Schnappa Rock

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#7 of 144 Restaurants in Whangarei$$ - $$$, Bar, Seafood, Vegetarian friendly

+64 9-434 3774+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Tue

8:00 am - 10:30 pm

Wed

8:00 am - 10:30 pm

Thu

8:00 am - 10:30 pm

Fri

8:00 am - 10:30 pm

Sat

8:00 am - 10:30 pm

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.0

775 reviews

#7 of 144 Restaurants in Whangarei

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Food and ambience

Local cuisine, Bar, Seafood, European, New Zealand, Contemporary

“Fine Food in the New Zealand Northland”

“Paua wontons, kingfish sashimi, lamb loin/ rib, hapuka with harissa sauce, G&...”

“The ceviche was amazing as was the duck special.”

“Salmon eclairs and ceviche appetizers... YUM.”

Location and contact

1 Marina Road, Whangarei 0173 New Zealand

+64 9-434 3774

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Does this restaurant have live music

Yes

Unsure

Details

Manage this business?

About

On the Marina in Tutukaka, gateway to the Poor Knights Marine Reserve. Schnappa Rock offer a unique dining experience in lovely setting. Open 6 Days from 8am

PRICE RANGE

$12.00 – $34.00

CUISINES

Bar, Seafood, European, Contemporary, New Zealand

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours

FEATURES

Reservations, Seating, Parking Available, Street Parking, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music

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4.0

775 reviews

Excellent

397

Very good

235

Average

Poor

Terrible

dasco474

Dwight249 contributions

Very poor service and average food

Dec 2019 • none

We walked up and requested outside seating and waited and waited and waited. We finally grabbed an empty table ourselves but then waited and waited and waited. It was as if the staff was all on vacation. We finally snagged a waiter and he brought us menus and then we waited, waited and waited. We were not sure what was happening here and I suggested to my daughter that we buy the place and fire the staff - the atmosphere here is amazing and we loved sitting out on the patio, but I am not sure how they make money or stay in business not taking care of their customers. We were not sure if this was a restaurant or just a social club. We finally got fed - food wasn't bad but alcohol was definately sub par (we found this all over NZeD) - watered down drinks and wine "pour lines" of about a 1/4 inch sip..............best to go home and make your own drinks!

Written 29 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.

jcjennifercoll

191 contributions

Loved the mussels

Jan 2020 • friends

Dinner so we could taste the famous green lipped mussels and they did not disappoint. The service was very good and the female waiter noticed several mussels did not open so took them away and ensured they were opened. Good overall restaurant

Written 24 January 2020

Maree W

15 contributions

Come to Tutukaka to visit this restaurant

Nov 2020 • none

I hosted a lunch for 22 here and it was amazing! We started with chilled champagne and the freshest oysters before enjoying a wonderful meal - the snapper was delicious, the staff (Taylor and Louie) attentive and the atmosphere both friendly and polished. Great wine list too. I could not recommend this place more highly,

Review collected in partnership with www.restauranthub.co.nz

This business uses tools provided by Tripadvisor (or one of its official Review Collection Partners) to encourage and collect guest reviews, including this one.

Written 5 November 2020

Paul H

Stafford39 contributions

Expected so much more

Jan 2020 • couples

2 years ago we had a fabulous experience with both service and food. However my wife and I could not have experienced a greater change when we dropped in for lunch. Firstly we were given a choice of tables - good. Having chosen a window table we sat and awaited service. A group of eight in the same area were having their order taken. The young waiter took the order and disappeared. After 30 minutes we finally managed to attract his attention (no other waiter or waitress came near). He arrived expecting to take our order and seemed surprised when we asked for a menu. We subsequently ordered the jerk chicken salad and the chorizo and tomato salad And then we waited. Two people sat at the table beside ours, ordered and had their starters delivered and still no sign of our food. One of them called the waiter to complain about his cold chowder. I asked where our food was. Finally, 45 minutes after entering, the food arrived with no apology. The jerk chicken was dreadful, hardly any heat, greasy and very little of it. I suspect it consisted of a single thigh sliced into 6 pieces. My wife's chorizo was cut into minute pieces and was buried in about 500g of hastily cut tomatoes. Difficult to manage and totally overfacing. It was clear that very little thought had gone into potion sizes or presentation on either dish. Needless to say we were very disappointed and told to the waiter so. To give him his due he did tell the cashier who discounted our bill and did ask why we were disappointed. Such a shame after our previous experience. We won't be going back

Written 7 January 2020

Jim

Tutukaka2 contributions

Very disappointed

Jan 2020 • friends

I'm feeling slightly ripped off this morning after paying over $400 for a meal which was very below par. The ceviche was a few cubes of fish on a mountain of lettuce and tortilla chips and was very bland. When we mentioned this to the waiter his solution was to bring us some soy sauce!! The mains were no better. The duck was 2 small pieces of cold smoked duck on a grey mash. The fish of the day was over cooked to the point of being dry. All comments when asked how the food was were brushed off. The wine was good. They knocked the price of the ceviche off the bill but to be honest the meal was generally very poor and not worth the inner city restaurant prices charged.

Written 27 January 2020

Louise F

2 contributions

Quite a disappointment

Jun 2020 • family

We stopped in for a quiet lunch. Very lited lynxh menu, whixh was not what was pisted online. The pork belly sandwich was tough and dry. Service was extremely slow even though it wasn't busy. Not at good experience at all.

Written 20 June 2020

LittleKiwiGal

Auckland Central39 contributions

Disappointed and left hungry

Jan 2022 • family

We’ve been here before years ago and as we were in the area, thought we’d pop in for some lunch. We waited 56 minutes for our lunch to arrive - three ceviche and a kids beef burger and chips. The beef burger and chips for kids was good value at just over $10 but the ceviche was a major disappointment- especially after such a long wait. Each dish only had perhaps 6-8 mouthfuls of fish and the rest of the dish was made up of dried corn which is the same as you buy in a packet at the supermarket. We won’t be hurrying back.

Written 5 January 2022

Simon D

Auckland847 contributions

Saturday lunch

Feb 2020 • couples

Stopped by with family when visiting from Whangarei. I had the kokoda and the rest had the chicken salad. A reasonable range of beers and a small but satisfactory wine list. A little better than average and the service from our waiter brought this up a notch for my rating. Price was OK for 4 beers a bottle of nice wine and a main each and fries to share at $183.50

Written 21 February 2020

macfod

Amberley797 contributions

Disappointed visit

Jul 2020 • couples

It didnt help as it was a wet and windy night and many were having to eat with coats on as it can be a draft place. Service was very attentive at first but tailed off. The bar needs warming and sprucing up as it was rather bland. Food was just ok with steak very rare when it should have been medium and rather fatty fillet with a few tasteless croutons as side dish. Pork wad very fatty and small for the price and so we would eat there again in honesty

Written 15 July 2020

Excursion717237

2 contributions

Livestock in the salad !!

Mar 2021 • none

Very disappointing visit. One of the young members of our party was served a salad which had a caterpillar in it. When mentioned to the waiter he replied "proves we don't spray" The meal wasn't replaced. Steak was the toughest I have ever been served in a restaurant. Service was extremely slow.

Written 22 March 2021

DianeMaccers

Auckland29 contributions

Lunch

Sept 2020 • couples

Fish and chip lunch big disappointment at $33.50 each for main course. Two small squares of fish in and over cooked batter, thin soggy fries and salad that appeared to have no dressing. Not good at all. Crumble desert lovely. As we were leaving couple at next table’s fish and chips arrived. Bartered fish looked lovely. Buyer beware.

Written 25 September 2020

CandiceD12

1 contribution

Not worth the money spent

Dec 2021 • none

The food is extremely bland and tasteless. We had to wait for 15mins to be seated even tho we pre booked months in advance. We given an a la carte menu whilst other menus were offered to patrons. The pricing is extremely high and the food is not worth the money u spend. The food had no flavour just very nicely served. I wouldn’t recommend this place.

Review collected in partnership with www.restauranthub.co.nz

This business uses tools provided by Tripadvisor (or one of its official Review Collection Partners) to encourage and collect guest reviews, including this one.

Written 18 December 2021

sandim665

Wellington10 contributions

Fancy prices but not food to match.

Jan 2022 • none

We dined twice at Snapper Rock due to other venues being closed because of the tsunami. We both felt it was really expensive for what you got. We are used to Wellington and Auckland prices and the standard of food was not comparable with the price. The first night we shared a $20+ piece of bruschetta and nearly $40 for a disc of yellow rice, some fish, and spicy salsa. The fish was stunning but as I don't like food that is overly spicy my meal consisted of fish and flavourless rice. Dessert was nice but not great. On the second night I had the line caught (perhaps but not recently) fish burger which for $20 was an untoasted bun, small amount of battered fish and copious amounts of cabbage. The chips were good. He had the fish taco which again was drowning in cabbage. Staff were exemplary on the first night but not so visible on the second - perhaps due to it being so busy or that we chose bar meals?

Review collected in partnership with www.restauranthub.co.nz

This business uses tools provided by Tripadvisor (or one of its official Review Collection Partners) to encourage and collect guest reviews, including this one.

Written 16 January 2022

Coolio

Queenstown46 contributions

Very Slow

Apr 2021 • family

I have been to this restaurant in the past, and it was great. I don't know what's changed since then, but it took ages to get our food, steak was very tough, just very different from what we had experienced in the past.. looking at other reviews, looks like it's a common theme. Probably will try somewhere else next time, and definitely won't be Wahi Restaurant either ( terrible service)

Written 1 April 2021

Michelle S

Wellington3024 contributions

Dinner opposite the marina

Feb 2021 • couples

A table in the open window here with an outlook across to the marina and the fresh outdoor air taking the edge off the heat - this is a treat in an area where there aren’t too many options for dinner. The food is quality and there is a good choice of wines by the glass. We went for a the seafood platter for two and ordered greens as a side. The platter was comprised of an interesting and healthy selection of “tasters”. Not too heavy, so we could order dessert too. Creme brûlée and crumble - both were good. Finished with coffee; pleased to say that the coffee was properly hot - they warm their cups properly first here. Even at a fairly quiet time of the week, it would pay to make a booking if you want to have dinner here. Maybe combine it with a brief stroll around the waterfront and marina opposite.