and cooperative even the locals love going there to

Lovely host, decent music and great food at very reasonable price, thanks for the hospitality!

Underrated. The food was excellent. The service friendly and quick. Would recommend

Amazing place to eat, friendly staff and great food, couldn't ask for more !! Doing a lot of different specials lately and special international theme nights, heaps of fun, definitely recommend!!

The scotch fillet was cooked to perfection and the baby back ribs fell right off the bone and very tasty was amazing would 100% eat here again when I visit from Aus.

Absolutely wonderful place to eat. Thank you Tracey for your warm and welcoming nature, you made our experience fabulous. We will always go back to our favourite restaurant 😊 the food is beautiful and alway the perfect portion. Wonderful!

Summarising the experience, I got what I paid for.<br/>$50 for an entree, main and desert is good value.<br/>Food was 3 stars in my opinion. <br/><br/>There were fundamental issues with the menu: <br/>1. So many options I struggle to understand how the chefs can keep a consistent standard. <br/>2. Entrees were big enough to be a main. <br/>3. Every meal has an option - salad, fries or Asian salad (if you didn’t choose a salad option there would be no greens on the plate) <br/>It felt like there was too much going on with the menu and extended options. I believe the chefs are great cooks but the menu needs to be simplified to avoid confusion and wastage. <br/>Front of house were great, very passionate and genuinely cared about the restaurant. <br/>They need to make the decision between casual dining and takeaway or a place people will drive out of their way for. <br/>If the locals are keeping the business afloat and that format is working then keep doing what you’re doing :)

Been here several times over the last few months and don’t have anything bad to say. The food and service have been amazing. I’ve been here with big groups and with the boyfriend have been happy with everything every time we have been here. Will definitely be coming back

We have been here several times on our own and with friends. Each time we have been to Chin Wags we have tried something different on the menu and every time it has been fantastic. Even starting with making a reservation Tracey makes our visit memorable. The personal touch, the quality of the food and the ambience are unsurpassed in our experience of restaurants in the greater Auckland region. When we arrived last night we were the second table. By the time we left almost every table had had diners and it was obvious by the way they were greeted by Tracey and the staff that these were almost all return guests. Make this your next choice for a restaurant in greater Auckland.

Loved our experience here! There were about 4 other tables, so not busy. Service​ was great, but food was AMAZING. I had pork belly and my partner had duck with venison. Both delicious. Had the lemon tart for dessert which was also tops.

Have visited chin wags a few times now and have loved it every time! The food is incredible, and reasonably priced. By far one of the best steaks I've ever eaten! Service is great even when they are busy, and they are more than accommodating for children also. This is our favourite go-to for a nice dinner out with or without the kids! Highly reccommend

My husband and I had a first class, delicious meal on Friday night.  Meals and entrees were cooked to perfection, service was friendly and fast, and we were pleasantly surprised to find such a fine restaurant in such a small town. Look forward to returning.

Was served a very uncooked chicken breast, which i sent back to be finished. Meal came back out 10 minutes later and the whole dish was cold bar the chicken. Was then made to pay full price, and was only offered a "sorry about that". Disappointing service, live local but unfortunately we won't be back.

Well what can i say, this expercince was bloody phenomenal and the sevice here is top notch.  I orderd medium rare- steak and it was done to perfection. Me and my partner Madison enjoyed a beautiful night overall and would come again.<br/><br/>P.S change your restaurant name.

Terrible staff didn't even ask why we hadn't eaten our meals<br/>Like one of those Ramsay's kitchen nightmares didn't even flinch in taking 100 bucks for our pleasure

Had our first anniversary dinner here on a super busy Saturday night. Service was friendly and speedy, the food was exceptional and the atmosphere is lovely. A real gem of a place.

Came here on a Saturday evening which seemed rather quiet (aside from a large group at another table). The staff were nice and friendly and it was a rather relaxed with a cafe-style atmosphere. We ordered the Lamb Shanks, the Fish & Chips and a side of Kumara Chips. The food seemed to come out pretty quick and they were very accommodating when we asked for a different dip with the kumara chips - which were thin, crunchy and delicious. The lamb shank was tender with nicely flavoured vegetables and was served on a tasty kumara mash. The fish and chips were pretty standard - I personally like thicker batter cooked until very crispy however this was thinner and a bit under-done for my liking (but the fish was cooked perfectly fine so could have been over-done if left in any longer). Overall was a nice experience although rather pricey so would probably only return on special occasions :)

A hidden treasure. Food quality is exceptional. I frequently come to Chin Wags with my partner and we love it! Highly recommended and can't wait to go again!

Visited on Mothers Day - We were quickly forgotten about as it was busy. Scallops were delish, chicken croquettes with plum sauce - amazing. Steak was unfortunately overcooked, pork belly was awesome, only downside was there was no crackle (it wasnt mentioned on the menu) chicken looked really yummy.

My partner and I came to chin wags the other night for dinner, the staff were friendly and efficient but the food was absolutely exceptional! I was blown away by just how good it was, everything was perfect. My steak was cooked a perfect medium and the sauce was to die for, if I wasn't in a public place I might have licked the plate!! Haha. My partners chicken was perfectly cooked and really yummy! Definitely save room for desert though, the chocolate spring rolls are amazing! <br/>The decor is pretty bland and I'm not sure what the story is with the rugs on the wall but all in all I could not recommend this place more. We will definitely be back!!!

My friends finally convinced us to drive out 30 minutes to experience this place. The price of a bottle of wine is the first thing you notice and honestly is ridiculous. The starters were good and came the mains..... we were a table of 4 who all ordered the steak. The plates arrived with steak ranging from a size of a five-dollar bill to a stamp. It seems they must of run out of eye fillet and cut my wife’s and mine somewhere down the middle as they were both cooked the same. Mine was supposed to be rare. When I complained about the obvious sizing problem at the same table with 4 different plates which we all agreed was ridiculous the head chef insulted our intelligence by telling us they all weigh the same.... 4 steaks, same thickness different sizes by far all weighing the same....really?????? Brushed off by the staff as if I was crazy I refused to eat the food and to pay for my main. They were not fazed that they had an upset customer.<br/><br/>For the price of the menu, the service could be much friendlier and the chef could take more pride in sending the 4 of the same meals to the same table looking the same. Sure, I saw this etiquette on Chef Ramsey's show as culinary 101.<br/><br/>Chin Wags will not see me again; thank you for a real crappy night out.

Chinwags has beautiful food in a relaxed atmosphere that is child friendly. Our starters were amazing and left us wanting more beautiful food and we were not disappointed, possibly the best steak I have ever had and the service is amazing, the wine was beautiful and well recommended. This restaurant is highly recommended to all.

No doubt the food here is very high quality. The menu is not a large one which is great because you feel a personal touch to the cooking and preparation. The service is average at best for sure. There is a big problem with the no BYO policy. I have been been dining here since before this policy changed and find a drop in the quality of the wines now available. The wines are average to be fair. The cost vs the quality of wine is an even bigger factor. The price of the food would be average for a city type restaurant with the same relaxed atmosphere but for a country seaside village it is high. I still love the food, not the wine or the price. Still when one has no competition, one can charge what they please I suppose.

Clarks Beach is so lucky to have this quality gourmet delight right in our backyard. Really friendly, helpful and unobtrusive service. Food to DIE for. Generous servings of thoughtfully chosen wines, skillfully matched with food on request. Gorgeous, fresh seafood dishes. Highly recommend the steak meals. Worth staying for desert too, especially with the $35 dinner special. More Power Chinwags, we'll be back, alot!

Had a nice lunch here from the $12 menu. Food was great, staff were polite and professional. <br/><br/>The dinner and dessert menu looked so good - definately coming back to try them out.

Great Meal, great service, great atmosphere, everything was Great! The new spring menu is packed with yummy flavours. Don't know of anywhere that can beat it!

we have been here a few times now and refuse to eat anywhere else. The eye fillet steak melts in your mouth and is to die for.

The food is totally outstanding - great variety to suit all needs on the menu and if you want something different that's not on there, the staff are most obliging to make it happen. Full credit to the owner's for the changes they have done in extending the restaurant and the decor - a real plus, and the quality of food has not faltered in this transition.<br/>Can't talk highly enough of Chin Wags - it's brilliant!

We had dinner here with some friends who live at Clarks Beach.This was their recommendation. What a great place, lovely atmosphere,great service and fantastic food with a very good wine list.<br/>We will be back. Geoff

Unbeatable food and service. Have yet to find better.

What a great place. Food was lovely, the new restaurant and bar layout looks really good.