well, a glimpse from the first floor balcony. Not a bad pub with a pleasant pavement area and happy hour for a reasonable chardonnay. Whakatane has failed miserably in taking advantage of its waterfront with no bars or restaurants. Where there is they are ground...floor with a high wall facing the water. The only exception seems to be The Top Shelf but it's only open for functions. So for a peep, come to The Craic on the balcony. Possibly.More

Yes, a great place to stop over after checking out the shops on the main street of Whakatane. The Guinness stout was just great.

The Craic Hotel has a good atmosphere and on both occasions we visited was busy. The beers are good and the staff are friendly

Took the family here for a late lunch. The food was good pub grub, fresh and tasty. My wife and I shared the seafood platter and that satisfied us.

Stopped here for a drink after travelling all day, lovely sunny aspect on pavement out front. Lots of seating, good pint of Guinness and only $8 if I remember correctly. This place wasn’t expensive at all considering it could readily capture all the customers in...the middle of town. Offers food and has proper snug tables inside, friendly service and quick.More

Friendly staff, Great service. Pub food was really good and a great price. Recommend the Pizza Certainly would be back.

We had driven from Whitianga to Whakatane and our timing got off for lunch. We had stopped,at a few places on thee way, but decided to carry on as they were not ok places, we chose to eat in and had several bad experiences on...entering those places or trying to eat there. It was almost 2 pm when we arrived in Whakatane and my blood sugar levels had dipped. My hubby kept saying, no one would be open. Things were beginning to get a bit snippy between us. We parked and walked around, and saw this Irish pub. The bar person advised theydid not do lunch and my heart sank, but they did bar meals and oroduced this page long list of yummy bar meals to select. This was way beyond expectations. I ordered salt and pepper,squid and a fresh green salad. Both so welcome and deliecious. The squid had crunchy outside and melt in your mouth centre. Hubby had a burger and fries, which he advised were good. We had a drink each to calm the frayed nerves. The staff were friendly and lovely. Prices reasonable. We sat in a cool little booth and let the tensions disappear. A welcome and unexpected feast. Thank you so muchMore