smugglers pub & cafe

referred to me by the visitor book kept at the place i was staying at. about 12 different reviews each suggested a must visit to smugglers inn.

its a rustic place. relates more to pirates than smugglers. the usp is a big 8 - 10 seater table with a fire hole in the centre of the table.

the staff is so ever amazing. just lovely to interact with. the menu is quite extensive. one can find seafood veg chicken and meat options. so this place wont let you leave hungry.

the evening started with guinness from tap and gin and tonic. following it was prawns in garlic. 6 good sized prawns with salad and aioli sauce. well cooked and well seasoned. the mains were fish and chips and chicken breast stuffed with ricotta cheese and sun dried tomatoes with a side of steamed vegetables and a stack of baked potatoes.
the fish was well cooked. the star of this dish was the tartare sauce that came along. it went so well along with the fish.
although i am not a fan of chicken breast, i loved this one. perfectly cooked, tender and still juicy.
it did not have an overpowering sauce. a very well balanced dish. i swear i dint even touch the vegetables.
the end was with a semi-froddo. so this stud was blended vanilla ice creme mixed with nuts and praline and whipped creme on side. it was melt in the mouth bomb. there was much of toffee left even after i finished the desert. so maybe they can put a little less toffee. but other than that no complaints.

so the catch here; its the cost of dining. $110 for 2. huge portions for the mains. but at this price this comes under the hood of fine dining and not casual culture. i hope if they work on the portion size they can decrease the cost of dining.

price wise: $110 for 2
will i return: check that.

we went to this restaurant because the owner of our accomodation recommend it to us. he emphasised it is an award winner in this city. the style of this restaurant is a bit casual, when we stepped in, some guests were having their happy hour inside. we ordered a platter for two. the food was so good and this visit is really worthy. but if you expect good standard service, there is something to be improved for them. probably that’s the casual style of them.

dalam perjalanan liburan di new zealand akhir tahun 2018, saya dan 5 teman bermalam di nelson yang merupakan kota singgah terdekat dari pelabuhan picton di pulau selatan, setelah perjalanan panjang dari wellington di pulau utara.

atas rekomendasi receptionist hotel maka kami menuju ke resto ini yang memang letaknya bersebelahan halaman belakang.

resto dengan dekorasi ala bajak laut langsung mengingatkan saya akan film pirates of caribbean. sempat menunggu sesaat untuk dicarikan tempat duduk karena saat kami datang memang resto dalam keadaan penuh.

makanan yang kami pesan adalah :

the kraken calamari salad merupakan mixed vegetables salad yang terdiri dari salada air (watercress), aragula (rocket leaves), tomat, bawang merah dan lobak (radish) dengan thai dressing yang spicy dan toppingnya adalah daging cumi empuk berbumbu. sangat enak !

black market fish and chips yang aroma amis ikannya tidak terasa karena sebelum digoreng, daging ikannya direndam dulu dalam tepung yang dicampur bir, umumnya dikenal sebagai beer battered fish sehingga menghasilkan daging ikan yang berbalut kulit yang renyah dan gurih. disajikan dengan kentang goreng super karena potongannya besar dan padat dan salad.

pork ribs yang tampil menggugah selera karena lumuran saos bbq yang harum disajikan lengkap dengan salad kubis kaya mayonaise (coleslaw) dan juga kentang goreng.

porsi makanan yang disajikan sangat besar dan kami beruntung sebelumnya mendapat advis yang benar dari receptionist hotel. ngga kebayang kalo berenam dari kami masing-masing memesan satu porsi makanan.

harga makanan yang nikmat dan bikin perut kekenyangan ini per porsinya berkisar antara nzd 28 - 30. bila suatu saat kamu terdampar di nelson, nz, resto ini bisa jadi pilihan😁

great food, great location. tastey food for all the family. good range and choices fir kids and prices are reasonable. service was great and the staff are friendly.

just wow!! had an amazing experience here. i would highly recomend this pub.

the customer service was one of the best ive ever come accross. i believe it was the two owners of the restaurant serving and food running so they put their hearts into the service. they checked on us regularly, made sure everything was okay and were very friendly. the place was a full house but they took time to stop and have a chat.

the taste of the food was good and it came out really quick. i had the ribs and the portions were large enough. its not fine dinning but the food was good. i also heard the couple next to us compliment the waiter on the taste of the fish.

the setting was great. its got a prirate theme and interesting to look at. tables are a mix of dinner tables, high tables and outside bench tables (all comfortable).

if your looking for a group booking they have a large indoor dinning table with a fire place in the middle. it looked wicked for a family dinner.

overal we spent $120 for 2 large mains, 1 dessert and 6 beers but it was worth it.

we rounded up a crew of 14 for a christmas eve dinner- got a large table in the middle with a fire pit. decor was seriously cool and kept the kids all entertained. staff were superb - tolerant and attentive! there wouldn't have been more than 15secs where someone's glass was empty if they didn't want it to be.

meals were served extremely quick. kids meals were massive and excellent value for money. entrees were well portioned. i ordered deep fried camembert and that did not disappoint!
the mains the adults received were massive and not a single complaint from around the table. the ribs seemed to be a favourite, while i had a prawn and chicken salad. flavoured so perfectly and piled so high, the salad was a real winner for me. and i do not say that often!
thanks for a brilliant night team, appreciate the good spirits and service especially when working on christmas eve.

the food was nice but it was our first time trying mussels... the catch of the day is nice and tasteful. the staff was fantastic and the ambience was cheerful with great decoration as well!

loved it rib and steak was great. very cool rustic atmosphere. great service and food. worth a stop for a great pub feed. ill pop back one day for sure.

if nelson, then ocean. if ocean, then smugglers.
we have been going here for many years when in nelson on holiday and always enjoy our meals.
great place with nice atmosphere and theme.

hello - dined here for the first time last week... the staff certainly tried very hard and were very friendly, but holy moly...... smugglers need to improve the quality, value and most importantly taste of the food....or stop for a moment and actually try it themselves as from the 3 different dishes we bought, none of them were enjoyable at all and we are not fussy people.  the prices of mains were quite high for nelson yet the food tasted like packet supermarket food or hospital food at best. both mine and my partners meals were very disappointing and not at all worth the money or time spent to go there. a shame as we'd heard (somewhere) that it was good and had looked forward to going to smugglers....we wouldn't again sorry. a real shame. please sort this out guys as you have a good theme etc to work with and make into great place to eat.

we have frequented smugglers on numerous occasions and gave always been very impressed with their service and willingness to provide food that suits our palettes. i would classify the food as better than average pub fare and reasonably priced.

service was very good, i had the fish of the day fish and risotto, it was fresh fish, large quantities but lacked a bit of love and flavor.

good average service and good average food - no more or less than expected for a neighbourhood pub.

had a great time with a group of friends, went just for a drink and some fries, and had such a good time.
friendly waitress, good music. relaxed atmosphere.
thank you smugglers, really enjoyed and will come back!

me and my family and friends came here for my birthday.. it was shocking the waitress was so rude she clearly did not enjoy her job! i ordered minestrone soup it was pretty much just a bowl of oil, was revolting could have made better at home. my friend got chicken pasta of the day it had no flavor what so ever, and the chicken was obviously reheated was discusting! then for dessert i ordered a bannoffe pie, the base was so hard i couldnt cut it, there were 2 pitiful slices of banana in the bottom and some caramel mix out of the can thrown over top. very unhappy with the service and meals at smugglers will not be going back!