Review Speight's Ale House - Nelson

Went for lunch on a Sunday. Food was fantastic and the beer good. Good and friendly service. Atmosphere was friendly and intimate.

Great food, large portions and big prices for mains. The cod cpuld have been fresher, but the ribs were excellent. Everyone had a great time and the service was very good. We had a table of 15 on a busy day and the wait was reasonable. Highly recommended.

The food is always good and a reliably high standard. We love the staff, always helpful and attentive. Difficult to create ambience/ atmosphere in such a modern building, but they certainly do their best

Can’t state highly enough the quality and yumminess of the food at this restaurant. We have dined here for both evening and brunch on a few occasions recently and have enjoyed beautifully presented meals and lots of it. Service is also outstanding with happy helpful staff wanting to please their patrons. Just a helpful observation atmosphere inside is a little dark during the day for brunch so if it’s warm enough suggest requesting a table outside in their alfresco area.

Went for a late lunch, service and friendliness of all the staff was impeccable, meal arrived swiftly and was delicious 😋, would highly recommend

We ate there twice in one day. Food was fabulous, prices were reasonable. Service was awesome and atmosphere was super!

First visit here, love the prawn and mussels they were so amazingly good. Had lamb and beef wellington they were delicious too. Beef wellington served with 3 baby carrots and 3.5 potatoes.. I just thought it’s too many potatoes for me 😂 good customer service.

Service tonight was faultless. There are a few 5 star restaurants around the world that could learn a thing or two from the people on the floor there tonight. Food was above average too, which made for a very happy group of 9. Well done guys!!

Beautiful place to start a rainy day on Kaikōura. The food and beverages were superb, full of flavors and texture. Go without hesitation : hot chocolate, Heirloom tomato& avo and Puhoi goat cheese toast, Sime's signature braised ham hock egg hollandaise!! The staff super friendly and polite!! You'll love this place!!

Food was great, tasty and generous portions. The service from everyone was next level - genuine warm smiles, so friendly and professional

had a lovely server last night who had an amazing memory and knowledge of daily specials in the kitchen & drinks, food was great and fast service especially after arriving late! fab mocktail options for dry july :) steak cooked perfectly cheers we’ll be back.

While on a cycling tour of pubs in the area, we thought that we would kick off our day at The Speights Alehouse. Having been raised in Central Otago, speights literally runs through my veins, and this day was the opportunity for me to sample the different bars in the region for the best speights. Well, based on temperature, effervescence, taste and freshness, The Speights Alehouse one the day. As this is to be expected, it is good to have confirmation. A great spot, great food, and of course, excellent beer.

Dined here last night with four others. The place was buzzing, was a great atmosphere. Service was amazing, entrees ands mains came out super fast. All our meals were 10/10. The night ended listening to the talented band Toadstool. Brilliant night 😊

was a good portion serving. Biggest fault was time to get meal with a larger group we were in, not their fault.

2 visits in one week while visiting Nelson because of the mussels. So delicious, great white garlic chilli sauce. It was yummy! Wish I could take home with me. The team are also nice! Thank you chef.

First time very cool ,well recommend as a place to meet friends for a meal . Outside sitting and lots of parking . Hope there are ways for people to get home .

Great food always, good to come here with a group of people and have a yarn. Steak was nicely done and appetisers (Prawn twists and pizza) were good. Pina Colada mocktail so yommy!!! I'd down like 5 of those if they were free. 💔😋 Cute pineapple glass too

Had a Amazing Lunch today and the best service and food. Restaurant was Super clean and people Awesomely friendly. Just found the steel seats a bit to straight up and down but still great seating.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at speights ale house. I ordered; crispy Squid & prawn twisters for the entree and Black cherry chicken as my main. <br/><br/>The entrees were good, the squid pieces were a tad small but tasted delicious and the prawn twisters, were also a table pleaser. <br/><br/>Overall my main was a great size, and very fulfilling. The black cherries added such a nice tough to the beautifully cooked chicken. <br/><br/>Great place here. Especially for my first visit to this area. <br/>Unfortunately some of the other people on my table were a little dissatisfied with the food. <br/>However I found no fault in the food I was given. <br/><br/>

A quick  drop in as by the airport. Some  snapper bites and  chicken sliders and  calamari and a meat lovers pizza were enjoyed by all. Service reasonably fast. The servers were pleasant. Would come again. Decor  worth going for.

Had a lovely meal at Speights Ale House Nelson this evening. The staff were very friendly and the small this are important as they brought a small taster of their new beer with my first pint.<br/><br/>The starter of beef rolls and chicken bitter bites were nice. The filing lacked seasoning so missed the umph in flavor but overall it was ok. My main of pork and cracking was very nice. Pork maybe a tiny over but I am being very picky.<br/><br/>The ambience is the same as most of the speights houses, to dark for my liking but must be a look they are going for.<br/><br/>Overall a lovely meal and would go back.

Have been here a few times now, and impressed every time. Good location, staff friendly and good food and selection of tap beer. We will be back! <br/>

Amazing seafood chowder & salads.. Great beers, good staff.. Good for rugby etc <br/>Gotta check it out good vibes... Worth a visit... .........")

Came after the WOW exhibit, which is just across the street for a drink. I had the 5 malt old dark and it was great. <br/><br/>Looks pretty busy current and a good atmosphere. Good place for a drink.<br/><br/>Close to airport and free WIFI

We only had one night in Nelson as part of our tour of the South Island , we decided on the ale house nelson as it had been recommended by a friend and what a great choice it was , we had a great night , the food was excellent all arriving together and the atmosphere was spot on , as our travels took us around the South Island we tried a few other speights ale houses and this was by far the best experience we had . Thoroughly recommend .

I only have the best reviews for the Speights Ale House. Coming from Christchurch I have been many times to our local restaurant and have always had a great dining experience. However the Speights Ale House Nelson was a whole new experience. We took the family down on Saturday night and even with it being fully booked we still received the the friendly response and great service we expected. Our meals were received in an expected time frame and constantly had a waiter ready to take a drinks orders when needed. It had a great vibe about the place as all Speights Ale Houses have and would recommend anyone who hasn't been before to go down and give it a try. We'll defiantly head back next time we are up!

What a disappointment.<br/>Rather than make a fuss and ruin a birthday treat we finished our meals and headed home.<br/>The caesar salad was expensive, small, and littered with hard, over cooked, tasteless chicken. The croutons were like small cubes of wood.<br/>The seafood chowder as a main was very ordinary and expensive.<br/>The chicken salad had very little chicken and was also very expensive for what it was.<br/>As for the child's bangers and mash - really? You seriously think it is ok to serve dry, over cooked sausages on a lumpy mash?<br/><br/>The only positive was the mud cake.<br/>Add two beers and you have a substandard meal of three mains and a child's 'meal' at $108 <br/>Lesson learned, we won't be back.

We went here with guests from England and had a great night.<br/>Steaks were particularly good . Hot bread starters delicious and huge portions. Possibly a little over-priced but venue was lively and waitress attentive and cheerful. Recommended +++

Wow! I have to commend this place on pretty much everything. We had an experience tonight second to none and we are regular diners around the town. We felt special from the moment we opened the door. The manager greeted us instantly and was a lovely gentleman who seemed genuinely interested in our group and making sure we were well looked after. All four of us had beautifully cooked food from a superb steak to a fish of the day (groper) that wouldn't have been out of place in a fine dining restaurant. Dessert was great and complemented at the end of the night with lovely coffee which is a surprise from a pub!<br/>Great staff very friendly and accommodating we'll definitely be regulars here.

Attending Nelson Masters- booked a table (last minute) for 8 of us at Speights- seated upstairs on a very busy Friday night. Ordered cocktails (one not even listed, and additional limes brought to the table without being requested).<br/><br/>Amazing, attentive service from (yes young) but very capable waiting staff- all of which were pleasant and positive with our many requests.<br/><br/>All meals were great, my fresh Tuna- sensational.<br/><br/>No delays or waiting and not even a hassle for us all to pay individually and use our Entertainment Cards! Congratulated the manager on the night on brilliant staff and lovely meals. <br/><br/>Would definitely recommend to anyone and suggest return visits for any of the previous customers- doesn't sound like the same restaurant!

Had a great lunch at Speights Ale House today. It was very busy but the staff were great, told us there would be a 30 minute wait for food, but we got our garlic bread appetiser straight away, and the drinks arrived promptly. The food was excellent, two of us ordered the battered blue cod and chips, one had the big breakfast, and one had chicken carbonara. We all enjoyed our meals. We also had deal vouchers and thought we might get second-rate service but this was not the case. Wouldn't hesitate to go back.

Huge thank you to Gareth, Caitlin and the Team at Speights Ale House Nelson for a great night on Saturday. Our friends and family were all impressed with the amazing food and great service. We will all be back!!!

I have dined at a few Speight's Ale Houses round the South Island and have normally come away disappointed but tonight I had the chicken and it was delicious. It was cooked to perfection. Compliments to the new head chef!

Five lads on a boys weekend ate and drank around Nelson for four days. Our night here was amazing food, well beyond what we expected from a Speights Ale House. The service was above and beyond and we enjoyed the night which ended in a pleasant surprise on leaving with the reasonable price. Would make a bee line to go back.

Went Sunday evening with friends for a meal. The atmosphere was great, and the restaurant was quite busy. The meal was lovely and the waitress Naomi was attentive, friendly and helpful. We used a grabone voucher and it didn't make any difference to the service we received. We will definitely go back!

Went in at lunch time and the place did not seem very busy but it still took over an hour from the time of ordering until the food arrived. The staff were good and friendly. Food was poor. Do not go there if you are vegetarian - not many choices and the dish that arrived was very salty, and served on a bed of mushy potato with bacon in it!. We did ask before ordering, and when we complained the waitress said she did not know the dish had bacon. <br/>Expensive for what we got and we will not be going back.

Absolutely delicious!!! Everything about the meal and experience were were awesome!!! Staff (think our waitress was Charlotte) were lovely!!! Food presentation was great. Food was 10/10. Unfortunately we didn't have room for desert!!! :-( Would definitely recommend a visit!!!

We have had lunches (yum lamb shanks) and evening meals at the Speights Ale House and we couldn't fault it. Latest Saturday night compliments to the chef we all had different meals all were perfect. The surroundings are great as was the service.

Awful. Undercooked chips, gristle in the chicken burger and unripe, un-melted brie in there too. Really disappointing. How hard is it to make a chicken burger?!<br/><br/>Drinks orders were taken twice and had to be followed up 15 minutes later at the bar. Then we were overcharged!<br/><br/>The musician playing was ace - thank god. He was the place's only saving grace.<br/><br/>21/02/13: Having been invited back to give Speight's Alehouse another chance, I was very happy with the service - the waitress was attentive, friendly and professional. I had a lovely Entre (prawns and feta) and the fish of the day dish (Blue Cod) was inventive, fresh and perfectly cooked. <br/><br/>After a second visit, I have dismissed the first visit as a one - off and would go back again!

Completed impressed by the quality of the food, standard of service and the decor is new, relevant and trendy! When we arrived the welcoming from staff was first rate. We were seated straight away and ordered drinks which were promptly brought to us. From there the breads and dips we ordered which I may add was delicious! The mains - drunken steak and linguini were cooked to perfection. The beer battered fries are unreal! Would have no hesitation in recommending this establishment to all and we will definitely be back!

We have dined at he Ale House for about our sixth time tonight and this place is so worth recommending. We are a couple who spend a fair amount of time eating out in Nelson and would have to say Speight's has consistently served up beautiful meals as well as excellent service. From the time we walk in the door to the time we leave I have to say I can't pick any holes in this place. I recommend the Fish of the day I have it every time and its been beautiful and different each and every time - Keep it up Speight's!!!

July 2012 - Lovely food and attentive efficient service, they checked every course that we were happy with our meals and very friendly and accommodating.<br/><br/>We'll definitely be going back.<br/><br/>June 2013 - Did go back - same again - attentive polite staff and awesome food. Top notch.

I have been to the Speights Ale House a few times they have always had horrible customer service, we came here for a birthday dinner with my family, we had to wait over an hour for our meals to come out and when they came out they were nothing what we had expected, My Grandad got flounder which was covered in hundreds and thousands, I ordered the Highland short ribs which was suppose to come with portobello mushrooms but instead had button mushrooms, we ordered a jug and that took an hour to get to the table, they weren't overly busy because all of their rude staff were chatting around the bar while people were waiting. When we went to pay they would not let my grandparents who were paying use my speights loyalty club card because they said I wasn't paying and we spent well over $400 there.. What's the point in having one if I cant use it?! All up it was terrible service I never recommend this place to anyone and I certainly never go back!

The web site says the Ale House is a Sports Bar - Wrong! If you are keen to watch sport don't go here. There are small TV's but you have to ask to watch the sport, then you aren't allowed to hear what's going on, even when a big rugby game is on, no sound allowed even if only one person in the room objects to the sound being on. Speights Ale House is ok to go for a meal or a drink (even though a bit expensive) but definitely not for serious sports fans. They shouldn't advertise themselves as a sports bar, they are not!

First time, we have been there, the food was fabulous and generous portion. The atmosphere was really nice, cozy and warm. Staff were really great and welcoming. Definitely we will come back for dinner. Highly recommended!

Dined at the Ale House again last night &amp; again it was awesome I had the fish of the day crispy skin White warehou with mash &amp; crab bisque it was awesome &amp; the White Warehou was so tasty &amp; moist. My wife had the Swordfish this time &amp; commented on the freshness &amp; quality. We couldn't ask for better, great value for money<br/>

I haven't lived in Nelson long, but I have eaten almost everywhere and this was by far the best I've tried in a very long time.<br/><br/>I normally go for red meat dishes like steaks, but I had heard from a friend that these guys have Swordfish on the menu!<br/>It was perfectly sized and excellently cooked, so will be getting that one again!<br/><br/>I did the same thing with food as with drinks, where I normally drink red wine, I tried out the range they have on tap. The Speight's Porter is amazing... enough said.<br/><br/>This place is highly recommended and for good reason.<br/><br/>A+

I had the pleasure of having a bar lunch here when I was down on business 17th May 2012. Service was excellent and friendly and the food was superb, I recommend the flounder, my mouth is watering thinking about it.<br/>The atmosphere was the best I have been in since I lived in Scotland.<br/>This is a great place for either social or corporate meetings or presentations.<br/>Regards Will - Auckland

Wow, lovely restaurant but very pricey, you could eat at some of Nelson's "fine dining" places for less. No complaints about the actual food or service though, but lets be realistic it is a bar/pub/family restaurant after all.

Had a great evening. Hubby's surprise 40th 20+ people meals service was great, Bread was divine, mains were all delivered and presented well and were delicious. But best of all the music and music videos were the best. Will go again.

Top restaurant for service food and decor!!!! This restaurant is rated top of the top for service. My partner and I went for dinner and were treated like absolute royalty! Service with a plus! Please take a bow Riley and Naomi from Nelson!!!! We had a night that is unforgettable. We have dined everywhere in the area and have never felt more important.... would recommend for dinner for two or function dining as have been witness to the most perfect overall dining experience. Menu is absolutely divine! Keep it up! We will be back with our friends.

My wife and i had dinner at the Speights Ale House last night, as I had visited a number of times with mates for a Friday beer and really enjoyed the relaxed and friendly atmosphere. We were slightly nervous as i'd heard negative feedback about meal delays from a colleague who had dined there, but as it turned out we needn't have worried. I had the Flounder, my wife the Salmon - both delicious and exceeded expectations, although next time we wouldn't have the bread loaf first (it's huge!). Our drinks order was taken before we went upstairs - and almost beat us to the table - both the meal order and subsequent drink refills all happened in appropriate time, despite the place being pretty full. All round we were very impressed and will definitely recommend to friends and family.....and be back for more!

I took my family to the Speights Ale House this evening for one of our children's birthdays. I had already eaten a couple of times with clients and had enjoyed the food, atmosphere and service. <br/>With high expectations and tired children in tow we arrived to a warm welcome from the manager and were escorted to our upstairs table.<br/>We were introduced to our waitress and she then made sure we were all happy and comfortable advising the daily specials and taking drinks orders. The restaurant was relatively busy and we were really well looked after in terms of understanding our needs, interacting with the children and just making sure everything was OK.<br/>The food was lovely and plentiful and the kids were really pleased with their meals - and they are hard to please.<br/>Great flavours and great portion sizes meant we all went home well fed, well watered and content!<br/>We will definitely be back and the manager and his team went out of their way to make sure we had a good experience. I will be recommending friends to try out the Speights Ale House and support the town's newest bar and restaurant which I believe has something for everyone...

I have eaten and drank (Heaps!!!) at the Speights Ale House Nelson - the food, service and welcome is exceptional. I have entertained clients there, and everyone enjoyed the experience.<br/><br/>Try the whole flounder!!<br/><br/>Honestly, thoroughly recommend it - and remember, most of the negative reviews on here are from opposition food outlets!

Hi. 4 of us locals visited on 1 March 2012. My partner had gone to the bar to get us drinks but a waitress noticed I didn't have a drink and came and asked if I wanted one- well spotted. Not long after we were asked if we were dining in that evening and the waitress guessed who we were and showed us to our table. Great decor, noticed all Speights detail of 3 stars on base of bar stools, restaurant chairs, etc. Loved the tartan on back of some of the seating. <br/><br/>Meals took 20 mins to arrive, unfortunately just the 2 arrived at once, we had to wait 5 mins for the other 2 which wasn't VG. All meals well presented. Rib eye steak was done perfect to medium rare as requested. Shank and cod and chips were also enjoyable. My meal- the beans were blanched for about 2 mins in water so were like raw and one I tried was stringy. The waitress was apologetic and while the meal was returned to the chef to sort out, she offered me a complimentary alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink. My meal was a goat, bacon and mushroom pie- when I tried the pie, all I could taste was an aftertaste of pepper- my friend also confirmed this when she tried it. We told the waitress to pass this info on to the chef which she did.<br/><br/>Summary- excellent polite service from everyone concerned, 3 out of 4 meals were well received, just need to make sure all meals at one table are served within a couple of minutes so all at the table can start their meal at once- some restaurants 'borrow' another waitress to achieve this. We would return and would also recommend to others.

I recently dined at the Speights Ale House for my Birthday. We had a table of 30 people and all left very impressed! The food was fantastic and the service faultless. <br/><br/>I had the Black Cherry Chicken– which was to die for, and my partner had the drunken steak and he was very impressed - going as far to say its the best he has had!! The meals were large, very satisfying and beautifully presented. I cant wait to get back there any try more on the menu!<br/> <br/>The staff were extremely friendly and professional and our waitress really went the extra mile. Nothing was a problem for her! <br/><br/>We will definately be going back there and would recommend it to anyone. A+++++

My wife and I visited here on the evening of 21 February 2012. It was our first time here and arrived on spec, without a previous booking. First impressions were very good, decor and general setup pleasing. The young lady at the reception was welcoming, smiling and generally very helpful. Because we had not booked we were told we would have to wait about 15 minutes while she juggled the table bookings and we accepted this. However, after five minutes, she called us in to the bar area for a two-seat table which was then available. On this occasion we did not require drinks and, after about eight minutes, a very pleasant young waitress took our order which was for mains only. While waiting for our meals, we noticed that all the staff appeared to be in the 20s/30s age group and continually on the move - the place was full. All appeared to know what they were doing and very efficiently did it!<br/><br/>The meals duly arrived after 25 minutes - in our view a reasonable wait considering the number people being attended to. The meals were well presented. Quantities were very good but, as we found, the quality was at best only average. My wife's meal - vegetarian - was much too oily. My own meal - Drunken Steak - was good except for the main ingredient, the steak. I asked for it medium rare, which it was and tasted good, but I suspect it was not the cut it was supposed to be, more like stewing steak grilled, and was tough! If not that, then the beast it came from was not in the best of condition!<br/><br/>Geoff (Stoke)

I am an owner of two motels in Nelson. I commend the 'Speights Ale House' for their decor and cheerful, helpful staff.<br/>However - two weeks ago I took clients there for lunch, meal was great but the service was very slow. So I thought I would give the place a second chance and tried another lunch date. We sat there for 15 minutes without being offered even a drink, let alone having our meal order taken. As a suggestion from a mutual business owner - you have the basic great facilities, you really need to address you staff issues... a great manager could make or break the place, at present you do not have one of these....

Last evening my family made our second visit to Speight's Ale House to see if things had improved since our first visit in mid January. Unfortunately things had deteriorated.<br/><br/>On the January visit we took some friends from Wellington to our new local. They paid for two rounds of drinks for our group and we then decided to order the seafood platter to share. This duly arrived and we disposed of it as we finished our drinks. The pate was accompanied by only four pieces of crisp bread - not nearly enough to use all the pate. We requested some more bread and were informed that this would be no problem but that an additional charge of $3 would be required! This was after a tab of more than $100 at the bar and $48 for the platter! So much for their byline " Generous to a Fault". This is not a good policy for a new establishment.<br/><br/>Last evening our family went for drinks and a meal to give that place a second chance. We made a booking and were told that all tables would be in use until 7.30pm but we could eat at a bar table. We accepted this and arrived about 6.45pm. No one approached us to take our food orders. We eventually attracted a waitress who took our orders about 7.20pm. We requested a dining table if one became available . We waited nearly 1 hour for our food and were told that a dining table was available upstairs. At the table we were served our food but with no cutlery or water. We had to call downstairs for the cutlery and were advised that the water was coming.<br/><br/>The food was hardly average. It was just warm, lacked flavour, the Scotch fillet steak was doubtful and seemed more like a cheaper cut, the tuna salad was not prepared as our vegetarian daughter had requested and still no water!<br/><br/>As we finished our meals the water arrived and the child in our group was offered his ice cream dessert at about 9.00 pm. We need to leave by this time so we took the dessert in a container.<br/><br/>When we paid to leave I complained to the Duty Manager. She attempted to defend her staff by insisting on retrieving the order docket to challenge my timing issues. So much for accepting my dissatisfaction and attempting to put things right!<br/><br/>The whole experience was very disappointing. This is very ordinary pub food at city restaurant prices, poor and slow service and a weak customer focus. This Speight's Ale House over promises and under delivers. We won't go there again.

My partner and I came here for dinner in late January just a wee while after it had opened. We booked for 7pm and it wasn't as busy as i thought it would be. Our waitress was really nice and helpful during our time we were there.<br/><br/> I did happen to notice that the staff were all quite young (maybe no older than 20) that we saw. I think this could be an issue for when it gets busy as I've heard it does. There doesn't look to be a well experienced on floor manager which they could benifit from. <br/><br/>BUT the food was soooo good, and the beer was fantastic as Speights always is, and the sevice was friendly and nice =)

Went to the ale house on New Year’s eve with a group of twelve, it was a great experience and we ended up having a great night. We were welcomed by the manager who was a great guy and very polite which was the demeanor of all the staff. We were shown to a table where we had a few rounds of beers and wines ect, and the staff were quick to come and ask if everything was okay or if we required more drinks or if we would like to see the menu, which is fantastic and exactly what you want on a dining out experience. We ordered entrees to begin and completed these before our mains were brought out. The waiting time was short and the quality of the food was exceptional, the best we experienced in Nelson over our New Year holiday. We followed this by having a few drinks until about one o’clock, the atmosphere was great and we had a thoroughly enjoyable time.

Me and two friends went to the speights ale house for the first time tonight and i was dubious as I'd heard alot of negative feedback about it, first impressions were good the place has a good atmosphere about it and wasn't very packed when we were there. We ordered some drinks at the bar then found a table. A waitress came over a short time later asking if we required more drinks and we asked for a dinner menu at the same time. We got a garlic bread for starters which was served within good time but mains came out before we had finished the garlic bread. Not much to choose from on the menu so I just went for one of the nibbles options (chicken bitterballs) which were a deep fried but tasty dish. My friends ordered burgers one beef one chicken, the pattys did not appear to be home-made and were of the processed form, one of which was still cold so possibly not properly cooked. One wine was forgotten about so was never served. Wasnt too impressed about the kids from a certain family jumping all over the tables but more the parents to blame rather than the staff but maybe a discreet word to the parents would have been sufficient. I think its fair to say its a new business and they are still trying to find their feet so hopefully they will get it together within the next few months :) staff are very friendly and helpful however.

I am from Wellington and was visiting my family in Nelson over Xmas. I took my mum, Nana and Step dad to the Speights Ale House on the Thursday the 22nd of December.<br/><br/>Loved the set up of the place as it looked really modern and also had plenty of TV screens so I could have the odd cheeky look to check the score in the cricket.<br/><br/>Upon arrival we were greeted by a friendly member of staff, also the manager introduced himself to our group which we thought was a nice touch. <br/><br/>Service was fast and efficient. I went for the steak and loved it, the chips were beer batted and were amazing!<br/><br/>Definitely recommend!!

We were warned by friends about the long wait at the new Nelson Speights Ale House, but thought we'd give it a go last night anyway. We were initially impressed with the nice bar, decor and atmosphere. Unfortunately we had the same experience with a very long wait for our meals. We had a drink in the bar while we waited for a table, but when we returned to check about the table, the maitre d' had crossed our name off the list 'as she couldn't find us' (or couldn't be bothered looking for us). She managed to get us a table quickly which was appreciated - though her attitude and demeanor was pretty sour. We ordered our meals at 7.30pm, was served our entrees at 8pm which we were ok with. Our main meals finally arrived at 8.45pm. There was no explanation or apology for the long delay. The food was very average, overcooked duck and lamb shanks, terrible mash with the shanks, etc etc. For the price of the food, the quality was very average. Our waitress was pretty good, I think she had had enough of complaints about the slow food though! I have had several meals at the Chch Bealey Ave Ale House which was excellent. I hope the Nelson restaurant can sort it's shit out and get up to the quality we would expect of this chain. It is not a good representation of the Speights or Ale House brands. I hope their marketing managers see all of these complaints and get it sorted, as if this level of food and service continues, there won't be many locals dining there.

We dined at the Speights Ale House on the 2nd Jan. I can honestly say the place is magnificent! The bar is upmarket and trendy which was complimented by the standard of the food and service we received. Would recommend to all!

We waited over an hour for our meals, we were about to walk out when they finally arrived. Service was terrible and we kept getting told they were understaffed in the kitchen and terribly busy. When we went to pay they had charged us for double drinks and some of the meals twice too. Very disappointing!!! We are locals and had been looking forward to the Speights Ale House opening here for somewhere new to go. The meals were ok, although some people had burnt bread on their plates. Such a shame since Speights Ale Houses have a great reputation elsewhere!

As the other review on this site sounded suspiciously like a plug for another restaurant i decided to check out the ale house for myself while in Nelson for new years. My suspicions were correct. Went to the ale house for a few drinks on new years eve and ended up staying all night. Great atmosphere, friendly staff with great service. Came back the next day for lunch, so much to choose from we ended up coming back the next day to try something else from the menu. delicious!! Great work Nelson will def be back soon

30Th December 2011, 12.15pm with a party of 10. Was told there would be about a 20 minute wait which turned out to be over an hour. <br/>Shown to our table and waited for another hour for our meal, the fish of the day meal was just OK, the chicken burger contained a crumbed greasy chicken schnitzel. this was advertised to be a gourmet burger but did not fit the description given on the menu, plus the schnitzel was over cooked and burnt crisp.<br/><br/>We did mention this to the waitress that we were disappointed and to pass it on to the front of house manager,who then made the decision to give us our first round of drinks free.<br/><br/>As we had two small children with us it was very hard to explain the lateness of our lunch.<br/><br/>We have dined at other Speights Ale Houses and we know this is below their standard, we will try again and our expectation will be to receive a positive customer experience as befitting the Speights Ale House brand.

Just had a few drinks and a meal here. Was told to wait 20 minutes for a table and then forgotten about. Sorted a table out ourselves. Ordered food and 30 minutes later was told the pie I had ordered was not available. The food finally arrived after a further long wait and was very poor, burnt wedges, burnt toast with the ordinary pate and all of it cold. When we complained we were told it was because they were busy and when we finally got the bill they had overcharged us one round of drinks ! I for one will not be going back. Rubbish.