Review Ora Bistro Restaurant - Manukau

The food and the people were great. The desert Guava cheese cake was outstanding. The only comment we had was the bisque for the Market fish could have been a bit more. It was relatively less compared to the portion of the plate.

Oh it was delicious! Hats off to the chef. The pizza was devine 🤤 but so was everything else. Service was brilliant, ladies were lovely and attentive.

Great food and service! I tried both breakfast buffet and lunch. They ran out of pancakes but there were a lot of other selections. I tried their oysters and they were fresh, clean and delicious.

Buffet breakfast was awesome, staff were welcoming as soon as we entered. It had a great selection of food even though it was a small space. I like that it had smoothies and the portion size was great. Didn't take pictures, was too hungry 😅 Downside for me is just trying to find a park and the fact that it was quite a small space but I'd definitely go there again

Pleasantly surprised as soon as I arrived at the restaurant. Great atmosphere and top quality finishes. Overall the food was great! The lamb and steak cooked exactly how we ordered them. 10/10 for presentation. Potatoes and wok tossed broccolini were sides but were so good I could have eaten them on their own. Pasta cooked well and generous with the prawns. The lamb chops entree and frangipani cake I would not recommended but everything else was great! Our waiter was very attentive and friendly . I would come back and highly recommend to all.

Service was amazingly attentive. Pina colada was delicious. Ordered the Korean skewers for entree. Lovely, however could have added tad more kimchi. For main, we ordered the cauliflower steak and wagyu beef cheeseburger. My best friend thought the cauliflower steak was amazing, personally thought it was average. The wagyu beef cheeseburger was Tasty but surprisingly dry. Dessert was refreshing. quite expensive but great experience. Great ambience also.

Restaurant in the Sebel Hotel, can't believe I haven't been here before - v close to home. Tables are quite close, its not a large space. We all enjoyed our meals, they were a bit slow in coming which we didn't care about. Lamb rump, mushrooms, Korean chicken, creme brulee & a chocolate mousse type dessert. The only 2 things I'd add is that there wasn't much taste on the mushrooms and the biscotti was soft when it should be hard. But overall a lovely meal & I'll go back.

My husband and I ordered the steak and lamb dishes for lunch this week. We were surprised about the location, pleasantly surprised the establishment itself is small and quiet. The food and service were both great. I'd recommend and likely return, myself. My only issue was how cold it was inside, I wished I'd had a sweater.

This is our fourth time going to Ora and it's been consistently great every time. The eye fillet is amazing! The oysters with the chilly was delicious. The staff are lovely.

Entree of pork ribs was great, well cooked with 3 good size pieces. Duck was crispy and the vegetarian roll very tasty.

Enjoyed our lunch and the staff are nice!

There for a staff Christmas lunch. Food was really good. Staff very friendly. The little room we were in was very hot most of the time we were there. Apart from that, very much enjoyed the experience.

Love the place! Great service from an Awesome team. Absolutely mouth watering dishes. Beautiful presentation and flavors. A great place catching up with friends.

The food was delicious and the staff were lovely. Highly recommend this place. Not expensive either. Definitely going back one day. The dessert 🤤

The Gentleman was very warm and welcoming, so well groomed in front of Restaurant Area. The. food was much nicer than other places we have been too, just the pancakes were hard around the edges. From entering Premises to Restaurant, the staff were so Friendly and Helpful and well presented 11 out of 10 to them, we enjoyed our late breakfast . Thankyou 😀👌

1st March 2020<br/><br/>Nothing spectacular about breakfast. Food was alright, very standard. Good value for money. At the sebel at the time so just having a quick lunch before work. No one was there Sunday lunch time. Granted this was during the beginning of the virus fiasco.<br/><br/>

Unable to use Zomato gold for breakfast menu. However food was pretty good. There was hardly anyone at the restaurant and still had to wait a lil.

The food was so bad and oily. We ordered fish and chips and also lamb ribs. The lamb was full of fat! The fish was just batter and oil. There was no flavor what so ever. We used Zomato gold so total was 24$ but it's not evrn worth this price. It was really bad!

Awesome friendly 5 star service from all the staff who’d check in on us throughout our time there (from drinks to appetisers and main course) that everything was well. Chef did a splendid job on our duck leg and medium rare beef dishes - so good that we forgot to take a picture of it! Definitely worth our repeat visit.

The environment is nice and cosy. This would have been a good place to spend our lunch time on a Sunday afternoon.<br/>However, their appalling service ruined our mood for our meal and the day.<br/>We asked for our hot water from the server responsible for our area and it took her 30 minutes and a reminder to get to us and she did not apologise at all. Instead her reason was that she was too busy.. That is unacceptable as there were only 3 other tables at the time we're there.<br/>Second up was the unacceptably long meal waiting time. The table next to us (table of 4) came and ordered after us, yet their meals came before ours a full 10 min earlier. We asked the staff and they said its coming. And their reason was our steak was medium and the other table was medium rare so that's why their food came before us.. Sounded fishy to us?! (actually fishy is the wrong word since they didn't have fish when we first ordered fish n chips) When the food came, it was almost cold.<br/>And when we complained about their service, their response was "I'm trying to understand what you meant". Basically placing the blame on our English?? Throughout our meal no one apologised or acknowledged the issues. Not sure if the fact we were using Grabone voucher the reason why we were treated as second class citizens?<br/><br/>As things stand we would not be returning. Which is a shame as we used to love the place a lot when it first opened. We sincerely hope that the restaurant could improve and reach its full potential. We welcome the restaurant to reach out to us to discuss further. Aroha nui

Pre dinner drink glass was not completely clean.<br/>Food too expensive for the quality need to halve the price until standard increases.<br/>Chips cold & just like McDonalds.<br/>More attention to detail required from staff eg table setting, glasses being clean, what wine customers are having so if they like it they can have the same again.<br/>Were asked the same question several times from different staff.

Service was great, lovely setting, Absolutely loved the Chicken & Waffles. Cooked to perfection. Thank you very much

We came here after looking at their reviews and must say was pleasantly surprised. We both got a burger each, I got the Southern Fried Chicken burger which was really good, although the sauce was a little weird, as I expected something spicier and not like a sweet chutney. The chicken was crispy and juicy. <br/>My husband got the Wagyu beef burger was it was really well done too. All in all the staff were nice, food was good. The only reason it didn’t get full 5 stars is because I would only come here if I was in the area, and won’t make a trip for it.

Their photos looked made their dishes look really tasty so I checked it out. However it was a bit disappointing though it wasn't terrible. The prawn linguine tasted alright but there's a lot of oil and fat lying around and it just puts you off the dish. Their prawns were overcooked and weren't as juicy as they could've been. The fried chicken waffles tasted alright. The waffles were delicious and the maple sauce was tasty. The chicken was crispy and well fried however it lacked flavour and was a bit dry at times. Overall it wasn't bad and it's a lovely environment. We had to wait over an hour for food even though it wasn't super busy :/

After a few recommendations to try out Ora Bistro, we finally decided to head there. Even though it's not technically a cheeseburger, the burger they had was close enough. <br/><br/>We ordered the wagyu beef burger, southern fried chicken burger, fried chicken and waffles (kid-sized) and ice cream!<br/><br/>Now onto the meat (beef) of the review. All the condiments and supplementary items to the wagyu beef patty were good. The bun was nice and soft, held everything together nicely, fresh fancy lettuce/tomatoes, okay bacon (could've been crunchier/cooked more), sauce/relish, cheese, and wagyu. Now for the wagyu. The star of the show. What a letdown. It was a decent-sized thicc boi patty but it was dry. Like, suck the water out of your mouth when you kept chewing. Big suck. It was also not seasoned from what I could tell with any salt/pepper or other herbs or spices. It also didn't have the nice sear/crust that you want on such a pricey burger. <br/><br/>Onto the other items. The southern fried chicken burger was actually pretty good. It had the same condiments as the wagyu beef burger but it worked a lot better together. The fried chicken waffle was also great with all the items together. Separately the fried chicken on its own was a bit bland and slightly burnt. With the waffle and maple syrup though, it definitely made for a better experience. <br/><br/>Overall the experience was great, everything except the wagyu beef burger and us having to ask for apple juice 3 times for Amelia. The staff were friendly and attentive (except for forgetting our apple juice 😑). The atmosphere was average, nothing stood out, no background music, no excessive chatter from other parties.

Came here for brunch, since it was a local spot we thought we would check it out and wow it did not disappoint! Wagyu burger was a little dry but still tasty and the fried chicken with waffles was delish. Would definitely come back again :)

Very relaxed setting. This is the dining area in a motel. Such a neat place with lovely staff. The waffle chicken waa moist and cooked just right. Prices were especially worthwhile with Zomato Gold.

We took a chance we didn’t have a reservation. The place was very pleasant, clean and very inviting, staff cheerful. Linguini was very good and creamy and the market fish although the salmon was a tad overcooked was very tasty. A very good find in Manukau.

Great service, scallops were delicious and so was the eye fillet. Ribeye was a little tough but overall, will be back soon 😁

Had a late lunch at Ora Bistro on 14/9 at 4pm. The place was quiet. We were welcomed with a smile and seated and our orders taken promptly. Ordered the chicken burger and chips and the prawn linguini, the best we’ve had in a long time, compliments to the chef.<br/>A lovely place in manukau for dinner at reasonable prices. Will definitely come again and have recommended it to family.

It’s a nice restaurant located inside hotel Sebel , great atmosphere, friendly staffs. It’s very difficult to find this kind of restaurant in the area . We ordered scallops and taco to start with, we thoroughly enjoyed the entree. We had rib eye, market fish (salmon) and pork belly as the main. The mains were just ok, pork belly was different from the description on the menu ( with no crackling and broccolini ) Overall, we enjoyed the whole dining experience and will definitely come back.

Nice little hole in the wall, and pleasant atmosphere!<br/>Food was nice- my eye fillet was perfectly medium- rare, chicken burger was delicious and lamb shank fell off of every bone without fail.<br/>However, offering 1 menu for a table of 3 isn't sufficient enough and should have a menu per person.<br/>But don't underestimate this place, plus it will save you the distance.

Went here last night for dinner as we were in the area. It was abit difficult to locate as I didn’t know it was INSIDE the hotel. I had to call them up. <br/><br/>The environment of the restaurant was nice, quiet & clean. The staff were very friendly. & the food was delicious. <br/>We had oysters & chicken tacos. The tacos were dry.<br/>& for mains we had lamb shanks on kumra mash & pork belly. Portion size for the pork was small & decent for the shanks.

We cannot fault their services and presentation. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch there today. We will definitely return for another time soon

Came here because we were in the area. It was packed and they almost didn’t have room for us. We took that as a good sign. Service was very slow as it was busy but the food was good. The chicken tacos were good. Fish of the day was acceptable and the pork belly was well cooked. Crackling could’ve been a bit better flavoured though. Overall a great Zomato gold experience.

Nice place for dine. Inside hotel, feels like on holiday and great food too. Had duck which was very juicy accompanied by tasty sauces. Will visit again

closer to 3.5<br/>the atmosphere is great. on the day that i came there was some variability in the quality of the food. chicken waffle was amazing, the pull pork sandwich wasn’t. it can be a bit difficult to find and i hope they make the visitor parking more obvious.<br/>i wasn’t sure if i could park there so I have to park further away.

What a hidden gem in the heart of Manukau.Must try foodie venue.Service is polite, genuine and warm.Good wine selection for a hotel restaurant. Food is full of flavours and very well presented.Cream brulee was amazing as per all the other reviews..<br/>

Ora Bistro is inside the new Sebel Hotel. We had an early-bird dinner with friends. The eye fillet came with cauliflower purée, caramelized shallots & kumara gratin was beautifully cooked to our satisfaction. My duck char sui was supposed to come with baby carrots & baby beetroot, but it came with carrots & park choy without having me notified. Anyway, it was a good dish.<br/>(Food - 4/5; Service - 4/5; Ambience 4.5/5)<br/>Visited on 23 June 2019

Hidden gem in Manukau! Beautiful decor, the staff were warm, welcoming and made good recommendations on the food. Portion sizes were decent, coffee was good.

Great food and awesome service from staff members. We will definitely be coming back. <br/><br/>My wife and I ordered the wagyu beef burger, which was really tasty.

I waited for 45 for my meal whereas the table they came after us got their meals before us . Wouldn’t recommend it . Upon approaching the waitress no apology or anything .

Wow I didn’t know that this place existed or that there was a hotel in this area of manukau. The setting is really nice and the service was also good. The prawn linguine was a bit bland but the other dishes were quite good otherwise would give 5 stars

Came here for a friends birthday and we had such a nice time. Restaurant was really immaculate and everything beautifully set on all tables. Meals were delicious and staff were very attentive and friendly. <br/><br/>You can find the restaurant on the bottom floor of the Sebel hotel just opposite reception.

First time here. very clean and nice environment. Friendly service. Food is good, the prawn pasta and chicken waffle are very good. the waygu burger a bit dry and the pork belt seem overcooked. But overall very satisfied.<br/>Food 4/5<br/>Service 4.5/5<br/>Ambiance 4/5

Went for the breakfast buffet. Nice variety of food from hot food like bacon, eggs, mushrooms to cereals, fruit salad and yoghurts. There was a coffee machine with pods to make coffee. The juices were also nice. However the bread and pastries were quite dry and stale. Some of the hot food was a bit cold. Staff were friendly.

We came here for lunch. At first it looked quite small and we weren't sure if we were at the right place as it was right next to the reception area and there wasn't any sign to say. But as we walked in, there was a spacious outdoor area as well. The fried chicken waffles was pretty yummy and crunchy. Prawn linguine has a nice flavour to it and nicely laid out (portion seems slightly small tho). Wagyu burger nicely presented and pattie tasted yummy. Shoestring fries were really good! Along side with the sauces which goes really well with the fries! The pulled pork melt was slightly overcooked but taste alright. Staff were friendly and attentive (highchair offered for our baby and toddler).

This Bistro is right by the inside of the hotel entrance which looks very small until we saw the spacious outside covered sitting. However there was contructions right opposite so it was too noisy to sit outside. We ordered the Steak and they had them perfectly done to our requests. The thick cut fries were crunchy and very generous portion. The Kaffir Lime Creme Brulee was the real reason why we came as I love a good creme brulee. We were wowed by the presentation but sadly the taste and texture were disappointing. The Brulee was too thick and hard almost like a cake. But the brilliant coffee made up for it as we were pleasantly surprised that the coffee was really good as we don’t usually get great coffee in hotel. We will be back, but won’t be ordering the dessert.

Had a great time at Ora with my mates and the service was amazing! Had a lovely lady, Cherrie, serve us and she was so polite and always smiling. <br/>The food was great. We had, oysters, burgers, soup and sandwiches! Food tasted real good! Highly recommend!

What a lovely delightful experience! <br/><br/>We truly and thoroughly enjoyed our visit here, thanks to your amazing staff Clarissa. She’s an absolute gem and a true definition of what hospitality supposed to be. <br/><br/>She is knowledgeable, friendly and cheerful, we had a good session with Clarissa and our food are yummy. <br/><br/>We ordered Savanna Sirloin and Wagyu Beef Burger. <br/><br/>Savanna Sirloin is perfectly grilled, the red wine jus is amazing and the chimichurri balances the meal perfectly. <br/><br/>The Wagyu Beef Burger is good, though we wished that there’s an option of getting the patty medium rare instead of well done. <br/><br/>Chipotle sauce is good with the fries. Now we can’t wait to try the breakfast buffet and the dinner menu. <br/><br/>Keep up the good work, Ora Bistro! Kudos to you for having an amazing staff like Clarissa. We will be back again soon.

Came here twice because of Zomato Gold and both experiences were world's apart. The bistro is located inside The Sebel Hotel on the ground floor, just opposite the reception.<br/><br/>On both times which were a week apart, we came on a weekend and were the only customers around.<br/><br/>On our first visit, coffee and food came very quickly. We ordered the fried chicken waffles and prawn linguine which wowed us. Coffee was good and the staff were attentive.<br/><br/>We decided to come back again today but were greatly disappointed. Coffee was too foamy and didn't taste as good as last week's. Despite being the only customers, we waited about 20 min for our food. We ordered the pulled pork melt and meatballs. The meatballs were cold and the pulled pork melt was below average. When the staff came to check on our food, I told them about the cold meatballs which they decided to remake. Even though they were hot, the meatballs still didn't taste good. And to top it off, there were only six small meatballs for $25.<br/><br/>There was also someone vaccuuming the area during lunch time which is strange. We had to put up with the loud noise during half of our time there.<br/><br/>I'm not sure what went wrong this time because I would have loved to come back again.

Had breakfast here and can say it was very yum. They offer a lot of food and what makes it even better is that it’s a buffet :) They also offer a lot of beverages like juices, cordials and coffee and stuff from the self serve Nespresso machine.

Great place, staff are so friendly and helpful, I have never had a dinning experience where the staff actually pay attention to you.. Food was great tasting I recommend the hollouni not sure if it's spelt right lol also the Ruben sandwich partner thought that was delicious if you like a heavy meal, all served quick. Good kids menu with decent food. The waffle they serve with chicken off the kids menu is so good. Really great prices.. Overall great experience and will be returning soon.

Recently stopped at Ora Bistro for brunch with a large group of us. Awesome to see such a well appointed hotel in this region. Very nice vibe and the food was well presented and tasted great. The whole table enjoyed our meals which, considering how fussy some of us are, is a real compliment to the chef!

Big thanks to Clarissa and her team at ORA for the amazing service and hospitality and serving us up with a delicious meal, looking forward to seeing you guys again. Cheers

A big thanks to the team working in the restuarant. Good food and excellent service. The menu was easy to read with many options to choose from. The beef burger and the fried chicken was delicious. Definitely will go back again.