Ordered from the tasting menu, the crispy squid was soggy, the pork belly was cold on the bottom and and the skin was chewy. I’ve had better pork belly from the hot food section in our local pac n sav. The pork belly did come with these amazing savouring puff/bread bites with fennels seeds and these were very good.

The braised beef krokets were also very good. the beef was fall apart tender and very savoury.

Desserts were good, the panna cotta was devine, however it was supposed to be served with poached strawberries. The strawberries were half sitting in the cold sauce on top on the panna cotta and were fresh, not poached.

The dutch donuts (Oliebollen) seemed to be made out of the same dough as the fennel seed puffs that came with the pork belly. I’ve never had them with fennel seeds before but they were tasty enough and the salted caramel was excellent.

Service was good, friendly, attentive and prompt.

Beer was very good, though did discover more beer was on offer when I walked past the bar to the bathroom. Would be nice to have had a more comprehensive beer menu. The beastwars and the fig beer looked very intriguing.

Could be a great experience, they just need to get the food sorted.

Our foursome had a great evening at Hallertau last month.

The tasting paddle and sparkling feijoa wine were both delicious, refreshing and different. Our meals were large and tasty.

I agree with previous posts that you need to book in advance. We scooped the last table and that was mid week!

You can see images of our meals and read more about our Hallertau dining experience at http://celestereviews….

We’ll definitely go back.

great beer – very average food and service

We were in last night for a couple of beers. Is Hallertau run by kids now? Just seemed like it was run by a bunch of amatuers. The guy behind the bar was swearing at one of his workmates, and there was another guy (patron, but he was a mate of one of the bar staff) swearing his head off every opportunity he got. Not cool, I don’t want to listen to that and neither did the older couples there within earshot. Beers are good though.

Lovely concept, and brilliant beer.
Service and food (pricing) let the place down unfortunately.
Our table had food and glasses on it from previous customers, i asked for it to be cleared and when it was eventually seen to it was done so quickly I did it myself. Our meals came out but there was no cutlery. The young waitress was embarrassed but didn’t quite know how to fix the problem, so didn’t.
It was our first time there, will try it again as it may have just been having an “off day”.

Mussels were overcooked and therefore a little rubbery and bland (either that or – I hope not, cooked prior to service!). Venison burger was excellent and side of fries hand cut. Olives were poor, and lets face it – it can’t be that hard to order decent olives especially for $7.

The tables was dirty on arrival but cleaned promptly by the staff.

Service by the young staff was very good, although it took 10 minutes to get first drink despite it being a Wednesday and not very busy. They were all friendly and attentive.

I can see why this place is popular, I wouldnt hesitate in returning but feel that its much better as a lunch venue due to its real lack of ambience in the evening. If you ventured into the mains at $33-$36 approximately I can think of much classier places that are cheaper (such as Ponsonby Bistro), that don’t have chicken wire hanging from the roof.

We ventured to Hallertau for a late Saturday lunch and the place was almost full to the brim! We were offered a seat for two on a floating table that sits just near the cash register. No thanks. The second option of dining on the end of a large empty table was much better.

Unfortunately our table wasn’t clean, and when we finally given our menus staff didn’t pick up on the dirty table.

Beers were brought out promptly and they were fantastic. They have some excellent brews.

I had a venison burger that was quite chewy despite being rare in the middle. Portions are generous which was perfect as I was starving! The other order of a Steak Sandwich was also generous and delicious to boot.

All in all it was a really good experience for the atmosphere alone. A conversation with the staff let us know that it was a ‘bit busier than they would have liked’ which was nice to know.

Definitely will be going back, it may be better to book next time!

Have been to Hallertau twice.

First time, we were asked to leave as they weren’t taking anymore customers as they were already full. We felt snobbed & weren’t given the option of waiting at the bar for an available table as other patrons had been.

Second time was far more enjoyable. Tasted a paddle of beer & wine taster which was an interesting experience. Ordered too much food but it was very yummy! Our waitress was still a bit snappy but it did not deter our experience.

Book ahead on weekends to avoid disappointment.

Went on a Monday night & sat out under the verandah. Great service, lovely wines/beers & the food was very good. Will be back definitely.

Great place with a cool atmosphere. Currently sat in the bar there enjoying a pint of #2 (try a taster of beers #1-4 that are brewed on site by Steve the brewer. Once you get the full effect of the boutique beers you will never go near a Lion Red again!), listening to some very nice jazz on a summer’s afternoon. Food here is awesome with a mix of traditional stuff (fish and chips is excellent) and modern/asian/fusion cuisine. Reasonable prices and outstanding beer…… is there a bad side to this?

Hallertau is a great place to eat! Really good atmosphere, we went on a Sunny sunday afternoon there was music playing and the place was busy. They do really good beer and wine mini selections and good hearty fare! Will definitely be back