Duke of Marlborough

Duke of Marlborough

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+64 9-403 7829+ Add website
Hours
Sun
11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Mon
11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Tue
11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Wed
11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Thu
11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Fri
11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Sat
11:30 am - 10:00 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.
About
Located right on the waterfront in Russell. Serving up delectable delights for lunch and dinner the Duke of Marlborough Restaurant is at the heart of this historical hotel. The menu showcases locally sourced seasonal produce, presenting a new take on classic favourites.
PRICE RANGE
$20.00 – $98.00
CUISINES
Bar, Seafood, Contemporary, New Zealand
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Drinks
FEATURES
Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Private Dining, Seating, Parking Available, Street Parking, Free off-street parking, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Mastercard, Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music, Waterfront, Gift Cards Available
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles2,389 reviews
Excellent
1,374
Very good
614
Average
211
Poor
113
Terrible
77

Sunshine11510706514
Christchurch7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 friends
Best advice I got on Far North holiday when friend heard I was staying at D.O.M, 'Make sure you book a table for dinner, food is excellent'. Not only the food, but the service team, the ambience, everything about this place speaks of a tight professional team. The food? We shared a shoulder of lamb, I may have had as good in my 77 years having been raised on a sheep farm, but I don't remember having better. Seriously excellent, and the hangi roast potatoes were a trip in themselves. I loved this place, everything about it. How we managed to fit in 3 big scoops of rich real fruit gelato for dessert is one of those great mysteries....... and when you have a restaurant experience like that breakfast the following morning is a given: a perfectly made double shot flat white accompanied by a granola/muesli bowl that was a picture of freshness, of course. '10/10 Team'. This sort of experience doesn't happen without well choreographed team work, and I believe it represented extremely good value for money. Hugely impressed. Thank you all.
Written 4 April 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.

Neale1810
Kingston-upon-Hull3356 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2024 couples
We had arrived on the ferry from Paihia late afternoon and after a brief look round the town we decided to take an early dinner at the Duke of Marlborough. It has a great setting overlooking the sea and boats. There was a business meeting going on when we arrived so feared the worse about getting a table but they found us one in the ‘conservatory’ at the front. The decor of the hotel/restaurant is fitting with its age and provided an elegant backdrop. The food menu is extensive - several,pages long but you soon realise that there are roughly 10 starters and 10 mains to chose from. Our waiter took good care of us and told us what fish would be used in today’s fish dishes. We had the snapper in coconut milk and calamari to start our meal and both were beautifully cooked and presented - so tasty too! For our mains I had the crispy pork belly and my wife the half a chicken with a Thai salad- once again well cooked and tasted great. We were full after 2 courses so just asked for the bill. What a great meal - thoroughly recommended.
Written 29 October 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.

Ross H
Christchurch2 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 couples
The food was absolutely fantastic! Floor manager was discrete and professional. The wait person was good however, when asked a question about the fish of the day, didn't know and stated "I only arrived 5 minutes ago". I am in Hospitality and I do expect my staff to know the 'specials' before the walk out on the floor. Stunning environment, setting, and presentation of the whole venue - Well done Duke of Marlborough!
Written 9 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.

Explorer17996219261
1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 couples
Absolutely lacklustre and terrible service. Given the wrong menu to start (dinner instead of lunch) … The waiter had no idea what was available and what wasn’t on their menu… they advertise a French 75 cocktail with no bubbles in it … when questioned if they had accidentally left it out they said no and didn’t offer to replace it … the main ingredient of a French 75 is bubbles/ champagne … Took forever to be served. It was impossible to flag them down… my husband had to get up to ask for extra bread for the exorbitant amount of fish pate on the seafood platter , and charged us for it. The oysters they served were lukewarm. Drinks came after the appetiser - which was one spring roll - when I questioned if it was only one, the waiter responded « yes it’s a spring roll not spring rolls »…. The salmon wasn’t worth finishing and tough. The margarita had sugar on the rim instead of sugar. They look completely understaffed and incompetent. Other patrons had to get up to borrow some Tabasco sauce from another table because they couldn’t get the attention of the waiters.. The most engaging we ever saw them was when we got up to pay and the informed us that we could tip if we wanted to .. safe to say I’ve never been happier to be in a country where it isn’t expected. A shame as this hasn’t been my experience at the duke previously. What a shambles.
Written 6 March 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.

Kim H
1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 friends
Every time I have friends visiting me in the beautiful far north, I always take them to Duke of Marlboro as it is a lovely place in front of the water. However, yesterday I brought my friends who came from a cruise and we were all disappointed with the service as well as the food. No water was served till we asked one of the staff. She told us to go and take it to the counter. After almost an hour of waiting for our order, the flounder was so salty that we couldn't almost eat it. We decided to order rice just to mix it hopefully it would lessen the saltiness. Unfortunately, they don't serve rice. The whole time we were there no one came to attend to us. They just showed us where is our table and told us to order online and that's it. We are all not happy 🙁
Written 12 February 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.

Joanne
6 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 couples
We chose the Duke of Marlborough to celebrate my birthday and were disappointed with the food and the service. Extensive wine list however the first two wines ordered were not available so had to go with my third choice. There was a fish bone in the Seafood Chowder, however when I mentioned this to the staff it was dismissed as a one off and I only received an apology from the chef. The Steak meal was very small and we could cook the steak better on the webber at home. Overall a very poor evening at what we thought was an iconic spot. We can not understand the high ratings given by so many other diners.
Written 21 April 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.

jjwebley
Southampton40 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 couples
The hotel has pretty much a monopoly for upmarket accomodation and food in Russell and they know it. Our room was pleasant although there was no view, the restaurant menu is a bit pretentious for my taste, although it was always full, but the level of service for us was poor. We needed an early breakfast so that we could catch a boat but breakfast doesn't start until 8 and hhe server was very unhelpful. Fortunately, by ignoring her and talking directly to the chef, we managed to get served quickly and made our trip but it left a sour taste, as did breakfast the day before, when the paying guests were very much second rate while they served a large group just there for breakfast.
Written 24 February 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.

Lynn S
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 couples
We've been to the Duke several times before but never for lunch and we would definitely never go there again. Everything was very overpriced, the service was slow and the meals were nothing special. It was my wife's birthday too so it was doubly disappointing. To top it off when we said we weren't that happy they brushed us off. We will not be back.
Written 2 September 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.

Christine H
Auckland Central6 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 couples
We were very much looking forward to a cosy evening winter meal; however, were disappointed with the pork belly sharing plate for two as it was quite small with minimal amount of vegetables for two. The size of the plate was too big for the amount of food on it. We expected way more food for the price of $89. The food was at least tasty. The creme brûlée for dessert was delicious and generous in size. The wine was very expensive. The Maitre d' was not friendly on our arrival and appeared stressed the whole evening which I assume was due to staff shortages, especially as they had a function to attend to also. We had to wait some time to be served. We chose to sit inside near the fire which was barely burning and diners were putting wood on to keep it going as the staff obviously didn't have time to attend to it (we were then told we should not be touching it as if too laden with wood it could spill over and cause a fire). There was little ambience as we were there at 6pm and most diners sat out in the outside section; we chose not to as it was cold out there and the live singer was very loud which would have made it difficult with conversation. We enjoyed the hotel decor and learning of the history of the historic hotel through the many photographs on the walls. If ever back in Russell we may consider attempting lunch there but would likely not go back for dinner.
Written 1 August 2023
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.

Milo the Minx
Wellington63 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2024 couples
Came here for Christmas Day dinner. Expectations were high given the $150 each hefty price tag for 3 courses (not including drinks). The venue itself if beautiful with a fabulous view of the harbour if you were lucky enough to get a table next to the window (we weren't even though I booked months ago - my polite request to move us to one of the empty harbour view tables was brushed off). The service was also excellent leaving just the right amount of time between courses. The meal itself was very average - tasty but nothing special- my main meal was also not that warm. All in all, we enjoyed the venue and the experience but the meal itself was shockingly overpriced for what it was. Wouldn't class it as fine dining.
Written 25 December 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.

Mobile42193901913
2 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 family
My partner and I visited this restaurant in September. We were on the cruise ship that docked in the Bay of Islands. My partner had never visited the Bay of Islands before and due to me being a frequent visitor to Paihia and Russell, I decided to show him the beautiful little sights/buildings that Russell has to offer. However, we were both left with a sour taste as we ordered drinks and some chips and went to sit out on the verandah, only to have one of the staff members almost run up to us and tell us we weren’t allowed to sit out there as it was only for people buying lunch. My family who live close by recommended we visit this restaurant and they were disappointed to hear how we were treated. I won’t be spending my money here again while visiting and my family will no longer recommend this restaurant to others.
Written 14 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.

Odyssey08253096138
1 contribution
2.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 family
I have been here before but was disappointed all around , I requested to be seated in the main dining room not on the balcony when I booked. Was told that there was not enough wait staff and everyone was on the balcony crowded and music too loud! The experience for us is that we dine in lovely historic ambiance of the restaurant. Food was sub-standard with bones in my fish croquettes and cheesecake terrible
Written 4 May 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.

Julian C
Auckland Central2 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 couples
Great location and was busy on the night we dined, which was my wife's birthday. (We had booked) Waited 5 minutes at reception, along with 6 other people before anyone came to acknowledge us and take us to our table. All the waiting staff seemed rushed and we were told by them that they were busy several times - I guess this was to pre warn us about the delay. Drinks took a while to arrive. Other customers arriving afterwards were served their food before us and our main course took an hour to arrive. The lamb was very good and there was plenty of it but the vegetables were sparse and not hot. Overall slightly disappointed considering its reputation and price.
Written 20 February 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.

Kirstin P
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 family
We had terrible service we had to ask to be served for everything we ordered . We had plates piled over our table that no one cleared . When we flagged a waitress to ask if we could order dessert she rudely told us she wasn’t the waitress for our table and said she would tell our waitress then never did and waited 20 min and decided to leave . Very disappointing
Written 15 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.

Joel L
2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023 family
Most disappointing birthday meal ever. We took the best table outside that took 45 minutes to be cleaned after we moved all the dirty things ourselves on a chair. They add a QR code on the table to order so no interaction, seeing the price you pay good service should be included. We order on two phones, I, innocently order only a starter and thought I will order some more later. My parents order on their phone a 100$ platter. 10 minutes later somebody went to tell us that they can’t prepare it. Just a big smile, no solution or nothing to make up for it. And didn’t clean the table. So they order again. One hour pass and no food. My parents get their food that they order 20 minutes after us. See the picture: share platter with the tiniest little things and everything very poor quality. Except the fish. Definitely not worth the price. We went to cancel our order after waiting for more than an hour and order a drink to keep busy. Somebody notice us and say that somebody else will serve us and walk away. Then no way to cancel and get refunded somebody tells us that the food is ready to be served. 15 minutes after the waiter arrives with our plates and serve the table next to ours. Food average. No time to order a main for me and still hungry ready to go eat somewhere else.
Written 21 February 2023
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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DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH, Russell - Restaurant Reviews, Phone Number & Photos

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