New Zealand Herald

Reviews for Smith & McKenzie (Chophouse)

by NICOLE
1st March 2011

This business is a MenuMania SponsorOne of the Business' Favourite Reviews

One word “WOW”
1st time for us won’t be the last!
4 meals & 4 VERY happy customers! Shock horror as i always find fault!
Heather the waitress was friendly & helpful…these days thats hard to find!
Loved the open kitchen so you can watch the chef work her magic!
Great wine & drinks list!
Hassle free parking always a bonus!
Sooooo much choice for everyone on the menu!
Attention to detail A+
Presentation of meal 5 star
Portion size of meals BIG but had to also try the award winning cheesecake…. just DIVINE!

by Pete
18th March 2013

It’s a family/bar restaurant. Our party of 6 enjoyed the night out – atmosphere was relaxing and staff friendly. We found the portions served on the generous side and in hindsight we didn’t need the entrees! No room for desserts. While prices are set at the higher end -we didn’t feel the cost matched the standard of the meals ordered. Wouldn’t go back in a hurry.

by Grant C.
31st December 2012

This restaurant prides itself on being a great steak house but my steak was over cooked and dry. We also had to wait way too long for our meals. Meals were also overpriced. We were given a $20 credit but I wouldn’t go back.

by Keith H.
29th December 2012

Our party of 5 had a very memorable night at the Chophouse. I couldnt fault the service or the food. We all left very happy with our night out and would recommend the Chophouse to anybody wanting a night to remember

by Trudy S.
5th December 2012

Was not a fan of their mains but the chocolate brownie was insanely good – 10 points for the brownie. Service was not that great the night we went in a group which was suprising because they were not very busy & seemed to have plenty of staff on.
Pretty good …. Just not excellent. Would go again but wouldnt make it a priority.

by Simon B.
25th November 2012

Great meal, well cooked steak. Awesome atmosphere, would definitely recommend going to check out this amazing chophouse!

by Chris B.
29th September 2012

Quality comes at a premium I guess, and you will pay more here. However, I did have the best steak I have every had, so can’t complain!! Service was spot on, and environment was very nice.
If you are not too budget conscious – go!

by Patsy G.
18th September 2012

I had my 21st in the upstairs function room at Smith and McKenzie. They were so helpful and tried to cater to my every want and need. It was a great night and had no worries as they delivered excellent nibbles right on time and even put up with the noise! Thanks!

by Simon
5th September 2012

A-mazing! Staff were helpful and the meal was fantastic! Steak was cooked perfectly and had a great wine to match. Was worth paying a little bit more for the great meal and service. First time I have been here and will be back for more, loved it.

by Charlotte M.
10th August 2012

I ordered the New York Strip steak which said it came with goat’s cheese and bacon macaroni with a panko crust. Sounds delicious, right? Wrong! I was so disappointed when my meal came, nearly $40 for steak, potatoes and about a tablespoon of macaroni with only 1 tiny piece of bacon to be found and the consistency of dry scrambled eggs, I was less than satisfied! At similar restaurants you get to pick how your potatoes come, and get salad and extras included.

The service was excellent apart from a small drinks mishap. The atmosphere was good, nice and busy! The steak was yum enough but I just can’t see how they justify their prices.

by Shane B.
16th July 2012

On Sunday had lunch at Smith & McKenzie, good food and good service. Restaurant was quite busy we were advised before we ordered there would be a 30 minute wait on our meals, no problem to us appreciated been given the option of ordering or going. Even though busy service was efficient. Food was good, my wife has a pasta from the $15 lunch menu which was really good, my Friend and I ordered from the main menu which was also good, prices reasonable, we would go back.

by Julie C.
11th July 2012

We went back here to celebrate a family birthday. After a 75 minute wait and two apologies (one with some bread) we finally got our meals. There were plenty of waiters but the cooks didn’t seem to cope with the orders. My daughter had the prawns missing from her Fish of the Day and some of the shrimps in my Seafood Pasta were barely defrosted. The pasta seemed to lack some basic seasoning. Although the manager was apologetic he didn’t seem to know what he could do about it!!! We won’t be going back. It’s time some restaurants stopped charging exorbitant prices for nothing special.

by Chris W.
11th March 2012

BEST service in the Tron, by far! The team are smiley, happy, welcoming, attentive and make you feel like they actually like you being there! Other restaurants, bars and cafes, take note!
Also BEST steak I’ve had ever in the Tron!

by Krystal H.
10th January 2012

only good things to say,
i have been here more then once and keep going back for more
i love the layout, love the food, and the friendly staff top it off. i think the food is at a very fair price and you should leave having had a good experience.

by Natasha M.
5th August 2011

I really enjoyed my first experience here back in 2010 so made the effort to visit again. When we first walked in, there were a few ladders right there. They have some new lights going in (i dont know why they dont do that before they open or
I had the Fish and Chips, they were alright although the fish wasn’t the nicest, it was a bit smelly too. I enjoyed my salad with it though.
My partner had the Steak, Eggs and Chips, his Steak was grisly and not the nicest cut, his eggs were done perfectly and he absolutely loved the gravy that came with it!
And my son had the French Toast, it was ok, definitely different than other french toasts we have tried, the yogurt that came with it was AMAZING.
Our water was disgusting and even my son (who is 4) said it tasted like paint which it did!! That was gross but the waitress was quick to bring us new glasses and water.
The service was all good. The first time i came here with a friend, our waiter was amazing, the food and everything was exceptional and i had raved about it to my partner! It was a real let down.
Everything was just average, we spent like 60 odd dollars, we could have spent less going somewhere else for brunch and actually felt satisfied. I don’t think we will be returning in a hurry.

by Nina
9th October 2010

Stunning restaurant with an awesome open kitchen and an opportunity to see the chefs at work.

Have visited on several occasions and am never disappointed. Beautiful food and great service every time.

A steak is a must when visiting and although steak prices are all in the thirties, absolutely delicious.

Can be busy so make sure you book, especially on the weekend.

A much better restaurant than its cousin Iguana.

by Erin
2nd October 2010

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal here!

I was trying to decide on what to order and the waiter suggested I taste the blue cheese sauce on the steak that I was contemplating on, but was unsure about the sauce.
He brought out a little sample for me to try- a little thing to do but made a big impact on our dining experience. (and the sauce was AMAZING)

The garlic bread was also top-notch!

The staff were extremely friendly and helpful- which made the difference!

Will definitely go back

by carole
27th July 2010

First time ever at this restaurant and i would certainly want to go back, atmosphere is rather different and quite nice, with a big open fireplace, service was good and so was the food, have to recommend the garlic bread, was delicious ,and way too much for two people, but somehow we managed to scoff the lot down, the downside was getting our car wheel clamped,however thanks to this restaurant, they made sure we were unclamped at no charge, thank you so much, would have ruined what was my husbands birthday treat and a wonderful experience at your restaurant, will be recommending, but warning people about the wheel clamping, cheers

by Elloy
25th July 2010

when i first walked in the doors i was impressed.
the atmosphere and the decor are really good.
like the straightener in girls toilet idea.

the downfall was my meals. just overall bland.
biggest disappointment was my drinks.
ordered a apple martini off their menu.
wasn’t the greatest, thought they should know how to make something on their menu ya know? but though i would keep trying.
ordered some drink that had a mint garnish.
drink came with what looked like an entire mint tree in the glass.
we ordered altogether about 6 drinks.none of which were finished and i actually sent one back.
not once did the waitress ask about the drinks or meal or apologise when i told her to take drink away.
all in all unsatisfied especially after hearing all the awesome reviews.

by Ian
23rd June 2010

Great family restaurant, good food at the slightly higher side of the market and 50x better than the old Cobb & Co that used to be there..
Food selection was good, food well presented and full of taste and well propositioned. Open kitchen which made for an interesting perspective and you can watch your meal being created.
We had a issue while we were there and the professional manner this was dealt with was outstanding by both the duty manager and our waitress 10/10.. We will be going back

by Roni
27th May 2010

Been there several times, overall thought it was good until… a meal that wasn’t prepared properly was ‘comped’ with two complimentary coffees. I couldn’t eat the meal as a vital ingredient was missing and affected the overall quality of it. In saying that I have seen them handle difficult customers exceptionally well, unfortunately being polite with my complaint resulted in being treated like a fool and my concern not been taken seriously. Can’t be bothered paying higher end prices, and only get taken seriously if I behave like a dick. Being rude is not an acceptable way to treat service staff but it seems to get you somewhere at Smith and McKenzie

by Michael F.
26th April 2010

Smith and Mckenzie: Worth a look, but don’t get your hopes up.

First impressions – good accessible parking, within two minute’s walking distance of the restaurant / bar, and quite distinct from Hamilton’s other restaurants in the city. On this basis alone, it’s worth the trip.

On entering, it is not clear where to wait for a table, and the wait time was a little too long – it appears the restaurant has one host to seat customers, and she was rather busy, as it was a busy night when I went along.

Eventually I was ushered to the bar – there were no tables immediately available to me, even though I’d called ahead.

I felt a little lost, as there were a couple of fairly large bar areas – was I lost and forgotten?

But no, eventually I was seated, and ordered a very nice vegetarian starter and aged eye fillet.

It should be said that Smith and McKenzie’s has a particularly good wine list, possibly the best in Hamilton, and a very good selection of food items, all reasonably priced.

The food came out in good time, the seating was comfortable, good quality fittings, and the starter was quite divine – particularly the smell!

The main was – well, average, to be honest. Wait staff informed me there were only roast potatoes with the main so I ordered mushrooms alongside – and they were quite literally both alongside, with both individually plated.

Presentation was good for the eye fillet, and cooked to my liking (blue) but was tough and sinewy, which was odd, given the claim that the meat had been aged for 28 days.

Desert was very nice – I had chocolate explosion, a tasty chocolate mudcake, icecream and whipped cream.

Coffee and cheeseboard – again, very nice, a good coffee and a good sized cheese and crackers portion, with dried fruit alongside.

But as always, my pet hate – one choice of cheese on a platter – again, no smaller multi-portioned cheese offerings; when will restaurants learn, customers want more than one cheese to eat with crackers!

Music was set at a comfortable level throughout, with a good range of romantically themed low-key blues / rock numbers.

Temperature was about right, and staff were courteous, prompt, and efficient.

My overall impression – quite a big place to come and dine, not that intimate, but well-spaced tables help with that; a good mix of high and low tables, nicely appointed and attractive bar areas, professional staff and reasonably priced food.

I would say Smith and McKenzie’s is great for groups, with the speed of service and the quite extensive wine and food menu, and the reasonable pricing – but I was unimpressed with their eye fillet, which lacked flavour and was a bit tough.

nzreporter.com

by Paul D.
21st December 2009

Smith and Mckenzie hosted a private function for me which included sixty guests, this was sorted in one meeting and the result was a very successful evening. All staff were helpful and professional the food was excellent and the prices fair. I would happily recommend this venue and the feedback from my guests was equally encouraging. Top marks thank you very much for a memorable evening.

by Loslolos
11th September 2009

Amazing customer service, great atmosphere and excellent food! – …….a MUST

by Nick & Sharyn
3rd June 2009

This restaurant was recommended to us so we thought we would go to the movies and dine afterwards. We tried to book a table but were told they do not take bookings. The girl said she would pt us at the top of the list for a table when we returned.
We returned at 7pm. The band in the bar was a bit loud so we moved around to the restaurant side where it was possible to talk. As promised we were found a table within 15 minutes. One of the features of the restaurant is you can see the kitchen and the food being prepared. There were plenty of staff working and all were friendly even though they were busy. You could not fault the service.
The menu is mainly steak orientated with various cuts. We had a large loaf to start with. My wife went for the seafood while I chose the pork. I think I must have been given half a roast. The food was beautifully cooked and you are given very large portions. As a result we did not sample the desserts. The meals were reasonably priced and definitely value for money. I would have rated a 5 if the music wasn’t so loud.

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