southern cross garden bar restaurant

went here on saturday morning for breakfast, my god theservicewas amazing i'm a complete hospo snob and actually couldn't find anything to fault even with a 3 year olds birthday party going on behind us, every little detail was looked after the food was fast and the wait staff couldn't have been nicer - congrats guys, that's how it should be done everywhere!

came here for a friend's birthday party. although the dinner menu was a special catering menu, it was good food. portions were good and theservicewas amazing, complimented the party well. the lighting was a little dim for a large group catering but there is enough space for large groups which is good. (we had a group of around 20, which they had a private room around the back behind the bar).
7/10

all in all the food was pretty top notch, we had the welly on a plate burger as well as a few entrees which we enjoyed. however, theservicedid not match this. the lady at the front of house didn’t smile once, i told her we had a booking & she just turned around grabbed some menus & started walking away so we hesitantly followed. our waiters were friendly but as soon as we finished our drinks we weren’t asked if we would like another one, but just if we would like the empty glasses taken away. after our entrees they cleared our plates as well taking our forks, when our mains were brought out they didn’t replace the forks. once our mains were finished not once were asked if we wanted to see the dessert menu. i may just be acting picky but the whole experience felt like we were just being rushed through.

had dinner in the restaurant part of the southern cross. pleasant ambience. servicewas excellent. didn’t have to wait long for our dinner - so important after a hard days work. my dinner was the mushroom bolognese. mushroom and tomatoes were puréed. unfortunately that dish and salad was too vegetarian for me. otherwise everything was excellent. ...i forgot to ask my friend about her meal 😬 oops!

i have always loved the vibe here but my most recent experience with kids was quite different. was stoked they had face painting, toys and board games available, super child friendly but the dish from the kids meal, a dragon bowl was a letdown. firstly it was the last dish to come out even though i ordered it first to avoid hangry meltdowns and when it came it looked sooo boring! i don't know any kids that would be excited and satisfied by chicken with a spoonful of black rice, a few lettuce leaves and carrot sticks. the chicken was tasty but there was just so little of it which was the same for all of our meals. i had a veganized burger and it was tasty but didn't satisfy. at least i had fries with it! same went for the tiny buddha bowl and beef cheeks, also tasty but tiny! we left feeling like we spent heaps but could go for another meal to feel satisfied.servicewas friendly but disorganized. it's a shame because apart from their meal, the kids had a great time

popped in for a family dinner, 4 adults and two kids. great relaxed atmosphere, plenty of seats, inside and out, heaters outside too and so welcoming for kids. brilliant so far. ordered eye fillet, two buddha bowls garlic breads, cheerios, stonegrill surf and turf, mini hotdogs, gluten free beers, nz whisky, lemoney lemonade and a couple of spiders.... phew! cant fault the food, great checking with allergies and adapting if needed, eye fillet was perfect and the stone grill is a real novelty! thoroughly enjoyed it,servicewas great too. would revisit and reckon you should try it if you are looking for a family spot.

very rarely that i've had such poorservicein wellington. sat at a table that still had someone else's plates left on it. after 15minutes i had to ask them to clear them away to which the waitress reacted rudely like it was quite a chore for her. she only grabbed some of the stuff, left the remainder and didn't even bother to wipe the table. food took a long time to come out and was very average for what we paid for it.
so after eating our overpriced average lunch on a dirty table surrounding by someone else's leftover dishes i can conclusively say that we won't be coming back!

it was our first dining experience on the patio and we enjoyed ourselves. my daughter & i had halloumi sandwiches with fries. she also had the chicken drumettes in maple/soy glaze. they have a separate deep fryer for celiacs and many gf/veg options. my husband had the stone lamb (you cook it yourself on a hot stone) and he said it was delicious! the banana, coconut milk & cinnamon smoothie was delicious. fast & friendlyserviceand one of the best cocktails i've ever had (gin/cucumber/elderflower). i want to throw a party here because the vibe is welcoming & relaxed.

probably one of the most trendy places in town. great food, great setup and rooms to host large parties. lastly greatservicemakes this place shine.

***this does not reflect the customerservicebut more the food ***

being a rainy sunday and arriving for brunch after a nighyt on the wines we thought wed try this place as we were down here for wow. we come every year and decided to try a different place from the normal that we go to.

what an amazing venue. so many cute and quaint lil areas to cater to so many types of parties from what we saw on our visit.

my partner and i ordered the breakfast bowl ( vegan ) and a soy latte and soy hot chocolate. the drinks came out first and were perfect. both seering hot which is my favourite.

the food came out and after expecting a large breakfast we thought the value for money ($20) for that bowel was a.bit of a rip, as we had to ask for bread to fill us up, this is what was definately needed wirh this meal.

it was also luke warm which on a cold sunday one does not wish on anyone.

the bread cost $4.50 for 3 slithers of ciabatta.

not impressed

decor funky &servicepleasant enough. i have scored average due to drinks taking 30 minutes to recieve. i ordered the mushroom and walnut balls with a salad. it didn't taste of mushrooms or walnut it was just mush in the shape of a ball. the salad had no flavour or dressing. it was super tiny and i was still hungry so could be larger in size. i didnt eat dessert but all the cakes and slices at the counter display looked lovely.

great atmosphere andservicewith a good and varied selection of food, so every one is catered for. while lunch was fine evening meals have been served cold.

came here last night with a few friends and we all really enjoyed our food! was fairly busy butservicewas pretty reasonable. i got the buddha bowl which i found really delicious and would definitely order it again! staff were friendly and accommodating. i think slightly overpriced overall, but would come again for sure and i think everyone enjoyed themselves!

came to have brunch with a bunch of friends. the menu looked good and the place was warm that day.

by the door the staff mentioned there would be a 30mins wait for food, which thought was pretty normal in wellington.

we sat down and ordered straight away. the waitress came and mentioned the wait was actually 45 mins. since we were already sited so we just ordered the food.

it didn't come until the next hour and a half. every time we asked any of the waitress they kept mentioning how busy the kitchen is, without even helping to look how far our food was. very unhelpful.

by the time we received our order we have finished our coffee and felt far beyond hungry and tired. the whole brunch experience became dull.

not recommending this place for breakfast or lunch. badserviceand kitchen management. only gave enough stars because the food was fine, still nothing special.

a very nice location, and a very hidden spot with the garden bar out the back.servicewas great and the food was tasty. we had a shared platter which was great for 3 people and filled us up nicely. the menu offered a wide variety at a nice price and looked good!