lone star

i have eaten here twice in the last few weeks and both times the staff were wonderful. they were friendly, funny and helped create a warm environment. the mains are enormous and whilst it is not fine dining it is great if you want just a relaxed night out. if you don't have a big appetite just order an entree, then you might have room for the desert menu!

on arrival we waited at the bar for a table to become available. didn't have to wait overly long but once we sat i noticed quite a few other 2 seater tables available, so perhaps they were short staffed on a sat night? as expected the vegetarian options weren't that extensive, i had the "a fist full of pizza"... aka quesadilla... seriously guys it's a quesadilla!! quit with the silly names that make no sense. obviously i had the vege option which i had no idea what that would entail but most are usually a cheese filling which i would be happy with. but it came filled with big chunks of mushroom, carrot and sweet potato, and i mean big, they fell out when i was trying to eat. now i found it to be quite bland, no real flavour. again i would've been happy with just a cheese filling. husband got the burrito (vege), which had the same filling so i assume they have a stock standard vege filling for all their vege dishes. i do have to give a mention to the slaw that came with the burrito, that was very tasty! hubby liked the potatoes on the side. also, my lemonade was flat and very carbonated. i did give the rating a 2 because our waiter was very nice and i liked the slaw. the hostess gave us a refund for my soft drink. i would've spoken up whilst eating about my meal but didn't really get the option - love when they ask "how is everything" while you have a full mouth, then they quickly exit. so thanks, but no thanks.

after most of our group registered for the hawkes bay half marathon and 10k, our focus turned to dinner so we crossed marine parade and found ourselves here. seated straight away we ordered a few drinks to tide us over until we figured out what mains to order. pretty much went with the classics - johnny cash stashes, ribs, steak, nachos and a burrito. judging by the empty plates soon after i'm guessing everyone was happy with their choices. did notice that the coleslaw they served was dressed better than the last time i'd eaten at a lone star so nice work there. front of house and the service team were friendly and working well so all in all a good night out.

this is how a lonestar should be.  good food, good service nice environment. with lots of seating.

the portions are generous and lots to choose from.

lone star napier staffs are really nice. we pretty much know everyone of them. keep doing what you guys doing...thanks

very, very good service from our server called lucy.
the red-neck ribs are to die for and the 9 piece portion is huge.
ended the meal with a jack daniels chocolate mudslide that is the best i have tasted in my 46 years on earth 😁
this place is really busy on a friday night and now i understand why.

garlic bread was really good!! have had a 12 month craving and it was fulfilled. main was nachos hit the spot but nothing crazy. typical bar with sports on the tv’s foods ok not much else out in rototuna. ok beers ok wine list. nice and warm inside and out.

great service, friendly and welcoming. huge portions, the chicken nibble starter was good, loved the dessert, loved the coleslaw but that’s where it stopped, unfortunately the steak reminded me of a bakery pie filling.

i arrived there at 8:30pm on saturday night to be told they were no longer doing meals, only desserts. lone star advertises itself as being open until late, which gives them flexibility, but 8:30 seems excessively early to be closing the kitchen on a saturday, and makes them an unreliable option to dine at. disappointed.

staff are really friendly and the food there is super delicious and they came in amazing big portion!! i ordered the burger and my friends they ordered pork rid and dixie chicken. all of them were delicious!

omg this place! this place dwarfs any american restaurant i've been to. the serving and the taste were impressive and worth your money. the ribs were exquisite. the meat fell off easily from the bones and the sweetness was just right. the nachos reminded me of my fave texmex restaurant back in my dear country. the flavors were heavily present and the meat was generous. the mac gold's beer was the right drink to digest these amazing dishes. couldn't wait to try their other dishes.

service is homely and wonderful. had a sexy beast with jager, option also smirnoff, 2 servings and a beautiful lamb shoulder with crisp asparagus, veges, mash potato and a jus..lamb is melt in your mouth. good price for your meal. recommend if you are staying overnight. great view oit to the beach. situated on marine parade

we had dinner here tonight.

we ordered our favourites, redneck ribs (porky pig's ribs blanched in honey and spices, blasted in the lone star fire, piled high then smothered in lone star famous hoisin, orange and sesame seed sauce) + buffalo chips and lone star coleslaw, and johnny cash stash (chicken breast stuffed with mushroom, spinach, cheese, sundried tomatoes. herb crusted and oven baked, served with a chunky mushroom sauce, buffalo chips and lone star coleslaw). both were very tasty and wonderfully flavoursome as usual.

the waiting staff were averagely friendly. comfortable and lively ambience as always.

food & beverage : 9/10
service : 5/10
price : 6/10
ambience : 9/10

the food here is lovely, has so much to offer and nice atmosphere and the staff is very friendly. it’s in a convenient location in the city centre

i’ve been here about 4 times in the last 5 months and every time i’ve been there it’s been busy. it says a lot about the place when there’s always plenty of customers. the service is great as well as the food. the only down side has been the quality of my favourite dish - the pork ribs. 2/4 times the ribs were a bit tough and were quite chewy. i suspect that if you get there early then you will get served the first batch of ribs which are not quite tender and falling off the bone yet. other than that everything is as good as the other lonestar restaurants i’ve been to.