I went there about a month ago and I really enjoyed it. Be prepared for an authentic Italian experience and not only a simple dinner!

My pizza was great (no Pizza Hut s***! ) and the manager was just awesome: friendly, funny, noisy (a real Italian guy! ).

You definitely should go for it!

Lovely atmosphere- a real escape from the usual sidewalk restaurants of the Mount. I love the ambience inside this place. Food is delicious and I recommend one of their Chard Farm wines to top off the evening. Relaxed vibe and great tasting food.

Kiwi style pasta which was good and a nice feel to the place in the center of the mount.

The new owner needs a bit of a PR lesson when dealing with certain situations. Calling the old owner (who was superb) ‘a bit Fawlty Towers’ was not on, as he was always warm, friendly and gave great value – as reviews below show. But apart from when he hovered over the slow orderers, the rest of the night was great – he was helpful with the kids etc. Prices have gone up considerably since the change, and the old owners specialty dishes which were awesome are no longer available. But the quality of the food is excellent – try the pizza bread with olive oil!
One last thing – they turned away at least 2 parties from a table where the booking never turned up – people have the decency to let them know if you are going to no-show – they lose $$$!

No complaints with the food but the ‘service’ provided by the gum-chewing new owner(?) was appalling. He was dismissive and rude and provided nothing in the way of hospitality. This is a real shame given the glowing reviews of the restaurant a year or two earlier.

I could not recommend this restaurant given this man’s manner.

An amazing little restaurant

Felt very welcome and the staff were very personable.

We all had beautiful meals and amazing desserts! great customer service!

10/10 We will definitely be coming back.

Went to this restaurant twice while in Mt Maunganui on holiday at the beginning of May. Both my mum and I had the Lasagne the first time, and it was just superb, no complaints at all. Service was excellent. The second time we went we shared a pizza, and the restaurant was busier. The manager was very good and very friendly and the second nights experience was fine, however the waitress on that night did spoil it a little, by completely ignoring us when we had finished, we gave up and went up to pay and asked for the remainder of the pizza to be wrapped up. Apart from this though I would still recommend La Barca as the food is just amazing and priced well. Next time I will try one of the beautiful sounding desserts.

We had seen the good reports on La Barca and were expecting a reasonably good experience. We went on a Sunday night and they were full. La Barca is a fairly typical “Italian” restaurant serving pizza, pasta and main meals. We both had entree/mains and therefore cannot comment on their pizza & pasta dishes.

The food had a tendency to be overcooked and whilst OK didn’t make us feel we wanted to return. Dishes were served one at a time and with the mains there was quite a delay between my partners and my own meal arriving at the table.

The decor has Italian sea shore murals and is quite good.

Cost for two courses for two people was $92 and as they accept BYO we took our own wine.

I have eaten here several times and it is always excellent. You will probably need to make reservations as they are usually busy, and it is on the expensive side, but it is worth every penny. One of the best places to eat at the Mount.

Absolute Heaven. The food is to die for. Service is fabulous. I will definitely be going back when in ‘The Mount’ on holiday again.
I would recommend this place to everyone as one of the best places to eat in NZ!

great restaurant, I love this place!
The food is delicious! Francesco is a fantastic chef, great person and all of the staff work really hard to make the people feel comfortable.
A “must go” if you go to the Mount!

Delicious, delightful and something for everyone. Francesco is the best chef in town and creates a fabulous atmosphere. A place to take your time and tickle your taste buds – any chance we get a babysitter – we are there! Yes, bookings essential.

Is honestly the best restaurant in all of Tauranga – make sure to book or you won’t get a seat!