fat dog cafe & bar

we lived in rotorua for a few years and fatdogwas always the go-to when entertaining friends from out of town. the meals were always generous in size, and food always reliable. a bit better than a home cooked meal, but value for money and service pretty good. we visited family back in rotorua in april, and despite it being a while between visits, it was like returning 'home' again. great meal, good times.

when i was in rotorua, i got to stop by a popular local restaurant called fatdogcafe & 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 fatdogcafe & 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...

i am sad to report our beloved fatdogisn’t what it used to be! on our family trip sometime ago we were here each morning before starting a busy day filling up our tummies, plates very big and it was tasty. now sadly it was a big disappointment this weekend! full works and vege works breakfast is absolutely overpriced for what you get! blend, very ordinary breakfast at ridiculous price then with a beetroot chutney that unfortunately didn’t taste like anything. service was fine and quick but now that the huge plates are off tad menu i’m sad and disappointed. sorry fat dog!

me and my partner come here for breakfast. was about 9am or close. we were in rotorua for our anniversary & come down from auckland.

i ordered the fatdogworks & my partner had the eggs benedict.

fatdogworks was ok. the toast that they gave was massively thick and hard to eat so i just didnt eat it. the sausage & bacon were cooked fine. all eggs that come with meals are fried otherwise specified which is fine but they didnt ask me how i liked my fried eggs cooked & i forgot to let them know so the eggs were super runny. i think the only thing i really liked was the hash brown which is quite sad considering the plate consisted of toast, bacon, mushrooms, sausage, tomato & a hashbrown.

my partner said his eggs benedict was ok & the hollandaise wasnt great. didnt really have much to say about it to be honest.

everything was ok. not delicious. not disgusting. it was ok.

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 maddogcafe is a sure thing on your 'things to do in rotorua' list.  carlos

the good:
thick shakes were hand made with real ice cream.
everything else:
you would think a place that charges $20 for a burger and $19 for eggs benedict would know how to deep fry hash browns and cook chicken.. two hash browns, one cooked pretty well, one way over cooked. surely you would put them in at the same time and out at the same time? the chicken and bacon on my burger had been way over cooked in a lot of oil and both had turned roofless hard, the edges of one chicken which was cooked much more than the other had crystallized. the fatdogspecial purple onion shreds were bland and completely out of place. the burger would have been much more satisfying with just the cole slaw, bun and aioli. what a joke. nobody else at the table had anything decent to say about their meals either.

some constructive advice for the owner: find some chefs who know how to fry at least and lose that ridiculous shredded onion.

pretty sweet and colourful café! we had cappuccino, carrot cake and chocolate cake and and everything was very good. i would call it nicer but still shabby chic with different colourful chairs anddogfootprints on the ceiling and different colours on the walls an so on. someone really tried to give this place a special touch!

this is my second visit to fatdogand 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 the cafe was. a definite go to if you are in rotorua

anytime i come to rotorua i always have to pop along for a meal. if you want massive portions this place is the place to be for sure!!
when ordering food it's like pre pay before you eat but you won't be disappointed.
i had the fatdogworks breakfast and talk about massive servings(which i'm all about). but the thing that was disappointing was the seating and not being able to add or take items out of your order unless it's a side dish that is on the menu already. but they have the best sweet baking treats and i have to say their caramel slice is one of the best slices i have had ever. if you want a great "fat" meal then pop along you won't regret your decision.
can't wait to head along when i'm in rotorua again.
thumbs up!!

great food. big portion for almost every order. cant even finish my fatdogburger.
ambience is good. seating arrangement could have been better though.

food 2/5
price 3/5
service 4/5
atmosphere 3.5/5
fatdoghave only friendly staff.
terrible food. ( cold soggy chips & bacon & overcook burger patties 😡)
i can't understand
why??popular restaurant?? rally?
i can't believe!

fatdogis always on the recommending list of local rotorua restaurants, finally tried out today- a cold, rainy day and ordered fish & chips, very kiwish portion size, big & generous,  fish is very fresh and crispy outside, fries are a bit let down but overall was enjoyable.

went mid week for brunch, ordered eggs bene with bacon however it came out with salmon instead. they swapped it for a fresh one with bacon in literally two minutes and were super happy to do so. my partner got the fatdogworks which he rated and was massive! also a side of small chips (again massive) with a generous serving of really fab aioli. really fast, friendly service, hearty portions of good food and a nice atmosphere.

my 4yo, partner and i came to fatdogafter seeing the reviews on zomato. it was close to the highest rating for breakfast and close to where we stayed. the cafe is 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 fatdogbreakfast. 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 lovely cafe and there was a lot on offer!