Reviews for The Helm Bar & Kitchen

by Jason C.
12th April 2012

Very disapointed with The Helm, Service was in one word crap. The girls stood around ignoring us, dancing and what looked like flirting with guys. They were to busy immersed in their own world to care about their customers.

The best and quickest service I saw all night was when two of the staff must have knocked off. They immediately had food taken to them and drinks. Lucky to work there I guess.

Pizzas for $5 were good for there prices although to be honest I don’t think you would pay much more. Quite bland and boring.

How The Helm is still going I can only assume is from beer drinkers going to watch sports.

by chris2
12th October 2011

went for dinner with friends, the decor was nice and at first glance i was impressed. the service was very poor especially the 45 min wait for our food.

wine was expensive at 10 bucks for a glass and the food prices were very steep for what you get.

i ordered the fish of the day, which came on fettucini. the fish was overcooked, the shrimps were also overcooked to the point they had completely shrivelled up. it was completely tasteless.

unfortunately the waiter never came back to check on us so i had to serve myself with ground pepper. even after adding tobasco and seasoning i had to leave the plate half full.

wont be back as i cant stand “gastro pubs” which spend more on their wall paper than staff training.

1 star

by Andrew
11th October 2011

Went to NZ for the first time to watch a rugby match in Hamilton. Arrived in the helm bar and was astounded as to the price tag they put on the food and drink for the world cup.
$25 Pizza which tasted like it came from freezer to microwave. A local told me that they sell these with a beer for under a tenner on Sundays (Non world cup days)
$8.6o for a Corona!
Kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth not only with dodgy pizzas but extortionate prices too.

by Petzl
9th August 2011

Went to The Helm in August 2011 for a ‘reasonably priced meal’ on recommendation of my sister. She immediately noted the menu had changed- I suspect the reason was ‘rugby world cup price gouging’.

That said, our waitress was great, friendly and prompt. However, that was the only highlight.

$25 pizza – worth $15 (and thats generous!) their chefs should get any pizza at Zeytin in Tauranga for $17 and try and convince anyone it’s worth $25!
Seafood chowder- average (not poor) but lacking seafood and oomph!
$9 for a pint – too much, especially for a Tuesday night!

Worst was, when we offered up our constructive feedback on being average quality and over priced, we were simply told they’d pass it on to the kitchen. I said no, it needed to go to management as it was a price/perception issue, and that was the last we heard!

On top of that- the obligatory ‘how was everything’ at the cashier was met with a ‘yea, it was ‘ok” – and again the opportunity to address our feedback was ignored with a by shifting attention to two new unsuspecting punters.

Short version: average food. Over priced. Won’t be back. Decor and waitress only reason for the 2nd star!!

by Daniel
23rd June 2011

Just went to the Helm with mixed reviews, although have not visited their MenuMania page, wish I had visited it before going…

The grabone platter and wine was a great deal, although that’s it for the good part of my review. The service was pleasant although very very rare unlike my steak which was overdone. Our waitress visited us very rarely and normally after we called her over… I’m generally not an annoying customer but it seemed like you had to be to get attention. At 35 mins we asked after our food only to be told we had ‘only been waiting’ 35 mins and 15 mins later they finally came. Like I said steak was well overdone and room temp… It was also chewy and dry, possibly caused by over resting or sitting under lights?? Partners steak was the same, friends pork was just average. Pizzas were fairly plain and overpriced.

Thank god for grab one and the deal or I would have been really pissed off.

Will not be going back.

by vicki s.
9th April 2011

went there it looked nice, went to order and got knocked back as we wanted the order by 5pm menu, it was NOT past 5 PM,more like right on 5pm, and we were told we were too late, staff were a bit unprofessional and so was the chef, crab filled mussels and a lunch sized Main, what would have been $18 if ordered by “5pm”, ended up costing $24 because it was ordered at “5pm”, not going back, the vodka was overpriced as well, for what we spent we felt quite ripped off. Oh and dont order the lasagne, its had sweet sugar in it and no flavour.

by S M.
29th March 2011

We went to the Helm bar on 24 April to celebrate a friend’s birthday.

The service was absolutely disappointing, and we won’t be going back!

Unfortunately it is not the first time experiencing this kind of service from the staff… It is a shame as the food was pretty good.

by P d.
24th March 2011

I highly recommend all hospitality students visit The Helm Bar and learn firsthand what not to do when in customer service. A group of us went there this week for our first and definitely last time. Bit of a shame really as the pizza was quite good and the general setting of the place nice. A couple of rude staff can certainly flavour an experience!!

by Luanne B.
29th December 2010

We had a family lunch at The Helm on Monday 27 Dec 2010, we made a booking for 11 but ended up with 14, with no hassles. Service was good, waiting time was excellent considering there were 14 orders, took about 1/2 hr for our lunch to arrive. All food was delicious, really liked the Gourmet Chicken burger, yummy!!! Desert time… the panacota is definitely the best, apple crumble served with ice cream and whipped cream 2nd… chocolate stack is way to rich for me… good for chocoholics. Must mention the pizzas too, really nice, cheers.

by Kelly
28th November 2010

The food has been great every time we have been here, also has a great outdoor seating area. Unfortunately the last 2 times I have been here (both Saturday’s for lunch) the service staff have been very slack – chatting, not paying attention, not bringing cutlery for dessert etc. Would be an awesome place if the service levels improved.

by Lisa H.
26th October 2010

This place really surpassed my expectations. Food was very well presented, tasty, and my vegetables were cooked to perfection.

The waitress was polite and we received enough attention without being annoyed.

Definitely recommend to others!

by Muzza
25th August 2010

Been there twice now. 1st time had the scallop bacon salad .there was only a few soggy mashed up scallops. The next time had the chowder .It was average to say the least. nice if you like celery and carrot.

by Michael H.
17th July 2010

they dont have any of the good beers.

by rebeka k.
13th July 2010

My siblings went one Saturday night as this was the newest restaurant in town since we all returned from living in Aussie. The atmosphere, food and service were all top notch. We were seated and about 30 minutes later dinner was served! I reccommend any of the pasta dishes and the pannacotta is to die for. The pricing was good. We were just talking about how good a restaurant is if someone comes around with a pepper mill to offer freshly ground pepper… The Helm has it!!

by Michelle
6th July 2010

My husband, daughter and I went visited this restaurant on Saturday at 5pm and I must say we got excellent service from the time we were seated till we left. Our mains were served to us in 30 minutes and our desserts about 15-20 minutes later. We enjoyed the food which was delicious and the panacotta was absolutely devine. Thanks to the Chef and staff at The Helm you made our stay in Hamilton even more perfect!!

by Ana
24th June 2010

The food is great, cooked and seasoned perfectly, scallops a little mushy.
Atmosphere is great for a pub, very busy and loud on sundays but thats only to be expected as it is clearly the place to go at the moment. Loved the indoor/outdoor flow with the bar that goes inside and outside. Overall loved it, although staff could be more polite.

by Michelle
21st March 2010

Went there on a Sunday night, food was good and prompt but staff were probably the rudest I have ever encountered, 2 staff members treated us like I have never been treated before as a paying customer, will never go back due to the poor customer service.

by nathan
7th March 2010

awesome setting, beers at perfect temperature, and the pizza’s rocked, was there on a sunday so the price was right. friendly staff, great live music. these guys seem onto it, classy outfit

by birdy
2nd December 2009

Customer service was excellent, staff were prompt & friendly. Interior decor is kool and toilet facilities are awesome, well appointed, great interior decor, sanistised a nice change and a real pleasure too use.Good quality lunch meal a pleasant experience – can’t wait to visit thehelm again.

by Ian
15th October 2009

Good from a pub, pizza’s are very nice, prices are not excessive. Service is good, pity for the location (Stuck between Pak-n-Save and FTC) as it would be nicer with a bit more room also the toilets are in a very unfortunate location.

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