Restaurant Review. Breakers at the Mount. Photo/John Borren
Restaurant Review. Breakers at the Mount. Photo/John Borren
Annemarie Quill enjoys a relaxed dining experience at Breakers Cafe & Bar
The buzz: Breakers is part of a chain of restaurants that caters for relaxed, fast and friendly dining. It is unashamedly a family restaurant, which makes it perfect option for us with three children under 12. Yet itis not excusively families. We dined on a Friday night and the place was busy, but not overwhelmingly so. Clientele ranged from couples on dates and young families and there was a fair amount of older clientele too. This is a restaurant that is more than happy to welcome anyone. It has a children's play area, larger tables, bench seats, pool table and some games. There is a surf and beach theme that adds to the relaxed nature of the dining experience.
On the menu: A large selection of children's meals, adult options from burgers and steaks, to classic tucker like schnitzels and ribs.
I'll have: After sharing some cheesy garlic bread - perfect comfort food on a cool Friday evening - I went for my go-to, scotch fillet and fries. The steak was cooked rare to my liking. You can choose from sauces that are served on the side.
They'll have: The kids' meals were served first, which is always a good move, and offered super value for money - all of the mains are just $8, and the desserts $5, or you can get a combo of a main, dessert, and a drink which comes with a colouring pack. There are healthy options such as chicken salad, but mine shunned these and went for the hotdogs and burgers, with chips. Drinks caused much deliberation as they have a range of intriguing options, as well as the usual milk shakes and traffic lights, there was a spider float, a "Frozen" or a Mickey or Minnie Mouse.
For desserts, they opted for kids sundaes and one went for chocolate fish and ice cream. For main Dad chose some menu classics - prawn cocktail followed by lamb shanks and mash. The shanks were very generously portioned with buttered mash, cheesy vegetables and gravy. Happy man.
Value for money: Breakers' branding is "not pushy, not a rip-off, and what you get is what you see" and it very much lives up to this. The meal are good value and the adult portions generous.
The staff: Service is a definite plus here. Staff were very attentive and helpful without being intrusive. The restaurant is understanding of children's needs when dining - you order at the bar when you are ready and one of Breakers core values is a guarantee of fast service. Any parent dining with kids is painfully aware of children's low tolerance for waiting for meals, so this is perfect. If you are a couple out, I prefer more leisurely dining but when you are with your children, speed is of the essence.
The verdict: For good value, down to earth, fast and friendly family dining this is a sure pleaser for the kids, and when the kids are happy so are the parents. A local family dining experience we will be sure to repeat.
the details: Breakers Cafe & Bar 290 Maunganui Road, Mount Maunganui Phone: (07) 574 2980 Email: mount@breakers.kiwi Hours: Monday to Thursday, 11am to 9pm; Friday, 11am to late; Saturday, 10am to late; Sunday, 10am to 9pm.
