Cuisine: Gastro Pub Food, New Zealand, Share Plates
Price Point: Mains from $15 - $30
Ranked: #4 of 11 restaurants
in Takapuna
Say g’day to this larger than life local, bustling in the heart of Takapuna with an outdoor courtyard to boot. Aptly named after a lively bloke who first arrived to Auckland’s North Shore in 1912, head along and enjoy a down to earth hospitality experience with an expansive selection of crafty beverages and food that’s undeniably kiwi.
Graze away on the small plates section while you sip on your choice of beverage to match, grab your mates and get social with a sharing board or keep things classic as you tuck into a pub favourite such as a Thai Beef Salad or mouth-watering burger.
If you’re into Asian fusion food, the ‘dragon babies’ menu is going to blow your socks off.
Feeling thirsty? Whet your whistle with a selection of tap and bottled beers from NZ and beyond, or toast the good times with a quirky cocktail. The Betty Boop is a tasty combination of gin, peach nectar and fluffy egg whites that is sure to get the party started.
We’ll see you there!
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The Elephant Wrestler
138 Hurstmere Road, Takapuna
Auckland
Open Hours:
Sun - Wed 12pm - 10.30pm
Thu - Sat 12pm - 1am
Phone: 09 489 8030
Website: joylab.co.nz/elephant-wrestler
Click on menu to enlarge.
walid waked - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 29 November 2019
Great food, great service. Will be back
Margaret Hooker - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 23 November 2019
Fantastic food and atmosphere. Would highly recommend.
Shelley Drylie - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 22 November 2019
food was good, price really good, good evening had by all!!
Sean Buck - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 18 November 2019
Superb dining. Recommending Elephant Wrestler an ideal place to eat out. Great atmosphere and great food.
Heather Bartlett - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 18 November 2019
The food was amazing. The staff were accomodation and lovely. Would definitely come back.
Evette Ah-Tune - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 10 November 2019
Food and serive were good, I would go back.
Kathryn Ballard - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 5 November 2019
Great Lunch, Platter was amazing!
Kelly Page - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 2 November 2019
What a pleasure it was dining at The Elephant Wrestler! The food is delicious and there is a great variety on the menu! We shared a number of plates, each one leaving us impressed! Annabel gave us spectacular service and made our visit that extra bit more special! We will definitely be back and highly recommend!
teng zhang - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 3 November 2019
Great selection to choose from on the menu. Loved the relaxed atmosphere and the food of course was delicious. Very prompt
Antonia Williams - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 30 October 2019
We ordered ribs, chicken wings, squid and pizza. The food are great and the portions are big to share.
Teresa Mak - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 14 October 2019
The Elephant Wrestler is a really great place to go for good food and a great atmosphere. The waitress who serves us was so friendly, bubbly and fun, she really made the experience a great one for us! The food was delicious and very filling. The only tiny note was that the corn that came with the ribs was a bit cold, but still tasty. Would have been really yummy piping hot. Desserts were loads of fun and really delicious but a total sugar overload so be prepared! Thanks Elephant Wrestler, we'll be back soon!
Emma Howell-Matthes - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 13 October 2019
Had an amazing time, our host of the night was very quick, attentive and also helpful. She gave us little activity booklets for our daughters which really came in handy, her conversation also felt very genuine which was nice. We ordered a lot of food and it all came out very very quick and was all delicious. Loved the atmosphere and was easy to find a park aswell. Would definitely return
Zoe Folaumotuita - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 7 October 2019
Food was average. We order the chicken entree which was overcooked and dry. Pork bites and dumplings were good. Service was pleasant.
Ora Bistro - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 5 October 2019
Should be honest... one of the best restaurants/Bars around North Shore...
Arash Pir - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 4 October 2019
Had a lovely dinner, wanted to try the dessert too but we were too full from starter and main. Would eat there again
Samara Strugnell - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 4 October 2019
Came here for dinner last night, was an amazing dinner, took a little long to get our order taken but the restaurant was quite full. Thoroughly enjoyed our meal and will definitely be back to eat here again in the future, high recommend, the outside dining area will be perfect for summer
Sam Smith - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 2 October 2019
Excellent food and service. Just what we needed on a wet Tuesday afternoon!
Melissa Free - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 1 October 2019
Great service and yummy food! Would recommend!
Renee Darrah - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 27 September 2019
Great service, awesome sharing plate! Very busy but cool atmosphere :)
Sara Grace - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 27 September 2019
Excellent venue, great service - great food - all in all a good dining experience.
Lindsay Shirley - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 22 September 2019
What a revelation The Elephant Wrestler !
Venue is superb, Staff are awesome , Food range is outstanding but most of the generous serves are absolutely delicious , will be back for sure , Highly recommend
Mark Claydon - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 16 September 2019
Food are excellent! I love elephant wrestler.
phoebe zhang - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 20 September 2019
Great experience all together. Food came out quick and the waitresses were often checking on us and really friendly :) Delicious food and yum cocktails!
Tayla Wiehahn - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 13 September 2019
Perfect!
James McCaig - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 13 September 2019
The platters are fantastic, definately coming back with friends to sample the 4 person meat platter.
Great to see a fresh take on dessets - my wife tried the burger and fries- Ice cream sandwiched in feshy baked cookies (the burger) and churros (the fries) with chocolate dipping sauce. Highly recomend
Paul Smith - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 30 August 2019
We love dining at The Elephant Wrestler! I would definitely recommend the Ribs, their Squid and the Chicken Wings. Everything was delicious! Don't hesitate to go order your drink top-ups at the bar yourself as it can get very busy at times and you might wait a while for a waitress to get to you. Otherwise, speedy service once the food has been ordered and we've never waited long for our food. We'll be back as always.
Marli Venter - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 30 August 2019
Highly recommend The Elephant Wrestler, we celebrated Fathers Day a little early and it was just perfect, the atmosphere, food was amazing and the service was just awesome! We ordered a sharing board and the meats were so tender, we were so impressed, staff were super friendly and helpful with our little girl we are definitely going to be returning regular diners!
Vanessa Nonoa - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 31 August 2019
Great food and service and a solid wine list!
Rebecca Davies - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 26 August 2019
We had a great experience at the Elephant Wrestler! It was a busy Friday night, but the service was impeccable and we were seated in a prime booth for our dinner.
There were two of us (with big appetites). We ordered the Elephant sharing platter with a side of fries and Asian greens. Everything was delicious, cooked to perfection and plenty of food for two. If you had to pick just two I would recommend the pork belly bites and the Asian greens. Each dish came with a sauce which matched perfectly.
Great relaxed atmosphere with a cool vibe, and trendy decor.
Thanks Elephant Wrestler! We will definitely be back.
Sarah Moore - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 23 August 2019
We had lunch at the sunny courtyard yesterday which was awesome. The waitress (forgot to ask for her name) is great, we thought our dining experience wouldn't have been the same without her!
Sherlyn Low - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 24 August 2019
A mouthwatering start to the weekend!
Seated quickly, didn’t have to wait long for drinks, fast, friendly service and the FOOD!... best steamed buns I’ve ever tasted, yummy dumplings and my husband cleaned his steak plate.
Thanks team for a great feed, we’ll be back soon :)
Deb Harris - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 23 August 2019
Delicious food, another bar/restaurant hybrid. Would be lovely on a warm day in Takapuna. A big menu that is really accommodating for any dietary requirements. Food came quickly and servers were helpful. The pork belly was a highlight, loved the Asian twist on the menu! Plenty more dishes I would love to try.
Sophia Davies - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 18 August 2019
The Elephant Wrestler offers a range of meals to choose from which are so tasty and pleasantly presented on a plate. Aside from the food, their customer service is impeccable. We had lunch there to celebrate my mum’s birthday and the staff at Elephant Wrestler made our dessert extra special for my mum. This place has a great ambiance suitable for any occassions or if you’re just after a good night out. Its right in the heart of Takapuna, great location with plenty of parking around.
Angel Guanlao-Abes - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 12 August 2019
Service was prompt and staff were good and friendly. Food was amazing, especially the pork belly bites. Enjoyed every bite of it.
Yogesh Ambalaghan - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 26 July 2019
Awesome food and great vibes, will be back
Elizabeth Waltham - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 26 July 2019
We had a lovely evening here. The food was excellent and the service we very efficient. We will be back.
Tina Turner - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 26 July 2019
Wonderful experience, food was absolutely divine and the staff very friendly. Even though we live on the other side of the harbour bridge, we will definitely be returning!
Esther Ngaro - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 19 July 2019
Excellent service from the staff at The Elephant Wrestler. We were very well looked after and received our food very quickly. The Buttermilk chicken burger was amazing, loved the slaw that came with it, and the steak was so juicy and tender! Kids had the cheeseburger meal and a cheese pizza, both of which were a generous serving. Will definitely be back.
Tania Matthews - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 17 July 2019
Elephant Wrestler, you are by far one the most amazing venues I have ever had the pleasure of eating at. Something had happened throughout the day which made our booking disappear on their system but they instantly cleared a table for us and prioritised us to which we were very impressed.
Our waiter was absolutely awesome. We ordered our entree exactly at the time we decided on what we wanted. There was not a long waiting time on the food or drinks even though it was an extremely busy evening. Our waiter was like the Flash, he was constantly on the go but had such friendly easy going approach and made sure he checked up on us frequently enough. We weren’t just impressed by the service we received but I saw how the staff were with other customers and their service was bubbly and on to it. The other ladies working approached us to check up on us which we appreciated too. Our waiter also had the courtesy to let us know the waiting list was quite long for food and asked if we’d like to order our main while we were having our entree, so we wouldn’t be waiting too long. Our main arrived in less than 20 minutes after ordering and it was lovely.
The atmosphere, the service, the wait time and the food was great. Even the music was great! We will definitely visit again. A huge thanks to the staff for catering to our booking even though it had disappeared off of their schedule. For a busy venue, you’re service was amazing. Cheers Elephant Wrestler- 5 stars :)
Careesha Russell - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 1 May 2019
Delicious and great service. We ordered the Elephant Platter and the Madras Curry and both were AMAZING. But we ordered far to much for the two of us and the lovely Angela boxed up all our left overs to take home. Will definitely be going again. The outdoor blankets are a bonus and Angela is fantastic!
Annabelle Rose - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 8 April 2019
Took my 2 young kids for dinner and had a great time! The service was amazing! The waitresses were absolutely fantastic with my kids. They provided neat booklets which had various puzzles and coloring options. The food came fairly quickly and was yummy.
Overall, we had a very pleasant experience and great value for what we paid. Would definitely go again!
walid waked - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 29 November 2019
Fantastic as always.
Emily Vale - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 25 November 2019
We had an amazing dinner last night. The service was very efficient and comfortable. I forgot to mention elephant wrestlers atmosphere itself, there were pretty lanterns and lights outside. Would come back again :)
Michaela Renall - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 26 November 2019
Great food, great service. Will be back
Margaret Hooker - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 23 November 2019
Fantastic food and atmosphere. Would highly recommend.
Shelley Drylie - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 22 November 2019
The food is amazing. Would be great if the sharing boards came as serve 2 or serve 4 options
Jessica Harris - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 18 November 2019
food was good, price really good, good evening had by all!!
Sean Buck - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 18 November 2019
Superb dining. Recommending Elephant Wrestler an ideal place to eat out. Great atmosphere and great food.
Heather Bartlett - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 18 November 2019
Fantastic food and the best service I have ever come across at a restaurant! Our waitress Alex was amazing!! Would highly recommend and I will be coming back soon!
Laura Nicholls - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 15 November 2019
The food was amazing. The staff were accomodation and lovely. Would definitely come back.
Evette Ah-Tune - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 10 November 2019
Food and serive were good, I would go back.
Kathryn Ballard - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 5 November 2019
Great Lunch, Platter was amazing!
Kelly Page - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 2 November 2019
What a pleasure it was dining at The Elephant Wrestler! The food is delicious and there is a great variety on the menu! We shared a number of plates, each one leaving us impressed! Annabel gave us spectacular service and made our visit that extra bit more special! We will definitely be back and highly recommend!
teng zhang - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 3 November 2019
Great selection to choose from on the menu. Loved the relaxed atmosphere and the food of course was delicious. Very prompt
Antonia Williams - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 30 October 2019
Got the smallest platter for lunch was amazing! have been back since and love everything I have tried :) Really nice location for a walk to beach to walk it off after!
Tiana Burne - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 27 October 2019
We ordered ribs, chicken wings, squid and pizza. The food are great and the portions are big to share.
Teresa Mak - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 14 October 2019
The Elephant Wrestler is a really great place to go for good food and a great atmosphere. The waitress who serves us was so friendly, bubbly and fun, she really made the experience a great one for us! The food was delicious and very filling. The only tiny note was that the corn that came with the ribs was a bit cold, but still tasty. Would have been really yummy piping hot. Desserts were loads of fun and really delicious but a total sugar overload so be prepared! Thanks Elephant Wrestler, we'll be back soon!
Emma Howell-Matthes - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 13 October 2019
Had an amazing time, our host of the night was very quick, attentive and also helpful. She gave us little activity booklets for our daughters which really came in handy, her conversation also felt very genuine which was nice. We ordered a lot of food and it all came out very very quick and was all delicious. Loved the atmosphere and was easy to find a park aswell. Would definitely return
Zoe Folaumotuita - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 7 October 2019
Food was average. We order the chicken entree which was overcooked and dry. Pork bites and dumplings were good. Service was pleasant.
Ora Bistro - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 5 October 2019
Should be honest... one of the best restaurants/Bars around North Shore...
Arash Pir - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 4 October 2019
Had a lovely dinner, wanted to try the dessert too but we were too full from starter and main. Would eat there again
Samara Strugnell - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 4 October 2019
Came here for dinner last night, was an amazing dinner, took a little long to get our order taken but the restaurant was quite full. Thoroughly enjoyed our meal and will definitely be back to eat here again in the future, high recommend, the outside dining area will be perfect for summer
Sam Smith - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 2 October 2019
Excellent food and service. Just what we needed on a wet Tuesday afternoon!
Melissa Free - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 1 October 2019
To noisy and loud
Joanna Dawson - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 27 September 2019
Great service and yummy food! Would recommend!
Renee Darrah - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 27 September 2019
Great service, awesome sharing plate! Very busy but cool atmosphere :)
Sara Grace - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 27 September 2019
Excellent venue, great service - great food - all in all a good dining experience.
Lindsay Shirley - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 22 September 2019
What a revelation The Elephant Wrestler !
Venue is superb, Staff are awesome , Food range is outstanding but most of the generous serves are absolutely delicious , will be back for sure , Highly recommend
Mark Claydon - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 16 September 2019
Great portion!!!
JY Kim - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 6 September 2019
Food are excellent! I love elephant wrestler.
phoebe zhang - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 20 September 2019
Great experience all together. Food came out quick and the waitresses were often checking on us and really friendly :) Delicious food and yum cocktails!
Tayla Wiehahn - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 13 September 2019
Perfect!
James McCaig - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 13 September 2019
The platters are fantastic, definately coming back with friends to sample the 4 person meat platter.
Great to see a fresh take on dessets - my wife tried the burger and fries- Ice cream sandwiched in feshy baked cookies (the burger) and churros (the fries) with chocolate dipping sauce. Highly recomend
Paul Smith - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 30 August 2019
Great evening, order taken in good timing arrived as described generous portions. Music not too loud so able to have a conversation Would happily go again
Only negative - not offered water
Michelle Wood - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 6 September 2019
We love dining at The Elephant Wrestler! I would definitely recommend the Ribs, their Squid and the Chicken Wings. Everything was delicious! Don't hesitate to go order your drink top-ups at the bar yourself as it can get very busy at times and you might wait a while for a waitress to get to you. Otherwise, speedy service once the food has been ordered and we've never waited long for our food. We'll be back as always.
Marli Venter - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 30 August 2019
Highly recommend The Elephant Wrestler, we celebrated Fathers Day a little early and it was just perfect, the atmosphere, food was amazing and the service was just awesome! We ordered a sharing board and the meats were so tender, we were so impressed, staff were super friendly and helpful with our little girl we are definitely going to be returning regular diners!
Vanessa Nonoa - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 31 August 2019
Great food and service and a solid wine list!
Rebecca Davies - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 26 August 2019
:)
Huahua Xu - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 8 August 2019
We had a great experience at the Elephant Wrestler! It was a busy Friday night, but the service was impeccable and we were seated in a prime booth for our dinner.
There were two of us (with big appetites). We ordered the Elephant sharing platter with a side of fries and Asian greens. Everything was delicious, cooked to perfection and plenty of food for two. If you had to pick just two I would recommend the pork belly bites and the Asian greens. Each dish came with a sauce which matched perfectly.
Great relaxed atmosphere with a cool vibe, and trendy decor.
Thanks Elephant Wrestler! We will definitely be back.
Sarah Moore - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 23 August 2019
The food was wonderful and the selection also very good and varied! It was a little wild and crazy but then that’s usually the vibe that people want when they come here! Our waitress could have known the menu a little better but The service was good and we asked for plenty of water and she kept it coming!
Julie Tanner - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 23 August 2019
We had lunch at the sunny courtyard yesterday which was awesome. The waitress (forgot to ask for her name) is great, we thought our dining experience wouldn't have been the same without her!
Sherlyn Low - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 24 August 2019
Good food and nice atmosphere!
James Davidson - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 23 August 2019
A mouthwatering start to the weekend!
Seated quickly, didn’t have to wait long for drinks, fast, friendly service and the FOOD!... best steamed buns I’ve ever tasted, yummy dumplings and my husband cleaned his steak plate.
Thanks team for a great feed, we’ll be back soon :)
Deb Harris - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 23 August 2019
Delicious food, another bar/restaurant hybrid. Would be lovely on a warm day in Takapuna. A big menu that is really accommodating for any dietary requirements. Food came quickly and servers were helpful. The pork belly was a highlight, loved the Asian twist on the menu! Plenty more dishes I would love to try.
Sophia Davies - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 18 August 2019
The Elephant Wrestler offers a range of meals to choose from which are so tasty and pleasantly presented on a plate. Aside from the food, their customer service is impeccable. We had lunch there to celebrate my mum’s birthday and the staff at Elephant Wrestler made our dessert extra special for my mum. This place has a great ambiance suitable for any occassions or if you’re just after a good night out. Its right in the heart of Takapuna, great location with plenty of parking around.
Angel Guanlao-Abes - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 12 August 2019
The food was great!!! Service was excellent too. Will come back surely.
Maria De Leon - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 9 August 2019
Great food, great service and everything came out really quickly!! Highly recommend.
Rebecca Long - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 2 August 2019
The contents of this review have not been published as it breaches our review guidelines.
S Wood - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 29 July 2019
Great food and service.
Emily Vale - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 25 July 2019
Service was prompt and staff were good and friendly. Food was amazing, especially the pork belly bites. Enjoyed every bite of it.
Yogesh Ambalaghan - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 26 July 2019
113 reviews
Took my 2 young kids for dinner and had a great time! The service was amazing! The waitresses were absolutely fantastic with my kids. They provided neat booklets which had various puzzles and coloring options. The food came fairly quickly and was yummy.
Overall, we had a very pleasant experience and great value for what we paid. Would definitely go again!