Review Jovan's Kitchen - Upper Hutt

Absolutely delicious food! We were a group of seven, so the food took a wee while to come through, but it came together, so no one had to sit & watch others eat - well managed! Our server was friendly & attentive and though the place was almost full, it is set up so we weren't feeling crowded & it wasn't too loud to talk to each other. Highly recommended

Very clean and tidy and plenty of room between tables so you don't feel claustrophobic. Really nice breads to start and very friendly and prompt service and or waitress came back just at the right time to check if we wanted more drinks. Quick service and really good portion sizes. Meals were all very nice and the excellent service continued. All in all a really nice meal. Will be going back.

We don't have dinner so often in this place but it never disappoints us. Great service, the food is amazing, flavourful and the portions keep you full. Will keep coming back

Definitely recommend Jovans Kitchen. Awesome service. Friendly staff and yummy food.

My absolute favorite restaurant. Awesomely large portion sizes. Extremely decadent. I always waddle out the door with a big smile and full belly ☺️

We get delivery to our house and the smoked salmon pasta is absolutely amazing! Tastes just as good for leftovers the next day too as it’s a really decent sized portion :)

Reserved table for 7 for dinner. All ready for us. Great service, problem with my order and I'm pleased to say the manager on duty dealt with my complaint very satisfactorily. Great value.

I love this restaurant. The food is heavenly and a short walk to the train station if you are drinking.

Great food. First time there. Definitely be back. Friendly staff and well priced

The ravioli pomodoro and garlic bread was amazing!!! Friendly staff and quick efficient service, 100 will be back. side note house sauv not the greatest. But the food, chefs kiss.

First time here tonight, for our 10th wedding anniversary. Can't praise this restaurant enough. They turned a pasta dish with meat and dairy into a vegan dish for me - there is a specifically vegan pasta dish too but I felt more like having a white sauce - done with no trouble and was heavenly delicious. Our waitress Pawan came to our table various times making sure we were happy and had all we needed. We will be back for sure. Thank you 😊

I have not ever in my entire life experienced a restaurant so disappointing and terrible as this one. We had arranged a New Year catch up with friends and decided to go to Jovans Kitchen in Upper Hutt. On the last 2 previous occasions we had dined at the Petone site and had a wonderful experience, apart from on both occasions unable to order Tiramisu (I have ALWAYS wanted to try a proper Tiramisu) because both times they did not have any. This time we finally had sometime to get together which is difficult as being a shift worker finding time is often hard. So there was no hesitation to dine at Jovan's Kitchen in Upper Hutt. We arrived early at 1855, in the carpark as we entered, a couple of staff were out smoking (they entered Jovan's via back entrance). Didn't think too much of it, on their break they can do what they like. The place was busy, nice I thought it is popular always a good sign. I asked at the bar about the booking didn't think much of the distracted uninterested look I got from all of the staff but while being taken to be seated was stopped and informed on the way that they did not have any menus as they were in the process of changing it and didn't have enough. I said that wasn't a problem and we were still waiting for another 2 to arrive. We were seated but weren't offered any water and there was none on the table. 5 minutes later our friends arrived. We had to ask for some water as this automatically did not arrive once we had all arrived. Drinks orders were taken and we looked at the menu. First thing I noticed was wow the prices had increased ... a lot!! But that's ok we don't go out often so was a treat and the food would be worth it. We ordered our drinks and not long after ordered our starters and mains. Drinks arrived and there was 1 too many cokes, no problem we sent one back. We then waited for our food, and we waited, and we waited and after 40 minutes we finally asked where our bread was...we were told that it had been forgotten and then miraculously arrived within 5 minutes!! But during this time, we saw 2 groups of walk ins turned away, many patrons talking with the manager and then tables of people started to leave. Murmurs of the service being terrible, no food being delivered, the wrong food being delivered when it did come, the manager ARGUING with the patrons, the concerned and frantic looks of the staff, zero communication, the appalling wait time others were experiencing. The manager arrived at our table with another basket of bread that we did not order and advised it was complimentary but we said no thanks as we had had enough and could we please just have our mains. We again waited and then finally asked (NO ONE came to tell us anything) when our mains were arriving, we were told 10 minutes. The first plate arrived and then we had to wait another 5 minutes for the next and then after 5 minutes my steak and my friends steak still had not arrived. It finally arrived but was placed in front of people at a different table which was wrong and they had arrived 10 minutes after us for a special occasion and had experienced the same poor service, they got up at that point and left. By this time that was the third group that left the restaurant without eating, one group had been there for 2 hours and had had no food!! I wonder if we hadn't have asked how long we would have waited. Finally had my steak and by this time was starving. No steak knife was with the plate, the sauce on the steak looked thin and grey but the potatoes looked lovely and golden, and a nice salad roughly on the side. I tried to cut into the steak and it was extremely tough, this was definitely NOT restaurant quality steak more like the cheap steaks I can get at a low cost supermarket. Mine and also my friends was not well done was more medium - well done...too much pink in it for us (the steak purists will freak out at that)!! I finally managed to cut a small piece of steak and placed it in my mouth. At this point I wished I hadn't, I cannot describe how awful the taste was and at first I couldn't figure out why, I was horrified when I realised. Firstly the steak had not been rested, had no nice caramalising on it but the worst of all was the sauce. The bacon was RAW and the funny taste I now realise was brine or the juice from the bacon!! My friend took both our plates back up to the bar. At this point we had had enough we prepared to leave. I went up to the manager and asked him to please cancel the steaks as we would not need them as we were leaving, he asked if we wanted to order something else I told him no thanks we had had enough. During this time he was shaking his head, appeared to be scowling at me and tapping his finger on the tray of tea he was about to deliver to another table. I honestly thought he was about to argue with me but I walked away. The bill was paid, and all that was offered was a 10% discount and no apology. Leaving the restaurant, the same person I had seen upon entering earlier was again outside smoking and quickly scarpered inside as we went across the carpark to go to MacDonalds where at least the service was fast, the food was cooked and we were served with a smile. This place needs to relook at who is managing the place and the chef who served us raw food, around 30 people were in tonight, half left with little or no food and after extremely bad service. The manager took all complaints personally and seemed to treat customers with disdain and that it was their fault they couldn't wait for 2 hours for a meal, he did not attempt to 'manage' the problem at all as a manager should, he spent his time arguing with customers, going out back and running around like a headless chook not achieving anything. The lovely girls didn't seem to be allowed to do anything outside of their scope and looked flustered and bewildered for the most part. Our night was completely ruined and in the end we ended up going elsewhere and going home, upset and disappointed. I will not visit again sorry and I will actively discourage others from going as well. I suggest the owners take a long hard look before they end up going out of business and fix what seems like ongoing issues.

Had a Tumeke time at Jovan's Kitchen , atmosphere was on point , customer service on point , KAI on point!

Tried this for the first time today loved it! Great value for money, delicious food and kid friendly. Pawan went above and beyond for us! What a delight she is! Never have I received just great customer service from any restaurant

Really disappointed last night - $10 for pesto started that is served with cheap water crackers instead of bread?? (Should be stated on the menu) - mains were lacklustre and overpriced - I couldn’t finish mine - and when we commented to the waitress she seemed unimpressed suggesting we should have said earlier however she never returned to our table so we had no chance - won’t be returning

Waited an hour and a half for our mains, service was poor and food was shite, should’ve gone to spec savers

Great food, lovely wine, friendly staff, love this place � �

t’s hard to complain about the service at Jovans kitchen Upper Hutt there isn’t any. And when it comes how to deal with Customer Complaints they need to learn fast if they want to stay in business in Upper Hutt. They need to; • listen carefully to what the customer has to say, and let them finish, • apologize without blaming, • find an acceptable solution that suits the customer • solve the problem, or find someone who can solve it— quickly! • see the complaint from the customer point of view. • Don’t be condescending when talking to customer with phrases like ‘this is fine dining not McDonald’ when someone has been waiting for over 1 hour for main course and all time watching others being serviced their meal who arrived after we did.

Friendly owners and staff. Affordable price for good, tasting, quality and fresh food. Generous meal portions too. Nice treat to reward yourself on any special occasion.

Our favourite little Italian place. Far from the overpriced and overrated Wellington eateries, this is Upper Hutt’s best kept secret. Everything we have tried on the menu has been tasty, fantastic and reasonably priced. The service has always been exceptional and the hosts are friendly and attentive. We regularly take out of town guests and family here for dinner and special occasions. Highly recommended! .