Waiheke Island Yacht Club

3.5 brunch review
ordered:
–french toast & anglaise w coconut fromage, peaches, nectarine, maple and heilala vanilla
–mt cook alpine smoked salmon, escabeche, salsa verde, hollandaise, poached eggs
–pork belly, abalone mushrooms, caramelized shallots, pickled red cabbage, hollandaise, poached eggs
full but not uncomfortably so.
i wasnt able to go back and try bar/​cocktail menu =(

12.19.13
I decided on a last minute team holiday lunch at Waiheke before they closed at the end of 2013. It was a great experience, and they had really loungy, comfortable chairs at the table. We all enjoyed the meal (burger, hens egg, fish, and duck breast), and the waiters’ Australian accents didn’t hurt, either ;)
Total damage for five: $ 179

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Please don’t review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you’re connected in any way to the owner or employees. Pricey with ok portions and a cool looking, though rather frigid space, Waiheke’s main problem is it doesn’t seem to do anything which doesn’t feel not simply new american. Much of the food we had was quite good but I couldn’t really discern what made it uniquely New Zealand-​y, which is sort of the whole premise right?
If you do go there in the next few days (before they close for good), my favorite dishes were the lamb entrée and pork starter which had some kind of crunchy bits of slightly bitter sweetness that really lit the dish up.
Also the pale ale they have is quite good.

I’m going to try to recount our experience here — which is going to be tough because I vaguely remember the latter half of the night! It was definitely one of our most memorable company holiday parties ever!
I had to look it up because this restaurant wasn’t even on my radar — it’s one of the pop-​up establishments that was setup for the America’s Cup event, which explains the warehouse ambiance, the temporary wood floors, and the mobile restrooms. Our event coordinator definitely did a great job organizing our cocktail party — open kitchen, cheese and oyster stations, cozy bar area (open bar, of course!), dance floor with cool music and DJ, and a photo booth station that started many a conversation!
Other folks commented about not getting enough food, but wasn’t a problem for us because we knew where to park ourselves — right in front of the kitchen, right before the servers made it out! So we got a taste of the flavorful pomegranate glazed duck breast, the merino lamb rump with leek and yoghurt, the organic salad with beets and walnuts, and our favorite, the seared Maine scallops. They also had a good selection of cheeses and oysters. And shall I say open bar again?
I originally had this as a four star, but I realize that I have nothing to complain about! It was a great night with my hubby, friends and coworkers (with lots of proof of how crazy we can be outside of the workplace), and I honestly had a blast — so if an establishment sets up that kind of environment, then it’s a 5!
Ok, I do have one gripe — why does it have to close shop by the end of this year?! Head over there now!

Let me start off by saying. I really wanted to like this place.
The ambiance is surreal, we walked by while it was dark outside and noticed it barely out of the corner of our eyes and curiously went inside, lured by the music and the commotion more than anything. To find a flash restaurant was also intriguing and what brought us to go inside. to bad we didn’t check the Unilocal reviews first!
The ONLY thing good about this place. hmm. the New Zealand sparkling water was delicious! Everything else is horrible. I don’t understand how people like this place, it tries hard to be a pretentious fancy place and it has all the workings and chefs and tools available to make great food but it’s horrible. We had the Line Snapper fish dish and it tasted like the bottom of my shoe if I had licked it. The salad which was «organic» had leaves that were larger than my hand. coming from a 6’2″ tall Asian guy who lifts weights regularly, it’s saying a lot. It tasted like it came straight out of the ground– earth, dirt and all… horrible. Then the artichoke hearts dish was nothing but a bland mixture and the only thing great about that was the soy beans… which is sad since there was just 5 or 6 of them on the dish.
OVERALL — DO NOT GO IF YOU ARE HUNGRY
… or if you’re not at that matter, we wondered why there was a HUGE group of people at the bar and not one person in the restaurant when we entered (albeit it was on a Monday night, last night to be exact, Veteran’s day) and after we tasted the food we understood. the drinks at this place are better than the food by far.

Waiheke Island Yacht Club was our stop for a friends birthday dinner while we were in San Francisco. Though not our choice we obviously attended for our friend. From what I experienced I probably will never go back. The staff was super friendly and attentive we were sat immediately and they honored our reservation.
However my disappointment was with dinner. We ordered pretty much the entire menu and shared it family style. Their food was not equally valued to their prices. I think the food was overpriced for what it was and for portion size. Our dinner plates were close to size of our appetizers plates. As far as taste it was not bad, not what I would expect from a San Francisco restaurant though. This place is more about location and seems like a tourist stop than fine dining.
Cheers

New Zealand cuisine!
Such a cool place! Very spacious with the high ceiling.
Great for a group, date and catching-​up with your friends.
The highlight was Lamb Rump!
It’s called Silere Merino Lamb Rump, butternut, fresh fig, chevre goats cheese, leeks and Kale on the menu. It was just AMAZING. It was served as between rare and medium-​rare, super tender and not gamy at all, and I even almost forgot that I was having the lamb dish.
My only regret is that I forgot to take a picture as I was too excited and started to devour my favorite meat immediately right after it was served.
We also ordered,
— Cheese plate
We enjoyed it as an appetizer plate. Comes with four kinds of cheese, raisins, walnuts, bread and honey comb. This plate is perfect with a glass of wine.
— Fish Ceviche, wasabi sorbet, cucumber, lime & coriander
As it sounds, it has a refreshing flavor and taste in it. Great combination of all the ingredients.
If you are interested, hurry! It is a pop up restaurant.
The restroom is in the trailer although it is well maintained and very clean.

Dropped in for a lunch with Vivek on a Tuesday at noon because Farina in the America’s Cup pavilion was sadly closed.
Food: be ready for tiny portions at colossal prices!
–Lamb Burger– SO SALTY that was almost inedible but i was so hungry i just washed it down with water. also, my lamb was well done and i had asked for medium. so it was very chewy.
–Zucchini Flowers– it’s literally a flower and 4 pieces of a zucchini. we had to go for a second lunch bc my husband was still so hungry. plus the entrée is $ 16.
–New Zealand Malt– actually very refreshing and our favorite thing that we ordered
*they do not do the bread and butter service at lunch.
Ambience:
It’s in a warehouse so but they have converted one side of it to look like a patio restaurant. HOWEVER, the loud blaring noise of the tractors backing up right next to you is utterly annoying and don’t expect to have a conversation with anyone while you eat.
Service:
Service was alright, slow and laid back. I had to flag them down for water refills as other reviewers mentioned. But not bad.
$ 50 for a meal that left us going to another restaurant and covering our ears from the loud tractor noises = not worth it. Save your $ for elsewhere!
–Hungry Hungry Pongy

Interesting pop up along the Embarcadero. It all looks so simple but it’s the details that make it «so New Zealand.» I heard the actual employees are also from NZ?
Came here for brunch and enjoyed the noms! I totally forgot what I got, but everything looked good. I do remember my peach Bellini — try it as a nice, light brunch cocktail.
My only pet peeve is that their systems don’t recognize the OpenTable reservation service. Meaning, it was pointless to book a table for when they opened, because they wouldn’t seat us until my whole party arrived.

I came here yesterday with friends for a birthday happy hour and it was going off, likely due to Team USA’s improbable comeback win of the America’s Cup. I don’t recall what wine my friend ordered, but to be honest, you shouldn’t trust my recommendation because I like pretty much all wine.
The appetizers were all beautifully plated, but be prepared for small portions. Also, there’s no real bathroom facilities, just a porta-​john, or a porta-​loo as the Kiwi’s referred to it.
It’s a pity that this is just going to be open till December because it is a really cool space. Hopefully something worthy will move in after.

What an amazingly busy bar! Came through during the America’s Cup to visit my parents who live right across the street. We’re rooting for NZ and even recently actually visited the real Waiheke Island on a recent trip to the Auckland area. As soon as I saw the sign for this spot I had to pop in.
The crowd changes a lot throughout the day. When we stopped by earlier in the late afternoon it was a perfect place to grab cocktails, wine or beer and just sit and snack on food. The set up is a little bare but in a way that’s still inviting. Later the same evening we popped by for a nightcap and there were easily 200+ people here. It almost felt more like a nightclub it was so packed! So it’s good for all (21+) ages, good for food or just drinks, and good both in the day and at night. Just be prepared for a bit of a wait if it’s crowded.
Interesting that the wines are Californian but they do have a pretty standard spirits selection, including 42 Below and other NZ brands. Didn’t have a beer so I can’t add much here for that. Great spot though! Definitely a good hang out for people checking out all of the activity along the Embarcadero and of course the America’s Cup.

Here it is, review number 400. I am in the middle of writing a negative review regarding a business in New York but realized I was writing the big 4−0−0. So want something positive and memorable for good reasons.
I have been to Waiheke Island Yacht Club 4 times now and have had quite consistent results. The first time we went was on our anniversary and I chose this establishment because our time on Waiheke Island itself was one of the best times of one of the best vacations I have ever had. So when I read about this interesting pop-​up restaurant, I had to go there. BTW, they are scheduled to be around through December, so you still have a little time remaining. And the rumor is that they are trying to get the lease extended further.
The other two times there for dinner were with a couple of friends (total party of 4) and a small business dinner (party of 8). the other time was drinks with a few of the lads at the bar.
I’ll say right up front that I was disappointed in the wine selection, but it isn’t really their fault. Due to the licensing agreement with America’s Cup, only Napa wines are served at any of the America’s Cup related facilities. That is a true bummer since some of my favorite wines are from New Zealand. But even though it is not their fault that they can only server Napa wines, it is an aspect of dining there — so ½ star off for that.
The wine list itself is somewhat limited and the prices a little higher than they should be, but there is something for everyone’s taste. One other slight negative note — on my first visit they were out of the first bottle I ordered. With a relatively small wine list, this should not happen. And combined with the relaxed service … let’s just say it took a while to get our first bottle of wine.
Now the positives — great drinks, great food, friendly (though relaxed) service, and an interesting site. Plus, if you sit at the right tables, you get a nighttime view looking right up at Coit Tower.
Every dish I have had there has been very good to fantastic. The portions are not big, but they are not tiny either. I found them to be just the right size. In «super-​sized» America I can see where some would complain about the portions. But we all fond them to be enough food of very high quality. The tastes may not all be to your liking, btu the quality of the ingredients is top-​notch.
From my first bite of the lamb on my first visit, I was hooked. It brought me back to New Zealand and the tasty and flavorful dishes I had there. Over the various visits there I either ordered or tried:
— the before mentioned Lamb — two different ways
— Fish Ceviche
— Gazpacho Salad
— ‘Mt Cook Alpine’ Salmon
— Smoked Duck Breast
— Beef Fillet
— two fish entrees
— TCHO Crunchie Bar
as well as a selection from the raw bar and a couple of cheese plates.
All the dishes were well prepared and a solid set of flavors, but not too many tht it confused the taste buds. The cheeses on the cheese plate were a nice selection of quality cheeses from California. New Zealand, and other parts of the world.
On to the service — as I said before, it is «relaxed». They don’t rush you, and at times you may think they forgot about you. I found this to be true on all my visits there. A few times we had to flag someone down to get water refilled, and once just to place our initial drink order. So a definite ½ star reduction here. The main reasons the deduction is not more is that the servers are all quite friendly and several times the owner has made himself available or came over to talk with us.
They are all so darn friendly, which is why the service is lacking, even at the bar. I’ll be at the bar and the bartenders will stand there talking to someone for 5 minutes while there are people waiting to order drinks. A couple of times at the bar I had to yell across the bar to get one of the servers attention so we could order drinks. And for the same reason, if you are at a table and order a cocktail you better expect to wait 10 minutes to get it.
Regarding the bar — nice selection of top shelf spirits and beer — as well as the previously mentioned wine list. They have a solid selection of most every main type of spirit with good choices of bourbon, scotch, vodka, and gin. the beer select is small, but it is capped off with Moa beer from New Zealand — one of them is sure to tempt your taste buds. The bartenders do a good job on the cocktails, thought I found some of the basic ones to be a touch light on the pour (just like in New Zealand).
So wrapping up my big 4−0−0, I will simply say that if you are in the area you should give this place a try. But if you want dinner you will need a reservation — at least as long as the Kiwi’s are in town racing on the bay.

Love the space. They keep the industrial vibe of the warehouse by having the restaurant on this kind of platform within the building at Pier 29 — it’s kind of its own little island. The bare warehouse walls are exposed and there’s a raw, bare, yet somehow classy feeling at Waiheke. It’s a combination of the un-​tailored pieces of canvas hanging as ad-​hoc curtains, the unfinished wood tables, director-​style folding chairs with luxurious pieces of leather acting as the seats and backs, and high quality silverware and china sets.
The food is tasty to be sure — but it’s pricey! The total came to $ 32.50 a person (incl. tax/​tip) for 1 drink + 1 brunch entrée each. The entrees were not the most generously portioned, either.
It’s pretty cool that the whole staff came over from New Zealand. The accent is adorable. But our server, though was technically polite to us (not a rude word, good timing), we just kept thinking he was *angry* at us for some reason. His tone was quite brusque. Maybe it was b/​c I’d reserved the table for 6 and we ended up being 4? Not sure. The experience could’ve been just that much more pleasant.
Menu:
Beverages
pic:
* Bellini ($ 6) — 3 stars
This seemed to be the highlighted sweet drink for brunch (listed first on the menu, highlighed by Sosh), but I found it pretty dry. It had a nice layer of peachy foam on top. But overall underwhelming.
* Beach As (pomegranate peach drink) — 5 stars
Spectacular! The drink was a very tasty and intense pomegranate cocktail, topped by a very thick fruity fresh sweet foam that had a peach flavor. Everyone in our group loved it, especially the guys!
* French toast & anglaise — 3.5 stars
pic:
(w/​coconut fromage, peaches, nectarine, maple & Heilala vanilla. $ 15)
This came with three french-​bread sticks (with a thinly toasted layer, moist on the inside, soft), topped by a very dense and smooth cream. The syrup had speckles in it which made it seems much more natural, but to be honest the dish was already so sweet and moist, it barely needed the syrup. Tasty but there are many more french toast dishes in this city that give you more for a much smaller price.
* Apple Wood Bacon — 4 stars
pic:
(lamb sausages, homemade baked beans, hash brown, mushroom, spinach & poached free range eggs. $ 18)
The sausage, while small, was very hearty. It had a very thick skin and was filled with different textures. The beans were cooked perfectly, and the egg yolk was soft and runny. All the flavors came together really well. A great savory brunch dish.
* 100 NZ Beef & Lamb
pic:
(smoked tomato chutney, beets, kikorangi & egg. $ 15)
Didn’t get to try this, but it looked great and my friend enjoyed it! The one thing that was a really big portion — she actually couldn’t finish the burger.
Side note: I love how the bathrooms are in these mini trailers next to the restaurant in the warehouse, look like they could be port-​a-​potties, but are actually really classy and nice inside.

Why not dedicate my 1000^th review to Waiheke Island Yacht Club? I came here with a large group of coworkers and we proceeded to occupy the corner of the bar area nearest the kitchen and away from the entrance. This was my first «pop-​up» experience so I was certainly digging having a drink inside such a huge building on top of a just built platform that has a bar, dining room, and kitchen all on top of it.
I initially wanted to try their signature MOA special beer, but decided against it as I didn’t want to get super gassy on my commute home. So instead, I ordered the Beached As which had Level 42 passionfruit vodka inside. It also had other juices in there like blood orange and pomegranate too. Whatever the mix was, it was good. I barely tasted the alcohol so I ordered myself another. It semi-​looked like a cosmo but eh, whatever. A good mixed drink is hard to find.
Since I was going to drive later, I decided I needed to order food and since I had some vegeterian coworkers in my presence, I got the bread selection for $ 7. There were three «dips», including a garlic butter and an olive type mix of some kind. The third tip was the «Anchor beurre noisette» but to me, it tasted kind of like hummus but maybe that was the alcohol affecting my taste buds. The garlic butter was a welcome texture change and the bread helped me regain my senses quickly.
I’m not sure if I’d come here for a meal but I will have no problem coming back here for another post-​work drink. With the open ceiling and wide open comfortable environment, I eagerly anticipate a return visit to Waiheke Island… hopefully before they pack up and shut down after America’s Cup is over.

My sister is an America;s Cup junkie so she wanted to check out Wilheke. We had a reservation for 6 at the bar. Place was about ½ full, so plenty of seating. Its inside Pier 29, so has high ceilings and is open and airy.
Server was very nice, but they only gave us 1 menu for the 6 of us. We had to pass it around. Limited food choices are the car, so we have 3 lamb and beef burgers, 2 salmons and 1 cerviche.
So here’s the weird part — they serve different food in the bar and restaurant, even though they share the same kitchen. Some in our party wanted the burgers, only available at the bar, while others wanted to try the a la carte menu, only available in the restaurant. So, ½ our party wasn’t happy.
The food was actually pretty good. Burger was very tasty, the mix of beef and lamb made for a flavorful burger. Salmon was very nicely done as well. Both dishes were small, but we assumed you were supposed to order everything a la carte. Only problem there wasn’t more on the menu to order.
So, good food, strange bar/​restaurant policy, nice, friendly services, prices OK. Cool setting.

Waiheke Island Yacht Club has a very cool warehouse-​like interior and a fresh woody smell. I would recommend checking it out while it’s there, but the drinks and food were nothing to write home about.
Both cocktails I tried ($ 12 each), the red snapper and dark n’ stormy, tasted very weak and watered down.
My friend and I shared a couple of bar items:
* Ceviche with wasabi sorbet and cucumber — $ 13
The wasabi sorbet was a great complement to the fish, and the little bits of pickled cucumber and kelp made the dish more interesting. However, the portion was very small for the price.
* Cheese platter — $ 20
The cheese platter was a standard cheese platter, with 4 types of cheese (a blue, a soft cheese, and 2 harder cheeses), quince paste, honeycomb, raisins, and walnuts. The server didn’t bother telling us what each cheese was, and the menu didn’t have details either. If you want a good cheese platter, go to Mission Cheese!

Im going to say this is one of the more surprisingly delicious meals I’ve had this year. Now I’ve eaten like a demon all over Europe just a couple months prior, but the progression of contemporary New Zealand cuisine was not something I’d ever experienced, which was a bit of an eye opener. I tried going right when it first opened, only to be turned away from them being fully booked. I came back after seeing a show on the late side on a Thursday and basically walked in with the place maybe ²⁄₃^rd full.
The bare wood floor, furniture, walls, and bar area evoke a simplicity similar to the Scandinavians. We were sat just behind the large table in front of the large open kitchen. The space is dimly lit and because it’s a pop up in the vacuous pier warehouse, they had some outdoor heaters blaring. After speaking to a number of servers we got some beers from the NZ, Moa brewing company to start. Reviewing the menu, we noticed that they’d already changed some thing up since I last looked on line. They broke down the set menu into multiple course level options but ordered a la cart. So we ended up getting:
–Coromandel Oysters from New Zealand
–Pacific Style Fish Ceviche, wasabi sorbet, cucumber, lime & coriander
-‘Hawkes Bay’ Cervena Tartare, oyster, radish & fresh horseradish
–Pink Hopper Prawns, crackling, watermelon, cream fraiche & avocado
–Smoked Duck Breast, liver parfait, apricot, plum, hazelnuts & brown butter
-‘Silere Merino’ Lamb Rack, charcoal, olive, parsley & feta
–Coconut Fromage, verjus peaches, nectarine & apricot crackling
-‘Heilala’ Vanilla Parfait, strawberry, rose water & feijoa sherbet
Wow. The combination of flavor profiles, I found, light and amazing. The proteins were all brought over from NZ, and they were ultra tender. The lamb dish maybe one of the lamb dishes I’ve had all year. Now the prices maybe on the higher side but you have to think they’ve been imported on the other side of the earth, and the labor that has been put into preparing them excellently, shows. Is value what you get per dollar or the amazing experience you wouldn’t get anywhere else? We were truly happy across the board with all the food. I cant wait to go back. Heck, I cant wait to get on a plane and make myself to Auckland and hit there permanent restaurant Clooney.
Service is fairly solid and theyre knowledgeable with the ingredients. One of my friends has a number of allergies and they made sure nothing was going to detract from the experience. The bar is full and they have a number of NZ specific booze and some coveted local ones too. Definitely a great pop up. I will be returning!

Super foodie here and I am impressed! Not to mention that this restaurant is UBER SPECIAL being the only restaurant tied to the America’s Cup.
Love this place. It’s a super relaxed vibe, very much an open and raw type of space. And it only gets better from there.
Whether you choose to sit at the bar, a table, or one of those gorgeous lay-​back chairs, it’s all good because the food and service are what really shine at Waiheke. Did I mention that much of the staff (including the owner) is from New Zealand? So laid-​back, cool and friendly that it makes me want to take a little trip down under.
So back to the food… Yes, BRILLIANT. First off, props for putting so much thought into those vegetarian dishes! I actually feel strongly that the food was Michelin quality. No joke, no exaggeration. Some of the best food I’ve had dining in SF.
So what did I have??? Honestly, after 5 days, my memory is starting to fail me (maybe it’s my age showing here) but the highlight was definitely a dish they call «the hen’s nest». A fresh bed of vegetables served over a poached egg. Normally I can’t stand eggs, but this just tells you how much I loved that dish.
And dessert. Molecular gastronomy, what?! Chocolate and caramel ice cream served with what I thought were corn flakes, but they were actually pieces of flash-​frozen honey. Pretty neat!
It’s only here until December and honestly, I’m hooked already and will certainly be sad when it closes. That said, I’ll be back again and again and again!

I came here for lunch this week. Its a fun pop up spot– way down the embarcadero. It was mostly empty which initially made me think uh-​oh. But its a very large space and again its a ways away from anything else.
Anyhow– the space is fun and very woody. See pictures. We ordered a few apps (venison tartare and ceviche with wasabi sorbet). The venison was surprisingly good. I don’t think I’ve ever had venison but there’s always the first time. The ceviche was fresh and the sorbet was a fun addition, but there was something missing. I think it was the lack of acid that made it taste a little bland.
For our next courses I had the salmon and my friend had the duck. The salmon was delicious. My friend liked the duck but it was probably the tiniest portion I’ve seen. We opted to go with the second courses as our main mostly b/​c the third courses sounded a bit too heavy for lunch. I can’t imagine having lamb for lunch (although I’m sure its well executed). apparently all their meat is brought in fresh from new zealand — maybe its my lack of understanding why this is necessary — but that sounded super wasteful to me.
Overall it was a fun lunch and the food was pretty good. I think our bill was $ 90 ish for 2 people. the main issue I think is their portion sizes are very small for being in a pop up spot. The noise from the trucks pulling into the pier from the embarcadero is a bit off setting given its not a «cheap» meal. Hence — tiny portions + noise = I’m glad I tried it but won’t be returning (which is totally ok since its only here 6 months).

Wanted to check out Waiheke Island Yacht Club because it’s a Pop-​Up Restaurant & found it only there for 6 months. It’s supposedly New Zealand like food.
Make a «booking» aka Reservation, otherwise you have to sit at the bar which isn’t very comfortable. Ph: 415−956−1048!
Bread is $ 2 for 2 small slices w/​some brown butter. I liked the bread & butter, not the price.
Smoked duck — tiny portion enough for one, or 2 to share. I liked it, just not the price $ 21.
Ceviche — tasted pretty good, prices too high at $ 13.
One MOA Pale Ale $ 9 a glass. B. liked it.
Our total before tip $ 51.11 Yikes!
Separate Flushed toilets in a moveable station meh. Women’s 2 toilets/​1 sink.