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Hours
Sun
8:00 am - 9:00 pm
Mon
8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Tue
8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Wed
8:00 am - 10:00 pm
Thu
8:00 am - 10:00 pm
Fri
8:00 am - 12:00 am
Sat
8:00 am - 12:00 am
Ratings and reviews
4.0
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Details
Someone from this business manages this listing.
Learn More
CUISINES
European, Healthy, New Zealand
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Drinks
features
Does this restaurant serve alcohol?
Details
About
Camarosa is a family owned and operated business established by husband and wife Kamal and Danielle Dhillon. The name Camarosa comes from the variety of strawberries which are grown on site at Ruakura Berry Farm. Camarosa offers an exceptional dining experience in a relaxed ambience just a short drive from Hamilton CBD. We offer a variety of foods and dishes to cater to dietary requirements, a kids menu, hand-selected, New Zealand and International boutique wines and spirits and a good range of meals that the whole family can enjoy. We invite you to come and experience what Camarosa has to offer.
CUISINES
European, Healthy, New Zealand
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Drinks
FEATURES
Reservations, Seating, Highchairs Available, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Gift Cards Available
Top 3 reasons to eat here
Sponsored by: Camarosa
1. The best spot in Hamilton!
"hands down this place is the best restaurant in Hamilton"
Adamc7651
2. A Hamilton Standout
"One of the best restaurants that I have visited...ever."
FelicityReynolds
3. Great at everything
"
Nice new building, well laid out with good indoor and outdoor areas.
"
WayneK160
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4.0
270 reviews
Excellent
134
Very good
43
Average
36
Poor
21
Terrible
36
Alastair B
Hamilton121 contributions
Favourite Review
Jan 2024 • family
Great atmosphere in the dining room overlooking the strawberry fields. There were several options for my DF wife to enjoy. My chicken burger was excellent as was the market fish
Will definitely come again
Written 27 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lauren
Hamilton3 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
I booked a table for my 2 friends and I for lunch today. When we arrived I told the lady at the counter I had a table booked but they didn't even have our table ready, they set it up right in front of us (what was the point in booking). Then we were given water with only 2 glasses. Then our food came and we only had 1 set of cutlery and 1 napkin, I tried to get someones attention for about 2 minutes so we could get more cutlery but I ended up having to go up to the counter and ask. I also didn't get a steak knife with my steak. I would've preferred to email this but there is no email available for Camarosa. This was my third time here and the last two times were amazing hence why I was so shocked by the service today. I have worked in hospo for 5 years myself and I understand what the environment can be like sometimes but there is no excuse for bad service.
Written 3 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fairyroro
Hamilton & Waikato Region23 contributions
Dec 2019 • none
I am a fan of this guy's cooking from VSB days, so I was really looking forward to our lunch. The pork belly on asian salad was absolutely delicious and perfect size for lunch. The nourish bowl (what I was allowed to taste) was amazing and the others had breakfast options which were faultless. Its a lovely setting and the restaurant is bright and modern and, on the whole it was enjoyable but there were a few issues mainly around service that really need to be ironed out. It was busy. But there were plenty of staff on- they just didnt seem to know or care what was going on, alot of standing around talking while tables were left uncleared and slow- so terribly slow to take drink orders and then come back with them, no point in trying to order another one! We just gave up on ordering desserts because the waitress just never came back. Hospo is hard work and Im not sure some of these folks are up to it there is more to service than wearing a nice uniform and smiling, you have to be competent.
Written 2 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tiddles2015
5 contributions
Dec 2019 • none
We went to Camarosa for my birthday. Unfortunately, we won’t be doing that again as the Manager was not interested in taking seriously the complaint about the service we received. The portion sizes were extremely small for the cost. We had to ask twice for the toast and the eggs had gone cold by the time the second waitress brought the toast. I have since brought this to the Manager's attention and she was extremely rude and not interested in addressing my concerns. Obviously, they have an attitude far above themselves and not concerned about customer service. Very disappointed and would not recommend this establishment to anybody.
Written 2 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hermione
14 contributions
Feb 2020 • friends
My friend and I booked a table at Camarosa for Friday 14 February 2020, Valentine's Day. We booked two weeks in advance because we knew it would be a busy night. Upon booking we were informed that we would have to "respectfully leave our table" two hours after our booking time. However we received a phone call from Camarosa yesterday informing us that they were going to be very busy on Valentine's night and they were fully booked. We were told we would have to make sure we arrived on time and we would now only have one hour and 45 minutes to eat our dinner. Needless to say we have cancelled our reservation. We are not sure if this is normal practice for restaurants when taking bookings but we felt it was very rude and no longer wanted to spend our money at this restaurant. If we had wanted fast food we would have gone to Mc Donald's!
Written 12 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nicole Smedts
1 contribution
Dec 2020 • friends
After having a few below average experiences at this restaurant. I was excited to give them another go as the food always looks great on there social media. After being moved tables on our arrival we where placed directly in the sun but where advised we would be provided with shade eventually. After a 40 minute wait for our food and two request for shade we watched as others got moved and placed to shaded areas while our request where ignored. By the time our food arrived both my friend and myself where in such discomfort and extremely burnt we where unable to eat our meals and left admittedly after it was served. When discussing this experience on our departure at the front of house the manager ignored us and appeared to find it funny. This was an extremely expensive meal that I wasn’t even able to enjoy due to the poor service and lack of care for customers.
Written 5 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RoobyBeagle
Hamilton231 contributions
Sept 2020 • family
Booked on line. The online booking was faulty so the booking hadn’t been made. The place was full. The service was very average. Food is pub grub standard at restaurant prices. The burger was tiny in a big, stale bun with a slime of pickles and served with a few chips in one of those incredibly irritating little baskets with a smear of aoli which had a crust on it. Coffee was OK. I was totally underwhelmed and this is my third visit - I guess that exceeds the definition of stupidity, so I’ll be doing something else the next time its suggested. It’s no better than the first or second visits
Written 12 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bea962
Hamilton161 contributions
Sept 2020 • family
Why is this place always busy? I booked but the table was not only not ready when we arrived, they had to find one and set it. After a long wait we finally had our orders taken. The waitress, with one of those annoyingly ubiquitous iPads, ponderously tapped out everything and then read it all back in ponderous detail. When the drinks finally arrived the waiter gave the wrong drinks out, the rose wine wasn't chilled and he didn't bring any wine glasses. When he was prompted, he said he'd bring some but we saw him wander off to the other side of the restaurant and start taking orders there so we asked someone else and we finally got glasses.
The pasta and ramen were received well. The two orders of smoked fish 'pie' could have been two different dishes, as the waitress helpfully pointed out. Mine was dry, frizzled round the edges and stuck fast to the plate. She brought me another, not much better, and I ate what I could of the over-cooked mess, unsure what I was actually putting in my mouth. The 'surprise' egg was solid and rubbery. The unnecessary lettuce wilted into slimy leaves.
This was not a cheap meal. The surroundings are good, the parking is excellent and it should be serving delicious food. The chef should hang his head in shame sending out slop like this.
The berry shop has now added over-priced 'gift shop' merchandise to further rip us off.
I keep hoping for better thinking all these people can't be wrong.
Written 25 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sally and Barry
2 contributions
Jan 2020 • friends
Very,very dissatisfied.
Service was appalling,my friend had to wait 20 minutes for a glass of lemonade while they figured out what it was,the rest of us had our drinks.
The entree was nice my husband's soup was cream of corn and Bacon, no where on the menu did it mention that it was spicey.
Most of the meals on the menu were, not everyone can tolerate alot of hot spice.
Asked for a fresh garden salad with minimal dressing.
What arrived cos lettuce yum love it lashings of quinoa, ok in small quantities, pommergranet delicious, ladden with heaps of mayonnaise yuck.
Desert delicious, coffee and hot chocolate luke warm disgusting.
Could have had steak at $42.00 no way.
We got the luke warm drinks taken off the menu.still $271.00 for four people.
Will never ever return everybody who is looking for somewhere to go that I come across I tell them of my experience and they go else where.
Horrible place.
They don't deserve the one star I gave them.
S Simpkins.
Written 11 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
teganmmorris35
Hamilton11 contributions
Mar 2020 • none
The atmosphere of this restaurant is relaxed but also very smart and classy looking with the nature inspired stone and concrete architecture . The staff were very professional and helpful, serving our group who arrived over a period of time. The selection of wines and other drink option was good, featuring a number of nice New Zealand varieties and the menu was also strongly influenced by very nice New Zealand ingredients. The variety of menu choices covered some Asian inspired dishes, some Italian inspired dishes and the more standard items such as steak, chicken and burgers. Every dish I saw looked to be a good standard and everyone at our table seemed very happy with the portion size and taste of their meals. The restaurant offers indoor and out door dining as well as a Private function room which would be suitable for more formal occasions. The function room looked like it could seat approximately 10-12 people.The Restaurant also had plenty of parking and the drive out from the city didn't take long at all when traveling from Hillcrest (approximately 5 minutes from the university).
Written 7 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisa
Auckland1 contribution
May 2021 • none
A nice setting, we arrived for lunch at 1330, cafe appeared to have had a busy lunch period with some large groups just leaving. Waiter service was prompt and friendly. The exception was one food server who had a brash manner, enough to startle you when she arrived to announce the item she was delivering. Fettuccine was good. Market fish was over cooked with a hard tempera batter. The chicken burger was similarly hard and overcooked. The meals were eaten as not wanting to cause a fuss but when feedback provided (with no expectation of discount) the response was very poor, dismissive. A shame, we won’t return and should have returned the meals.
Written 6 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elena T
21 contributions
Sept 2020 • none
Went to camarosa for brunch. There wasn’t any space inside the main restaurant, so we were seated in the outside area (which was still covered and heated so no biggie). One problem was the outside was really quiet and could do with some music as we could basically hear the conversations happening on the next table and vice versa.
The service was decent and staff were attentive.
I ordered the buckwheat waffles on the menu but it really should be called the “buckwheat waffle”. It was just a single slice of waffle with some poached pear/other toppings on the top. The waffle itself was delicious, but for the price I was paying for it I was quite disappointed and had wish I had ordered the burger - which was much bigger in portion and cheaper too.
Overall, it was a decent experience.
Written 6 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lily K
Hamilton1 contribution
Dec 2020 • none
The place is nice and waitresses were nice too. I wasn’t impressed because we need to wait for 30 mins for a table even there’s multiple empty tables. The manager explained they’re busy changing the breakfast menu to lunch menu. I didn’t get it why customers can’t be seated first but not to order from breakfast menu. Anyway, we wasted that 30min and got our table. However, I was disappointed again. Because the manager didn’t even ask but led us straight to a table outdoor, with no umbrella. He just ignored the infant with us and let us stay in the beautiful summer sunlight at 12.30pm.
Written 5 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LynnetteC9
Hamilton3 contributions
Feb 2021 • none
Went for coffee with my brother and niece. We thought we would order a bowl of fries for her while we had a coffee but was told we had to order a full meal before we could get fries. It was 10 in the morning and considering the mark up on fries is huge, they should have obliged. I am a local and had been telling my brother what a great place Camorosa was. My family had supported this business through lock down with take away ordering. Was very disappointed with the service. Lucky Zenders is just down the road!
Written 8 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Downeynz
Cambridge142 contributions
Jan 2020 • family
Nice place for a meal. The food is great however the big breakfast is not that big for $26. If they want to define big breakfast they should see what we get at a truck stop for half the price. But in saying that it’s a great atmosphere. And I wouldn’t hesitate in going back.
Written 9 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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