thirsty whale bar & restaurant

although there seemed to be issues with service, my wife and i were in no hurry and besides the fact that the orders were bamboozled in the confusion of a very busy night at this restaurant, i would highly recommend it for a good night out. thefood(once it finally arrived) was delicious and the manager shouted us a free drink!very pleasant atmosphere and great location.a great place to chill out for a relaxing evening.

we came by for a late dinner after having some drinks nearby. we were enticed by the menu which was how we ended up here. the restaurant is quite large and even has an upstairs room which overlooks the restaurant. the decor is very nautical. the place was quite cosy. what was interesting was that there was a glass floor portion in the dining room and as you walk over you get a surprise.
the menu had lots of delicious soundingfoodbut went with the seafood extravaganza as it was their signature dish. the seafood extravaganza is as it sounds, a variety of different seafood cook beautifully and differently. i really liked the pan seared scallops and the fried calamari. the fried crumbled fish was also quite nice with the sauce. my friend who got the roasts really enjoyed the roasts as well as the cheesy veges on the side. dessert was also quite interesting with the banana and more filo. we also managed to get the mango cheesecake which was freshly made. both were delicious.
the waitress was very friendly and hospitable. she even gave us the option of heading upstairs as they were converting the restaurant/bar area into a night club. it was already quite late and we had finished so we just paid the bill and left. definitely a good option in this area for food.

this is a lovely cosy place. our waitress brought us water and cutlery and menus for our table and we ordered drinks which came almost straight away.
i ordered the salmon caesar salad and my hubby ordered the steak. our meals came within 25 mins. they were absolutely delicious. my husband said his steak diane sauce was a bit runny. but everything else was lovely. and not bad prices too. mine was only $18
staff were attentive and friendly.fooddelish. place lovely and cosy. if we are ever in napier again we definitively will come back.
keep up the good work guys.

great fish burger. fish tasted really fresh and was covered with a delicious layer of crunchy batter.foodcame out quickly. service was efficient

if you going to "the thirsty whale", be ready to wait. went there with 3 friends and a toddler. ordered 4 mains and some fries. and had to wait 45 minutes for the fries to arrive. and another 30 minutes for the mains to arrive. this leaves a total wait time of one hour, fifteen minutes of wait for main course. 

i would have hoped thefoodwould be amazing after the wait. but guess what (you have seen the rating), it was less than mediocre. the order and feedback follows:
fish and chips: 3 mini pieces of fish. the batter was not seasoned at all. the chips were soggy.
thai red curry: they used chicken breast which was a tad bit chewy (read overcooked), which could have been forgiven. but the dish that was served was not even hot.
chicken wings: the worst of the 4 dishes. no flavor. no salt, no seasoning. it was chicken nibbles dipped in flour batter and fried. full stop.
ribs: the saving grace of our meal. got nice smoky ribs with ample of sauce to stir things up. 

also ordered two desserts: creme brulee and choco fudge cake. but again, the wait time was 35 minutes after we ordered, that we could lay our eyes on dessert.
the choco fudge cake was nice and warm. the creme brulee was creamy in the middle and crackly on top as it should be.  but the fruits did not go with the creme brulee. but that's a pass and they came separate.

the ambiance of the place is beautiful. with heaps of outdoor seating overlooking the port. and a humongous indoor seating area divided between two levels. the staff was very helpful given we had a toddler with us. 
but will i return; the short answer is no. its a damn long wait forfoodeven when the restaurant was not busy.
pricewise: $70 for two.

greatfoodand location on the wharf. the seafood was great and cooked well. the burger and fries were great too. really good for what you pay.

excellentfoodand service. the location on the docks and the maritime décor inside the restaurant combine to produce a great ambiance. highly recommended.

we did not have a reservation but managed to get a table here within about 15 minutes.
the staff were friendly but the service once we were seated was very average. we endeavored to get a wine list in vain - didn't manage to get a wine order in until after ourfoodarrived. we had to wait for cutlery after ourfoodcame.
thefoodwas ok, but not great. we ordered the prawn entree, which was a huge pile of noodles with a few prawns in, more suited to being a main dish, and chicken strips with a dipping sauce, which were ok. for mains we had the venison, which was very rare ( ok by me but some people may have balked at how rare it was) and the pork fillet, which was a bit tasteless and served with very mushy asparagus. the mains were ok but definitely average, and just missed the mark a bit.
the restaurant atmosphere was eclectic and pleasant.

the restaurant/pub has a good layout. there are 2 separate function rooms and we were seated in one. customer service was very slow and on the less friendly side, might be due to the number of people we had for the function. my partner and i ordered a pizza, pork belly and a side of chips. thefoodwas average. the kumara mash was luke warm and still had chunks of kumara in it. also the pork belly had no crackling and looked more like a loin.

we had a family cycling get-together in napier 23-26january15 and on the saturday night decided to go to the thirsty whale (a couple of people had been before).
what a fantastic experience.
we were a party of 9 and seated upstairs with a lovely view however as the sun went down it was very intense (heat and in-your-face). michael, our waiter popped a table cloth up to block this. so thoughtful.
nothing was a problem and thefoodwas outstanding.
for great service and goodfoodwhen in napier i would definitely recommend this venue.

the setting is absolutely fantastic along the quay and when combined withfoodfrom the whale as we call it; you most probably end up with a good vibe. fantastic!

17.01.12.

had a great meal here. staff were very friendly and attentive, meals came out fast (bonus when you are with kids and it's late after a day at splash planet). thefoodwas well received, and eaten with gusto.

after 10 days of traveling around the unfriendly coromandel, it was nice to finish our holiday off in napier at a restaurant where the waitress smiled while talking to you.

i had my 21st and engagement party at the thirsty whale, in the harpoon room. the service there was unbelievably great and thefoodwas absolutely delicious. we had the buffet menu, which had a great variety of foods (seafoods, beef, ham, breads, salads) and it never ran out! thefoodwas up to wedding standards. i would highly recommend to anyone who is looking for a place to hold their private function.

fantastic restaurant, this is definitely well worth visiting. the staff are great and thefoodis excellent, i'd make the 2 hour trip to napier just to go to the thirsty whale!