+64 9-403 7829+ Add websiteImprove this listing
Hours
Sun
11:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Mon
11:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Tue
11:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Wed
11:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Thu
11:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Fri
11:30 AM - 10:00 PM
Sat
11:30 AM - 10:00 PM
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Ratings and reviews
Travelers' Choice 2024
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Food and ambience
Local cuisine, Bar, Seafood, New Zealand, Contemporary, Vegetarian friendly
Special occasions, Romantic, Scenic view, Large groups, Bar scene, Business meetings
Details
About
Located right on the waterfront in Russell. Serving up delectable delights for lunch and dinner the Duke of Marlborough Restaurant is at the heart of this historical hotel. The menu showcases locally sourced seasonal produce, presenting a new take on classic favourites.
PRICE RANGE
₱701.00 – ₱3,468.00
CUISINES
Bar, Seafood, Contemporary, New Zealand
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Drinks
FEATURES
Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Private Dining, Seating, Parking Available, Street Parking, Free off-street parking, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music, Waterfront, Gift Cards Available
Contribute
4.5
2,374 reviews
Excellent
1,364
Very good
611
Average
209
Poor
113
Terrible
77
Sandra C
Whangarei12 contributions
Apr 2021 • none
My partner and I stayed overnight on 27 April. The evening meal was only average. My partner could not finish his eye fillet as it was very chewy. I had the pork fillet which was very nice.
Breakfast was appalling. We arrived at 8.30am for our continental breakfast. 4 strips of very dry bacon left, no scrambled egg left, when I asked for a poached egg I was told in no uncertain terms that this wasn’t possible, that the chef was too busy. No beans left. A few small sausages and 2 lonely hash browns, but quite a few tomatoes. The replacement scrambled egg arrive 45 mins later as we were leaving .Coffee was ordered when we arrived and I had to request a second time after completion of my breakfast. Our overnight stay included 2 course dinner and breakfast but I believe the breakfast is $27.50 certainly not value for money.
The Duke of Marlborough has a great reputation and as locals we thought we would support the local business. Will think twice next time.
Written April 28, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zip Zing
Auckland Central395 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
Been here alot - Great spot for a cold drink, lunch, dinner or accommodation upstairs.
The food is reliable, service very good and its the best people watching sopt on the Russell waterfront. You can catch the ferry from Paihia for $13 return or bring the car from Opua for about the same $
Very busy in the Summer months with waterfront live entertainment in the weekends.
Written February 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Greennz
Havelock North43 contributions
May 2021 • none
We stayed in Russel for five nights last week and ate at The Duke three times. All meals were excellent and the views superb. Two evening meals and one lunch. We were there over the weekend when they had a Country and Western function on. It was well attended by locals and folk coming in from Paihia, and many ate at The Duke. All I can say is that the staff are VERY good at their jobs. They worked their butts off giving excellent service right through the day. We had lunch there that day, and then dropped in for drinks on the way home after dinner. The wait staff were still moving at the same speed at 9pm as they were at 1pm. Still smiling and the Kitchen was still pumping out great looking meals, the bar staff still chatty and professional. If I owned The Duke I’d be feeling pretty pleased with my choice of staff. Make sure you book ahead if you want a Verandah table. It’s lovely and warm there even when the nights are cooler as they have overhead heating. Coming from Hawke’s Bay where Oysters cost a fortune - I highly recommend the local variety. Smaller, but sweet, still with a good Oyster flavour. Enjoy! Lovely to see you again Alastair! Russell, a great place to live and sooooo much warmer than PNth.
Written May 12, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alexdnz
Auckland33 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
Our night started well with a friendly greeting on entry, and we were taken to a lovely table on the balcony with a fantastic view.
Unfortunately things went downhill steeply from there.....
On ordering our mains I requested my steak done medium rare which the waiter replied in horror and a snooty response that no their chef recommends that scotch fillet steak is done at least medium. I was surprised as this has never been an issue in any other restaurant, and expressed my concerns that the steak would be overcooked and after a bit of promoting he said he would ask for it medium rare.
Our first course were oysters 2 ways, the first natural which were nice (funnily enough the dish requiring the least intervention by the chef), the second "Chipotle and Bourbon", I'm not sure where the chef's pallet was hiding when creating this one but it was simply overcooked oysters in butter. We also had bread with truffle butter which was very nice.
Next up the mains, the steamed Tuatua's were fine no issues really. On cutting open my steak the waiter inquired how it was, and I said obviously disappointed that it was medium, he assured me it would be medium rare in the middle. That was the last time he made eye contact or addressed me for the rest of the meal.
The steak was average, dry medium and low grade. I would recommend the chef does some training or research on how to cook a steak well.
The "hand cut" chips were straight out of a bag, soggy with no salt, and the Romaine hearts salad overdressed and limp. Our search for a waiter for salt for our chips to try and salvage them took over 5 minutes.
At the end of the meal the waiter returned with the bill, studiously avoiding my eye and addressing all comments to my partner, fairly sure he knew I was not happy with my meal. After paying our bill, as he had not acknowledged me nor asked how our meal was, I offered feedback on how disappointed I was in my steak. Rather than taking on board the feedback and apologising, he once again defended his medium position.
I would recommend you do not fall into the tourist trap of going to this restaurant.
Written January 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DUKERUS
Hi, thanks for taking the time to feedback and I’m sorry that your experience was not as you expected. We have had a busy and challenging Christmas period which has put pressure on our normal levels of service. This has meant there have been a small number of occasions where we have dropped the ball.
A change of computer/ordering system which didn’t live up to expectations and some more challenging menu items resulted in us unable to sustain the quality of service we like to provide during the heavy numbers that we did over the period that you dined.
We have taken significant steps to rectify these, including some additional staff training, refining our menu and a fix for our IT systems. We believe we are back to our previous levels of service and food.
We have a lot of pride in what we do and have worked tirelessly over the last 10 years to provide a quality dining experience and are constantly challenging ourselves to make sure we provide this. Thanks for taking time to feedback and hope you will visit again.
Written January 13, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Westienz
15 contributions
Sep 2020 • none
Mmmm 1st impression ok, we were sat on the veranda as we had prebooked and asked if we could have outdoor seating preferably. Our waiter was an interesting character who told me to come off my phone! Excuse me I was actually just finishing Replying to my daughter. He told me he would like to throw all the phone in the water as most customers sit on their phones during dining. Well for your information. I am not that rude and would not do that, I certainly don’t need to be told. He then took our drinks order. One suggestion. I would put forward for your waiters is to ask if your customers are meat/fish eaters. He went on and on about how the fish was so fresh. Well that’s to be expected surely. My friend pointed out they were vegetarians, which he then said well I do need to tell these two about the fish choices. My friend asked for the chicken salad without the chicken. He said leave it with me I will organise something for you. She had asked for a salad, oh no she ended up with half a plate of bok Choi and kale which tasted of fish and some mixed roasted veggies which had no flavour. The vegetarians gnocchi want great either, such a shame. Not great choice for vegetarians. My husband had the Kingfish poke, very tasty..I had the chicken salad, not sure how they call it a salad it was more like a chicken curry. My coconut martini was warm. Didn’t taste as good as the menu sounded. The gin drinks were a hit.
We were never asked if we were enjoying our meal. Even when we went back to pay we had to actually mention about the vegetarian dish, he didn’t seem to care and brushed it off. We all felt disappointed with the whole experience. The only thing that kept us happy was that fact that the waiter was so patronising he made us laugh out of horror of his ways. Lastly he brings over the menu for desserts and starts feeling the crest on the menu and says caress this menu and see what it delivers. No thank you we then upped paid our bill and left.
Overall we were with great friends and took this all in our stride it will be another one of those experiences you will never forget.
Written September 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Russthefrogman
Sydney3 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
The Hapuka entree was fantastic.
The kingfish main was over cooked and not medium rare as promised.
Service was reasonable.
But $12.00 for a glass of Heieken 15h30 in the afternoon is over the top when you are not allowed to sit on the balcony to enjoy it, that area is only reserved for diners even though there were many unoccupied tables.
Written January 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mrus2315q
1 contribution
Jan 2020 • family
Overall very disappointing, with the reputation the Duke is supposed to uphold I was very excited for a good meal! However, it was my mothers birthday and we were sat promptly and our order taken immediately. I ordered the ‘focaccia’ to start and it looked like a bread roll I could have bought from the four square down the road. I had the pork as a main and the only thing hot was the pork itself everything else on the plate was lukewarm. We ordered sides for the table and after getting half way through our meals we were told they had forgotten them. We then ordered a round of drinks and to our surprise 20-30 minutes later they still hadn’t come out. By that time we were over it. This is supposed to be the best restaurant in Russell but I would not recommend at all.
Written January 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Q5958IBchriss
Albany17 contributions
Apr 2021 • none
There is no doubt this place has character, and a year ago we had an excellent time here, however this time we had a 7pm reservation, the wrong side of the rush. Took an age to get tap water, even longer for a drink, entree cold, mains not much better, deserts well short of the mark for prices they are asking. Servers were leaving the dining room empty handed whilst our plates waited for removal, staff not interested and no white tablecloth service at all included. I asked about two wines but waitress had not tried them, oh well, other choices will prevail next time.
Written April 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
johnsB7592GU
Poole7 contributions
Jan 2020 • couples
We visited the Duke of Marlborough to book a table for dinner. We asked to look at the menu since one of us is vegetarian. First of all it took some time to get anyone’s attention in order to get a menu. We were very disappointed to see that there was no hot vegetarian main course out of 12. This despite the hotel claiming to be vegetarian friendly. It once again took us a long time to get the attention of a waiter in order to ask if there was a separate vegetarian menu. When we eventually did so the waiter claimed that there was a hot main course choice but when he looked at the menu he acknowledged he was wrong. All there is for a vegetarian main course is a cold beetroot salad. Details on the website are misleading, waiters disinterested and vegetarian main course choice pathetic.
Written January 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anwil51
Queenstown540 contributions
Oct 2020 • none
Some reviews are a bit more difficult than others. My "experience" was dented by having my table that I had booked to be on the deck overlooking the beach changed to a table indoors. I booked the day before to ensure I could get a table on the outdoor deck on a nice balmy evening only to be told when I arrived - on time - that my table had been "reallocated" and the only table I could have was inside. So I joined families with kids running around in the inside dining room instead of a quiet dinner overlooking the beach. Clearly someone else was more important than I was and I was quite annoyed and made the stay as brief as possible. The food was nice - smallish portions and pricey so you do need appetizers or side dishes, and the service was very friendly.
Written October 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bex&ash
Waihi Beach11 contributions
Jan 2020 • family
Had to book a few days in advance due to the busy restaurant so we were quite excited about finally getting to try!
Expensive for what you get.. saw it was between gourmet and good grub but felt the price didn’t reflect the food and you were paying more for the venue and atmosphere. Good wine selection- excellent wait staff all with great knowledge of the menu and liked the down the earth manner of each staffer. We would go back but maybe for lunch instead!
Written January 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Linda Milford
10 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
Had a fabulous lunch here including oysters and salad. We were welcomed and shown to an outdoor table. The writer was polite, chatty and attentive during our dining making sure everything was to our liking. The food was fresh beautifully cooked and very tasty. Would definitely recommend you to eat here. Lovely setting overlooking the water.
Written February 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carmen P
Santa Fe165 contributions
Feb 2020 • couples
We sat on the veranda for dinner on a lovely early evening. The waitress was very helpful with both food and wine selections and both were excellent. We arrived at 5:30 without a reservation and even though there seems to be a tendency in New Zealand to only do 1 sitting a night at restaurants the maitre’d said he’d seat us if we’d be finished by 7:30 which was Fe with us.
Written March 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah A
Auckland38 contributions
Feb 2022 • couples
Pretty disappointed about our dinner here last night (Wednesday). Have been before and always loved it. Starters were great, service was slow, wine was late arriving and (bless) I had to open it myself as the waiter didn’t know how to open a bottle. My partners pork belly was inedible and when we paid the manager decided to take the dessert off the bill instead... while that is appreciated, I would expect that they would remove the bad dish. Felt like the manager was begrudgingly giving us something rather than addressing the actual issue (he argued it was normal but we did comment that the same dish looked good on other tables). Feeling a bit sorry for them as obviously covid is making things tough, but that doesn’t excuse bad food. Won’t be in a rush to come back.
Written February 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ted P
Loveland13 contributions
Jan 2020 • couples
My wife and I went in High season without a reservation, but we were able to be seated in a half hour. We took a lovely walk along waterfront and returned at 8pm for our reservation. We were seated promptly on the outdoor veranda where we were able to watch the sunset while dining! Table service and pay when you leave.
Written February 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
…
Showing results 1-15 of 2,283
Best moderately priced restaurants
See all 
Best nearby
We rank these hotels, restaurants, and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Best nearby hotels
See all 
Best nearby restaurants
See all 
Is This Your Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Free Listing