Smoke and open flame are the whole idea at this Surfdale steakhouse, where the meat is cooked over a wood fire and arrives at your table simple and full of flavour. It's a hybrid setup on Hamilton Road, part relaxed bar and takeaway for locals, part proper sit-down steakhouse, so you can pull up a stool for a drink and a cheeseburger or settle in for a long dinner with a bottle of wine.
The wine list has plenty of French bottles on it, and the meat is the main event, with the sirloin, scotch fillet, eye fillet, picanha and bavette all cooked over the open flame, often with a mushroom or blue cheese sauce and a serve of homemade fries. Start with the grilled camembert, and leave room for the French toast dessert, which is a genuine highlight.
You won't find an online booking page, so plan on walking in or sorting your table ahead, and the bar side keeps things lively with live sport on the screens and a children's area for the kids.
Written from 21 Google reviews, every one we could get, on 12 November 2026. Rated 4.1 from 21 Google reviews.
The steak here is the best on the island, and it's better value than Auckland's big-name steakhouses. It's a young restaurant, so some nights come out better than others, but the meat and the warm welcome are the reasons to go.
Steak is the reason you're here, whether that's the sirloin, scotch fillet, eye fillet, picanha or bavette, and the bavette with mushroom sauce is a standout. Ask for the potatoes with blue cheese sauce, start with the grilled camembert, and finish with the French toast dessert. The cheeseburger gets as much praise as the beef, and the homemade fries are worth ordering.
Service is warm and quick, with the owner out among the tables making you feel like a regular on your first visit. Even people who weren't happy with their meal said the staff were friendly and attentive. A children's area keeps the kids busy so the grown-ups can relax.
The room is warm and family friendly, with a children's area, a French feel to the whole place and a bar side showing live sport. Turn up at five and it can feel quiet, so come later if you want some life about the place.
People disagree on value: the steaks are priced as a treat, and a couple of diners felt the food didn't meet the money because flavour was the sticking point. The wine is well priced, though, and next to Auckland's big steakhouses the bill compares well.
Families are well looked after thanks to the children's area and an easy, welcoming room, so it's a safe bet with kids in tow. Groups of friends settle into the bar side, where steak, wine and live sport can stretch into the evening. Surfdale locals treat it as their own, which says plenty.
People have complained more than once about the price and the cooking: steaks turning up cooked wrong (one blue when medium rare was asked for and another medium when rare was ordered), and bills that seemed too high for what came out. Be clear about how you want yours cooked.
Every fact on this page was checked on 8 November 2026 against Google, On Fire Waiheke's own website and 21 of its Google reviews. The photo is from the eatout library, not taken here, and no venue pays to be listed or ranked. Something out of date? Tell us
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