Veranda - Raglan

**Meal Type:** Lunch **Price per Person:** NZ$80–90 **Food Rating:** 4/5 **Service Rating:** 3/5 **Atmosphere Rating:** 5/5 The lunch I had was quite enjoyable, with the food scoring a solid 4 out of 5. The flavors were impressive, though there’s room for a bit more creativity. The service, however, was just average, earning a 3 out of 5; while the staff were friendly, the responsiveness could be improved. On the other hand, the atmosphere was fantastic, receiving a perfect score of 5. The ambiance was inviting and made for a lovely dining experience overall.

The food was excellent; I ordered a medium rare steak that was cooked to perfection. My date had the Caesar salad, which she also loved. The staff and service were fantastic—I couldn't find anything to complain about!

I had a very disappointing experience at this restaurant. I ordered two meals, and even though it wasn't busy, the wait was excessively long. When the food finally arrived, the pesto pasta had no hint of pesto flavor at all. To make matters worse, we later discovered a metal shaving in the food. We sent it back, and they promised to make a new one. By the time it finally arrived, we had already finished our meals and drinks, so we ended up starting the new dish while everything else was done. It's truly a shame because the location and atmosphere have a lot of potential, but good service is essential.

After about 15-20 minutes, the waitress returned to inform us that my friend's dish was sold out as well. She mentioned there was only one left. As compensation, they offered us free drinks or desserts. My friend selected another dish, and we decided to share a couple of desserts among the three of us. We could have ordered three individual desserts but chose not to. Another 40 minutes later, someone else came to tell me that my dish was no longer available, despite being told earlier that there was one left! She kindly offered me a complimentary meal and told me to choose anything from the menu. I picked another main dish. I asked her, out of curiosity—not as a complaint—why it had taken so long for them to realize they were out of my order when they had come over earlier to tell my friend only one of my dish was left. She was very nice and helpful, even more so than our waitress. While our waitress was also pleasant, it took a very long time for our food to finally arrive. We had been there for about two hours, and by then the restaurant had filled up, with other tables already being served. The food was decent, but it felt rushed. My medium-rare steak was overcooked on the outside and undercooked in the center. I didn't want to complain since my meal was complimentary, and I knew it would probably take another hour if I requested a replacement. The crème brûlée was lumpy and had way too much sugar on top. To top it all off, when we went to settle the bill, the girl at the counter gave us a dirty look and rudely asked why we received a free meal and who had offered it to us. We never asked for the complimentary meal; it was given to us without solicitation. She took her time bringing us the bill while continuing to shoot us nasty looks as we paid. It wasn’t our fault that it took so long for our meals to arrive—three separate orders by that point (four if we counted my friend's initial attempt)—or that they offered us compensation for the poor service and unnecessary wait. It was also quite hard to get the staff's attention or request more water, which contributed to us not leaving until after 10:30 PM due to the lengthy service. My opinion of the restaurant completely changed after this visit, and it would take a lot to convince me to return on my next trips to Raglan.

Interestingly, a group of ladies who ordered at least 45 minutes after us received their meals just five minutes after our pizza arrived. While I appreciate the complimentary beer for the long wait, I believe we should have received a full refund. Additionally, it would have been nice to have some fries brought out shortly after we raised our concerns to help appease our hungry, disgruntled selves.