Review Atticus Finch - Rotorua

Booked through first table and had an amazing experience at Atticus Finch. All of the staff were lovely and provided us suggestions. Tried an array of dishes and they were all great. The dumplings and dessert were our stand outs and it's a must try.

Drinks were average but food was 10/10, no notes. The cauliflower steak and soba salad stood out - you know a place has good food when you don’t need meat to make it. Not to say the pork belly and beef short rib weren’t also excellent… the best food I’ve ever had in Rotorua.

A decent place where the food meets the expectations of whatever is mentioned in the menu. Attentive and friendly table staff and will gladly visit again.

Staff were so lovely and the food was fabulous! It can sometimes be difficult to find decent vegan options at restaurants but these guys delivered. Really enjoyed the vegan dumplings and the Vegan Thali!

Surprisingly good food, probably the best you can get on the slightly dated Eat Street. Quite a lot of gluten free options, and almost all of them can be made safe for coeliacs. Our waitress was very knowledgeable and told us straight away that although the fried chicken is gluten free, there is a risk of cross contamination due to the frier, so it's not safe for coeliacs. The staff made us feel super comfortable and the food was great. Highly recommend if you're coeliac

A solid dining experience in the heart of Rotorua with room for improvement. The staff were friendly and despite an initial delay in our waitress attending us, they were incredibly attentive. The food was tasty and high quality, but could come in smaller portions which were a little cheaper to aid the sharing aspect. The food itself was very very tasty, we had the fried halloumi, the prawns, the fried fish of the day and the lamb rump! All were very very tasty and we thoroughly enjoyed them! Overall a good experience and we are glad we visited.

3.9 | food was rather variable. Some dishes were delicious like the broccolini while others like the pot stickers were rather bland. Service was great and very friendly. Atmosphere is fun as it's one a street with lots of other restaurants and 'action' around it.

Absolutely loved dining at Atticus Finch. Glad we booked - it's super popular. Excellent service, delicious food, great atmosphere. Would highly recommend this place. If we weren't leaving Rotorua today I'd book again!

The atmosphere is bustling, when it's busy. This restaurant is part of a row of restaurants, which makes it fun and inviting. With the option to sit inside or on their patio, I'd always choose their patio. They have blankets and heat lamps for you in the cooler months. The servers were very attentive and always checked if we needed more drinks, food or water. When it came to food, I was decently happy with my dish (got the Indian plate), but for the cost, I wish there was more. When I mentioned I was gluten free, and if they could substitute bread, they wouldn't allow it, nor would they alter the price. While the main dish was tasty, the side yogurt it had come with started to taste spoiled. Overall, I'd still go back and try this place. My only hope was that they were more flexible with substitutions, and was hoping the yogurt tasted better!

This is some of the most delicious and creative dining you will get to experience anywhere! They use fresh local ingredients in amazing combinations. The small plate concept is great for sharing, or not if there’s something you want all to yourself! The atmosphere is super casual, which is a bit misleading as this food could be served in the finest restaurants anywhere! And the service was friendly and efficient! There are plenty of vegetarian options, and the Indian tastes are a treat as well. Highly recommend!

The flavours in the food were amazing! I loved the freshness of the ingredients. The staff were attentive and very friendly. They gave good advice on how many platters we would need for our group. I will definitely recommend Atticus Finch to my friends, and go there again.

The food was delicious! We got the fried sesame chicken and the sirloin, the pork dumplings, the corn chips with beans and avocado. A warm chocolate fudge cookie for dessert. Amazing! All of it!

Service was a little on the over attentive side, but the food and beers made up for it. Sharing plates are a good concept as is sharing the bill which you probably want to arrange beforehand.

The food here was nothing short of great, all the dishes were good. Staff very attentive and friendly. Would recommend this as a good place for date night.

Really tasty small plates. We tried the aubergine roti, the steak, pork dumplings and lamb rump with aubergine puree & tabouleh. Food was all very tasty but a little underseasoned and could certainly use a bit of extra sodium to bring out the flavours, because the ingredients are good. Ask for a bit of Extra salt or soy and it really elevates these dishes The homemade lemonade & local beer were both gold and really enjoyed the hot fudge cookie. This place is nice and the staff were all lovely and helpful. About $115 for us both so not the cheapest but not terrible! Tasty dinner

Had dinner here with the family. Staff were really friendly and the service was awesome. Food was delivered to our table quickly. Our favorites were the prawn roti, spice rubbed lamb and salt crusted pork belly with the macaroni and cheese side dish . The desserts were immaculately presented. Olive oil ice cream and chocolate fudge cookie were the standouts.

Not worth the hype....<br/>Had dinner here, food 3/5. Lamb rump, mushroom salad and fried chicken. Mushroom dish had a lot of chopped nuts which made the texture annoying. Chicken gave me a shock as it was red inside, the waiter assured me it was the marinade not the cook though, the orange and sesame flavours mixed into the chicken was a bit weird though. <br/> Lamb dish had some cool flavours, the meat flavour got lost though amongst the rest, I think this dish has changed recently, not the same as previous photos.<br/> Service was 5/5, prompt and helpful, dishes came out quickly even with a full restaurant.<br/>Ambience, thoughtful and most importantly warm in winter 4/5

Spent a lovely night in Atticus Finch. Service was friendly and accommodating. <br/>We had Lamb Rump(3/5), Beef Rendang(4.5/5), Fried Haloumi(5/5) and Mojito(1/5). Lamb rump was a bit disappointing tho which was not the normal lamb rump we always have. This one tasted like bbq lamb with tons of cumins. Beef rendang was nice and very tender. Fried Haloumi was legit, highly recommend it.

Food was good but on the pricy end of what you get. Service was absolutely horrible as per the service of all the restaurants on Eat Street

Heard a lot of good things about this place so we decided to dine here last night and we are truly not disappointed! We know the idea of tapas/ plate sharing so between the two of us we ordered two small plates and one large plate, if we didn't go to the pub for a snack and drink before we would have definitely ordered another plate. We have never ordered anything vegan but I must say this place really catered vegetarian and vegan so well! We ordered the pulled jackfruit and it is really well presented and taste amazingmy favourite dish of the night!!!

Really lovely atmosphere, and the staff were very friendly. There are even blankets for those that are sitting outside, which was a nice surprise. However, the portions/serving sizes were a bit too small for our liking. The food was delicious, but I just wish we got more (for the price). Lastly the service could have been faster but we did come just as it was starting to get busy, so I can understand why.

I do enjoy the sharing plates here with a group of people. The food is always beautifully cooked and bought out together. The chicken and vegetarian small plates are always delicious. A little on the pricier side, but the food and service make up for it.

We weren’t disappointed sharing spiced rubbed lamb rump steak, marinated chargrilled chicken. The menu catered for a wide variety. Friendly service and we didn’t have to wait long for food to arrive. It was a cold night but the outdoor gas heaters and throws made for a snug atmosphere. Not too noisey. Will come here when in town again

Came with a large group. Food was awesome. Service was great too. Service getting food out was a little slow, even with a pre order it didn’t come out at once.

Three days in Rotorua, three nights dining at Atticus Finch - tasted all main sharing plates. In each sitting we had the spicy lamb rump - definitely a must try! The chargrilled chicken and roti pulled pork were also our favourites. We licked the plates clean. The staff were very friendly and the pleasant experiences were complemented well with the warm vibe. Highly recommended restaurant. A highlight in our NZ trip.<br/><br/>Taste: 5<br/>Aesthetics: 5<br/>Service: 5<br/>Ambience: 4.5

An entire separate vegan menu!<br/>We weren't sure what we'd find in Rotorua for vegan food but were blown away by Atticus Finch. We ordered the roast green veges, fried cauliflower, and portobello hazelnut dishes, and every one was presented beautifully and tasted amazing. The staff were very friendly and helpful, great atmosphere, not too loud, and reasonably priced.<br/>We also ordered some house made non-alcoholic cocktails that were amazing. We can't recommend this place enough for vegans. A real highlight of our trip.

Love the idea of share plates. This was the first place that I experienced share plates, and it was overall a pleasant experience. The greatest con was the price for the quantity which was a little steep. <br/><br/>Spice rubbed lamb rump; lamb was very soft and chewy, taste was infused lightly but nevertheless delicious. The tapenade a lovely touch, with an interesting texture (reminiscent of mince)-I was expecting mince. <br/>8/10<br/><br/>Chargrilled peppered beef sirloin; asked to be made medium rare, and it was prepped very nicely, a great assortment of sauces and vegetables. Too bad the portion was the smallest out of the bunch yet the price was the steepest! The beef was soft and the vegetables not over cooked and well marinated with sauce. I just really didn’t have enough to eat. <br/>8/10, 7/10 for lack of portion<br/><br/>Roti pulled pork summer slaw; the dish in which I had the highest expectations but was the most disappointed. The pulled pork had flavor but the meat itself was dry and a bit tough. The summer slaw was a bummer, nothing special about the slaw and I really did not want to be served rice at a European dining, and the vegetables on the side were very average. Asian fusion? Not a direction this restaurant should take. <br/>6.5/10<br/><br/>Fresh fish pan fried; lastly added this one on since we were still hungry. I hadn’t had high expectations but this really was the star of the show! The fish was delicious as was everything paired with it! The fish was soft and filled with moisture, tasted fresh and flavorful. The salad was also equally as delicious, the caper salsa and lemon flavors meshed so well together, paired with the bean and topped with almond, it was glorious! I loved it so much I even tried recreating the flavors and texture at home (with some lentils, spinach, and almonds). <br/>9/10<br/>

Hands down the best meal we have had during our NZ travels! <br/><br/>Seperate Vegan menu has an abundance of tasty dishes all presented beautifully and each tasting fabulous. Kudos to the chef for creating such a great menu and for integrating so many veg and vegan options - will definitely be recommending this place to friends and family.

My husband and I had an amazing dinner here! Our favorite dishes were the sirloin with stuffed mushrooms, the rice balls and the apple cake. Service was excellent!

Endless aftertaste meal we had in Rotorua. Enjoyed every dishes recommended by a friendly helpful staff. Amazing Pork Belly is highly recommended.

Highly recommended! Def a place to go to for good food. Partner & I went straight to two large plates to share, camarel pork belly & chargrilled sirloin beef was divine, meat was well cooked and whole meal was very tasty! It is advisible to book ahead as its quite popular and people line up to dine in.

Absolutely loved the food, the bar and restaurant has a fantastic vibe and waiters recommendations are so good they had us ordering even more after our meal!

Tiniest portion of salad with the garlic and ginger prawns. Partner asked for a slice of lemon to go with his fried chicken and the waitress didn't bring it for a good ten minutes and then when we asked about it she said that the guy was busy making cocktails so she couldn't get it yet. Another ten minutes later my partner was finally annoyed enough to go get the lemon himself and the person at the bar didn't even know anything about it. Other food was nice and coffee was great, experience was just ruined by the lack of service and portion with the prawns.

Best tapas in Rotorua! <br/>Popped in one night without a booking but it was no issue- the reserved tables have their booking times on them, so you can pick one as long as you’re finished by the booking time.<br/>We were served promptly and the staff explained the sizes of the different plates (small and large share plates) and a guide of how many per person which was helpful. The menu has really good variety and options for gluten free, vegetarian and vegan. The plates came out as soon as they were ready (as opposed to altogether, which would have taken a fair bit longer). <br/>The food was amazing. The only reason I haven’t given five stars was that the dishes were not exactly as they were described in the menu- the cauli dish barely had any cauliflower and couldn’t be tasted, and the beef salad was more of a beef dish with a few garnishes. Both tasted great nonetheless. <br/>I will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu!

Everything was great. Food was fantastic. Service, wine and beer were great. The first time for me that I enjoyed a white beer as I will call it back home and it's a local one. Nothing to complain about

Nice smart place with tasty tapas. Everything we tried was great. No complaints. Vegetarian options were plenty. Meat and fish recipes quite nice. <br/>Did not try desert, found it a bit complicated but very happy overall.

Delicious food. Excellent service. Attentive staff, but not overbearing. Crostini a standout. Highly recommended. Everything was just spot on. Well done!

We were recommended to dine here by the hotel we stayed whilst holidaying in Rotorua. Service was friendly, quick and professional. Prices were reasonable. Food was good but we couldn't find the wow factor and the dishes we ordered was a bit too salty for our taste. Overall, we had a good night there.

Absolutely loved this place! The decor was very aesthetically pleasing and welcoming. The staff were all very friendly and extremely helpful with explaining how the place works with their small and larger plates and sharing options. My partner and I just went for a drink and a snack and got the Ginger sesame fried chicken with lime mayo. The chicken was absolutely amazing, delicious texture and flavour and while you could definitely taste the ginger it wasn't to overpowering making it edible for my partner who isn't big on ginger, but enjoyed this chicken. I'd never had lime mayo before and was a bit hesitant but it was delicious and went perfectly with the chicken. Would definitely go back next time I'm down I Rotorua

Amazing tasty and creative food. It's supposed to be played for sharing, we ordered one large plate (lamb) and 3 small ones plus shared a desert between two. <br/>Would definitely come back. Great beers and cocktails also. Yum!

Visited Atticus Finch with my mum for dinner and we both loved it, the service was great and the food came out super fast, designed to share the menu was fresh and everything sounded delicious! We had the risotto balls, fried chicken, beef salad and the fish of the day. The fried chicken and beef salad were my favourites and I would say the chicken can't be missed. The risotto balls were good too but were just a bit "standard", fish was delicious and came with an unusual salad but all the same was great! Look forward to tasting more from the menu in the future.

Food wasn't too bad the portions are pretty small. The service was really slow. It took them nearly as long to make a cup of tea, and open a bottle of soft drink as it did to make the food. They were not busy at the time. Much better places to go in Rotorua.

We wandered around Eat Street checking out menus and settled on Atticus Finch because the elements on each dish looked really interesting. Had the most enjoyable meal. All dishes delicious. Had chicken and sirloin plates brownie and cheesecake desserts. The cheesecake was my favourite a peanut butter banana cheesecake with biscuit base with salted caramel Popcorn topping and fine chocolate shavings. Whoa! I high-fived the waitress! We're going back for sure.

Really impressed. Often find places outside of auckland are overrated but thought this place was great. Beef was so tender with pineapple coriander and kumera. Every bite flavoursome. Pity we didn't have time for dessert. Would highly recommend.

First visit to Atticus Finch and surprisingly the food was delicious!<br/><br/>We had sesame chicken, roast rolled pork, sirloin steak, prawns appetizer and fries.<br/>The sesame chicken was so yummy! It had the taste of ginger, sesame and a bit lemongrass, coated with a layer of flour deep fried and very crunchy! Guess what? It was so delicious until we ordered two portions for our dinner!<br/>The roast pork and sirloin steak were quite small portions (expect only few pieces to share not the big chunk of meats served elsewhere) but taste good and with some side and veggie served aside, they were good!<br/>Prawns appetizer was a few grilled prawns served on top of noodle with fine sliced veggie added lime. This was like the grass noodle sour appetizer served in Thai some restaurants.<br/><br/>Aside from that, we ordered 3 glasses of iced chocolate which was not so nice. So skip the iced chocolate totally.<br/><br/>The dinner cost us about $120.<br/><br/>The ambience of the restaurant was comfortable and romantic.<br/><br/>Overall experience was wonderful!

Well<br/>A pretty decent and a silent place ..<br/>Ordered some ciders and polenta starter ... Was pretty good :)<br/>Liked the taste and the way they served .. Found a lil expensive ... May b coz I convey the dollars into INR<br/>But was good a place

So impressed with our meal here! 5 of us turned up on Saturday night and although they were very busy and most of the tables were reserved they made room for us and I'm so thankful they did! <br/><br/>We started out with the pulled pork and nut mince tacos which were generous with 4 of each, flavours were fantastic! Everything complimented each other perfectly. Then our garlic bread came out exactly as garlic bread should be - slathered deliciously. <br/><br/>Then our big plates came and wow! Absolutely blown away with how great every element on the plate was. Best pork belly we've ever had! And the braised beef was on point as well. Everything just melted in your mouth with other elements of the dish adding the texture or crunch. <br/><br/>The peanut butter banana pie on the dessert sounded great too but we were so full we couldn't order one! <br/><br/>I also had the Feijoa / ginger beer cocktail which was delicious also!!

Quality dinning, one of those places you want to order a few dishes to share with! Good atmosphere. But the last time we were there my mate was charged twice for the drinks!!

Been here twice now and both times the food has been delicious!<br/>Highly recommend the chilli prawn small plate and also the cauliflower & salmon small plate. <br/>Have had the beef, chicken & pork large plates - all are great, I'd eat them all again!<br/>Chocolate brownie is super rich - delicious but best shared. <br/>Will go back!

January 2016.<br/>Interesting experience.  Table of 10 ladies.<br/>Took quite some time for the drinks order to actually get through and come out to us.  The waiter was a bit confused.... constantly.<br/><br/>Group platters:  Honey Mustard Peppered Cured Beef etc - very very nice ! Would order again.  and Beetrot Hummus platter - great for the vegetarians, just good.<br/>Our group of 3 at the table ordered:<br/>Polenta chips - very nice.<br/>Haloumi salad - yum salad but Haloumi was cold so had that ick sound and taste about it.<br/>Lam Loin - nice and ok for the price, but nothing really to write home about.<br/>Potato Gnocchi - the mushrooms were great and the rest, well, it was okay.<br/>Pork Belly - very lack luster<br/>Spring Slaw - never arrived.<br/><br/>They tell you that the meals just come out whenever, and not all at the same time, which is just another way of saying 'our kitchen can't cook to order'  We arrived at 7, ordered at 7.30 and the last 'main' hit the table at 9.10pm. <br/>Took ages to get refill drinks<br/>Went to pay for our portion requested they remove the salad as we never got it, got told it was never ordered. No apologies no nothing.<br/><br/>Price is reasonable, but not consistent across the dishes that they put out.<br/>Won't be back.

Back to the good old basics with an amazingly social way of dining. Order what you like and share with good company. A culinary experience we won't forget. The food was excellent

If you like cocktails, share plates amongst the bustle of Eat Street in Rotorua, this place might be for you. The cured meat share platter was a great starter. The special fritters and the gnocchi filled out a veggie main course. Finished off with the triple choc brownie ;-)

We came today for lunch, we sat outside and enjoyed a beer in the sun. <br/><br/>Quiet place, which made me a little cautious but there was no need. People started to come in. Lovely waitresses, very friendly, nice banter and attentive. <br/><br/>We got a range of dishes to share, which was suggested by the waitress. All of the dishes were brilliant. The dishes were based on classics but made into their own. My favourite would be the prawn dish which was like a deconstructed summer roll with a lovely dressing.

This place was amazballs!!! Every dish was of the chain! We had the potato skins with truffle dip, this melt in your mouth Lamb, Kumura, Pine-nut with mint sauce dish to share (10/10 for flavour) and carrots with mint.<br/><br/>Service outstanding and they really go over all the dishes when they present the menu<br/><br/>Environment was grouse as your in the heart of Eat St!<br/><br/>I told them there place is way better than most tapas type places in Auckland - totally pisses all over Bellota in Federal St.<br/><br/>Price $52!!! Three dishes (we were both full) home made lemonade plus a wine - Vegas in cheap to eat!!!

Absolutely amazing Tapas, was<br/>So pleased with the range of food which had a very unique combination of flavours. Highlight was croquettes and the cheesecake, was very impressed. The staff also made us very welcome in particular a guy who was from Indian decent and referred to myself as ma'am, which added to the whole experience. It was so good we went back the following night. Highly recommend.

We were with our two teens looking for a place to dine then found this place and liked the ambiance. We enjoyed the mains, dessert and coffee. Good service too. Surely we`ll be back.

My son and I were looking for somewhere close to where we were staying and read the reviews. Ticked all the boxes so we went. Well it was superb. My son and I loved every part of our meal. Apparently I have to learn to cook cabbage so it tastes like theirs. Food A1. Service great . what more can we say yum yum yum thoroughly recommend

Wow! Good. So good. The food is great. The pork belly...sublime! Who knew places like this existed in Rotorua! You KNOW you're on to a good thing when a restaurant is packed on a Monday night! Service was good and attentive. Drink selection was good with tasty cocktails and a good selection of wine and craft beers. Food...I don't need to mention again...do I?! <br/>

The back story: Wandering through the streets of Rotorua brought us to delightful gathering of food places. Termed "eat streat" this was a collection of contemporary modern eating establishments. Atticus finch came up on rating well on TripAdvisor so we decided to go check it out.<br/><br/>Setting: upon checking out the menu, we were immediately met with a friendly wait staff taking us to a nice outdoor table with outside heating. The seating was a little cramped between tables but otherwise the outdoor area was welcoming and comfortable despite the cooler temperatures outside. <br/><br/>Food: The menu had lots of food choices from small to large plates. The menu here is designed for sharing and the waiter helpfully guided us as to what to try and portion sizes. We were not disappointed. We tried the polenta chips and chorizo croquettes to start. The chips were crunchy and had a delightful aioli on the side. The croquettes were equally tantalizing on the taste buds with surprise chorizo pieces hidden inside pockets of warm potato. A red pepper dip accompaniment deemed to be a good companion. The beef short rib was the main deal of the night though with the beef tenderly falling off the bones. The parsnip puree side was a bit less suited but when mixed with the marinade took away the edge of the parsnip. The slow roast lamb was a little bit less certain as I'm not a fan of mint and there was quite a bit of this despite it not being mentioned on the menu. Nevertheless the meat was well cooked and tender and the sweet honey kumara a perfect side to the lamb. All in all, it was a satisfying meal albeit a little on the pricey side for the serving size, which is what brings it down a point.<br/><br/>Occasion : nice evening out in a modern contemporary environment.<br/><br/>Revisit potential : 8/10

An odd restaurant with an odd name. The menu was similar to tapas with larger serving share plates (you want to be in a group to enjoy the variety) so I asked for sangria. Wait staff explained that they had their own creation and it was delicious. Food is brought to you as soon as it is prepared so if you want a longer experience order after each creation is delivered. We were only able to finish 4 dishes but each of them was perfect. Polenta perfectly seasoned shaped into large fingers atop a creamy sauce. Crunchy, crunchy chicken strips concealing soft chicken with a pleasant chipotle. Pork belly sliced thinly with very crispy skin and a lentil salad that is a standout on its own. Maybe Atticus finch isn't such a strange name - this menu is a surprising mixture of  cuisines lovingly and simply presented with real taste.