fat dog cafe & bar

this place was insanely busy!
vibe is really great; colorful and quirky dècor
food is very average (i was quite disappointed) portion size is big enough it can be shared
average price menu for a trendycafe
menu is inundated with different choices tbh its quite hard to pick

when i was in rotorua, i got to stop by a popular local restaurant called fat dogcafe& bar. their chalkboard menu was packed from one end to the other. you definitely needed the long line up that you would be waiting in to decide for what you wanted. the restaurant had a chill and fun vibe to it. it was great for groups to hang out at. they also have a back patio for you to enjoy your meal.

the seafood curry with rice i had wasn't exactly amazing, but it was edible. i think i should've tried something else. i wanted to get the most bang for my buck since seafood tended to be more expensive. though now that i think of it, seafood is a lot cheaper down south compared to toronto...

when i was in rotorua, i got to stop by a popular local restaurant called fat dogcafe& bar. their chalkboard menu was packed from one end to the other. you definitely needed the long line up that you would be waiting in to decide for what you wanted. the restaurant had a chill and fun vibe to it. it was great for groups to hang out at. they also have a back patio for you to enjoy your meal. the seafood curry with rice i had wasn't exactly amazing, but it was edible. i think i should've tried something else. i wanted to get the most bang for my buck since seafood tended to be more expensive. though now that i think of it, seafood is a lot cheaper down south compared to toronto...

cool little spot, with the usualcafetype menu. i got the waffles which were pretty yummy, a little dry without the maple syrup and as there wasn’t much went to ask for a little more - $3 for extra eeekkkk bit steep in my opinion. my partner got the crispy chicken and he really enjoyed it, very flavoursome coating on the chicken and a nice portion size. overall would go back!!

we had breakfast in late january. spectacular meals and impressive portions, particularly the french toast. prompt service from justin. many thanks to you justine and also marty for looking after us while in rotorua for the short time we were there. from experience of managing cafes in the past, the mad dogcafeis a sure thing on your 'things to do in rotorua' list.  carlos

dinner at fatdogcafeon saturday 15 september 2018. arrived at around 7pm. excellent service excellent iced chocolate... we ordered 2 gourmet beef burgers room for improvement but reasonable quality produce

the food here was amazing, my partner and i both got a gourmet burger (i got the beef burger which is pictured, and he got the lamb one) and considering the prices are higher than a standard burger ($20), you do get your worth as the quality and quantity of the food is amazing. personally i was not expecting the burger to be as big as i got so it was quite a nice surprise. many of the customers around us got one of the gourmet burgers and had the same reaction as i did. the place is quite easy to find and inside, the atmosphere is similar to both acafeand restaurant which makes the place feel more at home. however, when it is busy, can get loud which is expected. quick service, friendly waitresses. overall, it was a good place and i would highly recommend others to give the place a try.

this is my second visit to fat dog and for the second time i really enjoyed the experience. the coffee was great, good strong flavour in the espresso, service was rally quick considering how busy thecafewas. a definite go to if you are in rotorua

extremely overpriced considering there is no table service (order at the counter) and the food is worse than a typicalcafethat charges far less.

scallops wrapped in bacon was $32 and the scallops were smelly and not cooked correctly, wrapped in soggy bacon and sitting on a bed of cold (not intentionally) grilled veges and potatoes. the worst restaurant/cafe we visited on our holiday from a food and value perspective. no one else in my group liked their meals either. a total rip off.

very colourfulcafein the center of town that is definitely worth visiting. heaps of menu choices, friendly service, lots of seating. amazing looking burgers (some of which are like a foot high :-), nachos were great, everything served quickly and we had a great time. the kids didn't like the fish for some reason but the team quickly gave us some complimentary slices to make up for this, so we were very thankful! we had a great time.

my 4yo, partner and i came to fat dog after seeing the reviews on zomato. it was close to the highest rating for breakfast and close to where we stayed. thecafeis nice, staff very nice and super helpful! my son loved his smoothie and at no extra cost i asked for extra spinach which was great! my partner also really enjoyed his breakfast, he had the fat dog breakfast. i had the eggs scrambled with spinach and hollandaise and the only thing i was disappointed with, was the toast. it was too thick and hardly toasted, more like an extremely thick piece of bread. we would still come there, it's a lovelycafeand there was a lot on offer!

just arrived for a quick two night break with my boys and wanted to try this kid friendly establishment...had dinner, shared beef nachos, fish and chips (kids meals) and lamb shank with kumara mash. nothing special but wasn't expecting it to be, good safe tucker for the masses, certainly very popular so they are doing something right. morecafestyle with the ordering and paying at the till before anything is served, but perhaps they have had issues with people doing runners previously...?

my partner and i went to fat dogcafe& bar on our mini adventure in rotorua. we found it on zomato and we thought why not. there was a variety of foods to choose from and the atmosphere and decor of the restaurant made me feel at ease and chilled when eating although it was absolutely busy. the tea we ordered tasted good, but i was confused as to why every food order (in the salad and in the burger)  had a large amount of flavoured beetroot. the food otherwise tasted quite good as i had ordered a vege quiche and the cheese taste was very prominent. i love cheese 😊

arrived at far dogcafe& bar prior to leaving for hamilton, i had been here before. decor remains the same but the menu has changed. do love the mismatched decor and dog mural on the outside wall- got given a tweety cup on a wooden stick in place of a number which i found cool.

had to wait like 5 minutes to place the order as there was a massive line which started from the door, the person on the counter was fine with me swapping the fried egg for the poached egg when i mentioned i wanted the fat dog works.

so the meals came, my fat dog works looked pretty good, but the bacon could've been a bit more crispy-did find it a bit gristly (but it was still edible). the poached egg could've done with a bit more cooking (like 10 more seconds in the water). all in all, my meal was great and the other person devoured their pancakes.

it would be great if they could tell their bigger tables to not talk so loudly.

would be back as it's reasonably priced and is not your typical industrial modern cafe

we managed to snag a carpark right outside, walk in and place our order then find a table quickly, with no fuss. it's a good thing we turned up early in the morning as it was a saturday and thecafefilled up quite quickly. our food and drinks didn't take long to arrive - i ordered the the vegie works with gluten free toast and a soy mocha, and my partner ordered the fat dog works with a chilled drink from the fridge. the meals were generously sized and we both really enjoyed them. my partner had regular toast with his meal, which came as a deliciously thick slab that was crispy on the outside and soft in the middle - just as toast should be!

my soy mocha was okay, but nothing to write home about, but the rest of the meal was so good that i would definitely go back. this is the perfect spot for brunch as there is something on the menu for everyone.