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Reviews for Speight’s Ale House

by Christine B.
29th April 2013

We had lunch here, service was good. Meals generous and tasty. Had gluten free options, which was a bonus.
Would go back.

by Erica T.
11th February 2013

Great. Is a good way to sum up our experience. took out 18 month old nephew out to lunch with us today to give his mum a bit of a rest. was really nervous about taking a child into the restaurant but these guys were so cool about it. high chair was right their straight away and even when he was running around like a crazy kid with us running along trying to catch him they didnt mind at all they just smiled and the young server even played along with him!…. food was exellent as well. good portions we had a half garlic cob and a chowder to start followed by the “small” shearers shanks (its huge…lol) and the pork ribs both exellent meals they were well cooked and seasoned and the meat just fell off the bone. thank you guys we really enjoyed our lunch and the real child friendlyness that can be sometimes really hard to find at a restaurant.

by Joti J.
28th September 2012

Very disappointed with the food I had for dinner last night. the extremely over priced fish and chips should have been far more superior for $25. The fish batter was soggy and the chips hard.
The wait staff however were attentive and the food arrived promptly.

by Sam T.
25th January 2012

Good food. Unfortunately our meals arrived 10 minutes apart. I had to ask the waitress where the second meal was after it appeared they’d forgotten about us. To their credit they comped a cider.

by Margaret W.
17th January 2012

We enjoyed a Sunday afternoon at Speight’s, good food and friendly staff, when we got to have contact with them. It was quiet, but the staff seemed to be enjoying one another’s company too much to pay much attention to customers. We were not offered a dessert menu, or tea or coffee, and had to get up and ask for everything we wanted after the main course. Staff probably went home reporting they’d had a cruisy afternoon, but the fact was customers were not being well served and they could have sold more if they’d been on the ball.

by Alice
4th January 2012

Great place! Have been there for dinner a good few times and never been disappointed. Nice variety of food and himself likes how they match the beers to some of the dishes.

The service is fine; nice, friendly and enthusiastic.

The Black Cherry Chicken is REALLY good (and a generous serving) and the homemade loaves are something special too. If you’re into Pub Quiz’s, go along on Tuesday evening for a laugh.

by kirsten r.
22nd July 2011

this restaurant would be my restaurant of choice whenever we go out, have dined here maybe 8 times and each time i try something different off the menu and it seems to get better and better, the staff are friendly, we have never had a bad experience, they are friendly to the kids, and the service is fast and friendly, i would definately recommend this place….MY FAVOURITE!

by TRACY F.
5th June 2011

We ordered our meals and after a long wait, and we were told they were busy upstairs.(Not our problem) Seafood Chowder was nice, the wait for mains was unacceptable, my burger was nice, but unfortunately my partners steak was full of that much sinew that his steak knife couldn’t even cut it,(not good enough for the price) was really disappointed, even put me off eating my meal. Acting Manager’s attitude left a lot to be desired. Am deeply disappointed.Talked to Manager next day, his attitude was comendable. Sometimes things don’t work out the way they should and he was happy to give us a replacement meal at a later date. Looking forward to it.

by Amber
27th April 2011

Went here a few weeks ago for dinner. Food was very nice and perfectly cooked. A couple people at our table ordered the pork loin and I will definitely be going back to try that – it looked delicious. Service couldve been better, they weren’t particularly friendly and meals took a long time to come out hence the 3 stars

by Foodie M.
16th January 2011

My hubby & I love going to the Speights Ale House. We generally just bowl on in and they have always accomodated us without a booking needed prior. The homemade loaves are delicious, alongside the garlic butter. The meals have always been beautifully cooked, my husband loves his steak medium rare and has NEVER had anything but what he ordered presented – perfect. We always order the suggested beer to match and have never been able to order dessert – we are comfortably sated by the meal. The atmosphere is great, lively and perfect for either a catch up drink with friends or a meal with the family. The staff have always been extra attentive to our two young daughters when we have taken them along. Prices versus food = great value.

by Amy
28th November 2010

Loved this place. Was trying to think of the perfect place to take my Dad- a traditional NZ farmer- and this really fitted the bill. He ordered the spare ribs and loved them and loved ordering a special beer to match. My chicken was cooked perfectly too. It was very busy and sometimes hard to get attention form the servers however.

by Shane
23rd November 2010

Best pub food in town. Awesome casual friendly service.

by alibi2
29th September 2010

Great restaurant – excellent, well-priced meals and friendly wait staff. Love the Black Cherry chicken, especially the kumara chips!

Once went there with some friends – one meal was 5 minutes later than the rest and so he got his for free!

For those complaining about the atmosphere, it’s a pub? Yes there is a restaurant in there but essentially it’s a pub…if you want candles, intimacy and fine dining…I think you will need to spend a bit more money.

by Mark R.
19th September 2010

Every time we go there everything is fantastic. The service is always great, very friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is just right. The food has been wonderful every time but once when it was just very good.

Everyone should go here once so you know what you’re missing out on when you don’t go here.

by Lauren
26th August 2010

I went there for dinner about a month ago and thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it. The wait staff were extremely pleasant and helpful, the food was good and steaks were cooked well. Left feeling satisfied and happy with the evening.

by Sarah K.
9th May 2010

Un-enjoyable night out. The service was below average…we didn’t get given any plates with our entree, tried to catch someone’s eye but didn’t have any luck, we were only offered drinks once during the evening, when our mains came out tried to order a coke, wait person said yep, left the table without checking if anyone else wanted a drink (which they did), and proceeded to also forget the order.The food was average, not great. The atmosphere is not great it is really quite noisy. We had to ask for dessert menus after waiting quite a while after finishing the main – don’t really like that happening. On settling the bill found we had been charged for double the drinks though easily clarified all in all not a great evening out though. Last time I came the service was excellent shame that its not the same.

by Café Chick ..
4th June 2009

We have intended to dine at the SAH in Petone for some time now but have always been put off by the extremely noisy interior. It turns out that Saturday night (or a weeknight) is the time to go as the noise levels are far more tolerable. I had the cherry and bacon chicken, a little dry but very tasty. The chef was willing to accommodate me by substituting kumara mash with potato mash instead, although this also somehow resulted in a side order of crispy potatoes; delicious, but not actually ordered. My partner’s venison was cooked medium rare, yet tasted decidedly average. All in all, an enjoyable general dining experience with friendly, efficient service. SAH is somewhere we would happily recommend to others for a good pub meal.

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