Review Saltwater - Mount Maunganui

Sensational seafood from raw kingfish sashimi and tuna carpaccio to wood fired BBQ Hapuka and deep fried calamari. After a Sunday arvo walk around the sleepy (almost deserted) centre of Tauranga we had a few reservations about our upcoming dinner a 10 min drive away in Mount Maunganui. The $20 Taxi ride was well worth it. The street has an abundance of eateries, cafes and and an eclectic range of shops, but the standout is the Saltwater. Open, airy, clean and spacious with a relaxed and friendly vibe from both front and back of house staff. The open kitchen with its spectacular wood fired BBQ is contrasted by a sashimi/cold seafood prep area and two glass doors (dry aging cabinets?) hanging impressive cuts of Beef and Fish. Food : Fresh products, lovingly and professionally prepared to a 5 star standard - in fact probably better than a lot of "big city" restaurants that charge significantly more. The wine selection is diverse, impressive and reasonable value for money in bottle and by the glass (we had the 2021 Ata Rangi Pinot, whilst a bit young in 2023 it opened up nicely and was lovely with our Seafood selections. Overall a great dining experience enhanced by a chance encounter with some like minded folks that prompted some great conversation and a few post dinner drinks at the bar.

Being down in Tauranga for AIMS, you are always nervous when entering a restaurant, especially on a slow Monday night. So surprised by the excellent service and amazing food! We had oysters and the calamari for starters, I will take my wife's word that the oysters were amazing. My Calamari was tender and tasty! For mains my daughter had the adult fish and chips, fish was perfectly cooked, nice crunchy batter and juicy and tender. The chips were from another world, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Need to know how they did that! Worst part is we forgot the left overs! My wife and I both had the chili and lime prawn linguine which was absolutely perfect. A super generous portion of prawns in between the linguine and sauce which was a perfect combination of flavour and bite. About the only thing I could suggest was having a bowl for the prawn tails, because there were many! The rest of the service was awesome, right down to bringing cutlery at the right time without having to ask for it. Highly recommended!

How lucky are we to have a restaurant like Saltwater on our doorstep. The venue is fabulous as are all the staff who work there. The food is next level- perfectly cooked with beautiful flavours which are sensational. Cannot speak highly enough of this place.

Loved the place, the food and service. The boys were complimenting the music too, and we could tell the chefs were following the beats 🎶. The oysters were huge and super fresh delicious. My boy devoured the kokoda and the others ordered lobster and prawn roll which they also loved. I went with fish and chips and they did not disappoint. The fish was super fresh and the thin and crusty batter was perfect. We will return 👌🏻.

I LOVE this Place! The atmosphere is fresh and beachy, just as you would hope. The food is super fresh and fantastic! When it comes to service the staff is delightful and they listen well. Overall 10/10

The sashimi plate with dry-aged fish was amazing and had the wood-grilled swordfish as a main. The vibe of the place is great. The dinner was amazing. Can only recommend.

We had a great lunch here. It was busy and atmosphere was great with some funky classic house beats playing. The place was full despite the miserable weather outside. It has a great fit out - open plan kitchen with chefs making food in front of you and they even had a girl making great cocktails to order. Colouring options for rhe lottle pnes.Def recommend it!

Had a quick dozen oysters and two margaritas off the happy hour menu. Oysters were shucked perfectly, buttery and good!

Our group of three shared a range of dishes from the menu and they were all really tasty. Sashimi plate, tuna carpaccio, Spanish prawns, lobster mac and cheese, and BBQ swordfish were all served in ways that enhanced the flavour of the seafood. Beautiful! At dessert time, one of us had a second round of delicious carpaccio instead! We were served by friendly, helpful staff who gave us great advice on the menu and drinks options. There seems to be a range of opinions in the reviews but it's 5 stars from us.

We jad a beautiful dinner. Chose several plates and they were all delicious. We'll be back again.

Wow Wow Being a seafood lover ,Saltwater Seafood Grill &Oyster Bar will be a regular stop from now on.We drove from Hamilton for the experience that did not disappoint,Hot and cold Kaimoana delicious,nice cocktails wine list. Service could not fault the energy and polite assistants we received.Ka rawe Well done guys.

The food is so good, very good restaurants, Friendly staff. The price is quite good not too expensive and high quality food. Really recommended.

Cool place! Just had a couple of happy hour oysters, but good atmosphere, the oysters were fresh, and the service was good.