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“Ordinaire And Not Worth The Visit. Sorry.”
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 20 March 2024

Industrial looking interior. Adjacent to a boutique hotel (don't know what was so "boutique" about it) in Havelock North. Was looking for a basic lunch. But there was little basic on the menu. Whenever I come across something that I wouldn't call mainstream, I use the word "kinky." And that's how I would describe the food. Not bad, but not fulfilling either. And limited options. Service was fine. Would not return.

Date of visit: March 2024
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
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    • Food
Thank a m
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 2 April 2024

We're sorry to hear that your experience at our restaurant fell short of your expectations. We strive to provide a diverse range of options to cater to all tastes, but it seems we may have missed the mark in meeting your preferences. Your comments are valuable to us, and we will take them into consideration as we continue to improve our offerings. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.






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Reviews (364)
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4 - 8 of 364 reviews

Reviewed 19 February 2024

We were recommended to look Malo up by friends in Auckland who knew one of the chef's, so we had had a heads up in advance of dining at Malo and I have to say we were not disappointed.

As fate would have it our hotel for the weekend was the marvelous Porters Boutique Hotel and Malo was right down stairs so from a convenience point of view it ticked the box.

We arrived at the hotel late Friday afternoon and the hotel staff were very kind to run around and make sure we had a dinner reservation. Friday nights trade was brisk and the restaurant pretty much full so getting an advanced booking especially on a Friday evening is worth remembering.

Malo' staff were very welcoming and attentive, simply couldn't fault them. The ambience was comfortable, clean and modern, again another tick. Food was in my books extraordinary, so much so we came back for dinner Saturday evening and again weren't disappointed.

From a food perspective we tried the Venison Carparcio, the Goats Cheese Profiteroles, The Fish Curd (Which was excellent) and for mains the Blue Nose that was on special, the Black Angus Sirloin and the Freedoms Farm Pork Belly, all delicious.

We travelled from Australia for business and decided to spend a free weekend in Hawkes Bay to just have a look around, food was always on the cards but I wasn't expecting it to be this good. Thank you Malo we will be back.

Date of visit: February 2024
    • Value
    • Atmosphere
    • Service
    • Food
Thank L_D_HSydney
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 delighted we lived up to the recommendation and thrilled to learn about your exceptional experience at Malo

The convenience of our location at Porters Boutique Hotel is indeed a plus, and we're glad it added to the overall positive experience. We appreciate your recognition of our attentive staff, the comfortable ambience, and the modern cleanliness of our restaurant.

We're thrilled you found the food extraordinary and even returned for a second meal on Saturday. Thank you for choosing Malo during your visit to Hawke's Bay. We're honoured by your positive feedback, and we look forward to welcoming you back on your next trip from Australia.

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Reviewed 17 February 2024 via mobile

Wen went pre Christmas with a party of four and ordered a three course dinner - I started with a Bruschetta - that lovely Italian dish simple - tomato, olive oil, seasoning and a ciabatta rubbed with garlic … what was served was a terrible semi cooked not definable brown something which went back after the first bite - if you are doing a free interpretation of Bruschetta call it what it is not Bruschetta… the following dishes were OK (only OK) uninspiring… service was below OK as hospitality still relies on untrained staff and is obviously not interested in training them - that might be fine for a take away but not when they call themselves restaurant. Not worth the trip to Karanema

PS - guess what the Bruschetta was on the bill and it was taken off after my eyebrow went up but it took two trips to the kitchen chef to get it remover

Date of visit: December 2023
Thank peterJ7714MI
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

Hello Peter, we’re sorry that our twist on bruschetta toppings wasn’t to your liking. We'd like to clarify that while the toppings may not have been traditional, they were indeed noted on the menu. Bruschetta is the style in which the bread is prepared; the toppings, while there are more authentic ones we choose to keep things seasonal and experiment with flavours to keep our menu interesting for our regular patrons. Sorry our menu wasn’t to your liking, our ethos is to create and serve honest food with a sophisticated, modern twist and an emphasis on local, seasonal flavours.

I'll forward your feedback to our management team regarding the service. But rest assured, providing top-notch service is our main focus. While we may have not met expectations during your visit, please know that ensuring a high standard of service is fundamental to us. We wouldn't be in the hospitality industry if we didn't prioritise exceptional service.

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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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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
    • Service
    • 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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