Review Cheek And Chong - Orewa

Had an absolute blast celebrating my birthday here. Staff were super friendly, attentive, and even went the extra mile to make it a special evening. And the food... where to begin?! I've travelled extensively through SE Asia and their fusion take brought back memories but also bold new combinations. The beef cheek Massman was incredible... Wishing we could do our entire vacation in NZ again, starting with Cheek and Chong

I'd had this place on my 'dining bucket list' for a while now and I was so happy to finally get the chance to go there last night. We had a 5.30pm booking. The venue was at a lovely level of patronage when we arrived. A table for two. Our service was impeccable all night. We had a young lad look after us towards the end and he was incredible. Our food was made and delivered to us with what I thought was exceptional spend. I had the eggplant chips (not in the photo) and they were heavenly! My main was the crispy tofu (pictured). The tofu wasn't crispy and by the time I got to eating it, it was actually quite soggy which was a bit disappointing. But dish flavors were a party for my palette. The menu had good identification around dietary restrictions. Plenty of vegetarian options too. As we ended our meal, around 7ish, the noise level was really high and it was hard to have a conversation. I really struggled with this and left earlier than I'd have liked as a result. Take aways for me - exceptional service, great food but for me, probably better enjoyed at a quieter time.

The food was absolutely amazing and I'd def recommend going here. Right on the street with good outdoor seating. Bit loud inside but doesn't detract from the excellent food.

I love this place, but when there is no service, and you need to constantly chase up the staff, for drinks and to tell us what had been put on the table , it needs to be mentioned. We were unfortunately placed in the far back right table, not the big group one. That said, the food was sensational. We will be back, but we will ask to be away from any lost corners.

Cheek and Chong restaurant is just a class act others should aspire to be like. The service, just second to none and always polite and happy to help at a moments notice For the location on a main road, it was not problem with indoor and outdoor seating to suit. The food looked, tasted and presented to a extremely high standard that very few restaurants achieve. It is all of the little details that make the whole experience more enjoyable. Like freshly squeezed orange juice. Some might find the prices a little high. But you are paying for a whole experience that can not be faulted. I personally would rather spend the time traveling here and paying more, than visit a local restaurant

We highly recommend eating here. Favorites are the popcorn prawns, kaffir lime chicken, pork belly and shaking beef. Love the tapioca as well for a refreshing dessert. Great customer service. Can get a bit noisy, so it's no good if you want a quiet romantic night. We love it though. Great for groups as well. We always forget to take photos as we are so eager to eat the yummy dishes.

The interior was fancy, but the floor was a bit slippery. Foods were exotic and delicious but made us drink water enough(a bit salty😅).

Really fast service and delicious food. A bit pricey however. Curry doesn't include rice which then adds further to the price. Nice and clean amenities inside and good atmosphere. They serve a variation of cuisines which is nice. Would probably come back because the other restaurants nearby are also pricey with much smaller portions.

Did manage to enter this rather popular new restaurant and the quality of food and the presentation of it didn't disappoint. The wait staff were friendly and the service was very nice. Both the dishes we ordered were top quality. The price is surely on the higher side and on par with the food. It is also placed at a great location by the Orewa waterfront and ticks all the boxes for a good evening. One insignificant complain would be the seating hostess' indifferent attitude. Perhaps a side affect of being too busy. Not enough to drop a star over.

Fantastic dining for our girls day out! The team here at Cheech and Chong were outstanding. We were welcomed in with warm greetings. Nothing was a problem. Staff had extensive knowledge of the menu and the food was excellent.

One of the best Asian fusion places in Auckland. Orewa beach is one of our must visit places in Auckland every year. Just happen to have a catch up with a friend at this lovely spot and we had a good time. Food was very nice, tasty and full of flavour. Just the duck was a bit overcooked, tasted a bit of burnt but it didn't affect our good time. Service was alright, we could see that they are doing their best and the youngsters needed coaching, we always had to try to get attention for more wines lol. I would recommend to give them a visit, and we will be back for sure. :)

The visual presentation of our choice from an extensive menu was delightful. A blend of aromas, colour, textures and balance well plated. Overall ambience of this establishment lacked background music to fade the noisy chatter from surrounding tables. Reasonably priced with friendly Servers.

Firstly, my cocktail was amazing. The flavours in that bad boy were delicious. The food was just as good. My partner didn't really enjoy the duck salad, although I appreciated how fresh it was. If you just want a lot of veges, you'll love it, if not, I wouldn't get that. But the popcorn shrimp, get 5 of these, I'd only eat these, they were that delicious. The sashimi and the bao buns were great aswell. Atmostphere was lovely, staff were really nice, we were quickly attended too even though they were busy. Would come back again and try more on the menu for sure. Thanks team!

My friend ordered Rose wine was very watery, not much taste and less portion😔 Nojito was nice. Food was tasty. Amazing with fresh vegetables🥦 Price is bit expensive but i think good restaurant to eat on special day at orewa😊

Really great Asian fusion restaurant! The food portions are pretty big for the price. Everything we had was really tasty but I felt the duck fried rice was slightly greasy but tasty nonetheless. The wagyu beef curry was amazing! The beef was so soft and well cooked it melted in the mouth! Would definitely recommend :)

Love this place! Always make space in my diary to dine here when I'm back in NZ and it never disappoints. Delicious Asian fusion, served in a fun & funky atmosphere, right on the doorstep of the beautiful Orewa Beach.

Just had a lovely meal here the food flavours were outstanding but I thought the portion sizes were a little on the small side for price so just be aware. Champagne we got served was not cold enough, had to get an ice bucket to chill it down. All in all we will come here again though as setting and flavours win us over. Picture item's, dumplings, bun, pad Thai, lamb curry, kafia chicken

The restaurant boasts some of the best views on the coast and is a great place to sit and soak up the seaside atmosphere. My husband and I usually come for shated plates and wine. I love the food but the flavours are somewhat repetitive across the menu. The selection of wines is extensive and there is a lot of variety of local and foreign wines.

Always love it

I’m confident you could order anything on this menu and it would be delicious!<br/>This was my first dining experience since lockdown and it was the best place we could have chosen. My partner and I are vegetarian and they have a great vegetarian range and we’re excited that we ordered 3 different items and still have more things to try next time we’re back which is rare for us.<br/>We went with my parents and we both agree that everything was so delicious.<br/>The layout of their restaurant is great and the staff were so lovely too, the decorations and all the quirky touches were fun to point out too.<br/>Would happily bring people here and can’t wait to go back :)<br/>

Although it’s been in our neighbourhood for ages now, for some reason we weren’t drawn to Cheek and Chong, even though this cuisine is right up our alley. Bit the bullet and went last night, so glad we did! <br/>We had the Popcorn Prawns and their special Soft Shell Crab steamed (Bao) bun and the Beef Cheek Massaman Curry and Sweet and Sour Pork Belly. Everything was really flavourful, Our highlights were the Bao bun and the Massaman Curry. Please could you put more sauce with the popcorn prawns, the smear on the bowl was too small. <br/>We had two cocktails each, again really flavourful. All up the meal cost $166.00 which we were happy with, great service all night, great flavours and portion sizes. Will be back.

Gorgeous food - perfect location - wonderful staff

Food ok, however, tell the staff red wine doesn't have sediment to enhance the flavour of the wine as we were told by waitress. I don't know why she would say this but found it a little insulting, we aren't stupid. Learn a bit about the wine you serve instead of making up some rubbish excuse or invest in an aerator.

Such a good place to eat. If your gluten intolerant definitely give this place a try. So accomodating for all needs. Will definitely be back

Love this place. The only thing that can be a bit upsetting is that it is quite pricey. It's definitely more worth it with a group, however the food is so good you don't want to share it......  Relaxed environment, and dellliiiccciiouusss food.  Also, remember the dishes don't come with rice unless specified.

Very bad experience. I have been in New Zealand nearly 20 years. I always feel the people in NZ are kind and respectful. However, I felt racism in the restaurant through the manager to staffs. We went to the restaurant around 8.00pm. We have a five-year-old daughter who is starving at the moment. I have queued for 15-20 minutes. The waitress choose to ignore us but keep serving kiwi people in another line. I complained to the manager in front but nothing is improved at all. Finally, we left the restaurant and find a very nice restaurant nearby.

The manager was very very nice so we decided to stay. But all the other staff were semi rude or uninterested? Order the ice chocolate if you would like a cup of milk with canned whip cream on top and ice cubes. Wa very bland. The menu breakfast is like written in English but not English names so it was difficult to know what your actually ordering I was lucky my breakfast was good but my friends one was not quite as good. Also took a long time to come out with the food. A few other customers got their food before us even though they were there after. The seats are a bit uncomfortable

Yummy fusion food filled with flavour.<br/>I have been here many times and enjoyed the food every time. After having traveled to many parts in south east Asia multiple times, I love coming here.<br/>Definitely not specifically one country cuisine, the chef is enjoying their creativity. Every dish has a unique taste with lots of flavor and spice. It is pricey compared to the other food outlets in orewa but you get what you pay for.<br/>My family loves sharing dishes when we eat out, and this place is perfect for it. Sharing dishes means every person is able to taste a wide variety of the flavours this restaurant has to offer.<br/>Service is ok, I think the wait staff are still finding their feet.<br/>Looking at the other reviews I have a feeling that the demographic of orewa may not be 100% right for this food. If you are looking for a cheap Chinese takeaway, this is not the place to come.<br/>I look forward to eating here next time.<br/>Thank you!!

The food is always delicious, every time! The staff are super friendly and always helpful. And it’s so great to have something different locally to eat!

It's alright, got crispy duck, pork belly and beach rolls. Beach rolls were lovely, sauces worked well. But crispy duck and pork belly were a bit sickly... the meat was cooked perfectly but the sauces were just too much in my opinion. Service was OK. Not overly friendly nor overly rude. <br/> <br/><br/>UPDATE: The second time I went there, much better service and much better food? Although the same menu the flavours were so much more bareable and really enjoyed the food (got pretty much the same stuff as last time)! The staff was great, although engaging in conversation usually takes more effort on the customers side when it would be nice to see the waiter/resses engaging first (although i understand how busy that place is most of the time). Only one problem, the sediment in the red wine... You cant just tell people its to enhance flavour to avoid the fact that your not going to aerate your wine, i understand only higher end restuarants generally do this and a lot of the time opening the bottle aerates it but its not on to tell customers otherwise. There is sediment because it hasnt been aerated, they dont keep it in there to enhance flavour...

Popped in to Cheek n Chong with my family and some family friends for dinner one night as Dad had been there before and raved about it. My friend and I both got a mojito and we couldn't really find much on the menu that we liked so we got some rice to share and we got the fried chicken wings, wok tossed greens and the green beans. The veggies were quite spicy but still good and the chicken was good. The interior is decorated so well and its always buzzing in there so must be quite popular. Will probably be back :)

Lovely place. Food was fantastic, great flavour and well balanced. Could easily get 5 stars, but was a bit over priced.<br/>The pad Thai didn't justify the $32 even if the rice noodles were hand made (they were also a bit thick). The eggplant curry had about 5x2cm cubes of eggplant in it, though tasty. The hapuka was also lovely. Sashimi was a winner.<br/>Service was great and the cocktails yum.<br/>Great experience and food - just unfortunately not great value for price.

Hate this place with a passion honestly, the service wasn’t that good, no view, no presentation in the meals and not to mention hardly anything on the menu. But my drink was okay.

Went for a dinner to Cheek & Chong and my experience was not as I expected. I was so excited to finally try their amazing food that everyone was constantly talking about since they opened but I was a bit disappointed.<br/><br/>You don't have a lot to choose from the menu if you are a vegetarian who doesn't like spicy food. My main had so much ginger in it that I couldn't taste the rest of my food. My friend ordered pork belly and it was really good but adding a bit of rice wouldn't hurt anyone for that price. The last thing worth complaining is the water. Could you please replace those vintage water bottles because they leave a metal-ish taste in water. Bottles are really nice but maybe for a decoration.<br/><br/>I really love how they decorated the restaurant. Everything looks really nice from plates and chairs to tables and TV on the ceiling 😊👌

Our friends and I enjoyed an absolutely awesome lunch and service, last Saturday. Thank you. One of the couple had dined here 3 times before!!!

Made a booking for my daughters' 18th birthday get together with friends/family.  We were put in a room down the back that had no windows, air conditioning nor ceiling fan.  It was incredibly hot and we took turns going through the restaurant and out onto the street to cool down.  We had menu's to fan ourselves but once they were taken we were all sitting there trying to fan ourselves with paper napkins and skull warm water.  After a lovely meal, we just had to leave, it was very uncomfortable.  It put a real damper on the evening and I could tell my daughter was upset that everyone left so quickly.  <br/><br/>As for the meals, very tasty, just one complaint, with my daughters' order she added a side of rice which came 20 minutes after she had received the first part of the order.

My wife and I went to Cheek & Chong one busy Friday night. It was lucky we booked as the place was humming. C&C is a busy, noisy, hectic retaurant that almost looks to be in state of good humoured chaos, but we were seated quickly, our waitress was attentive and friendly, and our drinks order was quick to arrive. The food has a South East Asian feel with lots of fresh herbs and spices , ginger fennel corriader etc. We shared two entrees a raw king fish and crispy squid. The king fish was lovely but a bit  overwhelmed in a sea of  peppery sauce and a small forest of "micro herbs" The squid was tasty and beautifully cooked but the dipping sauce tasted like  ETA's thousand island dressing . We finished with a shared main of sweat and sour pork belly which was beautiful. The skin was properly crispy and the fat and meat were juicy and tender and the piquant asian style sauce meat the meat wasn't too heavy. The stack of slaw on top was a crunchy and clean tasting accompanyment. Prices are very reasonable and with drinks we spent about $80.00.  A fun frantic place welcoming and friendly.

I thoroughly enjoyed my dining experience at Cheek and Chong. I had a lovely server called Hannah. She was very helpful with deciding on dishes and giving advice on how to split between four people. Amazing service from Hannah and amazing food. Would highly recommend this restaurant

My first and last experience at C&C. Waited for a while to get service at the front, (with attitude) only to be asked whether I had a table to my question "do you have WIFI". I replied by letting the waitress know that I only want a table if they had WIFI for me to do my work. Did not feel welcomed and felt a little profiled, so I walked away. I'm a local who eats out everyday whilst working, so it is a shame.

Amazing fresh and tasty food!! Great staff who had spot on recommendations and were super helpful with special requests. Will be back and highly recommend.

We went to Cheek & Chong for my husband’s birthday and thoroughly enjoyed our experience. The service was on-point as soon as we walked through the doors. The waitress who served us was cheerful, professional, and regularly checked up on us to ensure our happiness and satisfaction. The meals were a bit small, would have loved to have had more of it for what we paid (reason for 4, not 5 stars); but the food was sensational! So delicious - our favourite was the beef bun, drooling just thinking about it! Highly recommended, and we will be back again soon.

Last minute booking. Every bit of food was amazing and flavourful. Staff were attentive and enthusiastic. Can't wait to visit again. Will be telling everyone to go here

Noisy restaurant... Food sharing recommended by waiting staff. A confused mix of Thai and Vietnamese quisene... Not overly well done either, not enjoyable - overpriced takeaway food springs to mind.

Enthusiastic wait staff with a menu that is varied and interesting.<br/><br/>Rang to try to make a booking and not available until too late, walked up with with five children ages 3-9 all of which were not spice lovers and four adults.<br/><br/>Unbelievably a table found by friendly service manager and children catered for without fuss despite the restaurant being essentially full.<br/><br/>Restaurant had a healthy staffing level and meals were soon to arrive despite the restaurant being packed, that's seriously impressive having worked in hospitality.<br/><br/>Restaurant being alive with the sound of popularity, they may need to look at doing some sound suppression as it's not going to drop off if they can maintain the quality that we encountered.<br/><br/>Highly recommended by the adults and the children who enjoyed the variety, we've found our "local" despite being in Stanmore.<br/><br/>Rated 5 star on food quality, service and cleanliness.<br/><br/>

Booked for a table of 4 and at the last minute increased it to a table of 10, they were very accommodating and fit us in to the private booth area. Food was outstanding! Can’t fault it. Every single thing we ordered we were very happy with. Duck and Pork Belly were delicious, the satay chicken and the sautéed green vegetables - yum! Service is the only thing that was OK, had to ask for waters and they missed one dish out. Very nice staff but just busy. Food was fast and atmosphere was good!

Amazing flavours in every meal so fresh and tasty,<br/>When you out for dinner I like to experience something new and different <br/>I was recommended by a friend and thoroughly enjoyed the food and service.

We love TOK TOK so when we heard they opened up a branch in Orewa we couldn’t wait to try it out. Made a lunch reservation and we asked to sit inside, but it was really noisy so we asked to move outside. Staff was accommodating and set up outside for us. <br/><br/>Ordered the kingfish sashimi, good acidity and enjoyed it. One thing that threw me off was the hard bits on top, could not work those out. <br/><br/>Mains we had the shaking beef, crispy half duck and green beans. The beef was soft and full of beefy flavour, the duck unfortunately was not crispy and very fatty, also the sauce was not balanced with very little coriander and garnish. Love the orange with the duck, only got 3 slithers.<br/><br/>Tok Tok still makes a better “crispy” duck!

We posted a very negative review on Cheek n Chong which has not yet appeared. The food was appalling when we attended with friends pre Christmas. When we complained the waiter said with auto response "Illl tell the chef" which we knew wouldnt happen. No apology ever given. Dont waste your time with this new restaurant. The men ordered Shaking Beef which was a table joke since it took endless chewing and was full of gristle. As well we ordered a various selection of plates and the portions were ridiculously small. The corn fritters and salsa were stodgy balls x 3 so we paid extra to get an extra fritter to serve four. The rest of the sharing bowls were also very small and over spicey so inedible. We left and came home to cook extra food.  Generously giving one star for service.

We were looking forward to attending and enjoying the set menu. However, because there was 6 of us they would not let us order. Supposedly you need to have maximum of 4 people to order the set menu, but this is not communicated on the menu or website at all.<br/>Wasted an hour travelling there, ordered drinks and then told we couldn’t order what we wanted from the menus that were just given to us. <br/>The manager didn’t care and told us that this was policy. I have advised him that his ‘policy’ needs to be comunicated on the menu.

I think this was an amazing restaurant! The people were so helpful and kind, the food was divine and the overall vibe and experience was outstanding! Can’t wait to go back and I recommend to definitely book in advance.i strongly recommend this restaurant and for people to give it a chance, must be difficult to start a new restaurant and adjust to the new environment especially when it’s so popular like it’s been!

We sat at the table waiting for ages to have our order taken, hadnt even been offered water or a drink for 10 minutes.  The food is very nice, although 3 of us had different dishes, a beef dish, duck and pork, each of the dishes had pretty much the same flavoured sauce.  Very sweet tasting sauce.  My husbands dish came first and he had finished it before my son even got his dish.  The waitress just 'plonked' each dish on the side of the table, mumbled what it was and then walked off, left us wondering who's it was and having to reach over to get it.  Inside the restaurant is very noisy.  Have given them a 2 just simply for the customer service.

I was sorry to read the lunch booking reviews below, that would have frustrated me because the food and service at dinner time is excellent, we have been twice , the first visit being opening night and even with the packed restaurant they didn't let their standards slip.  We are thrilled to have Cheek and Chong open on the Coast, offering a relaxed vibe with great food and drink options.  If you enjoy sharing style meals and love Thai and Veitnamese flavours - give them a go ... for dinner.

I booked lunch online for 2 Dec, got all excited to try as have been waiting for it to open, arrived on time only to find door locked, eventually man came to side door & said not open until 5pm? I showed him my booking confirmation & he wasn’t interested. We met other people with same experience on the day. I have emailed them, called & spoken to receptionist who said she would get manager to call me - we are still waiting. Absolutely appallingly attitude - all we want is acknowledgment- my rating at present would be minus 10. If your not open you should not be able to book <br/><br/> <br/>UPDATE - We have been & had lunch, I finally managed to get thru to the new manager who was very apologetic & helpful, we went with friends & had a really lovely meal, service was excellent as well & we will return again.  Rating has been amended to reflect this.

We went out for family during their 1st week if opening. The food was absolutely divine, loved the dumplings which at the time were not on the menu. However the really amazing Chef made them especially for us. Highly recommend this place, great atmosphere and lovely staff

Don’t waste your time!<br/>I booked a table online for Friday lunch and was sent an email the day before asking to confirm, which I did. Great. I arranged to meet the wife for lunch, no child, excellent!<br/>I drove about 15ks into Orewa to meet the wife, she came from Helensville.<br/>They had decided not to open!! Then informed me they would be open at 5pm<br/>Really!! They had also taken other bookings and were turning people away