Reviews for 35 Degrees South Aquarium, Restaurant and Bar

by Louise A.
17th April 2012

My partner and I decided to come to 35 degrees because it was his birthday and we were staying at a local hotel. We thought we would try local food.
When we arrived the whole restaurant was deserted but the waiter still sat us right next to the till at the worst table in the room. I was puzzled as to why we couldn’t just be in a nice seat as it has such beautiful views.
Once we were seated we looked through the menu. It was very expensive so we assumed it would be a great meal.. Sadly we were mistaken.
My partner had a small piece of steak which was very dry and a small amount of vegetables. My meal was also scant. We ended up leaving early without bothering to eat the dessert. It still ended up costing a lot of money and we ended up getting room service at our hotel afterwards to fill up. It was a pity because we had planned on a really nice meal.
I’m happy to spend a lot of money on a meal, but only if it is worth the money.

by Leesa T.
29th March 2012

My husband and I dined at this restaurant today for lunch. We chose the venue because of it’s fabulous location, right on the wharf/harbour. Today was the last day of our honeymoon and we were looking for somewhere special.

The staff were pleasant, however the food was not good and extremely expensive.

We both paid extra to have our fish pan fried and it was soggy, flat and tasteless; there was a significant amount of oil on our plates underneath our fries.

The skewers of seafood that we paid extra for were tough, overcooked and not as described on the menu.

Neither of us would eat at this restaurant again. It’s a pity because it’s in a prime location, however not representative of the excellent cuisine and fine food New Zealand has to offer.

by leigh b.
10th January 2012

The location is great, and this is an ok place to go and have a drink, but I would not eat here again, we went over xmas-new year and the place was busy and noisy the staff rushing around and orders getting mixed up. The food ok overpriced for what you get and the portions are small, seafood chowder tasty but mircowave heated. The dessert was extremely disappointing, very disorganised staff and the hour and half dining time is not long enough and we got told in no uncertain terms to move along before we had finished our drinks.

by Matt
2nd January 2012

Really nice location looking over the harbour and the aquarium was great. Good service overall.

Food was where it went wrong unfortunately.

Entree was seared scallops. The 5 scallops came out with no colour on them at all so were certainly not seared. This made them bland and disappointing.

Main was pan fried fish of the day. Paid an extra $3 for pan fried but the fish came out battered anyway! It had been pan fried in batter which left it soggy, floury and unappealing. The Wattie’s tomato sauce in an oyster shell and store bought fries were a nice touch too.

In short, nice location but need a proper chef.

by Mupps
12th October 2011

I enjoyed the atmosphere the most, when we had pre dinner drinks here in the arvo, and shared some oysters/breads/dips. Prices were reasonable and views lovely, even on a crappy day/raining. Considering it wasn’t overly busy the staff could have collected the mountain of pint glasses and plates we had created over the 3 hours we sat there. I’ll be keen to try you guys again for dinner etc next time.

by Jay
14th August 2011

Nice view of the Bay of Islands as you eat.The fish aquarium is really cool so its a nice atmosphere.The service is usually OK to good.We have been about three times now,mainly because our kids love the aquarium,otherwise we would probably change to somewhere else. The food is only average though and the prices are expensive for what you get.

by Russell
10th August 2011

We didn’t visit on our last trip to Paihia, but have visited twice previously. Always enjoyed our meals, with the added bonus of watching the fish swim in the huge internal aquarium. Try the seafood chowder it was great!

by Rachel S.
18th July 2011

We visited here on a holiday to Paihia. It was the most impressive looking restaurant in town with an amazing location and the restaurant itself was beautiful. Really fantastic staff, but unfortunately the food was very average and very highly priced. The sticky date pudding wasn’t even a sticky date pudding, it was a slice of cake. We paid a lot of money for food no better than home cooking taste wise. It sounds flash on the menu but very bland.

Comment from Lee-Ann S. of 35 Degrees South Aquarium, Restaurant and Bar 26/08/2011    Hide »

Hi Rachel, thank you for joining us in our amazing restaurant, we…    More »

Hi Rachel, thank you for joining us in our amazing restaurant, we do appreciate your feedback and are sorry that you felt that your food was very average, we are passionate about what we do,so have followed up your comments with our executive chef. The sticky date pudding has been our most popular desserts, so have kept it on the menu for the last four years,often people have different perceptions of what a sticky date should be like, so am sorry that this one did not meet your expectations. We welcome you back at any stage and please feel free to make yourself known to our friendly staff
thank you
Lee-Ann

by Robyn B.
14th October 2009

As a local I occasionally call in here for a meal, or just a coffee. A couple of weeks ago my husband and I called in for a drink after an afternoon walk. I was so impressed with the staff that I was moved to let the owner know. They wanted to know where we were from, they helped with (knowledgeable!!) recommendations on the wine. Im quite fussy about my Pinot Noir and have often been disappointed in the past – mainly because staff often have no idea what they are selling.

We did not get to eat there that night but I have done so many times in the past and the food is really good value. We watched the staff dealing with the customers and could not help but notice their presentation and professionalism. We need more places like this in NZ.

by Michelle A.
15th September 2009

I can’t think of any other restaurant around the Bay of Islands that has such a great location sitting on the wharf over the water, and with the huge aquarium inside it has to be one of the most interesting restaurants I’ve been in. I’ve eaten there a few times and always have enjoyed my meals and service has been excellent. Nice for just a coffee or a cold drink on a hot day too. Definitely worth a visit if you are in Paihia.

by sue c.
23rd June 2009

went here for my partners birthday. Service excellent. food okay, nothing to rave about – pork was very over cooked and dry, but mussels were tasty. Lovely setting with aquarium inside the restaurant. Not too sure if we would return.

by T&D
2nd April 2009

35 South is on the waterfront and therefore has an interesting outlook. The food in general is OK but lacks flair. D’s main course was a disappointment and we had some discussion on whether we should give them two or three stars but service was OK so we opted for three. Whilst OK we would not bother returning on our next trip to Paihia. Cost for two people for two courses and a bottle of wine was $135.

by Paul & Tracey
21st February 2009

After talking to the people at the hotel where we were staying we decided to try this restaurant out all though the weather was not nice and the place was busy. We were welcomed and offered drinks at the bar while we wait for a table. In a short time the wait staff looked after us well and the food was tasty and well suited for the style of place. I think the other people here looked for their misfourtune.

by Josh B.
9th February 2009

We’ve been here 3 times now and had a fantastic experience – the view, food and staff have been excellent. I’d thoroughly recommend this venue for a romantic evening for 2 anytime.

by Leah
2nd January 2009

I know that its New Years but these guys are seriously un organised – granted the view is very pretty but the staff are way too inexperienced. I took my friends there and it was such a bad experience…. I was so embarressed, there was a general disrespect that resignated thruout the entire establishment… we felt un-important and generally a major inconvenience. There was much to be desired in their handeling of the many incidences that occurred to compromise our dining experience – Frankly I was embarressed for them for their lack of commitment to try to retrieve us as valued customers. Not a happy experience by any measure -

by Dave n Karren
4th October 2008

My partner and I are over from Australia and while in Paihia wanted some where special. So we tried this place over the water. On arrival we were greated and asked would we like to sit out over the water or in side. We took the water option. Once there a young gentleman can and told us the evening specials. During the night our server can back to see if we had everything we wanted and that our meals were good. He also found time to talk to us about the local activities in the Bay Of Islands which helped us. To us he made our time there even more special because he went above the call of a normal waiter. The food was great nice big serving sizes the wine was great the atmosphere was great the staff all friendly and the place was a buzz. I know where we will be going again when we come back to Paihia

by Nova
11th August 2008

I have to say that I was actually pretty disappointed with the food – both quality and quantity wise. We had a few people at our table and not one person was satisfied with their meal. Meat that was ordered and asked to be well done was completely raw in the middle. When ordering the salmon we were not asked how we wanted this cooked and again this was raw in the middle.
I will admit that the view from the restaurant is spectacular – unless you are seated in the middle of the room with other tables blocking your view (like we were).
I was really disappointed as I had heard nothing but great things about this restaurant and I was really looking forward to visiting.
One good thing is that they do make really nice cocktails and it is enjoyable to sit outside in summer and take in the view. Would recommend as somewhere to have a nice drink but not somewhere to dine.

by Niki M.
14th May 2007

This restaurant has beautiful views of the Bay of Islands and provides a unique dining experience over the water with a central aquarium filled with local fish. It is a fantastic place to sit for an afternoon drink in the warm Bay of Islands sun overlooking the water. The menu is varied, good value and the food is fresh. Their seafood is also fantastic and they certainly take note of customer service. With a big screen tv, relaxed bar, great beers and wines – this restaurant is a must to visit while in the Bay of Islands.

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