Review Pioneer Restaurant - Waipapa

Myself and two friends went there on a Friday night. Not very busy, and the atmosphere definitely felt a bit flat. Staff seemed rather un-eager to be there and did not scan the COVID passes- just sorta glanced at them. We ordered the squid starter, with the mains being the baby back BBQ ribs, scotch fillet and lamb shoulder roast. The fillet and roast were incredible. Melt-in-your-mouth tender and cooked to perfection. The ribs were alright. The ‘Korean BBQ’ flavour wasn’t quite right, but they were delicious nonetheless. The ‘sticky rice’ they were served with however… was an absolute affront to rice itself. No clue what they were trying to do there, was somehow dry and stodgy at the same time! Not to mention a strange white residue none of us could place. Certainly didn’t add anything pleasant! Might be time to change that menu item to a normal BBQ rib with potato instead of rice…! Overall though, the other meals and cocktails were good. Still, for the price the service and atmosphere could be a bit better.

Wow, such a great environment to relax, have a feed and a couple of cold ones. The bar staff are very friendly, and the service they provide is at the highest level of professionalism. The meals are generous, tasty and are priced nicely. . Always something happening here if it's karaoke on Thursday, quiz night, dj or a band, they have something rocking every week. Well done, Tyler, Annette, and the crew.

Nice bar with indoor area and garden bar area for drinks and food. A separate room for dining in with nice food. A couple of pool tables to smack the balls around with mates. It was karaoke night when I called in. Friendly staff and pretty sociable feeling

Best chicken salad ever and the smoked meat and cheesy mac meals have us drooling. Friendly staff and my favourite pinot gris. Thank you.

Had a lovely dinner with my partner for Valentines Day. The atmosphere and setting of the place is wonderful and the staff are super friendly and attentive. Food was delicious, we had the lamb shank and the Caesar salad which were both amazing, the salad had heaps of flavor and the lamb was falling off the bone. Thank you so much to the staff and chefs, we had a wonderful experience! We'll definitely be back!

The food was fantastic and the steaks cooked , perfectly. We stopped in for a birthday dinner. The staff were great, friendly and tolerated my sense of humour. Cocktails were pretty good and the waiter was particularly good as well 😉 come visit and eat at a great local restaurant!

Food was a little over warm but to be expected with influx of patrons to watch the game. Excellent service and atmosphere.

Great little Bar amazing staff, we'll be back!

I couldn’t recommend this place more! I brought a group of 25+ people for dinner and they all said it was great. I have some lovely lotion for a set menu due to our size and a very reasonable price. A big thanks to Emma for being so helpful during my planning stages. The pioneer was a wonderful place to come to!

Brings back (good!) memories of traditional pubs n pool tables with an attached eatery. Staff were awesome. Great location on the Waipapa roundabout. Only open from midday (closed Mondays). Wish they served steak lol!

Fabulous kid friendly environment. The bar and restaurant staff mad every effort to accommodate our needs.

Lovely little restaurant in Waipapa on the main road, parking was a little hard to find but there is plenty behind the restaurant. The service was lovely and although the menu was small they absolutely nailed the food that was on it. We had the lamb shank, pork belly, chicken and beef burgers and all were absolutely delicious. Full of flavor and beautifuly presented. Highly reccomend.

Good character pub, tasty food, great location if you are on the road.

Excellent food, great atmosphere and amazing staff. Defo hit it up. Chicken burger was awesome.

We enjoyed our night & Food was amazing ! Dished by the lovely chef!

Great service, good choice of food and catered great to my wife's dietary requirements.

Booked a table and rocked up feeling hungry and thirsty. Busy friendly pub vibe with lots of people in as it was pool and karaoke night. Staff were friendly and obliging and we got a beer while perusing the menus. Macs Gold on tap was very nice and slid down easily. I opted for Beefburger which came with fancy fries and Bobbie had the Slow Cooked Pork Belly with potato Rosti and vegetables. Both meals were delicious and were cleaned up completely. We will definitely be back and the hostess who served us bent over backwards to make sure we were happy with everything. She definitely went the extra mile!

First visit gor a bite to eat.. friendly staff and tasty food. Loved the open fire.