Terrible food. Way too many salad selections and not enough main meal options. Obviously most of the seafood comes pre frozen and then thawed and thrown on a plate. Only the older people like it because it’s cheaper for them and they like buffets anyway. Over priced. Peter Tenant needs to review the budget in the food department so that people will return. Also a very cramped dining experience.

I am dissapointed in all the negetive reviews on here as it was recommended to me by a lot of taranaki locals.
i enjoyed the food and there was plenty of variety. It wasnt 5 star dining but i dont think you should expect that from a family friendly restaurant. it had a fun and busy vibe for birthdays of all ages and i liked it

I didnt have a problem with the price i thought it was reasonable and if you come to a buffet and dont eat what you pay for then thats your problem

Seriously not worth nearly $40, the food wasn’t that great and dessert was terrible!! staff were ok but a bit lost, tried charging us for drinks we didn’t order. The food wasn’t set out like a usual buffet. Would only ever go back if the price was dropped to 20 n the desserts were improved

A huge range of food. Great for a family with kids for a special treat

Food is not bad most of the time staff are always friendly but the price of this place is a MAJOR let done $37.50 for an adult!!!!!!! come on this is just being a bit greedy I think Marbles is a good fun experience but I don’t see why it is soo expensive as if a person really eats nearly $40 worth of food. The place needs to be modernized and price to be more reasonable for everyone to enjoy.

Marbles is okay,some experiences are better at times than other times.
however, we once had a family gathering there and was less than pleased with the old tables that we used.next time your there take a peek underneath the tablecloth and see if your surprised by the tables used,very old and gungy.i know its not food but you would thing that new tables would be a really good idea,these have scratches and everything…now marbles compared to sun world is fantastic…i do think though that the prices are very expensive, i think charging a small child the price they do is over the top,you should be allowed to not have to pay for a child under 5 and let them pick off your plate..considering most kids don’t really eat especially at a time where they have gone out. they really just get too excited don’t they?
anyway…new tables, lower the prices,more family friendly desserts would be great, we don’t go that often but i still do like to have a treat out at marbles, i think the food is decent. they don’t still have those singer/dancers do they?

Beautiful venue, lovely cooked breakfast and Dinner was just tops. Waitresses were very helpful and friendly.

Marbles staff all friendly and welcoming, and very efficient at clearing the plates. They sing happy birthday to children and some of them do dance routine every hour or so; bizarre, but you get used to it after you’ve been a few times! Restaurant usually very busy, even from early on, filled with raucous children, who are the only people to appreciate the food there. Kids get balloons and colouring pencils. Food is mediocre at best, bulk cooked, frozen, reheated, you name it. Salads are tolerable and sweets OK. But no-one goes there for the food, they go ‘cos the kids love the concept of an all you can eat chippies and ice cream buffet, and no-one minds if they run around screaming. Happy kids = happy parents generally, even if the food is terrible. Never pay full price, there’s always a promo running in local newspapers. Avoid if possible, and don’t even think of going there without children.

I have eaten hear and found the food OK, you do have to remember it is a buffet restaurant. And the some of the staff are uni students.

I am surprised at the bad reviews on here. I love going to marbles and find the staff very friendly. I even had my wedding here. The food was delicious fresh and yummy and everyone has said that it was the best meal they have had…it certainly has improved alot since a few years back..

wot a joke, its a old “has been” restaurant owned by our local “do gooder” mayor. Its old tired and shabby. The food is about the same. Uninteresting and cheap. And a bloody rip off. If we are ever invited to Marbles for an event, we always decline! The same old shabby staff work there that worked there 10 years ago. Ambitious ah?

When we first visited Marbles, we really enjoyed the food & went regularly.However we just recently ate there again & were very disappointed in the definite decline in quality.The oil they use smells awefull & was rather off-putting(I suspect that they have switched to animal or recycled fat).Other food was ok

One of the worst, most over-priced meals I’ve ever had! All just reheated bulk food, even the salads looked like they came out of a bag. I stayed at the hotel and thought it would be easy to just eat there, what a mistake! I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. The manager of this restaurant should be ashamed of themselves for expecting people to pay for this!

They advertise asian stirfry, it comes out of a bag and is microwaved! Lamb chops as hard as a brick and the fat tasted rancid. Roast beef that was WAY beyond well done. Salads in a bag from the grocery store would have been a step up from what was served here.

Avoid this place at all costs!