the station bar & bistro

my family (group of 7) of us dinned here last night, we tried to book but were told there are lots of seats so no need, and to just come in. we arrived and there were no tables, after some were made available we sat, the waitress was lovely and the dining room was nicely decorated. the menu is massive (too big) and after ordering we waited for 55 minutes before we got our food. i think that if it is going to take an hour to get food out – you tellpeoplewhen they sit down so they have the choice to go elsewhere (my nana was shattered by the end of the night). as if that wasn't enough they forgot one of the meals, after another 10-13 minutes my husband’s arrived, they gave him an extra piece of fish and a drink for the hassle which was nice. unfortunately you could tell the meal was rushed, they gave him the wrong side (salad not veges as he had ordered) the fish was soggy and oily, and the batter was about 3 times the measly piece of fish inside, and if that wasn't enough he has been sick all night and is off work today with a stomach ace. food quality is nowhere near the $25 meal standard the prices allude to. over all we won’t be coming back, good service terrible food, and very very overpriced.

arrived late afternoon and were seated in a comfortable booth table.

it wasn’t busy, only with 3 other tables with 3-5peopleat each. our meals were the lamb shank, and slow braised pork belly both were amazing and very very delicious.

we dined with a 10 year old who ordered themselves a hot dog (american style) with crunchy fries and also enjoyed an ice cream sundae.
there were other kid friendly options aswell to choose from, which all came with an ice cream sundae.

parking was easily available and no problems finding spaces close to the entrance.

all in all it is a place we would come back to if we were ever to be in napier.
staff were efficient and friendly too and that’s helpful.

after travelling through the upper north island over the last few days, we finally arrived in napier, and were fortunate enough to stumble upon the station while looking for somewhere to eat. turned out to be the best meal we've had so far! the service at the station was superb from start to finish, and the food was exactly what we wanted. as we changed a couple of things from our menu selection, our server listened to what we wanted changed to make sure she really understood, rather than returning with an incorrect meal or having to come back to ask. the prices were great, and everything came to our table extremely promptly as well. and as much as we loved the station and would definitely come back, anna in particular deserves praise for herpeopleskills and really taking time to ensure that we got exactly what we requested, even suggesting some local tourist attractions that we could visit. 5 stars to the station, and 6 stars to anna!

usually i don't write reveiw's on restaurants, but after having such a great meal i had to letpeopleknow about this laid back awesome place. the menu is fantastic, the pizza's were great and my wife loved that she got a gluten free base at no extra charge. we sat out in the garden bar and it was surprising how big it is and enjoyable to sit out there. i was impressed by the drink selection and having heineken on tap was a nice surprise. we will definately be going back to eat very soon

you know i always feel really sorry for eating places that get reviewed. most of thepeoplethat review them have absolutely no idea of what it takes to work in hospitality, it is damn hard work and even if the waitress looks like she is not smiling, she is trying her best and probably really tired from being on her feet for hours, taking abuse from snobby customers and trying to keep waitingpeoplehappy because there are so many orders and the kitchen is going as fast as they can. i recommend thatpeoplewho go out to eat, just think for a minute about what it is like for those serving you, don't be selfish and demanding, don't have an attitude that makes you look as though you think you are better than those serving you, be grateful and thankful that thesepeopleare working their butts off, hard work usually, to keep so manypeoplehappy and usually with not so much as a thanks ! customers often don't know the liquor laws either and licensed places have to be so careful with hefty fines that can be charged. don't go to a place with the thought to always review them, instead go out and be happy and have a good time, and never expect a place that is not a five star restaurant, to be a five star restaurant. instead, go and choose an actual 5 star restaurant where you can be as snooty as you like, moan about the size of the meal , pick at everything about the place and then probably come away only paying half your bill !!!!
i just thinkpeoplehave far too much to say often, and know very little about anything behind the scenes, especially in hospitality. give hospitality a break people, it is one of the hardest industries to work in and one of the least to get credit.

would not recommend at all. will never go back there and will tell everyone i know not to go there. the first time we went for dinner was ok as i thought i'd give the place a second chance, went back again tonight expecting to spend over $200 on dinner for fourpeopleand got told to leave as one of our sisters didn't have identification: we weren't even going to buy alcohol, only wanted to have a meal and there were kids already in there eating which didn't seem to make sense so we took our money elsewhere. your loss someone else's gain.