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“Great place to enjoy really good food”
Review of Malo

Malo
Description: Malo offers a fresh approach to the Hawke’s Bay food and wine scene in the heart of Havelock North Village. Serving honest food with a sophisticated, modern twist and an emphasis on local, seasonal flavours. With divine food & an exquisite cocktail list, Malo is a place to gather and enjoy Hawke’s Bay’s finest hospitality.
Restaurant details
Description: Malo offers a fresh approach to the Hawke’s Bay food and wine scene in the heart of Havelock North Village. Serving honest food with a sophisticated, modern twist and an emphasis on local, seasonal flavours. With divine food & an exquisite cocktail list, Malo is a place to gather and enjoy Hawke’s Bay’s finest hospitality.
Reviewed 7 February 2024 via mobile

Truly delicious meal, great service.
Perfect evening.
The restaurant was recommended by some kiwi friends, and we can’t thank them enough to have sent us there.
If it wasn’t so far away from home (south of France !) we would go back often !

Date of visit: January 2024
Thank GrandPre11
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.
Emma McRobbie, Marketing at Malo, responded to this reviewResponded 23 February 2024

We're absolutely delighted to hear that you enjoyed your meal with us and that the service met your expectations. It's wonderful to know that you had a perfect evening at our restaurant. We're grateful to your Kiwi friends for recommending us, and we're thrilled that you're grateful too. Although we're a bit far from your home in the south of France, we're incredibly flattered to hear that you would come back often if you could. Should your travels bring you back to our area, we'd be overjoyed to welcome you again.

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Reviews (364)
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7 - 11 of 364 reviews

Reviewed 17 January 2024

Deliciously Stunning meal.
Superb service
Fabulous evening thank you so much. Can't fault it. Thank you so much ❤️

Date of visit: January 2024
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
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    • Food
Thank jacquid250
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.
Emma McRobbie, Marketing at Malo, responded to this reviewResponded 26 January 2024

Thank you immensely for your glowing review! We're thrilled to hear that you had a deliciously stunning meal accompanied by superb service at Malo. It's wonderful to know that you had a fabulous evening with us and that everything exceeded your expectations.

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Reviewed 10 January 2024 via mobile

Couldn’t fault our experience - food, ambience, staff and wine were all excellent! Eating outside on a summers evening was an added bonus.

Date of visit: January 2024
Thank kiwitravellers3
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.
Emma McRobbie, Marketing at Malo, responded to this reviewResponded 26 January 2024

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience at Malo! We're thrilled to hear that you couldn't fault your visit and that everything from the food to the ambience, staff, and wine met your expectations. We're delighted that you enjoyed dining outside on a summer's evening – it truly adds to the experience. Your kind words mean the world to us, and we hope to welcome you back soon for another excellent dining experience at Malo!

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Reviewed 7 January 2024

This place came highly recommended by our B&B hosts but what could have been an amazing night was marred by a waitress whom was clueless and clearly untrained.

We were quickly seated and the two-person tables are nicely spaced out which I greatly appreciate. Waitress assigned to our table was no where to be found for 10 minutes. Then she came and I ordered a cocktail for my wife and told her to come back in 2 minutes, and I too would order my drink. 10 more minutes passed and my wife's drink comes but no waitress for another 5 minutes. I ordered a class of wine which took another 10 minutes. So I was there for 30 minutes before my first drink.

For dinner, she never volunteered specials so I had to ask her--that was literally three specials that night. I asked her for the best recommendations and she said "I am new, have not tried anything on the menu and therefore cannot recommend anything." Crazy management has not trained their staff. We were lucky that the table next to us had an excellent waitress and I could hear her recommendations.

On the food side we had the pork belly (very good but no where close to the excellent pork bellies we get in the USA) but pleasantly edible and my wife had the fish special which she said was excellent.

After our plates were cleared, we waited another 20 minutes to get the check...went to pay at from desk and our waitress was working the cashier. There was one person in front of me whom she helped and then I stepped up to pay, she literally walked away from me without a word. I waited for the other cashier to cash out.

So go for the good food and pray your waitress in trained.

Date of visit: January 2024
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1  Thank DarienJim
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.
Emma McRobbie, Marketing at Malo, responded to this reviewResponded 10 January 2024

Hello Darien, We're truly disheartened to hear about the challenges you faced during your recent visit to Malo. Please accept our sincerest apologies for the subpar customer service you encountered; this is not reflective of the standard we aim to provide. Your feedback is invaluable, and we're genuinely sorry that your experience was marred by inconsistencies in service, particularly with the waitress assigned to your table. We deeply regret the delays and lack of attentiveness you experienced throughout the evening, from the delayed drink orders to the uninformed recommendations.

Rest assured, your concerns have been relayed to our management team, and we are actively addressing the issues with the staff members. However, we're grateful that you found the ambience pleasing and enjoyed the quality of the pork belly and the fish special. Nonetheless, we understand that impeccable service is equally vital to your overall experience, and we sincerely apologize for falling short in this aspect.

We appreciate your candid feedback as it helps us improve, and we hope for the opportunity to make amends and provide you with the exceptional service and dining experience that we're truly capable of delivering. Should you consider giving us another chance, we would love the opportunity to restore your faith in us.

Warm regards,
The Malo Team

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Reviewed 4 January 2024

I have dined in many 5 star restaurants. Malo was every bit as good if not better. The wine was exceptional, the service fantastic and the food...the food was incredible. I do not usually order steak as it is one of my husbands areas of expertise. The eye fillet was one of the best I have ever eaten. 10/10 for this food lovers experience. Do yourself a favour and try the duck pate, venison and pork belly. Fantastic evening, thank you to the staff and chef. J :)

Date of visit: December 2023
    • Value
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    • Food
Thank Nomad25713416052
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.
Emma McRobbie, Marketing at Malo, responded to this reviewResponded 10 January 2024

Thank you for choosing Malo and sharing your dining experience that matches or surpasses your visits to 5-star restaurants.

It's an honour to hear that our wine selection, fantastic service, and especially our incredible food, notably the eye fillet, left a lasting impression. We're thrilled that our dishes like the duck pate, venison, and pork belly contributed to making your evening fantastic. Your kind words mean the world to us, and we'll be sure to pass on your compliments to our chef and dedicated staff.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your memorable culinary journey, and we eagerly anticipate your return for another remarkable dining experience at Malo!

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