Review Waterfront Bar - Raumati Beach

Quick dinner for our last night visiting Kapiti Coast. Staff are friendly, informative and helpful. Ordered the chicken liver pate for entree and had the dish of the day, duck nasi goreng and pork belly for mains. Food was delicious, and mum couldn’t stop raving about the duck 10/10 she reckons. Sadly the pork was quite dry… which was a shame as the meal itself is divine. Great venue will be back approx $50pp including drinks.

Always enjoy going to the Waterfront bar. Views and service are great, went for the grilled venison which was lovely. Prices are reasonable too Atmosphere is bustling and friendly, fine dining with a laid-back beach crowd 😎

Lush view. Decor inside could probably do with a revamp but isn't too bad. Food good bur could do with some more vegetarian options. Overlooks a lovely beach and is very close to raumati village. Friendly staff and efficient service.

Spent time with family and friends. Great view and good access for two of ours on crutches & walking stick. Sadly we were too early for dinner menu. Need to be more flexible perhaps. They missed out on revenue.

Gorgeous view with great food and wonderful staff. Will be coming back for sure. Well done 👌🏻

Great atmosphere! A favorite of ours to go to for a sundowner, graze and catch up with friends. Staff, especially Peter, are just amazing. Owners are great too. The hospitality is top tier and of course the food is real good. Highly recommended.

It was a nice 30 minute drive from Wellington to the Raumati beach arriving at this beautiful Bar & Kitchen. I’d recommend this place because of the great ambience with friendly staff and quality affordable food & importantly - child friendly :)

Had lunch today greated and served by all staff. Friendly and quick service. Best seafood chowder I've ever had. Mussels were on point too. Thanks Team see you next time

What a cool restaurant! Beautiful view of the beach and Kapiti Island, the service was great, friendly staff and a amazing chef, working very fast as I didn't have to wait too long. I had the Prawn and Butternut Curry and for desert White Chocolate Panna Cotta - perfect! I enjoyed the food and definitely recommend it to anyone who's a bit of a foodie. 👌

We had the fish n chips and the chowder with a side of the house garlic bread. The chowder was amazing, a great combination of flavours, this was the highlight of our meals. The garlic bread was a little disappointing for $10. Not enough garlic or butter and needed some salt too. The fish n chips were pretty good although the batter was too thick and hard.

In covid lockdown ordered some food to be delivered for mothers day was not expecting much to be fair.....but really surprised was great service on time and food was beautiful well done team in trying times. Supporting locals 👆👍

Hits and misses...<br/><br/>Well, it's a decent location, that's for sure (although on a hideous weather day, I'm not too sure how appealing it would be).<br/><br/>The staff are indeed very friendly - but the fact that it wasn't until I decided to go up to the counter and grab a bottle of water and glasses (after being at our table for close to 15 minutes!) that they offered to bring it to us. I think the service people need just a bit of a push in terms of timing, and actual service - they've got their people skills down fine.<br/><br/>Food was delicious, and to a degree, reasonably priced. However, the plate of chips (although hot, fresh and tasty) at $9 was... well, I thought a bit of a joke. It would not have fed a single person. I know restaurants have to make profit on certain items when it's harder to do so on other items (without pricing meals out of most people's reach), but seriously... $9!!!??<br/><br/>The dessert was delicious... although once again, a little too pricey for how simple it was.<br/><br/>A casual lunch with friends would probably suit this place - which is exactly what our situation was. But I wouldn't recommend it for a special occasion, unless the service timing is just a little more... on point.

Very friendly staff and beautiful food match that up with the beautiful view.<br/>Nice selection of wine which added to the friendly atmosphere.<br/>We will definitely come back.

My workmates and I visited Waterfront B&K one night after a work engagement and we arrived at about 8.30 to be told that the kitchen had actually just closed. This was a little unsettling seeing as the official “closing time” of the place was 10pm. <br/><br/>However the friendly guy behind the counter said he could fit us in - and for this we were stoked! They had friendly staff and the area was real clean. <br/><br/>I ordered fried calamari for entree and the 300g steak for my main. The calamari tasted great - but I was disappointed with how much of it I received. I counted literally four pieces of calamari - in a dish that cost me $17. I didn’t think it was worth it at all. <br/><br/>My steak however was cooked perfectly. I ask for medium rare and it came exactly how I had wanted it. Seeing as though I didn’t get fries or anything with it - just a potato salad kind of thing that was average - I think the price of $38 was a bit overboard as well. <br/><br/>Overall: Tasty food - but quite overpriced. Probably wouldn’t go here again... if I did, I’d definitely stick to the entree menu.

I just had the most amazing pie with steak salad. It wasn't expensive either. This visit was well worth it. Friendly staff as always. Will definitely come back

Has a lovelly meal here last week. The ambiance of the venue is lovely, the staff friendly, and the food delicious.<br/><br/>A limited menu, but with that they make sure they perfect what they do. I had the fried chicken to start, followed by 4oz steak, while my wife had the arancini to start, followed by the fish of the day. Both meals were delicious, generously portioned (just enough to not make you feel bloated), and perfectly cooked.<br/><br/>The only 1 down-side was that being a Sunday evening, by the time we had finished our meals at 8,30pm we were the last diners in the restaurant. The staff started to clear away and pack up tables around us, we had wanted to stay on for another drink after the meal to enjoy the beach side location, but felt we were preventing the staff from going home early.We will be back though.

Superb location - omg, those sunsets! - with prompt friendly and knowledgeable staff, both behind the bar and at the table. The wine list is balanced but not hugely lengthy. Cocktail list is interesting, and Madame enjoyed hers very much (feijoa elderflower vodka!)<br/>We shared a taster menu - salmon gravlax was my choice, Madame had the ham hock pistachio terrine - which were beautifully presented and delicious. We will be back.

Great place for drinks overlooking the ocean. Good range of wine, beers and cocktails. Food has been average on our lunch and dinner visits so far.

Great food, friendly staff, fantastic views, can't ask for more than that on a bright sunny Kapiti day. Recommend the eggs benedict and the house wines.

Popped down to the Waterfront the other day, as I had been told they had a new menu starting and was interested in giving it a crack.   Is a cracker location and has a great outdoor seating area.<br/><br/>Service was good, waitresses were very attentive, if not a little inexperienced in terms of their menu knowledge and wine list - pleasant none the less and speedy.  My partner and I both ordered the fish of the day, it was delicious, fresh and the side salad was well dressed.  The meal was very small however, and my partner ordered a bowl of fries and side of Asparagus once he spotted the size.  <br/><br/>I did find the price to be a little on the nose - cost was close to $100.00 for 2 (1 beer and a glass of wine) for lunch and given the size.  Would return for sure.

Beautiful location to dine, the food is always fresh and cooked well. The price and portions are good - of recent times they have dedicated staff walking around offering table service which is great at busy times.

Good food with good service. Top location on a sunny day. Loads of parking. Wide selection of drinks available. No baby changing facilities.

Excellent meal and service. Confit of duck with duck fat potatoes and puy lentils...delicious! Sirloin steak great. Cheese fondue very nice. Can't seem to have a bad meal here....these guys are spot on.

I went there last week  for lunch with some friends.  Since we were last there last year new management has taken over.  While the prices have significantly increased the standard of the food has taken a real dive.  The meat in the Steak burger I ordered was thin,  tough and barely warm.  The accompanying chips were few and overcooked. A dob of very chunky pickle on the side completed the meal.  At $19-50 this is well overpriced by comparison with equivalent meals elsewhere. My friends who chose the fish of the day at around the same price as mine,  were served a fish that "tasted old and was very dry" accompanied by the same overcooked chips.  On the plus side the rice dessert was very nice and needed to be at $12 for a modest serving.  Unfortunately the attentive  and friendly service from the waiting staff couldn't make up for the food quality we experienced and we won't be returning.

Appalling customer service at Waterfront Raumati yesterday .Arrived at 1pm for lunch to be told that they probably couldn't do any food because they had a private function and got a bit behind - " would take a lot longer than 45 minutes - ' .Was given the impression that they really didn't want to take our order even if we were prepared to wait. So gave up on the food idea and ordered coffee and hot chocolates. Order placed at 1.10. Noticed waiter chatting to friends at table next to us. 1.30 pm we are still waiting , he is still.chatting .... 1.40 pm the waitress comes over to him and reminds him he is supposed to be working at which time he saunters over to start making our coffees! We cancelled the order and left ( they apologised but didn't seem to be too bothered to be honest !) Am in no hurry to return

A very popular place on the weekends, advised to book to guarantee a table. This place has wonderful views onto the beach, a great atmosphere with live music being played the day we were there and very helpful staff. Obviously has new owners as the place had been painted and tidied up since we were there last year, and the menu had also been updated.<br/><br/>Unfortunately the day we were there they were having issues with gas to their kitchen so the egg meals were not available. Our waiter was very helpful and double checked a meal for allergens for one of us.<br/><br/>Our table had Creamy garlic mushrooms, the Beach salad with ham and Beer battered fish and chips. All meals were very large, cooked fresh and enjoyed by all. The mushrooms were large and well presented and the beach salad had lots of interesting flavours and colours that all worked together.

We really like this place in general, but today they run short on chips. And what was really disappointing is that they don't serve milkshakes anymore. Decent food, but without milkshakes not sure if we're ready to make 35km trips here anymore.

Great Food Fantastic views Great place to go and relax, Love the pumpkin Cheese cake and yes the seafood chowder to die for, always have a great experience

Went here for lunch today and sat out in the observation area. Must say the views are great and well worth it but don't have too high hopes for choice of food, service or decor. Although they did ask us several times if things were okay. Perhaps they know how they are rated?.

Candyfloss steak!!! sounds odd but the steak here just melts in your mouth . always want seconds but just can't fit anymore in

We have just had dinner here my husband and I both had the hapuka as a main which was very tasty and cooked perfectly it was accompanied with hand cut steamed veggies and petite garlic roast potatoes. I felt these were fairly priced. My son had pork spare-ribs again perfectly cooked and a good sized portion but could have done with some token chips on the side for the price. Kids fish and chips a bit pricy i felt for $11 no drink or dessert came with these meals, again perfectly cooked. Waitress friendly and happy to swap kids salads with veggies.

Visited this restaurant today since the last summer holidays. Firstly the lunch menu they gave us was not the same as I have just viewed on the Internet. I had the Thai chicken salad which had no Thai flavour but tasted very salty. On the plate there were a good amount of tender chicken pieces, red cabbage, spring onions, lots of dried noodles and a few green lettuce leaves on the plate. I have eaten many Thai salads including countries around the world and this would have been the most bland one I have ever had. My husband had the fish and chips with the fish stacked on top of the fish which seems to be the done thing I know but as an expert fish and chip cooker from way back I really can't understand it as the chips go soggy. When I told the waitress about the blandness of the Thai salad she just said oh and walked away. Also didn't think much of their choice of house wine as it must be the cheapest available. I don't know why our restaurants do this as if we were in Italy they would personally select the best wine for house wine. Its so disappointing as the view is spectacular. <br/>We also didn't think the price was good value for what was served. Sorry local who wont be back for a meal!

Visited this restaurant twice in 3 months. 1st attempt we were seated but left after 10 minutes due to no contact with waitresses and other staff discussing other matters around us. 2nd attempt, credit where credit is due, the service was great but Tuscan chicken was poor...dished up half a tasteless dry chicken that I swear was from Pak n Save. Other meals looked OK but the chicken was poor. Won't be in a hurry to go back. Don't mind paying good money for lovely food but value for money it was not.

Nice food, good service and a million dollar view to die for will be going back there for sure. The food came out really quick for being so busy and the staff were very efficient. The meal sizes were bang for your buck and the fries are to die for . One of the best restaurants I've been to on the coast.

Well, where do I start? My husband and I had our grandson for the day and decided to take him out for lunch. We chose The Waterfront Brasserie as a friend of mine recommended them as they are very child friendly, with a kids menu etc. As soon as we arrived we were greeted at the bar by welcoming staff and shown to a table in the covered outdoor area or 'al fresco', with a stunning view of the beach, Kapiti Island and in the distance, the South Island. I must admit, when I caught a glimpse of the chef, a young looking girl covered in tattoos, I was not entirely sure what to expect. But our dining experience here guaranteed, no, you can not judge a book by its cover! <br/>I had the Thai chicken salad with crispy noodles. It was divine! From the juicy, deliciously marinated chicken and the nice crunch of cashew nuts, to the fresh, crisp lettuce and light but tasty Thai dressing. My husband had 'The Waterfront favourite' Steak, eggs and chips. In his words "Best bloody steak I've had in 15 years!"<br/>And young Thomas had an American hotdog that he really enjoyed. And last but certainly not least, the coffee was to die for! Great service, fantastic coffee and delicious food. Will definitely be back and Will be recommending to everyone!

We've had numerous visits to the Waterfront Bar and never been disappointed. The food and service are always excellent. We love the value of the roasts on a Wed. Got a pleasant surprise when we dined on Mon to find free desserts for all. Wonderful. Even the seasoning on the chips is devine. The view is special and our good friends even got married here a few years ago! Highly recommended especially on a sunny day or to watch the sunset.

School dinners bought by grumpy staff. Give it a miss -drive through Mac's will taste better, cost heaps less and in less time than this. Hope that "popular chef Joe Player" was out and the guy chain-smoking in chef uniform was his aprentice. Website was happysmileypositive but not the place we ate.

Very disappointing, went for breakfast a few weeks ago , scrambled eggs were totally burnt.. the poached eggs were hard and the sausages were clearly off. No apologies when we complained. even had to pay full price.<br/>Then last night we decide to give dinner a go .. while the meal itself was beautiful the service was disgusting. out of 5 people my steak came out 20m before everyone else's , when questioned I was told I had been given someone else's meal on the table by mistake ( not sure how that happens, all should be coming out at the same time) then told that I would have to wait another 1/2 hour if I wanted fresh, hot steak cooked. The waitress and the head waitress both argued the point with me, and then had the cheek to charge full price. Not to mention the glares from all the staff because I had complained. Lost me as a customer

I had lunch at the Waterfront Bar last week and it's the last time I will have anything more than coffee there. The open chicken sandwich for which they (over)charged $20 was not chicken, but the kind of processed mash covered in breadcrumbs that you might expect at McDonald's or KFC for no more than $2. Substandard in every way. I love the location and the waitress was very kind about taking my complaint, but I've already had the misfortune of trying their rubbery, tasteless chicken wings and will not be eating there again.

What a fabulous night we had their with friends tonight. Meal was great, service excellent &amp; reasonable price. Thank you. We would recommend yourrrestaurant to all our friends &amp; will definitely return.

Food was delicious. Pate was the most yummy and flavoursome I've had in a long while. Service was excellent! For a cold winters night the covered in deck area was toasty warm.

Love the Waterfront Bar and Kitchen. The best food, the best atmosphere, Joe is the best host and friendly staff are attentive without being intrusive. The view over the sea is lovely. Joe and his team are the best. Always attentive but never intrusive. I need to go there more often.

WOW!!!! What an awesome evening, Staff was so friendly.<br/>Thank you Kevin your attitude and the friendly ladies who served at the table was lovely to see, the quality of the food was nothing other than perfect.<br/>Joe, thank you for everything you and your staff made our evening at Waterfront Bar and Kitchen a memorable one. The entertainment was not bad at all, loved the sounds, great atmosphere.

The Waterfront bar and kitchen was disappointing. It has great ambiance, looking over the Tasman Sea, the service was a bit slow but this did not worry us as we were in good company. The prawns were a bit small but well cooked, however the fish and chips (the dearest item on the menu at $23) was not up to the standard of our local fish and chip shop, being overly battered and greasy. The scallops were also too greasy. For the price paid I would have thought pan-fried fish could have been provided. The salad was good.

This is the place to be, I love Joe and Michelle, they rock big time. The food is the best on the coast, and look!!!!!! The view you can't beat it!!!!! Go to the Waterfront Bar &amp; Kitchen and you will have an experience you have never had before....you guys rock!!!!

Our family had an excellent meal at Waterfront. We started with an entree of Calamari and my wife and I had the Seafood Trio. Our kids had Nachos and Fish &amp; Chips. <br/><br/>All meals were excellent in both taste and presentation and were served promptly. Service was very courteous and efficient. Great to have a really good restaurant on our doorstep again - we will be returning soon.

Went to celebrate my Father-in-law's birthday and had a fabulous time. The food was delicious! I had the fish trio and agree with the last review, it was excellent. The other meals were also great. The service was friendly and efficient and the atmosphere relaxed. We will definitely be returning.

Attended with a friend. Staff extremely helpful and professional. Ordered Chef's special of the day, the Seafood Trio, which proved to be outstanding. The quality of the salmon, hapuka and John Dory was first class and the accompanying special sauces complimented each fish perfectly.<br/>Serving portions were generous, and the presentation had terrific visual appeal as well as sublime taste. This dish, we felt, was world class. (And we have dined in some of the world's best sea food restaurants.!) The cranberry and ginger Bread and Butter pudding was beautifully presented and delicious - a wonderful finale to a memorable meal.

Service was the worst i have ever received in my life, the young girls stood behind the bar pointing and talking about our table, dark haired girl was rolling her eyes when getting frustrated, staring a nasty look at us, snatching money, no please or thank you etc. We later found out she was the duty manager. Obviously the owners have no care for who is hired at their restaurant. salads were $19.50, think this is rather steep for a lunch! Will not be returning

Went back for my favorite Banana bacon pancake with maple syrup only to find out it was removed from the menu. Jenny ordered Steak sandwich and I had scallops. Meals were enjoyable. Staffs were attentiveness. Would score 5-star rating from me if plates were cleared after our meal to make room for additional drink and desert (if any).

I went to The Waterfront over the weekend when visiting my parents. What a find! The location is amazing, the sun was shining, the food was great and the service friendly and efficient. The place was flat out as it was fathers day but it really was a great lunch and when next in town will certainly be back!!

Food was average. Vegetables should be served to each individual rather than one central plate of veges for everyone to share. Service was appalling! More than a twenty minute wait after being seated. For a busy evening three staff may not be sufficient to cater for full tables. By the time we finally received our main the place was nearly deserted. Wait staff were super slack - and we had to interrupt three of them gossiping and wiping glasses at the far end of the bar to ask for dessert menus. Give it a miss!!! P.S. No toilet paper ):&lt;

Based on its location, this should be the most desirable place to eat at in Raumati, if not the entire Kapiti Coast. Regrettably, it seems to be owned by people who have no business acumen, and miserable staff! The food seems to come from the supermarket freezers and just deepfried or re-heated. The treatment I received from the manager (wish I had got her name) was DEPLORABLE! Pointed out that her customer service skills were lacking, to which she commented she had made no mistake and walked away. As a local, I will not be back to the Waterfront, and would recommend others stay away, until such time as it changes ownership.

Top meal - well worth the trip out - will be back

What a beautiful day on the kapiti coast the restaurant should have been full but I can see why it isn't. The staff (redheaded bar girl) and (trendy dark hair waiter) couldn't care less. The food took forever, the staff were rude and when the foods arrived it was dreadful.We were not welcomed in or wished goodbye when we left. A place for young staff to take money from the owners, do no work and serve awful food.

Very nice food but the atmosphere is very "seaside cafe", and the restaurant was a bit cold in the evenings. Lovely sunsets but plastic furniture and bland interior does not do justice to the excellent food. Also quite hard to find as there are road works in the area, and the access road appears to be closed when approaching at night. Dont be put off. It is worth the search to get the great food.

8 of us went for a meal on a Saturday night - our waitress was a little slow to warm up initially but she came right - the food was spot on - they had everything in a small or large plate size which suited us all,good value for money -happy to recommend.

would of been nice how ever the meal never made it!!!waited and waited while staff breezed past us never bothering to ask what we were waiting for. so I approached and was told they had forgotten so gave a full refund and we were under the impression that we would still get what we had ordered,over half an hour ago,how eva after waiting another 15min found it was not so.Left hungry and really pissed off at the lak of customer service

Food ok, staff unbelievably bad. <br/><br/>Only go if you want to wait forever and then be treated like dirt by all of the staff. Other customers dining at other tables on the night we went had similar experiences and were happy to share their views with us. Orders forgotten, mains brought out before entrees, drinks forgotten. Heavens knows why people go - it can only be the smudgey view through the dirty windows. This place is in desparate need of a customer service program. Toilets are cramped and need a clean.

Steak ordered and was cooked nicely. It came on top mashed spud and covered in mushroom sauce. Pity it didn't also come with any vegetables. Wife had fish and chips so I was able to share her coleslaw.<br/>Waitress was a bit miffed when another member of the group questioned why no veges. The response was it was a new menu.<br/>Other members of group had the chocolate pudding mud cake. It comes with a teaspoon of cream and that's it.

Great Food, Brunch is excellent. <br/><br/>Location is excellent for beach and seaside views.<br/><br/>Cost/Quality/Size is OK. <br/><br/>Bar has good bands from time to time and provides good entertainment generally.