Enjoy breakfast, a coffee or lunch in our Mediterranean styled eatery which has stunning waterfront views of the Mercury Bay.
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Come and eat out at Kufe in Whitianga
Enjoy your early morning coffee or eggs benedict overlooking the beach or join us throughout the day on our deck. We offer light meals or more substantial dishes with freshly created food available from our cabinet or menu.
Mediterranean restaurant in Whitianga
Our menu is varied with a Mediterranean and Turkish feel. Great food to share – seafood, salads, Turkish bread, dips and pasta. We also serve great classic dishes including burgers and wood fired pizzas. Our chef produces delicious fresh baked bread, rolls, Turkish bread and loaves.
Outside or inside dining
Enjoy your drinks and food on the deck under one of our umbrellas overlooking the Buffalo Beach waterfront, or grab a table inside in the warm and still enjoy the view. View a sample of our menu below.
Just a stroll from the town centre or the ferry we look forward to seeing you soon.
Menu
User reviews
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Monicas 21st
Overall rating
4.6
We had a really nice meal,my daughter was made a fuss of as it was her 21st birthday.
Couldnt of asked for more,thankyou so much
Couldnt of asked for more,thankyou so much
LM
Leith Matthews
Would definitely dine here again
Overall rating
5.0
Was greeted immediately by a very nice lady. I told her I was Gluten Free and she assured me that they could offer some nice options. Homemade hummus, which I had with gluten free toast was delicious. The fish of the day was salmon which I’m not a huge fan of, the waitress offered pan fried snapper instead. It was absolutely delicious, with a creamy lemon caper sauce, side salad and roast potatoes. The house Rose wine was French and also very nice. I really enjoyed my meal and thought the service was excellent. Would definitely dine here again!
G
Glen
Terrible experiencr
Overall rating
1.0
Very unprofessional waited for food nearly two hours. Owner became passive aggressive towards staff and customers
We walked out without having our meal and barista was fired on seen. Would not recommend to anyone.
We walked out without having our meal and barista was fired on seen. Would not recommend to anyone.
C
Carin
Our second time dining here
Overall rating
5.0
Our second time dining here, aside from morning coffees which are always perfect; this time we had breakfast. The meals were lovely, food was hot, well prepared and delicious. The service was friendly and welcoming and of course the view from the front of the restaurant is amazing.
DB
D Booth
Yummy & Good value
Overall rating
3.6
Delicious seafood wood fire pizza + raw fish. Service was average. Pricing was good value. Best views!!!
L
Lesley
Dinner at Kufe
Overall rating
4.8
Fabulous dinner walked in on a Friday night and had a table overlooking the water. Involtini was superb. My wife had the scotch fillet and was dine to perfection.
Highly recommend and in fact told a couple wandering Whitianga Saturday night looking for dinner it was the place to go
Highly recommend and in fact told a couple wandering Whitianga Saturday night looking for dinner it was the place to go
AS
Adrian Sleet
Another brilliant night out
Overall rating
5.0
Went back tonight kids gone back to Wellington and again the service was excellent and meals outstanding thanks to all we will be back next year and hope you all will be still here.
DY
Derek young
Amazing platter
Overall rating
5.0
Sharing platter was a beautiful bargain...was so large we assumed price was per person...such a lovely suprise to be overwhelmed by value
RH
Reiss hardy
Amazing service and food
Overall rating
5.0
Amazing service, amazing food, highely rate this restaurant. Staff were super helpful and the food was amazing. All 8 of us throughly enjoyed our food. Best place i have eaten in quite a few years. My gluten free pizza was to die for and the chef had fantastic knowledge around coeliacs safe. 10/10 thanks all.
JY
Jenna Young
Amazing
Overall rating
5.0
I have been eating pizzas all around world this one amazing.
D
Denis
Breakfast
Overall rating
5.0
Had breakfast there and the food was amazing. Great friendly staff and a view to die for. Will definitely be back.
S
Shirley
Food and service
Overall rating
4.3
What a view. Great food. Good coffee. Very busy place. Where else you want to be on a sunny day Kufe is the place. Food worth waiting for. I will recommend to everyone I know.
CO
Cetin Ozen
Dinner
Overall rating
3.4
We had dinner there tonight. Had to wait over an hour for our pizza. Very average meal.
A
Anne
A very long wait for average food
Overall rating
1.3
The second time we have been to Kufe. The last time in November 2020. The service was very slow that time but thought they may have sorted it out. However, went again on 3rd Jan 2021 and nothing had changed. The wait staff were very disorganised, they made no eye contact with people waiting to give their orders. I went to the counter after 15 minutes to get my own menu and then went back 10 minutes later to order our drinks and food. The drinks came reasonably quickly but had to wait 1 1/2 hours for our seafood chowder. The chowder was OK, a bit cold as it had been siting waiting, obvious by the skin on top. The mussels in the chowder had not opened and the scallops were very overcooked. This restaurant needs someone who knows how to run one and get the staff trained to be observant, pleasant and provide good service. If you are too busy to handle the crowd, tell them before they sit down so they can make a decision. We saw 10 different groups get up and leave due to the long delays. Sort it out team or you wont have a business in 12 months time.
B
Brian
Don’t waste your time
Overall rating
1.0
We were a group of 5 people looking forward to a nice meal on the 1st of January. Instead, we waited for well over an hour to get our food served.
Each of our meals needed extra salt or otherwise tasted like water. One of our dish was completely missed and some unidentified things were found in the lasagna. When we nicely told the staff about this we got no apologies but instead an angry and unapologetic response. We will never go back and will gladly tell people not to go either. Worst experience ever.
Each of our meals needed extra salt or otherwise tasted like water. One of our dish was completely missed and some unidentified things were found in the lasagna. When we nicely told the staff about this we got no apologies but instead an angry and unapologetic response. We will never go back and will gladly tell people not to go either. Worst experience ever.
C
Coralie
Extremely disappointing
Overall rating
1.9
1 hour 15 minute wait for food with no explanation. $11.50 bread entree contained 3 miserable pieces of bread, steak was over cooked, roast vege salad came without glaze and walnuts, ‘beef’ lasagne tasted like cardboard and it had square flat pieces of meat not mince like you would assume, moussaka didn’t have any yoghurt. Questioned all of this at the till and the worker looked shocked and was surprised at our comments. We got told that the ‘beef’ in our lasagna was probably bacon or chorizo. No discount or apologies offered. Awful start to the year.
C
Clarence
Shocker
Waited 2 hours for our meal had booked a table .asked a out delay and was told some muck up in the kitchen .we had our 7 year old grandson with us and they finally bought him some fries after an hour and a half. We were given a round of complimentary drinks but that did not make up for the wait. The meals were ok when they arrived. Won't be back we were regular customers when it was al camino .shame
CS
Carol Sutton
Worst experience ever
Overall rating
2.4
Just eaten!!! Waited over 2 hours from order to eating. Asked twice how much longer and told both times that there was a kitchen issue but food on way soon. Not true. Waitresses kept avoiding our table- they were clearly embarrassed. Offered free drink but really wanted FOOD. When finally arrived entre missing, one meal cold and two passable. Received apology and discount. Needs massive improvement to make me go again.
R
Ross
Worst service ever
Overall rating
1.0
We choose this restaurant as it looked very inviting from the road. The table was loaded with glasses and plates from the previous patrons, a waitress took some of the glasses but never came back for the rest. After waiting for her to return, we did it ourselves. We ordered a beer and water, Turkish bread and dips. The beer came 10 minutes later but no water. After waiting 15 minutes we had to ask again for water. It arrived warm with warm glasses from the dishwasher. People beside us got their pizza with no plates, they had to go get their own.
After waiting for 40 minutes we decided to leave but then the bread and dips finally arrived which was disappointing in itself. To wait so long for a less than satisfactory small plate was disappointing. Whether its new or not their no excuse for such bad service.
After waiting for 40 minutes we decided to leave but then the bread and dips finally arrived which was disappointing in itself. To wait so long for a less than satisfactory small plate was disappointing. Whether its new or not their no excuse for such bad service.
G
Gail
Simply brilliant
Overall rating
5.0
Last night I went for a fantastic dinner at kufe with my husband. Staff were extremely friendly and attentive and food tasted and looked really good. Location really drew us into this restaurant and am looking forward to returning. Would highly recommend to friends and family.
J
Jess
Could not recommend
Overall rating
1.8
We visited Kufe to celebrate my partners birthday as it has an amazing location and seaview. It started out well and we were greeted nicely with water, and we were able to place our order promptly with table service. We ordered a bowl of fries and a pizza with some modifications. After 45 minutes of waiting, we noticed a table who sat down awhile after us receive their pizza. No one had been over to talk to us about our wait or top up the waters etc. When I approached the server to check our order had been placed, she replied that it wouldn't be long.
Minutes later, the server returned to say that the modifications on our pizza were missed and the hold up was due to it being remade, but that it was in the oven. We asked if we could get the fries first to carry us over. As I went to the washroom, I noticed there was no pizza in the wood fire oven or anyone preparing pizza. Five or so minutes later, a gentleman came to explain the mistake was his error because he didn't see the modifications as the docket printing was small and that he would remake it for us now.
We got the fries quickly and the server told us she would take them off the bill as a gesture of the slow wait. Unfortunately they were not cooked thoroughly but we didn't want to bother the staff as we had appreciated the effort to get them out promptly.
After over an hour of waiting, we received our pizza and the modifications (no chicken, add tomato) were once again not followed. There was no tomato on the pizza, and no body returned to our table to quality check the food. The gentleman who made our pizza knocked on the window, as we were sitting outside, and gave us a thumbs up in effort of a follow up I suppose.
During the time we were there our water was not topped up at all, or were we offered a refill on the drinks we had ordered and finished. It wasn't busy within the restaurant, being a Monday afternoon, and there seemed to be a lot of staff wandering about. Whilst we sat and observed in the couple hours we were dining, there were two other complaints and when I went to pay there was no mention of the situation or apology. The servers were friendly, but not considerate of the service that was being provided.
My partner and I manage a bar locally and we understand that these things happen, but it could of been dealt with better as these kind of errors don't need to ruin a whole experience. Be prepared for some teething issues if you visit Kufe. We won't be returning any time soon, but it has potential.
Minutes later, the server returned to say that the modifications on our pizza were missed and the hold up was due to it being remade, but that it was in the oven. We asked if we could get the fries first to carry us over. As I went to the washroom, I noticed there was no pizza in the wood fire oven or anyone preparing pizza. Five or so minutes later, a gentleman came to explain the mistake was his error because he didn't see the modifications as the docket printing was small and that he would remake it for us now.
We got the fries quickly and the server told us she would take them off the bill as a gesture of the slow wait. Unfortunately they were not cooked thoroughly but we didn't want to bother the staff as we had appreciated the effort to get them out promptly.
After over an hour of waiting, we received our pizza and the modifications (no chicken, add tomato) were once again not followed. There was no tomato on the pizza, and no body returned to our table to quality check the food. The gentleman who made our pizza knocked on the window, as we were sitting outside, and gave us a thumbs up in effort of a follow up I suppose.
During the time we were there our water was not topped up at all, or were we offered a refill on the drinks we had ordered and finished. It wasn't busy within the restaurant, being a Monday afternoon, and there seemed to be a lot of staff wandering about. Whilst we sat and observed in the couple hours we were dining, there were two other complaints and when I went to pay there was no mention of the situation or apology. The servers were friendly, but not considerate of the service that was being provided.
My partner and I manage a bar locally and we understand that these things happen, but it could of been dealt with better as these kind of errors don't need to ruin a whole experience. Be prepared for some teething issues if you visit Kufe. We won't be returning any time soon, but it has potential.
DG
Dannielle Guthrie
Very disappointed
Overall rating
1.8
Looking forward to a lovely brunch, along side gorgeous views. But sadly after waiting an hour for our meals to arrive, half of the big breakfast was missing and the bananas were missing from the French toast meal. They got taken back to rectify, only to return still with some items missing. The manager then explained that they had no banana so the two small strawberries on the plate were instead of banana. He returned again with the baked beans for the big breakfast and finally we had one meal correct after three tries. Now the food was quite cold. No apologies or explanation. Coffee extremely bitter. When I went to pay, still nothing was said in the way of apology, I then stated the issues we had as we had been served by different people each time and I asked for a discount. They gave me a discount but said absolutely nothing to me from the moment I asked. The biggest issue I have with the experience is the lack of communication and apology.
Staff need to learn how to deal with issues and complaints, usually anything problems can be turned around with a little communication.
Not recommended at all.
Staff need to learn how to deal with issues and complaints, usually anything problems can be turned around with a little communication.
Not recommended at all.
VS
Vicki Stuart
Delicious
Overall rating
4.0
Both visits have delivered on quality delicious food.
Positives:
Very friendly staff.
Fresh produce, very nicely prepared.
Breakfast smashed avo came with a generous amount of smoked salmon. At first I thought there was too little bread, however there was enough and I was comfortably full at the end. I needed to ask for a lemon wedge to give it the acid it needed for flavour balance. My companions mushrooms came with old style thick bacon, and that was amazing!
Dinner of squid, courgette fritters, calamari and lamb kebabs were all delicious and of good portion size.
Less positive: remembering that the restaurant has only been open 3 weeks and all systems are new, there is still some work to be done here. Some wait staff seemed unsure of themselves and the menu, and little things like forgotten cutlery were common. The team also need to keep an eye on tables - it proved impossible to catch anyone’s eye for help even when quiet, however when I went and asked for things they were lovely and really wanted to help- so a bit more practice and training perhaps.
All in all, very good and I will go back again,
The spot is beautiful.
Positives:
Very friendly staff.
Fresh produce, very nicely prepared.
Breakfast smashed avo came with a generous amount of smoked salmon. At first I thought there was too little bread, however there was enough and I was comfortably full at the end. I needed to ask for a lemon wedge to give it the acid it needed for flavour balance. My companions mushrooms came with old style thick bacon, and that was amazing!
Dinner of squid, courgette fritters, calamari and lamb kebabs were all delicious and of good portion size.
Less positive: remembering that the restaurant has only been open 3 weeks and all systems are new, there is still some work to be done here. Some wait staff seemed unsure of themselves and the menu, and little things like forgotten cutlery were common. The team also need to keep an eye on tables - it proved impossible to catch anyone’s eye for help even when quiet, however when I went and asked for things they were lovely and really wanted to help- so a bit more practice and training perhaps.
All in all, very good and I will go back again,
The spot is beautiful.
C
Claire
Absolutely shocking
Overall rating
1.5
A group of 6 of us went here for breakfast, we sat outside with lovely views and were excited for a delicious breakfast, how disappointed we were.
we waited 10 minutes before anyone came to our table and took our coffee order, then they came 35 minutes later, the coffee was so sour I couldn’t drink it. We all got different size cups too which was random. The waitress (who was lovely) brought water to our table with no glasses. Then we received our food after a 50 minute wait. It was laughable how tiny the portions were - so if your hungry DO NOT go here! Our friend is vegan so asked for avocado on toast which they couldn’t do so instead she ordered the “crushed avocado on toast” and asked for it with no salmon or goats cheese, she received 1/4 of a tiny avocado (which wasn’t crushed or on the toast) with 2 tiny bits of bread that wasn’t toasted. Another friend got the mushrooms on toast which had 6 slices of mushrooms. We got no cutlery given to us we had to ask for it, then they didn’t bring enough out. Then when we went to pay there was no staff around we asked one girl at the counter and she said “see if there is someone at the bar” When we spoke to the manager about it we were told “nobody gets water unless they ask for it” and “our choice to take items off meals” which is true however there was no way we could justify paying $22 for what she got. He didn’t apologise for the shocking service we got or for the ridiculous portion sizes. After a few minutes arguing with him he did give us a discount which was lovely of him. The food was average service was poor (the staff were friendly) but the owner was cocky and arrogant. Such a shame as the location is beautiful. Will never return or recommend to anyone.
we waited 10 minutes before anyone came to our table and took our coffee order, then they came 35 minutes later, the coffee was so sour I couldn’t drink it. We all got different size cups too which was random. The waitress (who was lovely) brought water to our table with no glasses. Then we received our food after a 50 minute wait. It was laughable how tiny the portions were - so if your hungry DO NOT go here! Our friend is vegan so asked for avocado on toast which they couldn’t do so instead she ordered the “crushed avocado on toast” and asked for it with no salmon or goats cheese, she received 1/4 of a tiny avocado (which wasn’t crushed or on the toast) with 2 tiny bits of bread that wasn’t toasted. Another friend got the mushrooms on toast which had 6 slices of mushrooms. We got no cutlery given to us we had to ask for it, then they didn’t bring enough out. Then when we went to pay there was no staff around we asked one girl at the counter and she said “see if there is someone at the bar” When we spoke to the manager about it we were told “nobody gets water unless they ask for it” and “our choice to take items off meals” which is true however there was no way we could justify paying $22 for what she got. He didn’t apologise for the shocking service we got or for the ridiculous portion sizes. After a few minutes arguing with him he did give us a discount which was lovely of him. The food was average service was poor (the staff were friendly) but the owner was cocky and arrogant. Such a shame as the location is beautiful. Will never return or recommend to anyone.
EP
Ella Pawson
Delightful Experience
Overall rating
5.0
Went to Kufe this morning with a dear friend for Breakfast, it was my first but will not be my last as we stepped on the deck we were welcomed and asked if we wished to sit inside or out, we chose outside on the terrace and found a table in the center with large umbrella looking out over Mercury Bay. The Manager came and introduce himself and took our order, he returned place a number on our table and it was No 1, looking around we thought how nice we felt we were not on table one but the gesture made us feel special. The staff came with cutlery and it was clear both the Manager and staff wanted their clients to have the visitor experience. The restaurant is open for Breakfast and lunch and will open in a week's time for dinner. We will be recommending our guests at Bayview Valley Lodge to Kufe and wish you and the team much success the restaurant is looking sharp. Kind Regards David Hall - Bayview Valley Lodge B&B
DH
David Hall
