The Backbencher Reviews

Expensive great for live shows but that's about it. Good art work about the place but lacks anything other than noise and TVs expensive food and drinks staff are nice enough

Huge venue with lots of seafood selection.. And MPs too

Came here the other week for some drinks with friends. Great selection on tap and awesome service from Casey I think her name was.

A popular restaurant and Bar. The pupets of famous politicians are well worth seeing. Right opposite parliament.

Reasonable pub food. Has a good variety to the menu but some of the make could do with a little more flavour.

Food was good, beers were plentiful (range) and staff were friendly. Prices can be steep, and the noise can get loud, but it's an interesting location with stuff on the walls to keep a solo diner interested, and different zones to keep the drinkers away from the diners.

A Wellington institution that should be on the list if you're in town for a night. Great food and lots of good Kiwi beer on tap. The pub is just across the street from Parliament so you know it's seen a fair few epic nights. There's history all over the walls and a surprisingly chill atmosphere. What's not to like? The calamari and garlic prawns were amazing. Great spot. Beers are well kept, the food is delicious and the staff are always friendly, helpful, and welcoming. Looking forward to getting back for a Guinness.

Great food - actually unique, tasty and filling. Also staff were excellent. Highly recommend!

Popular bar close to Parliament and Beehive. Excellent sports bar facilities, food and beverage selection. Highly recommended.

This was suggested to us by friends, worth a visit and food was very good.

Good food, cool atmosphere, the occasional government minister wandering in. Excellent fries.

Must-see tourist spot for any New Zealander checking out Parliament. Quirky, classy and delicious. Also a great place to go for Wellingtonians as a reminder of how special our city is :)

Great service from the barman and the food was delicious

Great beer selection and food platters are excellent. Great place to go before a game at the stadium, although can be pretty busy.

Legendary political hangout for the deprived and flamboyant

Unfortunately we went with a medium sized group and all found the food quite disappointing. Personally, I find they should try and perfect the menu and not overcomplicate the dishes. Most of our food was cold and not what we expected from the menu. One of our party can't handle spice and expected to not be having any but it was spicy and "not worth it." Secondly the duck dish that we ordered was unlike what we expected and was cold, small and not 'crispy' as per menu stated. For $35 dollars for a scotch fillet we were thoroughly unimpressed, it was thin, gristly, overcooked, with no greenery in sight which made it not tasty and definitely not worth the money. The staff were trying their best but proposed a competition that they didn't even know the answers to themselves which truly expressed a slight lack of care from the staff. Sorry, but if you propose a challenge of knowing the politician figures, you should know them yourself right? Yet the waiters talked really quickly and were very enthusiastic and cheery which was a positive.
Although, the food was disappointing, the prices for drinks were decent and we all agree the atmosphere for a pub, drink night would be really enjoyable.
Really was hoping this was a one off bad experience as this is an iconic gastropub in Wellington.

Always a reasonable meal here. Reliable but not great..

Crowded and noisy after work, but good beer and cider selection and great food.

This pub restaurant is well located, in the Government centre opposite Parliament. Pleasant ambience and interesting wall decor, with a good menu and efficient service. Booking taken. Good range of dishes on the menu. Orders taken accurately and food presented and delivered within a reasonable time frame. Meal was good and reasonably priced.
Surprised to see a lot of walk-in customers (~20) turned away politely toward 9PM. It appears that the kitchen service closes an hour before the pub shuts.

has improved since the fire. very supportive of local sport

Great feel to the place nice friendly staff and a very nice entree of pate, problem was they brought out main 2mins after the entree then just offered to put it under heat lamp. Obviously FnC main was not hot and generally average. Add to that no water was brought to table when every other table got it. It felt that, as I was a table of one, there was little effort put into me. Disappointing as I was looking forward to dining there again.

A quick lunch of okay traditional food with okay service.

Average pub, nothing special. Although it was quiet when we were there, we had to wait to be served as the staff were elsewhere.
We mainly went there to see the puppets of politicians.
I guess it has more atmosphere when it is busier. We just had drinks, which were on the expensive side, but we found that was common in NZ.

Coffee was fine. Food was great. Experience shattered by table positioned under platform of a politician. When one of my party stood up they severely hit their bead. Staff comment to this was a casual 'we hurt our head all the time'. What.
Where exactly is health and safety? Enjoyable place when wearing a helmet.

Had the WOAP Burger, very good, recommend getting in before 12pm before the booked tables get seated.

Food was ok, but seemed a bit overpriced for what it was.

Top spot. Great atmosphere friendly staff delicious menu and excellent drinks selection.

Find the menu a bit OTT, a balance between good plain gastro pub food and "upscale" food would be great.

Great pub. Good service, wine list and beer selection.

Dinner with friends last night, good service and food good. I ordered the duck breast dish (I have duck often out dinning)
I was surprised not to get a piece of duck breast but a duck leg boned out with leg bone attached. Now if any one has seen a duck they walk on two legs and there are no weight bearing bones near the breast!
So come on Back benchers serve what you say on your menu!
Or is this a political themed lame duck.

Fantastic menu with lots of options for special dietary requirements. Lots of Vegan, Dairy and Gluten free options available! Food always tastes delicious!!. The wait staff are awesome and accommodating. Can't wait to get some of their tasty calamari delivered next week, it's the best you could find in wellington!

Food is a bit pricy, however the atmosphere is great and the staff are lovely.

Overall, backbenchers is a cool place. The political caricatures are pretty nice and the food was pretty good. However, the service was so slow when I visited. Yes, I understand it was the lunch time rush, but I don't think the wait was a bit excessive... Longer than I've waited at a restaurant in a long time. Maybe it was a bad day but I can only go of my experience.

Party of 4 went on a Groupon voucher so it was really good value. 3 of us had the Scotch Fillet and thought it was really tasty while the 4th had the duck breast. It was a very stormy night outside so it was warm and cozy inside and not over-crowded which helped us appreciate the ambience. Service was fast and good. Loved the dessert - we had the Affogato vanilla ice-cream, the bread pudding, the Creme Brulee and the berry tart . Unique theme. I enjoyed it tremendously. And will be back.

I like the sports pub out the back. Meals a bit expensive though.

Very disappointing. Very poor seating for a casual drink. Barperson didn't know how to make one of the 4 cocktails on their specials list. Dirty and untidy. Would not recommend other than to see the few puppets left.

A pub with character reasonable food and service. Nice soup for lunch after a visit to Parliament across tbe road.

Alright beer selection. Even small fries were massive

Was really disappointed with my meal. Was more or less a bowl of potatoes with a few under cooked veges on too. Very expensive for what it was.

Great food, I wish they would bring back their Mussels dish.

Really this is a good spent time in your life....after that you can keep going on your path...

Good selection of drinks including great craft beers. Good food options and a great location. What's not to like!

Good service and selection of food. Get the house pate. Thank me later.

Visiting parliament ... great breakfast and lunch stop while gauging the political temperature across the street.

Menu could do with a spruce up however the food was good, service great, a place we could kick back & relax. Good helpful staff and I could charge my phone at our table (bonus)

Mediocre food at best..fish was dry and sides Ill considered.my friends steak was not much better

Quality pub fare just across the street from the Beehive. Charming atmosphere with whimsical political puppets a nice touch. FYI I found the side of chips at lunchtime to be overly generous, so if you are dining with a friend just one may be enough for 2.

went to a lovely wedding reception there the other day. Excellent service, probably the best I've ever seen. Food and drink was most excellent too

They were fully booked but as there were two of us they slipped us in. Food was great, service was good. Loved the puppets on the walls. At least i can say i have been there now

Really enjoyed the food , which was a pleasant surprise

Fun place to have an APA beer and a plate of chunky chips with tomato sauce. Pleasant service.......great venue and location.

Tha is for hosting the Kahuranga Nationals tonight. It was an exquisite night and the food tasted devine. Cheers

The lamb was awesome. Very cool pub, with a great vibe

Great place to call catch up with friends good selection of beer on tap

Nice beer. Reasonable service under alert level 2. Fast bill payment.

Average service. Really missed opportunity to put a rooftop bar in as well folks!

Absolutely third rate food. And most embarrassing too, as I had an overseas guest. What a mediocre evening.

This place has a cool vibe and awesome decor. The food is a bit over priced for what it is though

Smart. Much of the inside is taken up for restaurant-style seating. Iconic political and kiwiana mannequins on the walls.

really happy customers... the platter for 2 was perfect!