Review Portlander - Wellington

Nice restaurant we had the tomahawk 800g. We waited for awhile as we were advised it might take longer as the steak was big but it was cooked to perfection! Lovely red wine too!

The desserts at Portlander restaurant are simply delightful! Their selection offers a delectable array of flavors and textures. From rich and creamy cheesecakes to perfectly balanced fruit tarts, each dessert is a work of art. The presentation is exquisite, and the taste is even better. Whether you have a sweet tooth or not, you won't be disappointed with their delectable treats. A must-visit for dessert enthusiasts in Wellington!

What a delicious celebratory meal we enjoyed for my daughter’s graduation from Victoria University. There were 6 adults and the men chose the biggest tomahawke steaks they could get. I chose clam linguini which was scrumptious mwah (smacks lips). We have cocktails, cider and beer. The only disappointment was we could only order a dozen oysters which we enjoyed 4 ways. Natural and kawakawa crumb were my favourite.

Several hit it out of the park. We arrived without a reservation and when only the bar was open. We asked for a food accommodation and they delivered. The chicken burger was delightful and the 'A LA MODE' was OFF the chart.

Just had a really great meal here, the food was outstanding, the service was top notch, the staff are amazing. Really could not recommend more. Definitely worth 5 stars all around.

My goodness the food was delicious. Their lamb steak/rib combo, Maryland chicken & cauliflower gratin is our new favorite. Best of all is their sticky date pudding!! Their staff are also very friendly. We will be back.

Had my birthday dinner here tonight and it was amazing. Service was top notched, both servers were pleasant, really helpful and gave great recommendations, food was to die for, steak cooked perfectly and the mushroom sauce was out of this world. We had our 4 year old with us and was really accommodating with things to keep him busy and bringing his food out. When we are back in Wellington we’ll definitely be back.

Located inside a nice, clean hotel. Food was very yommy, had the smoked chowder which was super nice and filling. Texture just the right amount of creaminess and the smoky fish flavour was superb. Great place for drinks too to go with yer dinner.

Located onsite within The Rydges Hotel on the ground floor. Nice atmosphere and friendly service from the waitresses. Easy access for wheelchairs and parking right in front, on the street. The food was delicious, pork belly and rib eye steak were beautiful and finished off with lovely deserts. Will definitely go there again.

Our waiter made our evening very enjoyable. He was very friendly and attentive. Wife loved the steak, and I had the rump and ribs were great.

I had “the cheese burger” and this is the best ever! This is what the cheese burger is. It was not only cheesy but patty was so yummy. Plus, fries was so fresh! My wife took a 2 course package of “tagliatelle and “flourless brownie”. She enjoyed all food. Afraid we couldn’t finish the desert since so full up. And staff always look after our table. Overall, will definitely come back and eat the burger again and try steak as well.

Beef is delicious but I was expecting a bit more of bacon. And it would be good to have the option for an aioli instead of regular tomato sauce/ketchup. Also, I didn't have the option of adding an extra patty. But good value for money.

Awesome service and food. Highly recommend.

FOOD: Panko cauliflower was life-changing! 🔥 Proper seasoning, great texture, enough cheesiness, you’d barely notice you’re eating cauliflower!!!<br/>We ordered the salmon, pork belly, and the 55day dry aged eye fillet for mains and they were all lovely. (Although pork belly was a bit salty, but still yum! 🤤)<br/>Ambience, service, and staff are 9/10. Would definitely recommend. 😉😉😉

We dined here a couple of weeks ago. Everything was going well and service was nice and friendly then our mains arrived. We had asked for two medium rare steaks and we got two medium - medium well. Sent these back and it seemed someone got offended because what came out in it’s replacement was the thinnest steak, and unseasoned. The staff did try to rectify the problem however we were asked over and over from different staff about the issue with the steaks which somewhat ruined the rest of the dining experience. To add to that on paying we were told “you had four steaks but we are only charging you for two”. For a dinner that was over $200 for two people I expected a little more.

$150 on a dinner for two people...about 3 chips each on the side. Meat was amazing but the rest of the meal was disappointing. Drinks order wrong, tiny table couldnt fit our plates on with the main platter and side tray.

I first knew the restaurant from First Table, and my friend worked there before, so I came to try their beef, surprisingly, their lamb is as wonderful as beef. Thanks for First Table helping us to have a perfect dinner with 50% off for the bill. The reason why a star is off is that the dessert is disappointed, compared with their mains and starters, and I’m alcoholic allergy, so no matter how tasty the strawberry cake looks like, I can’t get a bite:((

Mixed meal - two and a bit hours to get two courses and quite noisy.The Pinos Gris wine was  nice.Wife had hand cut fries and chicken both of which she enjoyed. Her trifle desert was a let down - more dry sponge than anything else.I on the other hand did not enjoy my meal - the ribeye steak was full of gristle and over one third was inedible. The remaining 2/3 was rubbery. <br/>The treacle pudding was crunchy yet.I will not be going back.

This place is very good at what they do. The steak cuts, cooking of the cuts, sauces, sides and wines are on point!!! I found having a steak with a bottle of the Man-O-War pinot noir from Waiheke Island to wash the meal down, to be a great choice!

I have eaten here several times before and thought it was fine. However, tonight I was utterly disappointed. Not only was service mediocre, with one waitress completely ruining the experience, I was also extremely disappointed with my food. I ordered an eye fillet medium rare, not a cheap meal, however it came out extremely well done with barely any red in sight. I promptly sent it back with the first waiter agreeing that it was way over cooked however the other waiter tried to argue that it was medium rare. After returning it, I waited about twenty minutes for the next steak to come out, with the person I was dining with already finishing his meal, I ate alone. This steak came out considerably rarer, almost completely red. I didn’t not want to complain as I was not willing to wait again for another steak. However, half way through my steak I found a bit of plastic in the steak, extremely gross. When paying, the unpleasant waitress billed me so I didn’t feel comfortable complaining to her about her. I wasn’t offered any apology or discount or anything. After leaving I decided to go back in and complain but they were so busy as it is a public holiday. I ultimately told a different waiter I was extremely upset but at that point what could he do. I feel sad that I have to give such a bad review but as my last meal in Wellington for this trip, I am completely disappointed and will not be recommending this place to anyone.

Food: 4/5<br/><br/>Ambiance: 4.5/5<br/><br/>Service: 5/5<br/><br/>Ordered garlic ciabatta, 21 day dry aged beef burger and 35 day dry aged 500g sirloin. All the food were delicious! Now we know that dry aged beef has a better texture and tastes so good!!<br/>The side fries were disappointing though, very salty! Honestly didn't expect a high end restaurant could miss this. <br/><br/>Service was great, everyone was very nice and know the menu well.

Portlander is situated inside the Rydges hotel and we had decided to come here for dinner. The service on arrival was friendly and we were seated promptly. We ordered the Chateaubriand for two, which came with bread as starters, 550g of eye fillet to share, steak fries and salad on the side. The bread arrived without entree plates, until another waitress noticed it few minutes later. The eye fillet took awhile to arrive but it was amazing, cooked to perfection, best steak I’ve had in awhile. The steak fries were chunky and crunchy. The salad was boring and bland. For dessert I had the lollycake ice cream, which was super average. <br/><br/>I would definitely come back again for the steaks.

Went for dinner for the first time here tonight and it was very surprising. The food portions were quite generous - which was nice and it was hot, full of flavour and it all came out in a timely manner. My group got the mains - salmon (recommend) ribs (good sauce) cheese burger and sides- broccoli 🥦 (yum), half baguette (so delicious) coleslaw, Parmesan truffle fries. The service was good and staff were nice. Gave it a 4 as online menu different from in-house menu - was looking forward to trying the beef cheek - also a bit pricey but similarly priced to what’s in welly. Will be back to try the deserts next time.

Came for Burger Wellington on a Plate. Was a steak burger with Fix and Fog peanut butter, it was really nice. Loved how it was served in a box. Service was really good. Would love to come back and try their steak meals.

Had the chance of stopping by this little gem last weekend! Good date place if you want something intimate. The cocktails are nice and reasonably priced. We got the Wakanui ribeye and Cheeseburger for lunch. Wakanui was slightly over cooked to a medium when I asked for medium rare but other than that no complaints ☺️ was good.

Looks great but the risotto my wife couldn't eat and my pork ribs had a supermarket salad and sauce. Good service but. Will not be able to come back.

portlander bar and grill is one of the best steak houses ive been to with its restaurant style cuts and atmosphere. I ordered the free range hereford OP rib, it was cooked to perfection and well worth the wait.

Maybe we didn't get their best effort... but not impressed with the food. Nice place, good service, but the steak was mediocre, the salads a bit underwhelming, and the hand cut potatoes didn't meet the billing from the menu. Had the "Welly butter sauce", it was tangy and didn't really compliment or enhance the steak. Not sure we would recommend.

Went here for dinner with hubby. Awesome food. Customer service was good and atmosphere was nice. Nice and easy to get remaining food in a takeaway container and they seemed to value their guests.

I used Zomato apps for ideas to find a good place to eat.I found this Portlander interesting place for a good meal, based on the ratings.We’re always on the look out for a nice steak meal.My hubby and I drove nearly an hour to Wellington for family day-out to the city and went there one Saturday lunch.<br/>The ambience and service were great, friendly enough and attentive staff, but food were over rated for what it’s worth!Entree-garlic bread was over cooked and not so much garlic taste in it.Kids burger 🍔 meal bread, was stale (appears to be from frozen, fast thawed??and just slightly heated it up)<br/>Okay,maybe the main meal would be different?!! but no luck there either,very plain, bland and basic even with steak 🥩 sauces didn’t deliver to what it’s worth either.✌️

Having returned from a disappointing restaurant meal where we left our food we returned to the hotel and ordered the Portlander dry aged burger. It was excellent and served hot and fresh. Highly recommended. We also ate breakfast here 2 mornings and were very happy with the choice and quality.

The food is excellent and the place looks great after their refurb. Definitely on the more pricey side of dining but definitely worth visiting.

Had Ribs and desserts. The ribs were especially juicy and rich in flavour. It took quite awhile to be served but it serves the purpose. Dessert was great. had "death by choco" sundaes- very chocolaty. Loved it.<br/>The only complaint was: the one of the waitress has no common sense. we ordered ribs but was only given one bowl for washing hands. Something we don't expect to see at a high end restaurant.<br/>Overall: recommended

Came here as we stayed at the Hotel above. I had the fish which was beautiful & my partner had the steak. Couldn't fault it. We also had room service at 3am and was still very nice regardless of the time.

Came here for dinner sometime last month and I really like the restaurant's classy, comfortable vibe. We ordered their wakanui steak and lamb shank for our mains. The steak was cooked perfectly and the lamb was delicious. Very friendly and fast service for a busy place.

The ambience is wonderful. The staff were great. <br/>However, as a person who always scout for steak, the steak was not really what I expected for something very expensive. The food was mediocre (2/5). I honestly think this place is overrated for their steak. Me and my group ordered different cuts of steak and food items. Everything was mediocre and for a high price.

Came here with my family on a trip of Wellington.<br/>Atmosphere was amazing. We started with some natural oysters and wine, it was so so so delicious. For dinner, I ordered only an entrée (lamb) and baby tomatoes as I knew that the portions in NZ were too huge for me to order mains. It proved to be satisfying. Lamb was cooked to perfection and the tomatoes were so juicy. All in all, had a good meal :)

We had another great lunch at Portlander today. And I'm starting to see a bit of a trend in three areas;<br/><br/>1. The quality of meat is always fantastic.<br/>2. The meals are always devine.<br/>3. The service is always exceptional.<br/><br/>And they have a pretty robust wine list too!

Utterly impressed for a hotel place. <br/><br/>I came for dinner because of the Entertainment Card discount. I stayed for 4 hours because of the food and friendly staff.<br/><br/>To be honest the garlic bread was under cooked, stale, and filled with unmelted butter. But that is where criticism ends.<br/><br/>The waitress was lovely and attentive without being overbearing.<br/><br/>The steaks were perfectly cooked. Keep in mind that my med rare is more rare than some would Iike. The fillet literally melted in my mouth. The peppercorn sauce was strong but a perfect accompaniment to the rare meat.<br/><br/>We also ordered the beetroot and brocolini sides. Both were well seasoned and complimented the mains.<br/><br/>My friend had the ribs. Value for money here. He is a manly man and still couldn't finish the kg of meat. I had a taste and thought they were decent. A nice chew but lacking in true depth of flavour. Everything came from the sauce that drenched the dish.<br/><br/>A limited wine list. But I like a large glass option. 😉<br/><br/>This score is mainly for the perfectly cooked steak. That is hard to find anywhere! And I have looked.

Went last night for a work dinner, the steak tartare was unbelievable as was the crime brûlée. cheese platter and salami platter was delicious.

Went there on Saturday part of a party of 14 we emailed thru our order 2 weeks earlier we were going to the rugby so wanted to eat before the match. We were told our meal would be served by 5.45pm. By 6.15 we were seated but no food. Unfortunately due to the large number of people and the kitchen overrun with orders we didn't get our food till 6.30. But can't fault any of the meals I had the spatchcock chicken and the roasted beetroot with feta OMG it's to die for we going back this weekend !!!!! Well worth the wait.

Love the little outside area on a nice day. The shredded lamb burger is something to behold - I return purely for this item. Also amazing selection of whiskys here and super knowledgeable staff.. The lamb burger for $15 is well worth it in my opinion, though some other items can be a little pricey yet I have no qualms about coming here on a special night out.

Superbly cooked steak! Gave this restaurant s hi with a foodie friend and while the menu is a little limited if you don't want steak - if you DO want steak - it's beautifully done. The lamb and scallops entrees were both nicely done as well, and the maitre'd gave fantastic funny service. Good steak!

Stay here for work frequently Normally venture out for dinner but decided to eat at the hotel. Was busy but got a table easily. Decided on the Smoked Lamb rump. Came with sweet potato mash. Was very tasty and would definitely return again. No vegetables though as you have to order them separately. Service was good and the meal came out in a timely fashion.

Was positively impressed by breakfast service at Portlander. The buffet bar had sophisticated options to cater for any taste or preference. There was a large selection of hot food (bacon, eggs, hash browns, baked vegetables, etc.), fresh pastries, fruit, yoghurt, the classics such as Weet-Bix, and an even wider selection of juices, flavoured milks, hot drinks, etc. You could order your own kind of omelette, there was a pancake machine making fresh pancakes before your eyes, and there was lots of places to sit. <br/><br/>Would definitely recommend when staying at the Rydges hotel.

I've only been here once and it was a great experience. I had a delicious burger and my partner had an equally yummy steak. Portion looked small when it arrived as it only had a few chips but it was definately filling. Loved the experience here. Later that night we stayed at Rydges and watched the fireworks and my partner proposed to me. So happy the tasty dinner added to the perfectness of the night.

Often frequent this spot for coffees and other drinks during the day. Its a nice comfy and quiet spot so good for chats and there is a little buzz about the place with the comings and going from the hotel too. Coffee is consistently good, as is the service.

Hands down one of the best restaurants in Wellington. If you want a decent steak cooked perfectly, then this is the place you need to go to. I've been many times and will always come back. If you can get here during Wellington on a plate you will seriously be amazed.

Saw this as one of the recommended places for steak, brought my parents here for their last night in Wellington. Decided on this place as soon as I saw the Portland Long OP Rib steak!!!<br/><br/>We ordered the long rib steak, venison, eye fillet, rib eye and a lamb rack as there are 6 of us.<br/><br/>All the steaks were cooked well other than the venison which was a bit hard and chewy although it's medium rare.<br/><br/>For sides we ordered the kumara mash (which was amazing), bok choi, field mushrooms (recommended!!) and some hand cut fries.<br/><br/>Overall meal was very satisfying and now we're just waiting for dessert!!

We are regulars here. The food is consistently good and the service is always excellent. The steaks are extremely tender and cooked to perfection.

Went to portlanders recently for an anniversary dinner, was rather disappointed as I recommended this place. First time I went was amazing. Second time round there were a few errors that would have made our night. The Service overall was ok. We ordered the pork belly & scallops and king prawns for our entrees, this was amazing. Our mains were the Slow cooked Lamb Shanks and half chook. Now this was where we were disappointed, My partner had the lamb. It had good flavours but was still rather tough for something that was suppose to be slowed cooked. I had the chicken, now as the menu described there was suppose to be onion rings, chorizo, bacon and a tomato ragu. Though the chicken was cooked well, the rest of the dish was rather disappointing, instead of onion rings there were deep fried crispy onion flakes. The chorizo was missing. The ragu was just slightly cooked cherry tomatoes. We told the waitress she replied with thats what the chef decided and there wasn't much she could do. Honestly a roast chicken at home would have been better. We also had apple pie and trio of ice cream for dessert. This was great. Now as we went to pay for our meal we were served by the assistant manager, we told him about our concerns and all he did was tell us his name and if we were to go back to mention his name so he could make sure our experience was better next time. Now this wasn't bad but we both felt the situation could have be fixed then and there. Would I go back?? Probably not. If I did I wouldn't be ordering the chicken or Lamb.

If you want a quality steak, cooked exactly the way you want it, this is the place to go. I found it to be a bit pricey for what was actually plated, but I'll pay a bit extra to have my steak cooked a perfect medium rare any day of the week.

The food was delicious and the service 10/10. I had the entrée porkbelly and scallops and confuit duck for my main. Superb! Definitely a fave in welly

Dined here last Saturday night with a group of seven. Well, what can I say about our dinner evening here? Not a lot really. We were all initially quite excited about returning here from a previous enjoyable dining experience here. First, after coming in from a awful frosty typically windy Wellington winter's night, the service was "awful". Our seemingly unfriendly waitress after initially handing us menus never returned at all to take our meal orders. So after twenty minutes, we had to hail down another fellow waiter who was more welcoming, to take our orders.<br/><br/>Although I can't vouch for my fellow diners, but for me personally my mains wasn't that great. I had ordered the Matador Burger at $25.<br/>This as described in the menu was a classic burger from yester-year: Prime Star Wagyu beef pattie hand infused with NZ beetroot, rosemary and thyme. Topped with ‘triple smoked bacon’ and melted Emmental Cheese. Completed with fried egg and beetroot relish, all in a Zaidas milk bun and served with potato skins. I must say it sounded much better in the menu than it actually tasted.<br/><br/>While its presentation was "great", its flavor wasn't. No amount of salt and pepper could enhance its rather bland flavor!!<br/><br/>My wife however, really enjoyed her yummy Seafood Chowder and her tasty Sheared Scallops and Roast Pork entree.<br/><br/>I shared a fellow diner's dessert towards the end of the evening. It was a piece of dark rich chocolate cake topped with a few pieces of strawberries. I found it unenjoyable.<br/><br/>As per usual, given the restaurant's good quality and reputation, no-one during the evening even bothered to come back to ask how our meal were, or to top up our water glasses until we request them to. <br/><br/>Summarizing, for the reason that a restaurant is only as good as its last meal there, and for its poor service, I would not return back here again in a hurry.

My group arrived at this restaurant having pre-booked for 14 people, and provided pre-booked menu selections at the request of the restaurant. I had spent much of the past few days coordinating numbers and providing these menu choices, so we were surprised when we arrived for lunch and were greeted with aggressive rudeness by the manager who insisted we had booked for 13, then stated he didn't read his emails (despite having replied to me, and their reservation system being email based). I spoke to the cashier and wrote to the restaurant to complain but received no response.The food was lovely, and the staff were very helpful, but the gentleman who greeted us on arrival was probably the rudest I have ever experienced, especially given he had no cause to behave that way. I won't be going back here because who wants to support a restaurant who employs such people and neither will my colleagues, or the friends I spoke to over the weekend about how we were treated. It's a shame because previous experiences at Portlander have been positive. Goes to show how damaging terrible customer relations can be.

I wouldn't usually venture into a hotel restaurant - always feel they are the domain of tourists and travellers on business. Winning a voucher for the Portlander was the only reason we ate here.<br/>So pleased we did - it was FANTASTIC!<br/>Entrees were Beef Carpaccio (Seared beef fillet, thinly sliced, served with parmesan sticks, crispy shallots and capers, rocket and garlic mayo) and Buffalo Mozzarella Bruschetta (Toasted pane-de-casa served with sliced acid free tomato on rocket with buffalo mozzarella bocconcini, basil pesto, olive oil, sea salt and pepper). Both delicious.<br/>The main event just had to be steak. Wakanui Eye Fillet with Cafe de Paris butter for her (90 day grain finished, angus and hereford free range Canterbury cattle) and Portlander long bone OP Rib with Bearnaise for him (Hawkes Bay grassfed, free range premium steer). Sides to share - shoestring fries, balsamic and honey roasted beetroot, steamed beans with toasted almond lemon butter.<br/>Couple of glasses of Chardonnay for her and one of Pinot Noir for him - they offer small or large glasses (silly question - LARGE please!).<br/>These steaks were simply the best we have had - perfectly cooked and so full of flavour. Divine.<br/>We passed on desert and opted for the cheese platter - our choices Chevre goats cheese, Kikorangi blue, French brie served with wafers, grapes, relish and sliced french stick. Washed down with a class of Nevis Bluff Late Harvest Pinot Gris.<br/>Friendly and professional service, fantastic food and a cute box of toothpicks with a bill it was a great evening.<br/>Speaking of the bill it is not cheap - $233 for the two of us (glad I wasn't paying!). Love to save up and go back....

The breakfast buffet is outstanding especially the continental section. Also fantastic for those gluten free like me. You must try the pancake machine too. Just fab.

Took my boyfriend here the night of the hobbit movie midnight screening, we missed our train and called to change our reservation the staff were more than happy to help. The food was delicious and had good full sized plates for the amount you pay. The only problem we encountered was that the staff were too accommodating one waiter took our order and another waitress came to take it after him then when I ordered another drink I was bought out 2 drinks by two different wait staff. Peharps a Lil more communication between staff but other than that our evening was perfect. Thanks for the great food and atmosphere<br/><br/>Update:<br/>Hands down my favourite restaurant! I love that the restaurant takes late reservations. The meals are decently sized and every bite is bliss. I have dined here multiple time and food/service never changes it is always of the highest quality. The staff are attentive and show great costumer service. This place never disappoints!

The mashed potato alone is worth a trip here. It's so good. The chunky fries and onion rings were also superb. <br/>My only complaint is the dessert with pavlova in its name doesn't actually have pavlova, just crumbled meringue. Also there were a few flies we had to keep batting away.

I've been here twice for Wellington On A Plate, and quite a few birthdays now (mine and others)... I have complete confidence in being able to recommend this restaurant to others if they are looking for a fantastic meal out. <br/><br/>The food is incredible, the service is great, it's never too noisy, prices are what you'd expect for the high quality you are getting. <br/><br/>If you're looking for a really nice evening, absolutely come here! <br/><br/>

We came here before heading to WOW, it was pretty full of people heading that way and making use of their special menu.<br/>The food was good, I wouldn't say fantastic but good. I was surprised that the steak didn't come with any sides, as others have mentioned. We all enjoyed our meals and were full, the WOW crowd were handled well up until it came time to pay and there was a bottle neck at the till.<br/>The one things that stood out at The Portlander was the service, the waiter was hilarious in a great entertaining service way. I think I would be more inclined to go back for a fancy lunch next time ( I wont be going back to see WOW, whole other story).

I have been here for coffee and drinks on a number of occasions at varying times of day. Usually I have found the service pleasant and prompt. On my most recent visit, 28 Oct, in the late morning my experience of service was atypical compared with my other visits. Despite the place not being busy the wait staff took an inordinate amount of time to attend to me. This is just not acceptable. Up until now had been of the view that this location was quite good, will need to think further on that.

Service was impressive even though i was not dressed up like everyone else.<br/>The ribs were a little dry and tough which was a shame. Sauce was sweet and sticky, could do with a touch of zing. Slaw went really well with ribs at least.

Pork ribs with beautiful slaw and thick cut potato wedge chips- amazing. The meat just fell off the bone and so so saucy. Expensive but worth it. Customer service was lacking probably because my friend and i weren't dressed to the nines and covered in diamonds.

Breakfast is SUPERB! We come here quite often. $29 but worth every cent especially for those big eaters! Very unique, love the milk/juice bottles, different take on food eg baked beans. A different variety each day and eggs cooked upon request!

I stayed at the Rydges and being a fine hotel I thought they'd have a fine restaurant. I ordered the 200g eye fillet and it was pretty underwhelming by all standards, especially the price you had to pay for it. The green salad was nice but when you pay $41 for steak/salad you should get something rather special. I also found the steak quite stringy.

I went to Portlander with excitement as i am a steak and chop shop buff. All i got was a very average meal.<br/>The t-bone was not available, despite nz is the land of the angus beef. I ordered the 600gm rib, fries and a salad.<br/>What i got was this long boned thing and some meat on the end.<br/>It tasted pretty average compared to the t-bones i cook on the bbq. The salad and fries were bigger than the meat.<br/>Having been to Crazy Horse the night before, the comparison could not be more vast. In fact Portlander reminded me of the ole Cobb n Co when i was a kid, but with a total bill of $97 dollars incl 3 beers i walked out the door a very disappointed steak buff.<br/>I would not go back and gave the waitress a Crazy Horse card to pass on to the supervisor and said... TELL HIM TO GO THERE FOR A REAL STEAK. Say no more.

Stayed at Rydges last week and ate here for breakfast. SO GOOD. Really enjoyed it. great selection of food, plenty available and everything was fresh. Loved the added feature of a smoothie machine and fresh juices in mini milk bottles.<br/><br/>Also came down to the bar for a drink the night before. Nice friendly service and lovely wine. Thanks guys, we will be back!

Tonights dinner out with friends was very disappointing! Such a shame as this place has won awards in the past for customer service. We were served by someone who did not appare to have any experience in waitressing, she did not know what beers were avalible or what the fish of the day was. They ran out of beer on tap that we were drinking, forgot to serve one of our drinks (left it at the bar but brought it over when we pointed it out to them that that was likely our missing drink!) they ran out of fries! They did not offer us any sides (to go with steak) so the steaks were just served as steaks only - no sides at all, and by the time we realized this it was too late to order any sides! Also they forgot part of one of the dishes... over all very very disappointing.

I took my wife out for a quick lunch before going on to something else .We were met at the counter with a great smile and were told we would have a short wait as the dinning room was extra full .We were offered a drink and a table in the bar area but just as we sat down the table was free .We both had the pork burger and it was exceptional we then decided to extend our lunch and had desert and coffee, what at first should have been a short break ,we were there about two hours and a brilliant two hours, the young wait staff were obviously well trained and nothing was to much we would recommend this restaurant to all our friends and we already know were we will celebrate our next wedding anniversary as dinner looks even better than brunch.

I ordered Lamb rack wrapped in chicken, spinach and pistachio nut mousse served with whipped garlic mash on bacon and mushroom ragout. When it eventually arrived it was small pieces of lamb with one piece with the bone on it sticking up to identify it was lamb rack. Very much un-inspirational and I felt like I needed to order another main as it was more like an entree than a meal, i didn't! You would expect more from a establishment that prides it's self meat. Left feeling no value for the money.

St Patricks Day 17 March 2014 and my friends birthday. 5 of us decided to celebrate her birthday by having dinner at the Portlander. I had not been there before and could not recommend it. I ordered Lamb rack wrapped in chicken, spinach and pistachio nut mousse served with whipped garlic mash on bacon and mushroom ragout. When it eventually arrived (the service was very slow) it was small pieces of lamb (not lamb rack) and was almost cold. if it had not been my friends birthday I would have sent the meal back. The birthday girl ordered eye fillet steak with bernaise sauce. The steak was cooked medium rare but the sauce was bitter and looked like melted butter. Diane sent this meal back and some time afterwards her side of mushrooms was delivered to the table. The food is expensive and although the Maître'd apologised profusely I was very disappointed with the whole experience.

The most amazing steak I have ever tasted, hands down. Cooked to perfection, with excellent and simple sides to compliment it. The cocktails weren't great but then this is a steakhouse and not a cocktail lounge, so I would be surprised if they did everything right :p Will definitely be going again

Our party of six dined here at the Portlander Bar &amp; Grill last night. Four of us chose the same main course. This was to be the Pistachio Lamb. It was a lamb rack wrapped in chicken, spinach and pistachio nut mousse served with whipped garlic mash on bacon and mushroom ragout at $40 per person.<br/>What we had was truly an gastronomic delight. It was beautifully presented and the lamb so perfectly cooked, that it just melted in your mouth. It had to the very best Rack Of Lamb dish I had ever tried. Top marks goes to the Chef who cooked this beautiful dish!! Our other two friends choose a one of the many grilled steak selection. From what I could see, he enjoyed but his wife didn't initially.......as her medium-rare steak came out really blood-red "rare" and she struggled to eat it. To their credit,the restaurant chefs re-cooked it for her and she was then able to enjoy it better. We also ordered a portabella mushroom side dish as well and this was really yummy....it really complemented our meal. Their desserts was really lovely also. My choice was the Coconut and lime panna cotta served with pineapple, chilli salsa and a mango sorbet at $14.00. Summing up, a really great restaurant with really great food!!!

I wanted to take my partner here because he's a man who likes his steak and he was not disappointed! We didn't have a reservation and it was quite busy, but the lovely waitress we were greeted by quickly organized us a table. We both chose the Wakanui eye fillet, my partner the 300g and me the 200g. You then choose your sauce and which sides you want. You do pay for your sides separately to the meat, which can get a little expensive depending on how many you want. But I really liked the concept of being able to chose exactly what I wanted to have, as did my partner. We both had the hand cuts with parmigiano and truffle oil and I also had salad. The hand cuts (like big chips) were so yummy, but the steak was the star. It was perfectly cooked and absolutely melted in your mouth. I had peppercorn sauce on mine which was so good I could have just about licked the plate. All class I know! The wine list was also very good and I can't fault the service. We talked about it later and both agreed that we will definitely go back next time we are in Wellington.

Magnificent service, great people, awesome food. It was 22.15, I had thought they close at 23.30 when in fact it was 22.30 (boo wellingtonnz.com) but the staff went out of their way to make sure that I didn't have to settle with "bar snacks". <br/><br/>The second best steak I had in the whole wide world, with a very, very good house wine to match. Suffice it to say I'll go back - ostensibly to collect their business card, but really to enjoy myself.

The waiting staff were fine, but the food was insultingly average.<br/>I ordered a 200g rump for lunch. It took 45 mins to get to me, and it was over cooked on 1 half, and under cooked on the other (which I didn't think was actually possible). I also ordered a potato dish with it, and it was cold, dry, like it was from the day before, heated for half the required amount of time in a microwave.<br/><br/>Very uninspiring.

My husband &amp; I ate here, we eat out often and are quite big steak people and both ordered steak, eye fillet and rib eye. They were both over done and for a steak house to say how they do it perfect, it was far from perfect. Also extremely expensive when all you get is the meat only and have to order at least 3 sides to make it a complete meal. The service was fine but thought the atmosphere lacked, very average.

Myself and partner visited Portlander for dinner and thoroughly enjoyed it. We started with a dark beer loaf, which was full of grains, loved it. I had the T bone and my partner had a eye fillet - both were cooked to perfection and tasted great. For sides we had potatoes and onion rings - the onion rings were the star of the dish. I also liked that you can order wines in 250ml glasses.<br/>Loved the whole experience and food, and would happily return again - we can be picky diners (when we try), but could not fault a thing! 5 star without reservation.

Four of us went for a friend’s birthday, and as the friend had recently dined there and said he’d be back for his birthday he was recognised and got star treatment. The waitress was fantastic - a lovely mix of professional, friendly and fun.<br/>We all had oysters to start – some raw and some tempura. Both equally delicious (though at $6 an oyster on the pricey side). The tempura is the best I have had – light and tasty and didn’t overpower the taste of the oyster.<br/>We all had a 200g Wakanui eye fillet – cooked to perfection. Very very tasty. The best steak I’ve had in Wellington. You definitely need to order sides – the steak comes with your choice of sauce – and that’s it. We had the beans, beetroot, boulangere potato, fries –and we recommend them all.<br/>Our friend was brought a (complimentary) tiramisu with a candle in it by the waitress and a few of them sung happy birthday to him. They had also added four macaroons for us. A very nice touch. <br/>The desserts were great. The tiramisu was so good our birthday boy had three! I had the poached pear which was delicious; the sauce was very sweet but blended well with the filo and ice-cream.<br/>I was initially reluctant to dine here as thought it was just a “regular” hotel restaurant – with no atmosphere. How wrong was I. We were lucky enough to sit in the booth seat which gave us privacy and a nice ambience. The food is really very good. We have been to some of Wellington’s top restaurants and the food at Portlander is up there with the best.<br/>We can’t wait to go back. It was a fantastic night.

Went for lunch on Friday with a group of six, and overall I came away unimpressed with the Portlander almost completely due to the lack of table service.<br/><br/>We started with a beer and some shared entrees, and the quality of the food was good, tasty hot, and enjoyable.<br/><br/>But the dirty plates hang around, while the staff take our main orders and, the plates stay while the staff disappear. The water carafe is non-existent and wee tumblers are empty.<br/><br/>The mains arrive - steaks of course. Each and every one of them is cooked correctly, and the servings are as described. Food is good. If a little pricey.<br/><br/>The sides start to arrive, there isn't much room on the table with all the dirty starter plates, but the staff find a way to ignore the plates and get everything on the table .. and then disappear.<br/><br/>Getting a bottle of wine and a couple more beers sounds simple - if you can find any wait staff. Eventually - after 20 minutes - this is accomplished.<br/><br/>Mains are good ... we finish them ... enjoyed with another beer and/or glass of wine. But the plates are not cleared (none of them) and no one comes to see if we'd like to order from the desert menu - and we were keen for the cheeseboard.<br/><br/>Fully 60 minutes after we've finished our mains a waitron does inquire about whether we'd like desert? Although we can barely see her over the mountain of plates. We decide on a few coffees - OK then - and off she disappears ignoring the plates. Coffee does arrive and by some miracle a plate or two is cleared - but only to make room for the cups.<br/><br/>The rest of the crockery is left there, and as you might imagine after a good steak meal - it's not a pretty sight to see.<br/><br/>So for Friday lunch - in a restaurant that was busy - but not full - the serving staff have managed to ignore a basic tenet of restaurant service for over 2 hours. Well done Portlander - you've snatched a potential 4-5 star rating and turned it into 2 stars with service that was shambolic and non-existent for most of the time.<br/><br/>I liked the décor, I liked the food, but the service was so poor that there is no way I'd take a business client or family member there.

Learnt about their burgers just the other day.<br/><br/>Decided to give the lamb one a try. It was delicious - pulled lamb cooked in duch fat - just delicious!. Ordered some fat cut fries. The fries was deeply disappointing paid $7 for the fries and got 6 fries. Would have been better if they ofference more fries.<br/><br/>Must admit that the service was pretty slow

We had a dreadful time here last night. Table of 8. over an hour before we received drinks and when they arrived the martini was warm, and the margarita was made with lime cordial! undrinkable and both were sent back.<br/><br/>Food service was very slow, oysters au natural had been left sitting under the heat lamp as part of the seafood platter. they were straight Nelson pacific oysters rather than Cleveland or some of other excellent types currently available. <br/><br/>They then delivered the wrong steak.... <br/><br/>Once the steak arrived it was pretty good - everyone else thought theirs was excellent. Mine suffered from a quick cooking and no standing time as they tried to correct the order quickly.<br/><br/>Portlander has set themselves up at the premium steakhouse end of the market, but don't deliver. Staff were generally untrained and inexperienced (although the maître d' did his best to put things right at the end of the night - didn't charge for a meal and gave us a free bottle of wine.

We stayed at the Rydges Hotel and had breakfast, lunch and dinner at Portlander over the duration of our stay. The service was excellent with friendly and attentive staff. I was especially impressed with the Seafood shell we shared for dinner and the breakfast buffet was one of the best I've seen. We will definitely be going back and recommending Portlander to all our friends.

I dined here with friends on a Saturday night, the service and food were great. My friends had the lamb which they both enjoyed and I had the fish of the day which was delicious. We shared 2 desserts between the 3 of us and thought they were very tasty as well. I will definitely be going back and will likely order the fish again.

After attending WOW last Sunday my wife and I went for dinner at the Portlander. We were very impressed with the staff who were very friendly and as it was very busy the young waiter we had was fabulous he really looked after us. The food was great, I had the Lamb while my wife enjoyed the fish. We were both so pleased and will be back again to dine with our friends. Well done!!

My partner and I recently dined at the Portlander and found a complete service from the time we walked in to the time we left. The service was second to none with our waiter being very attentative.<br/>The standard of the food was excellent and the place was buzzing on a Wednesday night. We are looking forward to trying other options from the menu next time because every dish was a hit.

We have recently been lucky to dine at Portlander Bar and Grill, we weren't sure what to expect as we took our 3 kids with us. We had a great time, food was absolutely fantastic and both the seafood and steak was cooked to perfection. Our kids loved the children's menu and the staff they had on were very patient and obliging. We were served in a timely matter and always with a smile, even the F&amp;B manager came over to see if everything was OK, little things like that make a huge difference, I would recommend Portlander to anyone, even with 3 kids it was a great night out.

I have never written a review before, but we were both so extremely disappointed with the Portlander. Firstly we arrived at the restaurant to find they had no record of our booking – it was our wedding anniversary. In the first two minutes we were seated we were asked if we ready to order 3 times. (Did we have the only menus?) My wife ordered the lamb and I ordered the rib eye steak. The mains are around $40 and you need to order sides as well, as my steak came with nothing else. <br/>For $40 I expect to get something pretty amazing. My wife’s lamb was small and neither of us thought it was a special dish. My steak was even more disappointing - I have had steaks that cost about half the price that I enjoyed more. While we were eating our mains one of the waitresses came around with a carafe of water. My glass was almost empty and the amount of water in the carafe did not even quarter fill my glass – I have to wonder she bothered, as she did not come back and top up my glass. We were so disappointed with the mains we decided not to have any dessert.<br/>While I paid for the meal my wife went to the bathroom. While I was waiting for her, one of the waitresses asked if I had settled the account. After I said yes, she said yes waiting for me to reply again. This was one of the worst dining experiences we have ever had and I would not recommend this restaurant.

Yum! The dinner we had here was excellent. We each had 3 courses and enjoyed them all. The entree was fresh seafood including lovely whitebait patties. For the mains we had the wagyu steak, goat wrapped in rabbit, pistachio lamb and the fish of the day. All of these were looked great on the plate, tasted great and were a satisfying size. The desserts, tiramisu, poached pear and apple crumble were top notch too. The barista made great coffee to finish the dinner off. Throughout the night, the staff were all friendly and attentive. Would definitely go back here!

I went there earlier this month with my family and my partner's family. The food was absolutely delicious. I had a steak that was cooked perfectly to how I like it. The sides were nicely presented in small dishes and we could easily share them around. <br/><br/>The service was great, the waiters and waitresses looked after us well and were well mannered.<br/><br/>Overall the atmosphere was positive and we all had a great time! Definitely keen to go back there :)

Fantastic night at Portlander.<br/><br/>Last Friday myself and the lads from work wanted a few beers after a long busy week at work.<br/>Great atmosphere within the bar and greeted with very friendly bar staff. We got served at the table all night, not once did we get up to order... Great!!<br/>All staff were talkative and polite and very friendly.<br/><br/>We all decided to stay and grab a bite and portlander did not disappoint. Amazing steaks, all the lads enjoyed it. <br/>Great service all evening. <br/>Nice to see a place cater for large groups, families and couples.<br/><br/>Il be back with the mrs soon

WOW, what an amazing experience, "portlander" is by far the biggest thing to hit Wellington, if I could I would eat there every night.<br/>My partner and I arrived early into Portlander and where greeted by a young lady who was stood on our side of the bar, wearing a little black dress and heals, she smiled at us and said relax take a seat and she would be right over, and she was within seconds, we had a drinks menu presented to us and some water we sat down in the comfy arm chairs and relaxed. After ordering cocktails the friendly server talked to us about our day, and what plans we had for the weekend, the host was lovely she then brought us a menu to look at while we sipped our drinks. The Cocktail the "Maroon 5" was delicious, great flavours and also the earl grey tea cocktail which was so so good, light, fresh, and elegant -Yummmmie!!<br/><br/>In the restaurant we had a lovely little table by the window and able to have a good look around. It was great being able to see the chefs work and use the restaurant like an extended kitchen. I saw one chef come out with a bowl to grab some Oysters from this huge open fish display. <br/>The staff are great here, so talkative and helpful i was asked if i have any questions about the menu and then my served told me where different cuts of steak were from and what wine goes with different foods "Amazing Service" <br/>Breads to share, 2 great entree's and then 2 steaks... not just any steaks, mouth watering, fantastic and perfectly cooked tender steaks. I had the the T-bone and my partner had the Sirloin. We got to choose our own sides: mushrooms, beetroot, rocket salad and gratin potato and sauce. We were told can create our own meals. Hand on heart best food iv had in ages. <br/><br/>We only managed to squeeze in one desert to share, the apple crumble it was so good better than my mums - that's hard to beat. <br/>Huge thank you to Portlander, staff were great, service was spot on and food was top notch - i will be back!!

We are Aucklanders who were fortunate enough to be invited to this new restaurant. It gave us the opportunity to compare the standard of fine dining between the two cities. We were very impressed with the standard of food and friendly service. we will definately coome back to this restaurant the next time we're in the capital.

I went to the Portlander with a couple of friends and it was a really enjoyable evening. The service was great, staff were very friendly, and no request was too big of an ask. The food was amazing. My lamb was perfectly cooked, and my friend who had the venison also had a meal cooked to perfection. The sides were just as good, the Beetroot side was so yummy. Looking forward to going again.

Recently my husband and I were celebrating our anniversary dinner and decided to go to the Portlander after hearing great things from some of our friends, and they definitely didn't disappoint!! We shared the Seafood Shell and it was well worth the price that we paid. Staff are friendly and approachable, and they create a great atmosphere to relax and enjoy the food. Will def be recommending to all our friends!

My husband and I recently went to the restaurant at Rydges Wellington - The Portlander. We had heard several good things about this restaurant and they all lived up to expectation. The staff were friendly, the service was efficient but the food was definitely the highlight. I had the Pistachio Lamb and it was cooked to perfection - delicious flavours! Will certainly be returning for another meal.

I was recently invited to join a friend at the Portlander Restaurant at Rydges Hotel in Wellington. Everything about my experience was amazing. Such a great atmosphere and the bar staff were helpful and had a huge amount of knowledge about the food they were serving. And the food they serve is incredible! I have been a vegetarian for over 15 years, and recently began eating meat again. On viewing menu at the Portlander Restaurant I decided to try the Wagyu Steak - it was so delicious and there is now no way I will go back to being a vegetarian!

I have to say that the Portlander cooks the BEST steaks in town. Sirloin steak on the bone is to die for. Service was impressive and the overall atmosphere is amazing. Can't wait to take my future wife back there.

My husband and I chose this restaurant as we wanted to show our future in-laws the standard of fine dining in Wellington and we were not let down at all. The service was impeccable from the moment we stepped into the dining area and the waiting staff was attentive, polite and very professional. The restaurant was warm and inviting and the mood lighting provided nice ambience.<br/>We ordered cocktails and these were impressive and delivered promptly. They were delicious and set the tone for the rest of the evening.<br/>My steak was cooked exactly as ordered and the side dishes of mushrooms and the salad were very good value as they were far too much for 1 person. I ended up sharing them with my fellow diners. My husband's side dish of the hand cut chips was absolutely stunning. Our desserts were beautfully presented and equally mouth watering.<br/>Our future in-laws were from Auckland and are also in the food business and they were suitably impressed.<br/>We look forward to returning with our next batch of out of town visitors so we can show off our high standard of culinary culture in Wellington.

Upon arrival at the Portlander Bar &amp; Grill, I found the atmosphere warm and pleasant, and the wait staff were all very personable, knowledgeable and made us feel very welcomed.<br/>My wife and I had the Wakanui Sirloin Steak, I like mine medium and she likes her medium rare. Both our steaks were cooked to perfection. I also had the hand cut fries and they were massive, but delicious.<br/>The service was extremely prompt and we could have a conversation with a normal tone of voice.<br/>My experience was a wonderful one and I would definitely return

This place is unreal, we had a meal here on Saturday night and the place was humming. We had heard about the place through friends and they were so right. The young waitress seemed to know everything that we asked(and being foodies we ask a lot). I got the Portlander OP rib - WOW huge, Fred Flintstone would have loved it, partner had the Pistachio lamb dish loved the flavours. Thanks guys just what Wellington needs a Steak house with " staff that care" and a chef that can cook the perfect steak.Your trainer must be a star. We will be back.

Amazing!! A large group of us dined here for "Wellington on a Plate - Long Lunch - Grain vs Grass Fed" and all I can say is amazing. Every single course was mouth watering and each wine was perfectly matched. <br/><br/>The Chef and his team certainly know what they are doing, it shows in the outstanding service and fresh, perfectly prepared and beautifully presented food.

A group of friends and I went for a leaving dinner (about 12 of us) and were blown away at how attentive the staff were to such a big group. Normally wait staff don't want to engage with such large tables but even the manager came over, she was chatting away and our Canadian waiter was cracking jokes too. The food was divine, nearly all of us had steak and some had the fresh seafood on offer, whitebait, paua and oysters. the atmosphere was humming and we will definitely return as they looked after us so well, and that's a rare thing in Wellington.

I walk past the window everyday and thought I would give it a go. WOW is all I can say, restaurant was full so had to wait for a table in lounge bar - no drama here was well looked after. But once in restaurant we were blown away by the transformation. The service was impeccable, slick almost. The food amazing had the OP Rib cooked perfect. No complaints from us at all. We will be back. thanks guys.

I had dinner with colleagues and was blown away by the atmosphere of the place and the food was excellent. I haven't found it in too many, if any hotels bfore but the Portlander makes the leap out of just hotel food to a dining experience in a hotel. Really worth checking out for a wide range of dishes and pretty good fast service. Great wine menu too!

I went here with a business associate and had a fantastic experience. My t-bone was absolutely the lovely, large, perfectly cooked piece of meat I was hoping for. My associate's marmalade coated ribs were decadent and moreish. And the Syrah (I forget the brand) was as big as the steak! For dinner, this place is awesome. It is at a part of town (near Parliament) where there aren't many good places to eat or drink, so if you're in Wellington on business or for a bit of politics, very much recommended!

I have been here twice and both times had a steak. Those two steaks share first equal for the best steaks I have ever had. So delicious - and not as pricey as fancy steak houses I have been to in Auckland. This place gets busy so I suggest making a booking. The staff were friendly and attentive without being intrusive. If you are looking for a restaurant to accompany a special night, I would recommend this Portlander.