Cuisine: Gastro Pub Food, New Zealand, Share Plates
Price Point: Mains from $15 - $30
Ranked: #4 of 15 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
Sample Menu *may not be current
Click on menu to enlarge.
Reviews
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
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
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
Great food and atmosphere.
Shaila Studd - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 12 July 2019
Great food and the kids loved it too.
Sarah Rynearson - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 19 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
Great food
Hannah Bourke - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 17 June 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
Was really good, food was great and the staff were really friendly and helpful.
Nicola Seggie - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 11 July 2019
Experience was Great!
Staff was so friendly approachable accommodating and fun
Fun meaning he made jokes every time he came to the table which was always had a little laugh
He really was great :)
Food was beautiful. On a negative note the crackle was a bit stale but the rest of the dishes (and we ordered a lot) was delicious !!!!
I highly recommend Elephant wrestler and would.not hesistate to dine there again !!!!
Chi Sofeaa - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 10 July 2019
Our lunch was delicious, especially the pork belly! The food came out quickly and service was great.
Lisa Taylor - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 8 July 2019
Food was amazing - everything was super tasty - service was fantastic - our waitress Dannielle was super helpful and friendly. Loved it - good definitely recommend!
Susan Bullock - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 10 July 2019
Fantastic! We will be back.
Shona Tokana - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 5 July 2019
Very attentive staff thank you
Joanna Dawson - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 5 July 2019
Great service. Waiting staff were welcoming and engaging. Food arrived at table quickly.
Feng Shih - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 5 July 2019
Delicious food and wonderful atmosphere. The staff was also very friendly and we had super fast service. We'll be back.
Marli Venter - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 4 July 2019
Great food, great atmosphere and the service were great! Would definitely go again!
Johan Potgieter - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 28 June 2019
Limited time they ensured we would served on time.. all good
Cindy Parkins - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 28 June 2019
Popped into the Elephant Wrestler for a spot of lunch and have got to say we were so impressed by the level of service and the food! The staff working were excellent really friendly and a great laugh! Definitely exceeded our expectations :)
Jacqui Lee - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 26 June 2019
Great customer service, great food, and great with dietary requirements! They have a vegan/Gluten free /vegetarian menu so we were able to have a delicious allergy free meal :)
Mikyla Lim-Yip - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 22 June 2019
Lovely menu..(altho wasnt all that wowed with the quesadilla) but the lamb shoulder was absolutely delicious! Will definately go back!
Kathryn Adams - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 18 June 2019
Had a great night at the Elephant Wrestler. Booked through First Table which was very easy and when arrived our table was ready and waiting for us. Great staff and good food.
Cherie Carmichael - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 20 June 2019
We had the Karaage chicken, scotch fillet and some chunky fries which were all really really delicious, the waitress also told us about their special cocktails which we got 2 of, both really yum. All the food and drinks came quickly and everyone was very friendly. Would definitely come back!
Rosie Allen - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 17 June 2019
Food was okay, but can't give this place a positive review due to the fact they allowed smoking in their (fully enclosed) restaurant area which had the first table. It was disgusting trying to eat a meal with people literally smoking in the table next to us and then another two tables away. The staff all ignored it. We will not return.
James Spray - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 14 June 2019
The staff was quick and helpful. We really loved the whole experience from being seated, served drinks and the mains. Great that you just stayed seated at the table and could pay Efpos or credit card from their portable machine
Lorraine Tracey - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 14 June 2019
The place had a cool vibe, was definitely more of a bar than a restaurant but the menu is pretty extensive. Food was good, my friends and I enjoyed the $12 cocktails.
Sienna Packer - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 14 June 2019
Great experience and wonderful deal always. Recommend the market fish, coix seed and bean with cheese, amazing~ Have to mention the mocktails, the best ever. A little bit noisy, but that's also the way you get relaxed~
Victoria Yang - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 13 June 2019
Server was amazing heaps of good food
Ariana Palmer - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 10 June 2019
Absolutely loved the food was so tasty and excellent attentive waitresses highly recommend
Fiona O'neill - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 11 June 2019
Excellent food and service
Mark Seedall - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 11 June 2019
The customer service is fantastic. The restaurant has good selection on menu for vegetarian. The vegetarian burger I had was okay, but the small dish were good. Generous portion for small dish.
James Chuang - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 11 June 2019
The contents of this review have not been published as it breaches our review guidelines.
Jean Mckillop - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 4 June 2019
Good cocktails good food. Service was a lil slow but looked like they only had 2 floor staff on. Our server was lovely tho, so happy.
Amanda Sobey - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 3 June 2019
Squid rings were "the best" tender melt in mouth tasty...very generous "entree". Outdoor seating in the sun, a really pleasant experience.
Jo Morgan - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 3 June 2019
Nice
Denis Evangelista - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 24 May 2019
Good pub grub. although somethings not to my liking, chips too salty, overall was all good.
Steve Harrison - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 23 May 2019
Service was amazing and the food was equally as good! Our waitress was lovely and very helpful when it came to suggestions. The meals had amazing, fresh flavours and were delicious. We’ll definitely be back!
Jo Small - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 25 May 2019
Really enjoyed it! Lots of different options for dietary requirements which is 10/10. Service was really good and fast too. Would definitely go back and highly recommend
Natalie Phillips - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 21 May 2019
Lovely staff, awesome food!
Gabriel Vilches - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 10 April 2019
Nice food. Lovely service. Perfect if you want a pub style meal.
Merryn Gott - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 15 May 2019
Great food and service as always!
Aidan Scott - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 14 May 2019
Kind services & good foods
Stella Kim - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 11 May 2019
Good food and came in a timely manner. Very enjoyable.
Jo Langley - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 10 May 2019
Made to feel welcome as soon as we arrived. Food was way above expectations. Slow cooked beef Madras was outstanding. Very popular venue & I'might not surprised why. We highly recommend & will be back again soon.
Mick Tracey - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 10 May 2019
Adele the waitress was lovely as were other staff. Good food. Was loud and busy being a Friday Night but that was expected!
Anastasia Brown - dined at The Elephant Wrestler on 10 May 2019
Overview
69 reviews
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.