Review Sawmill Brewery And Smoko Room - Matakana

Absolutely blown away by our incredible experience today. We popped in this arvo for a few beers in the sun and by the time we got home, we cancelled our dinner plans and returned. Every dish was amazing, staff were friendly and attentive. The vibe is spot on and did I mention the food?! Metro top 50 much. All that and B Corp certified to boot - epic epic epic will be back for more!

Fantastic beer and service, gorgeous food, and a lovely atmosphere! I loved the ethos of sawmill as an environmentally aware brewery as well. Highly recommended.

Great service, food and brew. Highly recommended. Lots of parking, outdoor and indoor spaces (outdoor heating available). Room for kids to run around. Food came out around 15 minutes and staff were helpful and efficient.

Busy atmosphere but we managed to get a seat outside. Lots of choice with the beer and the food was gorgeous. Recommend spending a summer's afternoon chilling outside.

The beer selection is top notch. The staff are very informed and able to assist you with your beer choices, to make it a truly enjoyable experience. The place has a rustic charm, and a lovely outside area with great views. It's the perfect place to kick back with some friends for the afternoon. Although they have a nice enough menu, I was very disappointed about the portion size (especially considering the cost), and lack of food that go with beer, e.g. burgers, steak, pizza, nachos, etc.

Lovely setting and a must visit for Omaha or Matakana visitors. Beer is delicious and tasting platters etc make it good plus the off license. Staff were excellent and and attentive. Food was delicious but found it to be super pricey and slightly limited. Almost trying to be a 5 star restaurant when it's not, its a brewery! Only reason for not being 5 stars. Definitely worth a visit though!

The beer here is world class. One of my NZ favourites. Good parking welcoming staff. Trendy relaxing vibe with great tunes and plenty of seating options. Food prices above average but a high standard so could be forgiven... especially after a pint or two. we will be back

It has HUGE selection of BEER! From ales to lagers, you name it. I would’ve given 5-stars because I was expecting larger food portions. But quality of cuisine was still great nonetheless. Very attentive and friendly service crew also adds buzz to the place!

Went for the brewery tour for Dads 70th. The whole family absolutely loved it - there's something for everyone from new-to-not-so-beer drinkers to someone who considers themselves beer experts. The beer sample rack was very generous. Smoko room menu was amazing and very tasty.

The beer was fantastic! There are 2 of them became the most impressive beer for me in Auckland. However not much selections on the menu interested. Definitely will back again

Wonderful beers. iPA was sensational! Food was also great quality and tasted fantastic. Portions of the share platters were a little small for the price but very fresh and flavoursome.

I had the privilege of coming here with a group and hearing about the amazing sustainable business practices they put in place. If that's not enough the food and the beet was amazing and the staff totally top notch. Best pub I've been to in ages.

Great spot for lunch on a beautiful day. Staff were very friendly and attentive and the food was quick and very good. Always a bit dubious of food at some brewery locations but this was done very well and very tasty. Glad not to have the usual selection of deep fried options. The beer also speaks for itself and I can definitely recommend a tasting paddle to get a good selection to try.

Was well worth the drive to see this brewery in the middle of the rolling green hills. Immaculately clean from dining areas to bathrooms. Plenty of on tap choices as well as Smoko Room food to choose from. Sounds like they have some events from time to time too. Outdoor seating was a huge plus just to be able to look out at the great outdoors.

Great selection of beers, what goes on hand with unique food menu. I suggest to take beer selection of 5 choices, so you can find out what you like. Hummus with lamb was very delicious. Also their fries taste nice. Great atmosphere and smiling waitresses will help you to find something for your taste.

Excellent setting. Nice escape from the city. Exceptional service and tasty menu. Both food and beer

The food and beer here is great. So much so that my wife and I organised a pre-wedding party here recently. Everyone loved it, good food and drink with a beautiful location and attentive staff. We were basically given the lovely Brooke who acted as a liason for our party all afternoon which I think really helped things run smoothly. Would recommend! and a big thanks to all the staff at sawmill for a great day!

Was driving by and found this brewery, we stopped and tried a flight of beers between us, that's 5 small glasses but allows you to try a few different beers, we liked them all and bought some xpa home. Will visit again next time we are up this way. Staff friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Atmosphere and ambience great, didn't eat this time but will next as menu looked great.

Amazing place to adventure to. The beer is delicious and the process in which it is made is very transparent and sustainable. It is a choice to support local Kiwi businesses by supporting Sawmill beer as they strive to be environmentally conscious in the steps to make the beer, bottle it and sell it on our supermarket shelves as they use NZ recycled products from paper to glass to water-based paint and glues. I feel proud to promote this and recommend this beer and brand to anyone �

The beers are great. The food is a little bit too fancy and the portions are small. Would like to see a better kids' menu and things like burgers, wedges and steaks on the menu.

Love this space, excellently designed and looks gorgeous!!! Beer was good! Cider was tasty! Ginger beer was awesome!! My only complaint was cheese platter needed more variety of cheeses!

Awesome food,beer,staff and a great place to enjoy a bit of a catch up with mates!

We had a lovely experience there yesterday. Luckily for us, we got seated before the crowds started rolling in, but still the staff were super friendly and the delicious food came out quickly. The beer tasting went down a treat too.

Great beer. Fantastic staff. What a friendly lot. Was packed but service still outstanding definitely worth the drive

Love the place, the food, the wide range of beers Friendly staff, great spot!

Friends had recommended the Sawmill (I love craft beers and we are both foodies). The menue was different from your usual pub fare (nice change), the price was reasonable (most under $20), and the beers - all I can say is "Yum!!!!). Service was fantastic, views amazing, food and beer really good and a cool mix of people. We will be back!

We went there on Jan 2 and the place was heaving at lunch time so we returned at around 4 30 for an early dinner. It was still rammed but we managed to get a table fairly quickly for 4 adults and 5 kids. The beer range is excellent. Also the kids platters were good as they didn't have the usual crap 💩 foods. The pork cheek and spicy venison ribs were awesome. Great rustic setting too.

Always fantastic food & great beer. Freindly staff and a comfortable enviroment 😊

Really interesting menu with a great range of options. The smoked fatty pork cheeks were the highlight. The spicy ribs were a bit too smoky for my liking, but still good. The brocolini and feta was also really tasty.<br/>The staff were really friendly and helpful. The venue was super clean as well which is always appreciated

Me and my husband came in a late afternoon we enjoyed the beers and the beer tasting selection so much along with the ribs, oyster and pork.

A best choice when you go Matakana during winter. Reasonable priced big portion yummy food, fresh oysters, fantastic range of craft beer and warm fire place. What can I ask for more. 😍

Got the spicy beef mole. Wasn't spicy whatsoever. Really bland aswel. Overpriced for what it was. Place is a nice location and nice outdoor area. Only had one item on menu but won't be having that particular dish again though

Came for some nibbles and a drink. Had an alcoholic ginger beer which was yum! Not as sweet as non-alcoholic ginger beer and lighter than beer. Also tried the corn, such yum chipotle mayo! The eggplant was good too but nothing amazing. Eager to come back and try more on the menu and the drinks as all looks delish! Such nice chill outdoor vibes, perfect for summer!

A short drive from Matakana market to this place. The area and ambient is really nice! Big space inside and outside. Service was good even though they were really busy! Food was good as well, small portions to share. Most of dishes we ordered were good. Only two we didn’t like were BBQ pork croquettes and the beef ball from kid platter. Texture of these two were too mushy just like baby blend food inside deep fried crumbs. But overall it was a really nice place.

Wonderful ambience and good beers!<br/>Went there at 1 pm on Sunday and the tables outside were almost full as it was a sunny day.<br/>We tried beer tasting tray, Kingfish Tataki and Venison Smoke.<br/>Their service was very quick and staff were friendly. Food was well presented and delicious, though I reckon a little bit pricey side considering they are small portions.<br/>Highly recommend going there when the weather is good, and grab some beer and a table outside. We would definitely come back!

Sawmill Brewery has a great ambience, especially the al fresco area, and is a fine place to quaff a beer, or two. The pale ales are especially good. The food is okay, but a little expensive for what it is. Matakana has become a foodie destination, but come to Sawmill for the beer!

This was the second time we have visited in Jan and both the food and the service was/is amazing. Great selection of tapas style food with plenty of options to choose from, nothing disappointed us. <br/>Great outside area for the kids to climb all over and still able too keep an eye on them. Would definitely come back again.

Good food, great selection of beers and awesome vibes..we went in late afternoon and it wasn’t very busy, the food came promptly, loved the swordfish tataki salad and the venison ribs...we also ordered the eel pate with sourdough but found it quite plain. The beers were cheap and fresh! Staffs were attentive, will definitely come back again..when the weather is better next time!

What a magic spot. The beers are always a winner and the food is perfectly matched. If you want burgers and pizza this is not the place for you. Rather, each plate is interesting and considered. A real treat.

Awesome place! Lovely scenery and vibe, very peaceful and the brewery had an amazing interior and outside area. Very comfortable and lots of space. Amazing spot to come. <br/>Came here for lunch with my boyfriend, it is a kind of sharing plates, get 4 things to share vibe instead of one dish for lunch. Yummy food, preferred their vegetarian dishes over their meaty ones. Price wise it's quite expensive but I did expect it from what the place is like and where is is. Friendly staff and really fast service. <br/>Would love to come here during summer with a group of friends for some drinks and finger foods. <br/>

Popped in here on our way home to Auckland. Tried one of their craft beers. Was light and tasty. We shared 3 dishes between us 3 ladies which was plenty. The turmeric hummus with lamb, delicious fish salad and beef molie. Was lovely to sit outside in the sun too. Will be back.

Wow where did this place suddenly pop out from? We normally grab something at the Matakana Pub, but thought we should be adventurous and check out the Sawmill Brewery and am glad we did! Get away from the hustle and overcrowded bustle of Matakana with a relaxing brew at the Sawmill. If you want to visit at lunch during the weekend, get there at 12pm, since there was already a queue formed (doors open at 12pm) and within 15mins all the inside tables were gone.... :-) However if it is a sunny there's plenty of outdoor seating and room for kids to play. The food was great, more refined than rustic, and of course the beer selection is outstanding!!

This area is my where I grew up. Over the years the place has had a lot lot of vineyards, eateries and this little 💎 of a place come on the scene! Great selection of craft beer and great food, especially the sea food! The perfect summer place to hang with friends and enjoy the views!

This brewery is beautifully set in the picturesque background of matakana. Quick drive in from the highway. Decor and ambience is combination of modern contemporary and wood cabin. Has ample outside, inside, bar, dining and lawn seating. However the beers were like $12-14 for a handle, when you can buy a big bottle for $15 at the same counter. We found that a bit unappetizing that if a customer has driven all the way to Matakana to pay more than what they would pay at a bar in Auckland. Might not come back and continue drinking your beer at other places.

Came here last weekend with a couple of friends. The beer/cider was enjoyed by all! The platter and chips also went down a treat. However the ambience of this place is what makes it so good. Sitting outside on a crisp winters day in the sun with friends can't get much better. Also nice to see families with kids running around as well. Will definitely be coming back here!

It's a one-of-a-kind place! Didn't stay long enough to try the food but we popped in to taste the beers and have a little look around the place. It's not quite a pub but we spotted the occasional local that wandered in wearing boots up a farm. So it's got a very local feel to it. They have a great selection of tapas on the menu. I could imagine lunchtimes being great here if you have traveled from Auckland to explore the beaches around this area.

+ Lovely decor and outlook across paddocks, very rural and relaxing. Friendly waitstaff and prompt service. Nice short menu - always a positive sign. A lot of good options to match with beer. Good variety of slow cooked meats. Delicious beer, especially the IPA.<br/><br/>- Menu was heavy on smoked ingredients and pickles which got tiring after a while. Beer and smoke does go well together but so do lots of other things: a bit more variety would be nice. Children's platter was a bit of a piss take really - the pulled meat (which our lovely European waitress was certain was either pork or beef :-/), was too fatty to be eaten - even by the adults, just a glob of untrimmed crap. Why would you serve it to a kid? Oh and it cost $13 which is about $5 too much. I mentioned this to or waitress who must have misheard as her reply was "Yeah, we keep the kids platter nice and simple".<br/><br/>Good spot, come for the beer but the food menu needs a good going over in terms of variety, portion size and quality.<br/><br/>

Good choice of craft beers. Menu not so great - or perhaps it was too laadeedaah for us haha Only dishes we could recognise were the 'Fries' and 'spuds' lol jokes.... Decor - maybe it is still a work in progress? Customer service was kind of okay... with an empty beer glass on our table, nobody cared to ask if we wanted a refill .... so obviously we left. Then stumbled upon The Stables which is a couple of minutes away from this place...oh wow what a refreshing change of scenery and customer service!

The food was small and expensive. Whilst the food was nice enough every single dish was smoked. Which was fine for some in our party but for others they couldn't eat their meal - there was no mention of smoked in dishes that had obviously been heavily smoked.<br/><br/>The other negative was a male staff member that aggressively threatened a 7 year old boy in our party.<br/><br/>The positive was nice rustic decor.

Food was excellent. Deserve a 5 but service let them down with a fluffy being overlooked. Overall great environment and worth the visit. Pop in if you are in the area <br/>