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All 80 Rotorua Restaurants »

Pig and Whistle Historic Pub

Cnr Haupapa and Tutanekai Streets, Rotorua, New Zealand
+64 7 347 3025
Website
Open Late - 7 Nights a Week
Garden Bar
Happy People
Bro and I enjoying the Ribs
7 visitor photos
Ranked #16 of 80 restaurants in Rotorua
4.0 of 5 stars 78 Reviews
Price range: 8 AUD - 21 AUD
Cuisines: Gastropub, Hamburgers
More restaurant details
Restaurant details
Good for: Child-friendly, Bar Scene, Groups, Cheap Eats
Dining options: Breakfast/Brunch, Lunch Spot, Dinner, After-hours
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78 reviews from our community

93% Recommend
    22
    37
    15
    3
    1
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
katiedarlin
glasgow
Contributor
20 reviews
2 helpful votes
“great atmosphere”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 21 February 2012 NEW

loved this pub nice atmosphere good music and makes its own lager what more could you want. didnt eat there though so cant comment on the food. More

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Kathryn R
Albuquerque, New Mexico
2 reviews
“Great”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 February 2012 NEW

casual, good food. live entertainment. Food took a long time to come out of the kitchen More

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PhilipHenry
Cape Coral, Florida
Senior Contributor
30 reviews
3 helpful votes
“Fantastic Pub Food”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 February 2012
1
person found this review helpful

Large pub with many local beers and ciders. Order at the bar and carry your own drinks; food delivers by the waiter. Extensive menu with really good food and large portions. The Pig Tail fries are especially tasty. Fish and chips (chips were Pig Tail Fries) were hot and properly cooked with the right balance between batter and fish. Be... More

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Gregg Brown, Owner at Pig and Whistle Historic Pub, responded to this review
16 February 2012

Phew - we got this one right. As you can see its been a bit hit and miss here lately. We are working hard on improving consistency but it may take 2-3 weeks. Changes to the menu and retraining staff are in order. Thanks for visiting us. More

Strickes
Rotorua, New Zealand
Top Contributor
68 reviews
18 helpful votes
“Okay meal - large helpings”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 6 February 2012

Last night we ate at the Pig and Whistle restaurant. Meals were a good size. Garlic Pizza as a starter was fantastic, will defintely have again. Harissa Spiced Chicken Salad was good, plenty of it. A little disappointed in two meals of fish and chips (1/2 size), tho good sized helpings, fish was a little overdone. Very brown batter and... More

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ITGalway
Galway, Ireland
Senior Contributor
22 reviews
5 helpful votes
“OK - not sure what's Historic!"”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 4 February 2012

OK food and service - had a look as had read mixed reviews and we were staying around the corner! It's on the Lonely Planet tour of Rotorua so while the girls were on the Polnesian Spa I did the walking tour. Worth a stop but nothing to write home about! More

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Gregg Brown, Owner at Pig and Whistle Historic Pub, responded to this review
6 February 2012

Historic = The building and its history. "The new building produces a humorous side to life in the Thermal Regions, being the most imposing building in the main street, it had previously been mistaken by visitors as a Library, the Post Office, a Bank, the Tourist Office, and even one Sunday, as a place of worship. No one has yet... More

Cheryl P
Tokoroa, New Zealand
Senior Contributor
21 reviews
2 helpful votes
“Warm and welcoming!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 2 February 2012
1
person found this review helpful

The staff were very friendly and the atmosphere was great! More

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Gregg Brown, Owner at Pig and Whistle Historic Pub, responded to this review
6 February 2012

This is exactly what we set out to achieve when we redecorated last year. Thank you. More

mcnz
Auckland, NZ
Contributor
20 reviews
2 helpful votes
“Big, big meals, family friendly”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 February 2012

Plenty of space in the beer garden for meals and child friendly. All meals served were excellent, big and excellent. Will be back More

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Gregg Brown, Owner at Pig and Whistle Historic Pub, responded to this review
6 February 2012

Two things that we hope set us apart. Thank you for the feedback! More

Dr-Jenni
Essex
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews
5 helpful votes
“Ok but bit over rated”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 February 2012

It was okay- mock English pub, very average pub style food, bit pricey, adequate service and so so waiting/bar staff More

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Gregg Brown, Owner at Pig and Whistle Historic Pub, responded to this review
6 February 2012

Mock English Pub? We set out to be a New Zealand Pub but recognize pubs are English so keep a bit of the flavor. Is that wrong? We recognize the need to lift the standard of the food. We are thinking the current menu sets expectations very high and is ambitious. We are sure the 2012 winter menu will be... More

Linda_B53
London, United Kingdom
Contributor
12 reviews
6 helpful votes
“One of the worst meals I have had the misfortune to eat”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 31 January 2012

Went to the Pig and Whistle which looked good and had positive feedback and a recommendation from the hostess at our accommodation. It turned out to be a disappointing evening. We ordered the Scotch Fillet Steak. It arrived on top of a plate full of curly fries ( not order or stated in the menu) and a plate of unmixed... More

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Gregg Brown, Owner at Pig and Whistle Historic Pub, responded to this review
6 February 2012

Where do we start with this - not sure. The menu states Seasonal Vegetable OR Fries and Salad. You do get the choice but the reviewer is right in staying we dont specify Curly Fires - we need to fix that. According to our City of Guilds English Chef - Scotch Fillet and rib Eye are the same. Who's right?... More

bjthaler
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Senior Contributor
37 reviews
12 helpful votes
“Great ribs”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 30 January 2012

If you like spare ribs, go here. Single order good for two peep. order at the bar. Front of restaurant is less noisey. More

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Gregg Brown, Owner at Pig and Whistle Historic Pub, responded to this review
6 February 2012

Glad you enjoy them and you are correct the serving is big enough for two! Thanks for the positive review! More

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Pig and Whistle Historic Pub
Cnr Haupapa and Tutanekai Streets
Rotorua
New Zealand
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