I went there for my 21st family dinner on the 18th may and it was amazing the staff was wonderful meals were awesome!!!! the new renovations were awesome so much more room i will be going back
They even baked cupcakes for me were so cute!

The reviews show that this place is quite schizo…we went cos our lawyer mate said it was ex…but he was the first to complain!

Yep nicely redone interior, but the lack of enthusiasm in the welcome by the waiting staff to an empty restaurant was a foretelling.
The med-rare lamb rump for two of us were both cooked to death, inadequately seasoned, lacking flavour in a watery jus. The rosti was replaced with mash. Not good at all….surely this dish isn’t difficult! Our two companions had a vegetarian tart which they said was very nice. We all washed it down with a Pinot Noir that I didn’t recognise, but which they recommended, and for $60 it was uninspiring and over priced.
My lovely companion and I ordered a chocky mousse with pears to share…and got plonked in front of us a solid chocolate square with ice cream….hullo!! Ohh there’s no chocolate mousse. They left it expecting us to eat what they described as a ” brownie” but when we couldn’t break into the object with a spoon… we were ready to abandon the place.
Come time to pay the bill…and there is the mousse on the bill of fare. For the price, the food was rubbish and the service was slack. You do not expect to have staff wandering through the restaurant with a black rubbish bag during dining, or for some guy in overalls to come strolling through to chat to his mates out the back. Come on… it is Gissy but we can do way much better than this!
The excuse? The Chef’s having a night off ! So maybe that is why it is OK one day and the pits the next.
My lovely companion woke up this morning with a very crook gut and is NOT very complimentary about the vege tart which is getting the blame.

Our company booked out the Works Café for a large conference dinner. Bon the Manager was great, went out of his way to help us and accommodate us with microphone and a table to set up for a presentation, layout/seating for the large number (70 people) timing for the night events, and making sure everything was just right, making it an easy event to organise. Feedback from those present was that the meal was lovely and up to expectation, the service was great and very efficient for such a large number of people and nothing was a problem, all the staff were great. They have made some major alterations/expansions to the restaurant and making a great indoor bar area out the back, keeping the lovely ambiance throughout. I would highly recommend if you have a large function or group. 10/10 A+++++++++ 

Me and a group of friends went to the works for valentines dinner (1st time coming here) an we were very impressed. our meals were delicious the service was great

we also came here last night 07/03/2012 and i would like to thank the staff and chef’s so much for putting us with all of us again…. we all knew what we all wanted before we had got there going off the old menu not knowing that it had changed. the AMAZING chef aloud us to order off the old menu and again the food was to die for, everything was perfect perhaps even better that the 1st time we dined there. i know we can be a difficult bunch at times, so a BIG thank you again to the staff 10/10 A+++++++

This food is substandard for the prices asked and not recommended. Booked in on January 9th 2012 and asked for a table outside-no response.
We waited for an hour for the garlic bread and only got something to eat when I went out to the kitchen and demanded to know what was going on. The setting is great but the staff are immature. Our fish came shortly after on a bed of lukewarm mashed potato swimming in sauce,
John A

I have to say I agree with ‘hmc’ review. My husband and I dined last night also (9/1/12) – our only night out in Gisborne, and we were bitterly disappointed with the whole experience.

As ‘hmc’ noted, the venue looked lovely and the refurbishment was a million times better than before.

However, the food was less than average (presentation and taste) – my starter (felafel stuffed w blue cheese were like the size of tennis balls and on the cold side), served on salad instead of rice noodles – as stated on the menu. My main – Chicken Parmigana was dry and the veges and baked potato were cold. My husband asked for his steak ‘medium’, it came out ‘well done’ and luke warm, he asked for plum sauce and got mushroom..His veges were also cold. Needless to say we weren’t in the mood for desert after that

I also agree with ‘hmc’ comments re: waiting staff.

To top it all off when we went up to pay I expressed our dissatisfaction to the young lady, even to say we were so underwhelmed that we wouldn’t bother coming back and her reply was “thanks for letting us know”…. Enough said!

Our local friends said Marina Restuarant is the best! Wish we had asked them for their recommendation before we went out last night!

unfortunately not a great dining experience
this is a cool venue and the refurbishment is good… but the food was very average – not sure what clientele they are catering for, but the menu was pretty unexciting and the meals themselves were not the best taste experience
the waiting staff were very nice but i think they need some training and to be part of a better system

ohh this place is my favourite restaraunt in gizzy!! (i liked it when the mother and son owned it i think the managers name was tony….however its still great)

i have been here countless times because its one of those restaraunts that you want to keep on keep on coming back to!! and each time you come back it gets better every single time!!!!
the customer service is great, the food and wine is fantastic and the atmosphere is welcoming and superb!! i would have to say this is the best restaraunt in gisborne, its my personal favourite and has that relaxed but sophisticated feel to it!! A+++

We dinned out on Monday night with great friends on our two day stay in Gisborne & really enjoyed the food, wine & services in the is great restaurant.

One of the worst restaurant meals I have ever had…

In February, 2009 we visited Gisborne overnight on the way to Lake Waikaremoana for some tramping. Looking for somewhere nice to eat on my birthday, and on the strength of a recommendation from our Motel, we walked out to the historic Freezing Works for a look around. On the way we passed 2 or 3 eateries which were packed to bursting with contented diners, but decided to keep looking for somewhere more romantic.

Whether it was the magnificent view of the sunset, or the historic ambiance, we decided to try The Works.

Our first clue should have been that, apart from a table of 5 (apparently friends of the staff/owners), the place was empty. I am lactose intolerant, which makes eating out a bit of a minefield, but the young waitress was very helpful and attentive to my needs, checking with the kitchen which mains would be suitable for me.

The selection of local wines we tried, and the entree we shared was excellent. But when it came to the main course we both got a shock.

I ordered the slow cooked loin of pork with roast apple slices, butter-bean mash, and brocolli with blue cheese sauce. I was advised the sauce contained cream, but the chef would “do somthing else” (melted blue cheese I presumed, which is fine for me), I was shocked when the dish arrived with no sauce at all.

“Fine”, I thought… “Less calories – right? And top local fresh produce”… WRONG.

The rubbery broccoli had been micro waved; the “mash” was half cooked, flavourless, and still had the strings in it; the apple was unpeeled and again barely cooked; and lastly the “slow cooked” pork was gristly and dry were it had been hurriedly fried, and raw in the middle.

I was too tired from travelling all day to cause a scene, and sent the plate back at the end of the meal virtually untouched, hoping, silently it would provoke an enquiry of some sort from the staff (usually being asked repeatedly “how is your meal” annoys the s*** out of me -in this case I would have welcomed it). Nothing. We demanded the bill and left, suppressing a heartfelt desire to walk out without paying. Being honest folk though, we thought we should at least pay for the excellent wine.

In a nutshell, great location, great atmosphere, great wine, reasonable service, but awful overpriced food.

Thanks for ruining my birthday too…

We were a bit despondent about the choice for a romantic meal on a wintry Saturday night in Gisborne when we pulled up outside The Works. The name didn’t inspire us and coupled with the fact that this was formally the Gisborne Freezing Works, we thought we’d be in for a chilly evening.

We couldn’t have been more wrong! Pulling open the door you could feel the warmth from the fire and the staff were welcoming and friendly. We ordered our food and basked in the glow from the fire and candles.

Our bread arrived on a wooden board, sourdough loaf with semillon infused garlic butter. One word – stunning! It made you want to dip your toes in the shot glass of garlic butter, pull the soft warm loaf around your shoulders and stick the closed sign on the restaurant door. Whatever they do to that garlic butter is good.

We’d missed lunch that day so we ordered starters too. Scallops for me, cooked to perfection with a crispy Thai salad that had just the right amount of bite. My OH had lamb sweetbreads which came with the right amount demi glaze and rested on chunky toast.

My main was fish of the day, Tarakihi with a sun-dried Parmesan crust set on kumara mash and was divine. The Carnivore had the Moroccan lamb rack which he said was very good and cooked nice and rare.

The staff were excellent, friendly but not too fussy. Our waitress actually talked to us about the daily specials and didn’t reel them off like a racing commentator. We were busy tossing up to be the sober driver when she told us about the free taxi service they offer. Brilliant idea! So we sipped Pinot Gris and enjoyed it knowing we could walk back in the morning together and collect the car.

The Works has what many restaurants are lacking (apart from the good food and wine) it has atmosphere and in spades! What a refreshing change!

Edited to say – we didn’t have room for desert but what a good reason to go back.

My partner and I had a meal at the works. We had bread/spread, scallops, chicken and steak. The flavours worked well together. The key to the delicious meal were the sauces. Highly recommended. A++++