Old Mountaineers' Cafe, Bar and Restaurant
Old Mountaineers' Cafe, Bar and Restaurant
Someone from this business manages this listing.
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+64 3-435 1890+ Add websiteImprove this listing
Hours
Sun
10:00 am - 3:00 pm5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Wed
10:00 am - 3:00 pm5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Thu
10:00 am - 3:00 pm5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Fri
10:00 am - 3:00 pm5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Sat
10:00 am - 3:00 pm5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Ratings and reviews
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Details
Someone from this business manages this listing.
Learn More
CUISINES
Cafe, European, New Zealand
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours
features
Does this restaurant have tables with seating?
Details
CUISINES
Cafe, European, New Zealand
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours
FEATURES
Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service
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4.0
1,274 reviews
Excellent
499
Very good
428
Average
204
Poor
62
Terrible
81
Kayjayell
Wicklow392 contributions
Jan 2020 • couples
In this small enclave where the restaurants have a captive audience it’s difficult to find somewhere to eat normal food that doesn’t charge you the earth. This place was well positioned with great views and good food cooked well. We had the Hoki and a ham bagel and both were really good along with organic soft drinks which were different
Come here to fill up before or after a hike around this fabulous area
Written 25 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.
Harriet W
Awesome, thanks Karl. So glad you found us and enjoyed your time with us. Many thanks for letting us know. Travel safe.
Written 26 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Peter C
Seattle243 contributions
Feb 2020 • none
So without the views we happened to have this place is a 3 rating. It can take awhile for food to arrive, it's loud when sitting inside, half the staff is very indifferent to you being there at all. Upside the burgers were above average, views on nice days are excellent and we recommend sitting outside to reduce the noise. Price is a bit higher but you are in a isolated location...so your stuck with the limited options. We at here two days in a row so overall we recommend it.
Written 9 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.
HarrietW976
Great to hear that you enjoyed your burgers and the terrific views, too! Many thanks for your recomendation. (Sorry, we can't do much about people talking, with a full restaurant. )
Written 9 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
travelyun
375 contributions
Oct 2020 • family
This is a solid choice in the village. Very popular- we saw a few reserved signs of the tables along the window. By 6:10pm on a Sunday evening during the school holiday, it was full. Ok range of menu. Our steak and salmon were both reasonable price and portion quite large. Burger was very good, with really tasty chips. I would warn against ordering the kids pizzas - they are by far the smallest pizza I’ve seen, for $15. Quite a rip off, although the standard size pizza seems good only a few bucks more. Overall this is fine.
Written 3 October 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.
HarrietW976
Many thanks for your review. I will personally find out what is going on with the kid's pizza; thanks for the alert. Travel safe.
Written 5 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Mattihsf
Purfleet2 contributions
Feb 2020 • none
Avoid at any cost!!! We come for a breakfast first table in and we had to wait 20 min for food to be delivered. I ordered full mountain breakfast for 25 and it was the worst food in my 3 weeks trip in New Zealand. When i showed overcooked eggs and deep fried sausages they answer was that’s the way we do it in hire... the only good thing is a coffee.
Written 23 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.
HarrietW976
Well, if your eggs were overcooked and the sausages weren't OK, and you told the wait staff, and they didn't fix it, then that is unacceptable. I will look into it and I apologise that it wasn't fixed when you were there. Great that the coffee was good.
Written 24 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
cindyd581
Ashburton1 contribution
May 2020 • couples
Had a booking at 6.30 may 23rd 2020
a nice young man - took us to our table- showed us a specials board & gave us menus. He must have made us invisible as he did not come back to take a drinks order or food order.
A table of six came in after us & they were promptly served drinks & there food order was taken, all while we watched in disbelief. They were told there was only 1 steak meal left while the waiter had lengthy interaction with this table. He then took their food order.
We still at that point had not been asked if we wanted a drink.
After the waiter cleared dishes of the table next to us we thought we would give him one more chance to serve us or we would leave. The waiter went back to the bar & proceeded to do some paperwork so we got up & walked out. This was extremely disappointing as we were celebrating a special occasion.
Due to covid this was to be our first night out to support a hard working local business. As there were no other local food options so went back to our motel enjoyed a cold drink and some leftovers!
Written 23 May 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.
HarrietW976
I am very sorry that you were missed and apologise for this. We have been up in the air with all of the new restrictions and the nice young man was filling in to help out and was distracted. Please, if this happens in any place you go to, just give a friendly shout out to the staff rather than build up resentment and then leave and write a poor review when nothing can then be done to fix it. We're all trying to do our best under incredibly trying conditions.
Written 28 May 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
P. S
22 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
We bought three meals (two dinners and one take away pizza) at this place since we didn't really feel like going to the way more expensive Hermitage Hotel (which is, by the way, in Asian hands). The restaurant looks very nice with amazing photos from the olden days and mountaineers equipment hanging on the walls. The food portions were generous and tasty and reasonably priced. They were out of a few dinner menu options when we visited. Very friendly staff.
Beware of taking the ginger chocolate cake if you are not keen on having your mouth full of overpowering ginger!:-(
Written 5 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.
HarrietW976
Many thanks for the wonderful review. It's great to know you found us and that you had a good time and the food was good. I'll let the chef know to tone down the ginger in the chocolate cake! Travel safe.
Written 7 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Polly
Auckland Central4 contributions
Jan 2021 • friends
I would like to share.
Today I went here and ordered pizza. But we can only eat the top because the pizza is charred. We want to recommend. So we decided to bring the pizza that could not be eaten to the chef quietly. And we don't want to refund anything. But what we got was that he did not listen to us but also said it was okay, telling us we went to the restaurant to enjoy the food, not for a view. We think chef's job is cooking good quality food in a reasonable price.
Written 2 January 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.
Harriet W
It is vital that you have good quality food. If you have the right place? (Our chef is a woman at the moment.) For the record, if it was us, thank you for letting us know, we will look into that. It should have been replaced with a smile and a thank you.
Written 8 February 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
jacci6
Tauranga95 contributions
Jul 2020 • none
Yummy breakfast before a long day walking in the area.
Staff polite, food scrumptious, seating and tables are well placed and the room is warm with a lit open fire. Perfect.
Written 19 July 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.
HarrietW976
Oh, that's just great to hear! Thanks so much for letting us know how much you enjoyed visiting our beloved wee place here in these stunning mountains. You made our day! Travel safe.
Written 23 July 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kiwilah
Singapore70 contributions
Jul 2021 • none
We initially came here for dinner as the expensive hotel up the road where we were staying told us the only spot they had left was at 9:00pm. There were a good few other hotel guests here too. We also decided to make this our brunch stop as well before hitting the trails and we were not disappointed. Yes, the menu was limited to mainly burgers and pizza but these were delicious and the service was as warm and friendly as the crackling fire. There is an amazing amount of old skiing / hiking gear and other information to look at.
Written 15 August 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.
kiwisam3
Christchurch38 contributions
Feb 2021 • none
Pizzas were fine, although we got hit with a 20 per cent surcharge - 5 for doc levy and 15 as it was a public holiday. Pizzas were served on disposable plates. Very odd for a national park when presumably rubbish is a bad idea. Staff seemed bored - only two tables full. Can’t help thinking without the surcharge they would have made more money, and I left feeling ripped off.
Written 6 February 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.
Harriet W
Good to hear the pizzas were fine. We cannot afford to open if we do not charge a surcharge on a public holiday as the penal rates on such minimal profit items are so bare. DOC charge operators for ground rentals for bare land on which staff accommodation sits, and it is incredibly hefty for local body fees, as well as paying two lots of rates - council and DOC, although DOC are the ones that provide services. We cannot find staff for dishwashing your plates, all business in the park is 90% down, the usual staff are not able to come into the country and NZers do not want to move to national parks to work, away from their families and local schools. All of the disposable plates are eco-plates and create zero rubbish as they can be incinerated. Doing the best we can under 90% intolerable conditions. It's a miracle there are still places you're able to get a coffee and food under the current circumstances.
Written 8 February 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Joy Pringle
8 contributions
May 2020 • none
Lovely environment, Friendly service, Food overpriced.
I know it's a long way from suppliers, but to serve up three sausages with two baked
half-potatoes for $36 is way over the top. I should have known better of course.
Written 27 May 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.
HarrietW976
I believe you also had salad with that? If you didn't you should have. Remember the GST is included in that, the table service, the staff wages, the electricity, council requirements, rent, and full DOC charges and commissions at a time we are on our knees. We are currently open as a service to the public and we are doing our best in a hostile environment for business. The Hermitage is closed because of this. Because there is no money in it.Please have a little understanding.
Written 28 May 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Chris H
Bristol2156 contributions
Mar 2020 • none
There have been a number of negative reviews of this cafe, but our experience was that service and food – even at what appeared to be a busy time – was fine. OK we had to queue for a while to place our order – the one till for ordering meals struggles to cope with a long queue.
But once we had placed our order, food came out in a reasonable timescale and was very tasty. The Panini was excellent.
Sitting outside was a great improvement on inside tables – obviously we were lucky with the weather.
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.
HarrietW976
Overall the comments we've had have been stellar. Great to hear you enjoyed your time with us.
Written 9 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Graeme S
47 contributions
Jan 2021 • couples
Some of the negative reviewers on here need to take a long look at themselves.
We popped in here after a long day and had a burger and a cold beer. Despite arriving close to closing time, the staff were super friendly and all to happy to take our order. The food arrived very quickly and the burger was one of the best I’ve had - it was juicy and cooked to perfection.
With businesses struggling all over NZ I really don’t mind that the food was served in a cardboard carton. If it helps places like this stay open then why not.
Great food, great location with super mountaineering memorabilia on the walls and windows that frame the real mountains beyond.
We are here for a few days so will definitely be back!
Written 2 January 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.
Harriet W
Thank you so very much Graham for your kindness and understanding under such difficult conditions. With no staff in NZ wanting to move from cities and no staff coming from overseas and 90% of our clientele cut, it has been really tough and we are very grateful for your appreciation that we are still open and in there pitching. It's for people like you that we are still here. Travel safe.x
Written 8 February 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sonja
New Zealand30 contributions
Apr 2021 • couples
We came here for dinner and due to being short staffed, there was limited food available which we have no issue with. However, there were two tills open but guests were courteously waiting behind ONE till as there was only one man working. While waiting in line, we were told that there were five burgers left. Upon hearing this, the customers who were the LAST in line, desperate for the burgers jumped to the front the moment a spot opened up. We were appalled when the man working just accepted this and took their orders. I mentioned that the rest of us were actually in line first and was told “I just serve whoever’s at the front. You guys can fight out who was here first”. The customers before us had been at the front and waiting for a while but were clearly just ignored. The middle aged couple who jumped the line also knew they were in the wrong as we overheard the woman asking the man “were you here before them?” to which he said “no”. The fact that the staff do not respect their guests or listen when customers speak up about being mistreated is extremely disappointing.
We expected a place like this to be respectful and considerate of all guests, regardless of race and age. My fiancée was very embarrassed to be a kiwi in this incident, and apologized to the couple in front of us for the poor behaviour we witnessed as he felt it poorly reflected on the people of NZ.
We use to love coming here and have brought our families here as well, but after this, we can no longer support this business.
Written 24 April 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.
John and Elizab... G
29 contributions
Nov 2021 • none
The cafe only opened at 5pm for a couple of hours, due to Covid related lack of demand from international tourists. It was busy the evening we were there because there was no other choice available in the village. The menu offers chips, pizza or burgers. And that appears to be it for evening meals. They were fine, but there's not much to say about the food - as long as it's not raw, a pizza or burger is what it is. Served on disposable plates which isn't very 'green'. At the end of the meal, diners decanted any scraps into a bucket, plates, cutlery, bottles etc into various bins and containers on a trolley.
We thought the cafe was rather scruffy and not very clean. On entry, there's a display of books and some mountaineering items but lighting was dim and we failed to notice the advertised mountaineering photo gallery. All in all it was disappointing, even allowing for Covid-related downturn in trade. The other property in the Village needs competition and Covid has decimated business, we understand that but this cafe is trading on the lack of alternatives and needs to improve.
Written 4 December 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.
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