Reviews for Fuego

by Lois W.
15th May 2012

Have just had a Grab One Meal at Fuego. It was tasty and delicious. I had Fish of the Day, the other meal was Pork Belly Both beautifully cooked and very well presented. The Staff were very attentive and polite.
A very nice experience. Will certainly return.

by Kaylene
13th May 2012

Went here for brunch after buying a voucher on one of the deal websites- it was really underwhelming. Such a shame because the restaurant is so nice. The staff however are helpful, and lots of parking, but a bit out of the way for us anyway, just wanted to try something new. Breakfast was quite greasy and bland.

by Sue-C
11th May 2012

The food was okay, but the service was beyond ridiculous. It would put Fawlty Towers to shame. One member of staff slagged off other members of staff to us, and made me feel like I was a great inconvenience becasue they had forgotten my coffee. I needed gluten free and so asked the waitress what was available, she went to the chef and she came back and advised me the couple of mains that were. I asked about entree’s and she said, ‘well, the chef didn’t mention them so I guess there aren’t any’. I had to ask her to go and check again, and then was advised that there were options available. We were given coffees for another table, which were then taken away again. After 3 attempts we finally got the coffee order right. We were only served drinks upon arrival, the rest of the time the men had to visit the bar to get them. Our coats were taken upon arrival, and then couldnt be easily found at time of departure. When we went to leave, the Maitre’d asked how our evening was and I said that we had lots of issues with the service, and could I please have the email address. I was supplied with this. The next day I emailed the multpile issues we had with the service, and my email was never acknowledged. We will NEVER return to this place under current management, if ever.

by steven
28th March 2012

I booked a table for 4 of us on Saturday 23rd March at 6.30pm. At first, we almost didn’t book at Fuego due to some of the comments made on MenuMania. We have never heard of Fuego Restaurant nor being in Rototuna area in awhile so we decided to go anyway. We had two of our friends from Auckland visiting for the weekend so we decided to take them out for dinner.

Wow, what can i say. From the moment we walked through the door, the bar was packed and the restaurant area was starting to fill up and this was around 6.40pm(10minutes late). We were greeted at the front desk and were immediately sat down to our table that was already set for us. Our waitress was very friendly, welcoming and not over the top. She did a great job.

We did not know what to expect but we were pleasantly surprise how spacious the restaurant was.It was fantastic how they separate the bar and restaurant.The only problem was it was a bit noisy but it was a full bar/restaurant that night, so i kind of expected that anyway. The restaurant was simple, clean, had a really good vibe and very comfortable and most of all, not trying to hard with the decor like a lot of restaurants we have been too.

We had a look at the menu and for me it was very hard to choose what i wanted because they had a decent size menu. We started with bread platter. My wife ordered the lamb rump, mates had Beef schnitzel stack, chicken salad and i had the 300g scotch with mushroom and bacon ragu.Considering the restaurant was quite busy our mains did not take long and there was no wait on food which was unbelievable.I was shocked and was expecting the worst if we got our meals that fast.The meals were beautifully presented, very good size for the value of money, cooked perfectly especially my medium rare steak, and the best thing is it tasted so yum.

We ordered desserts after 20minutes of our mains, the brulee and homemade sticky date pudding was Delicious. We were more then delighted that we decided to go to this place because for some reason we were expecting the worst from what we read on MenuMania but people let me tell you this, they exceeded more then our expectation and we ALL highly recommend you go in there. See for yourself and don’t let negative comments put you off which almost did for us. They deserve a lot higher rating and we will definitely be coming back with more friends.Thank you for a fantastic night

by David
11th March 2012

We had our wedding anniversary dinner at Fuego earlier this evening. I enjoyed the ‘Beef Schnitzel Rack’ while my wife had the ‘Chicken Breast’. Both meals were delicious and of good size (mains vary from $25-$35), the atmosphere was quiet and pleasant, the seating comfy, the toilets clean, the service prompt (but to be fair, it wasn’t a busy night) and the staff friendly. The restaurant area is predominantly open plan, separate from the bar, decorous, spacious and includes an open fire. Fuego is wheelchair-friendly and there’s always plenty of free parking available in the Rototuna shopping carpark. The only thing missing is a scenic landscape view.

But seriously, absolutely no complaints from us.

by Bonnie
27th February 2012

I have been to Fuego soo many times (more than 10) and I have ALWAYS had great food and great service. I have never had a bad experience. I have taken family from out of town and they have enjoyed it as well. I always recommend this restaurant.

by Alex
27th January 2012

Had been given a Christmas cracker gift voucher being a $50 bar tab – was going with a group of mates and planned to eat and drink at the bar only to find the Bar Tab was for restaurant use only, i.e. pay for drinks with your meal.

It did say conditions apply but the only condition detailed was must be used by 30/1/12. Never would I think that a Bar Tab couldn’t be used at a bar.

So you lost me, all my mates and their partners that were going to join us.

You need to state what the conditions are on your voucher.

Comment from Dean John T. of Fuego 28/01/2012    Hide »

I feel disappointed that you have received a free voucher from…    More »

I feel disappointed that you have received a free voucher from myself and yet have the audacity to complain about the FREE voucher and then publicly display your ungratefulness. Also if you had eaten your food in the restaurant, you would have been able to use your FREE voucher for $50 worth of drinks. That said we have given away thousands of dollars worth of vouchers, to our loyal customers and this is the only complaint about them. I feel disappointed that you will not return as valued customers due to this minor incident about a FREE voucher.
Regards
Dean

by Sarah B.
22nd January 2012

My husband and I have been to Fuego on numerous occasions and have thoroughly enjoyed it every time! The food is consistantly very tasty and the service is friendly and efficient. Thank you Fuego, we will be back time and time again!

by Paul K.
12th January 2012

Went there on a Sunday for Breakfast with the kids. The staff were either hungover or just didn`t want to be there. There were a handful of diners at the time. We had to wait almost an hour for four breakfast meals. We could hear the chef complaining in the kitchen that part of our meals would be cold and to give us free drinks. The wait staff were bossy to each other and didn`t smile once. We felt as if we were not wanted there, it was very uncomfortable. This place certainly has problems , there is no team ethic and very little customer service. The management need to get people in who can work together and want a job. Fuego is a nice enough setting only the people working there let it down.

by Colin W.
22nd October 2011

Have eaten at Fuegos on many occasions over the past 3 years and have never been disappointed. It has a young vibrant group of wait persons and a chef who clearly knows the way with ingredients. I am due to visit this labour day Monday again on our wedding anniversary and look forward to another great experience. Parking is good as well.

by Rachael
30th September 2011

I have been here several times now and have always found the staff friendly. They may be a little slow at times but always seemed to be trying their best.
The food has always been yum, nice traditional kiwi sort of meals, meat and vege but cooked extremely well.
The atmosphere is warm and positive, yet it can be a bit noisy at times when the restaurant has a few groups. However, there is little they can do about that as it really just comes down to the restaurant layout.
I would recommend Fuego to friends and family who want a nice family dinner out with food they can trust to be good.

by Hamish P.
23rd July 2011

I have been to Fuego at least four or five times and I have found it to be really good really nice Chips and meals in general.
I would have to agree that yes the service at times may be a bit tedious but over all the experience for me and my family has been good.
Would say that Mondays are great nights to go there just because its usually quiet and it means you can have a nice dinner with not to much back round noise.

I will defiantly be going back in the future

by John S.
19th July 2011

My Partner and I went to Fuego Monday night. It had been recommended, repeatedly, to try this restaurant so I eventually gave in.

I looked on line first to try to find a menu (cause I’m a fussy eater I like to know what I’m getting myself into before I arrive). But instead of a menu I found this site and read all of the reviews, which I have to say are mostly negative. But I though what the hey I’ll go and see for myself if this place is as bad as what people say.

I don’t know whether my expectations were really low but I really enjoyed the evening. The venue is stunning, the dishes were very clean, the service wasn’t the worst I had experiences, (I have to say they could be a bit more attentive, but they eventually got there). And mostly the food was amazing!!! (as was the wine) The Chef on entrees and desserts did a fabulos job. Gold star in my books!

I am definitely going to be a returning customer

by Kevin M.
18th July 2011

One of the worst experience in terms of the service we’ve received.

Once we were ready to order, my partner waved at one of the waitresses and she pretended that she didn’t see us. It is quite embarrassing to get ignored like that, even people from the next table had a awkward face knowing that we are being ignored. (She could’ve atleast nod her head at us from a distance so we know that she saw us, rather, she’s decided to avoid us totally).
After 4 attempts my partner eventually walked over to the waitress and informed her that we are ready to order(in a very polite manner). She walked over to our table in such grumpy way and apologised to us in a very sarcastic tone and told us how busy they are.
Towards the end of the dinner I saw her rolled her eyeballs at my partner from the back (after she served the table behind where my partner was sitting)…

We consider ourselves the most friendly customers out there, we are always nice to the stuffs at the restaurant and are expecting a friendly service in return.
It isn’t always the about the food, yet our entire mood for the night was ruined.

We feel sorry for the owner of the restaurant who perhaps isn’t aware of this.
I can but don’t wish to go so far describing this particular problem waitress.
Too cheaply hired perhaps?

The other thing is to steer clear from the “Grab One” offer online for this restaurant, we got asked 3 times (first time at entrance, 2nd time before order, 3rd time after order) to confirm that we were using the Grab One voucher. I mean, does it matter if we’ve got a special offer? It seems to me that the discount you get does reflect on your meals……and services.

Some people probably got too drunk to pay attention to the service…
If quality customer service and good food is what your are after, I suggest you dont waste the time and money going to fuego…

by Joyce
18th July 2011

we went there on Monday night
The service and the food was greeeaaaat!will definitelly choose to go there again.

recommand the Char grilled lamb for the main, and sticky date pudding for dessert. just brilliant.

by Janine c.
6th June 2011

I give places 3 chances then im definitely not going back. First was dinner about a year ago and that was ok, the service was terrible with half the table nearly thru there meals when the others came out. The first meal took over an hour to arrive. Those that had steak said they were nice….steak isnt too hard to get wrong! Next was lunch and they had a new chef, really bugs me when meals don’t come with everything it says they do,very very average meal. The wrap was suppose to have a Moroccan sauce, it was a nasty watery butter tasting sauce. Last chance was again lunch, it was very quiet except for some pensioners and the meals still seemed to take some time. Again not impressed, stale tasting bread, brown avocado, will definitely not be back.

by Toni
10th May 2011

Decor is really great. We have been several times, the food is always good, service depends on the staff on – some are great some not so, there can be a reasonable wait at times (not always) which i wouldn’t expect in a restaurant like this. Food does make up for it but don’t dine here if you are in a hurry, great for a night out with friends though and i am a fan of the booth seating.

by Geoff B.
17th April 2011

To all those people that gave bad reviews we almost didn’t go to Fuego and would have missed a great night.
Waitress was very friendly, service was prompt, food was very nice and the 4 of us were all very satisfied. Restaurant more than half full.
We will definitely be going back.

by vicki s.
9th April 2011

average food as long as they cook it properly, they cannot handle pressure, be prepared to wait for hours if busy, and quite a while if not busy,crap service and not so friendly waitresses, sorry nothing positive to say.

by Karen M.
15th January 2011

My husband and I took our kids here for dinner. It is certainly a suitable venue for young children…it was so loud and echo-ing that any noise they made was absorbed. There was a good selection of food options for kids. The adults food was however very over-priced for what it was. Our steaks were over-cooked and the salads had the appearance of being pre-made in advance and not especially fresh. I wouldn’t bother going back unless the quality steps up or the prices drop down.

by Lily H.
20th December 2010

We came here because it was open on a Sunday night and we didn’t want to be trying to find a car park in the cbd on a rainy night! the service was really good, we were given a good level of attention from our helpful waitress. our meals came quickly… pork belly, fish of the day, spare ribs. They were all very nice with nice salads etc. My only complaint was that my pork belly was very overcooked. The desserts were nice, my brulee was excellent. overall a good experience but nothing outstanding.

by Andrew
13th December 2010

Great food. We went there with a group of 30 friends. Organising the large group was no problem. Every meal was perfect and arrived at the same time. Staff are friendly and attentive.

by A
22nd November 2010

We live nearby and go to Fuego a lot. There is the occasional night the service is slow, but it is usually when a huge table has come just before us.
The food is excellent, very consistently so and the waitstaff is usually friendly and helpful.
Highly recommended!

by tessa s.
14th November 2010

service was painfully slow, like 2 whole hours,had the feeling we spent more on drinks while waiting than we spent on food,hopefully this wasnt intentional on their part. bacon was undercooked and sinewy, barmaid super unfriendly and could not smile or use manners or even look at us, no please or thank you, hate that, dont know if we would ever go back there.

by Jeremy B.
27th September 2010

Steak was way overcooked. Waitress said she was helping prepare the meals, maybe that is why the service was so slow, and we didn’t even get water when requested. Previously have had nice food, but the service has always been very slow.

by Suzanne N.
9th September 2010

We have been to this restaurant twice and had the awesome service and great meals. We are a couple who believe in good customer service and we loved the servie and the meal that we got there. Will definitely be back

by Elloy
25th July 2010

My partner and i frequently visit fuego!
we really get along with the bar staff, its nice compared to the robots with plastic smiles at other restaurants.
i always enjoy my meals there and feel guilty for not going sometimes.

i highly recommend the drink MOSCOW MULE made by charlie!
great drink. goes down well with beer battered chips!

by Clayton
7th May 2010

Fuego is by far the best restaurant I have ever been too… it was my partners and my first date out…our 1 month anniversary… and you guys made it so special…service was excellent…food was exceptional…and the place looked awesome…will be telling all my friends to go there for sure….. thankyou

Clayton and Jessie

by Cindy
29th January 2010

My husband and I went to Fuego on Friday evening as we really wanted to have the Tarakihi Gourmet sandwich which we’d had there on a previous occasion. The waitress who was most unfriendly told us that as it was on the lunch menu we couldn’t have it. We asked if she would ask the chef as we had gone there especially for that. She left and then returned stating that they couldn’t do it as it was unfeasible for them to serve lunch meals at dinner time as they needed to charge dinner menu prices and that if they did it for us they would have to do it for others. The attitude and manner in which it was relayed was so offensive that we told her we would prefer to dine elsewhere, to which she replied “That’s fine!” We went to Smith & McKenzie and had the most amazing service. No wonder the restaurant was full whereas Fuego was empty (bar 2 tables!) I called on Monday to speak to the owner who wasn’t in. I replayed our experience to the manager on duty who said he would ask the owner to call me the next day. I am still waiting for a call! That was 5 days ago. Although we live in the area we will not dine there again.

by Taffy
28th December 2009

A group of 6 went there for supper. Quite disapointing the suppers arrived at different times and my cheeseboard arrived when the others had almost finished. It was a terrible cheese board the Brie was frozen, a cardinal sin from a restauraunt. I think they rushed to New`World and bought the cheese and that explains the delay. Best to apologise and say no cheese board rather thn serve rubbish. Restaurant was quite empty so no excuse for overloaded staff

by M B
14th August 2009

this restaurant was average. I enjoyed MOST of my meal however my “salad” was more like a dry caulslaw with no tomato or dressing! what kind of salad do you call that! very disappointing. also i ordered the classic fish n chips, the fish being snapper..well thats what it said on the menu, but thats not what i got on my plate. their reply was oh we are out of snapper we only have teraki. fine but if they were out perhaps they should have let us know this BEFORE we ordered. all in all the atmosphere was lovely and i would probably go there again just to try out their other dishes.

by john march
20th July 2009

Went for dinner last weekend, Had the steak and was blown away. my lady friend had venison and was delighted. work out to be a great night. good atmosphere. Highly Recommend

by bossyb
15th July 2009

went on saturday for our first visit…..i liked the look of the place , although thought that some booths or quiet more romantic areas would go down a treat….the service was soooooooooooooo slow….we had overheard the waitress apologising to another group so when she came to us we asked what sort of waiting time? as we were going to a function, she said oh not its ok now…..but it wasn;t…..took about 2hrs for our meal, no entree no dessert!!! My hubby got a lamb salad, and it literally had 6 small peices of lamb, and a huge pile of lettuce,he was unimpressed.I had steak, it was fine, not lovely just avergagely fine ! we told the waitress when she asked how our meals were that the lamb in the salad was disappointing, she said she would pass that onto the chef.Its not good enough, we as customers are paying good money to dine out.I am unsure if we would return.

by Andrew and julie
13th July 2009

Thanks for making our night so great, We will never forget it, Staff were great even when they were busy. recommend to all. first rate.

by Karen King
9th July 2009

I visited this restuarant with family having been their previously and enjoyed my meal. My experience at this last visit was very poor, my meal was dry and overcooked. When I asked the waitress to tell the chef that it was the worst meal I had experienced and was not prepared to pay for it I was told that they would not charge but she said I should have sent the meal back. The meal should never have left the kitchen in that state. I felt that the waitress was taking the flack for the chefs poor meal. When I asked for a coffee I was told that the coffee machine was being serviced. I was not charged for my meal but I would be very reluctant to go back to this restuarant.

by scott
25th June 2009

I had made a booking by phone…they had lost the booking.The table was wobbly..the fritter was a bit dry…pork was excellent..service was average at best..food was arriving without the table first being cleared.

all in all pretty average

by Craig and jules
6th June 2009

Wow what a great night we had at FUAGO, The meal was outstanding thats all I can say. and for the person complaining after they got there money back well!! I will recommend to all my friends. Cant wait to visit again. Andrew

by Richard
18th May 2009

Great place, great service. The food is beautiful. Slightly expensive but worth it!

by Mel
29th April 2009

Gave this restaurant a few chances. As many reviews show, the service is far from consistent. We gave up going in the end. The prices are too high to warrant dealing with such inexperienced staff and slow service.

by scott
29th April 2009

Average bar, but very poor service. Waited for over 2 hours to be seated for dinner ending up going to little India which was fantastic

by John Fam
18th April 2009

Very disappointing with service food was average. We waited an hour for my entree. Before then my wife had to approach a waitress to take our order. We then waited for another hour for our mains after I asked the waitress how long our mains was going to be. Our visitors who decided to have mains only, waited 2 hours for their meal. We sat and watched other tables who arrived after us being served. I appreciate that they were busy on a Friday night but there was no apology or explanation from the waiting staff for our rather late meals. Oh my pork was burned but by then I was so hungry, I did not send it back, my wife’s beef was raw (not rare). Did not order any desserts nor send my meal back – did not want to risk waiting for another hour. No we will not be back.

by Lauren
4th February 2009

Went on a busy saturday night. Absolutely loved the meals. Great service, friendly staff and all well presented.
I had the seafood chowder and the pork and my partner had the mussels then the scotch fillet. All cooked to perfection, very generous helpings and extremely tasty. Desserts were delicious to. Definitely will return. 10/10

by michaela
16th December 2008

I wasn’t impressed about the service. I pre-ordered meals for my work xmas function on the friday so we could have our meals cooked by 8pm but booked for 10 ppl on the sat for 7.30pm. On sat,an hour beforehand, we rung up to change the steak from well done to medium-rare on one of the meals. when we arrived we had to just place 1 more order for someone else. we specified we wanted it cooked for 8pm, but ended up waiting 45mins for it to be cooked. After ringing up to change the steak beforehand, it was cooked the wrong way, then they misinterpreted the call and made an extra plate. We also said we were going to have dessert before dinner and no one came back to take our orders so we had to find a waiter to come take our orders. The roast pork i ordered was yuck coz i just got 2 hunks of fat with a slither of pork on it and 2 forkfuls of salad and potatoes. We were going to play a game of Cranuim after dinner, hence the reason we wanted the dinner cooked by 8PM but it was 9.30 before it was over, 2 hours and an hour was waiting for the food. NOT HAPPY!!!!

by Sharleen
4th December 2008

Superb food – great atmosphere – great place to dine. Very spacious – very clean and tidy. Food is extremely nice!!! I would highly recommend.

by Melanie
24th October 2008

Went out for a nice lunch. Nice setting etc. Though as we were on a lunch break, we asked how long the meal would be, and was told it shouldnt be any longer than half an hour. We then ordered, and waited for our meals. Once 45 minutes had passed, we asked if we could have them to take away as we had to get back to work. The chef loudly and rudely said they were not a drive through. We then received our meals to take away. The steak was overcooked and chewy, and we werent actually asked how we wanted our steak.

Would not go there again, or recommend.

by Margaret
4th September 2008

Great ambiance, lovely to find a restaurant where you have enough room you feel you can have a private conversation. The staff were friendly and helpful. Food was very tasty and servings were generous. Make sure you leave room to try the deserts, they are worth a trip of their own.

by steve wood
20th June 2008

Really nice setting, beautifully finished, great service and we were all really impressed with our meals…:)
Had an all round nice experience

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