Lone Star Cafe & Bar product reviews

Venue: Dunedin

Our Family all have eaten a meal at the Lone Star before, but this review is about our most recent visit to celebrate my daughters birthday in March 2015.

We have previously all registered our birthdays with the Lonestar Birthday club, so my daughter was keen to use the personalised voucher she received in the mail. The birthday vouchers are really cool, with great artwork on a third size A4 card mailer. The voucher entitles the birthday girl, in this case, to a free main meal when dining with four or more guests. This is a great way to get punters in the door and get return of service, especially for children as they love getting mail.

We attended on a Thursday night and it was very busy. The new Dunedin Lonestar restaurant is located at the north end of town, which I believe probably gives them good foot traffic from Dunedin students as it's close to the University, but unfortunately it means very limited parking.

The maitre de greeted us at the door, and even opened the door for us, he asked us if we were looking to have a meal and if our visit was for a special occasion. That was nice as it made our daughter feel special. We were shown to the bar as there was no spare seats and we were advised the wait would be about 10mins so we could have a drink. So we obliged. The restaurant was opened new in Dunedin last year after moving from another location. It was purpose built and has been designed with lots of different textures, cowhides, wallpaper, paint, fabrics etc, which make dining very interesting on the eye. The restaurant has also great street appeal.

We were called through in good time and then we ordered. I had the Dixie chicken, my husband and birthday daughter the pork and my youngest daughter got the burger off the kids menu. The meals took about 20mins to come and we were happy with this. The meals very tasty and filling. The presentation of the meals on the plate was very appealing and the food was nice and hot.
My husband got a dessert and to our surprise my birthday daughter was given a free dessert, a pavlova with a candle. That was really nice. All up the bill came to approx. $100.00 including drinks, main meal and dessert which was great value for money. We will continue to return to the Lonestar as you can always rely on getting a good filling meal at a great price.

Our only concerns were the high noise levels in the restaurant, poor lighting over some tables making it very hard to read the menu and the attire of some of the young girls working there. They were all nice and efficient, but the Lonestar Tshirt bares a striking resemblance to the Hooters chain in America. The tops are low cut and very tight and I don't think they create a good impression.

Venue: Manukau

I have been to this Lone star several times now and I love the atmosphere of the restaurant. It is always very busy, but it always feels quite homely and the staff are always friendly and accomodating.
To start, we often have cocktails in the bar. Juice Newtons, either with vodka or without, are my favourite. The combination of different fruit juices mix so well together, it goes great with a meal. There is also a kiwifruit cocktail (I forget the name), but it too is delicious, with a hint of passionfruit and a twist of kiwifruit on top. Even if you just go to Lone star for the drinks it would be worth it (although they are fairly expensive, they are quite large drinks).
Now to the food: I always get the Johnny Cash Stash. A succulent chicken breast wth a delicious creamy mushroom sauce, roast potatoes and the famous Lone star coleslaw. All of the chicken breast dishes are great, but Johnny Cash is my go to meal. My fiance often gets the sticky ribs, which he absolutely loves. I have had a cheeky taste and I can conform their deliciousness!
Portion sizes at Lone star are definitely a value for money, but it would be great if they could make the meal a little smaller and in turn a bit cheaper. I have never managed to finish an entire meal there because they are huge and even my fiance struggles and he can eat a lot!
The last time I went to Lone star was in Queenstown about four months ago and we ordered a cob loaf for a starter. The loaf was fresh and delicious, but the size of it was too much for two people. We had to leave half of it behind so that we would have room for our mains. If there is a table of four or five, one cob loaf is plenty, trust me! The staff at Lone star are always friendly, although our waiter at the Queenstown venue in January was a little bit too full on, hanging around the table and making us feel a little uncomfortable.
This is a wonderful family restaurant, great for a date with your significant other or even great for a birthday celebration. I fully recommend for everyone to try a meal at the Lone star near you. The menu has something for everyone and you will definitely not leave feeling disappointed or hungry. The only disappointment I found was that we were far too full to test out the dessert menu!

Venue: New Plymouth

Its hard to find a place that caters for the whole family. Something in that good price range, healthy options and a place where it does not matter if the girls are being noisy. Lone Star works perfectly for all categories. Its done in a nice decor and has pictures all over the wall of American Idols.

I love the fact when we walk in the girls get given colouring pens and a picture which keeps them preoccupied until the food comes. We always start with the Garlic Loaf and you are given a nice style Cobb Loaf with a tub of Garlic Butter and it is devine. Plates and Butter knife. The menu has not changed in a very long term and we all have our favourites.

For the children then receive a Main, Dessert and Drink for the price of about $12. Then our meals are usually around the $30 margin so works out to be good value. I very rarely get entree or a dessert because I have yet to finish my whole meal. I usually only eat the chicken or fish depending on how I am feeling. Basically I find the potatoes/chips too big and bulky and only can eat a couple of them and the salad is usually way to much.

Have always had fantastic service when we go to the New Plymouth Lone Star but it is ALWAYS busy and usually have quite a wait before our meals finally arrive. But when they do (besides the Potato and Salad) it is always devine, have yet to fault the main ingredient. Always so fresh and love the sauces.

The girls also struggle to eat all of there meals and would be nice if they served a smaller portion for under five year olds. I usually help them eat there dessert if I can force it in. My husband can usually finish his Steak or the Lassoo of Hogg. Although, in saying all of this would be nice if they could change the menu, they do have the specials which are changed all the times but find they can sometimes be rather pricey.

Definite family favourite.

Lone Star has always been a family favourite and somewhere my father has made us go for all birthdays growing up, like my 15, 16 and 17 etc, even my 24th.

Their customer service is always top, the waiter/waitress assigned to your table is always super super polite and happy. On birthdays as I've been to a lot there, they have always given me a free piece of cake for dessert, once I have been embarrassed by my dad and on a couple of occasions they have given me a free t-shirt (normally $25.00). This is something you will not see much at another place.

The place is nearly always full. The atmosphere is great, the decor keeps you looking and the prices are what you would expect.

One complaint I have is that in all the time I have been going there, the menu has stayed the same. There needs to be a up grade at least every five years. The last time I went I wanted to try something new but there was nothing new on the main menu and of course no-one likes the whole menu so I struggled to find something to eat.

I haven't been back since and hope that the next time I do there is some new menu items so I can eat a main :)

Store: Manukau

Headed out for dinner and the first place we went to wasn't the best experience ever, I will mention I do have a Coeliac child (100% gluten free) so its hard finding somewhere to eat.

So we packed up 5 adults and 2 children and headed to Lonestar Manukau. While everyone was finding parks I ran in and spoke to one of the guys asking about Gluten Free foods for a 4 year old child. He was lovely and gave me some options, while I went out to get the rest of the family he set up the table. We got in got our drinks and just as we sat down to wait table was ready. Quick and fast service was lovely.

Now as we sat the guy that took us to the table gave us one of the waitresses that had been there for a while. Kate was her name and I will ask for her again, she was great, bright and bubbly with a great attitude. Kate was good with dealing with the foods for my daughter.

Now the meal for Gluten free was chicken breast grilled and mash potato, most places we don't get good tasty meals and this was beyond expectations and was divine. The other meals were just as good, so it was great to see. The atmosphere was good and you could hear each other talking.

We were checked on as the meals came out and not overloaded with the check in's, Kate cleared the plates quickly and offering the next meal. Lone star really did make my night, what made me smile more was Kate giving my kids a lone star tee shirt each for their lovely manners. (which the kids put on right away, and are sleeping in). My daughter got to meet the chef and shake his hand while she thanked him, was lovely for them to let her into the kitchen to do it.

With this experience I would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice place to eat, the food was good, the prices not bad and those desserts up my alley with booze in it.

Thanks so much lone start Manukau you will be my 1st choice when I need a nice place to head for dinner

Store: Palmerston North

Have dined at Lone Star four times now. It is my absolute favourite restaurant. The interior consists of wood floors, and the walls are covered with interesting American memorabilia. Every time I go there I am made to feel welcome, the staff are extremely friendly and nice. A jug of water is brought to your table as soon as you are seated. Each table is assigned a waitress or waiter, who introduces themselves and runs through the menu with you.

You are then left to ponder your choices (and there are many). Lone Star seems to cater for everyone's tastes. My personal fav is the 'Dixie Chicken' - chicken poached in a sauce made from wine, corn, spring onions and herbs. All meals are served with either buffalo (chunky) or straight cut chips and a salad. They have a FANTASTIC kids menu. Most mains are around the $25 mark, the price is reflected in the huge servings you receive. A few of their mains are able to be served as � size meals, saving you money and also room for dessert (which you MUST try).

Desserts include mud cake, banoffie Pie, and their famous Kahlua and Moro bar cheesecake (not just a tiny sliver either � you get a huge wedge). Their desserts are beautifully presented.

A great thing about Lone Star is the fact that you do not have to wait very long for your meal to arrive. The average wait I have had would be about 15 minutes, even when they are extremely busy. The bathrooms are very flash and kept spotless. Upstairs takes you to the Shooters bar at Lone Star where you can stop in for a drink before your meal.

I rate Lone Star very highly. Just make sure you go there with an appetite and you will love it too.

Store: Palmerston North

First impressions... The restaurant was almost totally full, which is always a good sign, but we weren't there to eat dinner. It was the first Game's Night, and we needed a place to play boardgames... which meant the upstairs bar.

With a lovely view out over the square, well-padded seating, and friendly, helpful bar staff, it was a pleasure to be there service-wise. However... one of our players was in a wheelchair, and it is a right pain in the back to haul him up three (admittedly short) flights of stairs, then again on the way down. Major ouch way to start a night.

The popcorn they usually have on the bar is totally delish, but there was none out that night. More's the pity.

So it was a round of drinks, a couple of bowls of savoury wedges, and playtime. The ambiance was great, but parking proved a bit of a hassle, with there only being about 30 carparks nearby, of which only 2 are wheelchair-access, and of course, they were filled by able-bodied drivers perfectly capable of walking a few dozen metres, but chose to be selfish swine instead.

Overall, well, to be honest, the bar was a little pricy, but the service value was superb. I would be interested to try their dining room sometime, but that will have to wait until the finances recover a bit more.