Citizen Park

Visited Citizen Park today — just trying to check out a few places in Kingsland to decide if that is the right neighborhood. The staff were really pleasant, helping me find a powerpoint for my laptop and recommending the nachos. I ended up ordering a pint of pale ale ($ 9) and getting the beef burger ($ 18). The serving was massive and the burger was juicy. The waffle fries that came with the burger were really cripy but tasted like they were dusted with a lemon salt — a bit odd. Overall great place to watch the game, get some work done and get a reasonable lunch. Plus, I found parking on the right in front! Score.

Great for a quick bite or long drink with friends. I have been here through summer for a beer or two with my dog … Sometimes you need to get out ya know. It’s nice the out door area also has a small smoking area so just because you wanna sit outside doesn’t mean your coughing up in a cloud. Food … Well it’s good but not great. Chips could def be better, there a staple so if you have it right you can almost guarantee an order at ever table. Staff have always been nice and nothing is a problem. I will be back…

The service here is great, much better than most restaurants in town. Its a great place to come for a few drinks, but gets busy at peak times. The food is pretty good, but the portions are small and the prices are quite high. We like the venue but find it makes for a very expensive lunch/​night out.

Great place ! Had our work do there and it was amazing, great music and service was great too. Very flash too, would strongly recommend ¹⁰⁄₁₀ for me

Great place to meet people when the rugby is not on. Almost impossible to get in otherwise. Good selection of beers on tap and great outdoor garden area. Perfect for playing a KGB agent and people watching.

All the reviews below accurately reflect Citizen Park for both better and worse. The good news is that when it’s a relaxed Sunday afternoon or during the week it’s great. Good service, thoughtful food, and a great hot sauce selection on every table! I love that they have a playful menu that changes frequently and is real nostalgic of a California beach-​side pub. The bad news is that if it’s a Friday/​Saturday night or the rugby is on, though the venue can handle the crowds, the staff seem to still struggle a bit even almost a year after opening. I’ve gone as a couple, a small group, and a large group with varying degrees of service. For example, I organized our team’s Xmas lunch last year and it was a hit, but have also experienced the aforementioned sass (in previous reviews) as a small group. If you take the service as 50/​50, but go for the tacos, the hot sauce, a pint on tap, pretty good music and you won’t be disappointed!

After being brought to this establishment last night by a friend, I have to say that it left a sour taste in my mouth.
The place is staffed with early 20s kids, using the place basically as a free for all. Between drinking and smoking with their friends out on the patio we had to keep flagging them down for more drinks.
The male server had no clue about the menu and sold us the idea of Tlaycos as a calzone type dish, when it wasn’t at all but more of a flatbread.
When the dish arrived I’m not sure what they did with the fish but it was not edible and the flat bread part was like doughy cardboard. When I told a female server that I didn’t care at all for the dish she literally laughed in my face and said ok? Walked right away. Never cleared the plate or bothered to ask anymore questions. Yuck
Fine for a watering hole. But beware of the poor immature service and awful food.

I came here for the first time the other night, had been meaning to, always looks so inviting, the big brass gates to the private park for citizens dining under the strings of lights. It was, I liked it, plus they have outdoor heating.
Often it can be hard finding places that accommodate groups of citizens, you can here. Large tables and a menu meant for sharing (depends how close your citizen friends are), Citizen Park would be perfect.
Cool bar, good enough selection of drinks, they do coffee too. Don’t be shocked when you see the beer missing from the menu, it isn’t on there so ask the lovely wait staff.
Gluten free options are available. Based on my experience you can request variations to menu items to fit your dietary requirements. I was impressed with my salad which not only looked good but tasted amazing. Greens with thin sliced mango, cherry tomatoes, micro greens and walnuts with a vinaigrette.
Friendly staff, good surroundings, indoor and outdoor seating options and a decent menu. I’ll be back, with a bigger crowd.

We went here for late afternoon snacks and drinks, but all we got was sass from an abrupt and bossy waiter. He took our order so quickly that he stormed off before we could finish ordering our drinks. The taco I had was okay and my friend’s cheesecake was so plain and dense that she didn’t bother finishing it. Two of us really wanted the pumpkin pie but since it wasn’t available the brownie was the other option, which turned out to be pretty average. This is a cool place to sit but an average place to eat. There’s way better places to eat in Kingsland and other unique places to hang. Sorry for denouncing Citizen Park, but I’d gladly take refuge elsewhere.

«We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Citizen Park. Service was relaxed but attentive & professional. Food was yum — had 3 of the versions of soft taco and hubby had the Maddison hotdog. wine and beer selection pretty good, but not extensive. All in all a great place for a relaxed time out lunch or get together with friends. Really cool atmosphere, music and décor. Definitely coming back.»

Citizen Park is now a favourite. We have been at least half a dozen times, and cannot be faulted. The food is well priced, I recommend in particular the Caesar salad, the burgers and the bean dip. Service is attentive but not intrusive. They used to have wine on tap, but that’s gone now. Don’t know why, perhaps people didn’t realise it was actually a decent drop? Music and atmosphere always fun and relaxed. We used to go to Neighbourhood up the road but their food standards we felt slipped, and in stepped CP, so thanks Dean and team, you’ve won our business!

I’ve been here three times. Twice in big groups and once as the two of us. Always for dinner which is fun in groups. There are nice big long bench seating tables and high long bench bar tables. Perfect for big groups, (pro tip… let them know if you’re coming on a busy night with a big group and ask for either of the window tables for up to 8)
The menu is made up of little items which you combine and share. I recommending getting a selection of the various tacos and nibbles and a few bigger items… the best thing on the menu is the Ribs… hands down I would even venture to say the best ribs in town. They are juicy, sweet, succulent and meaty!
The service has always been impeccable, fast, attentive and with a smile.

Have been there only once, but it was a good place to kick start our night out. The place is still relatively new and has become the place to hang out in Kingstand, so it is always crowded in the evenings.
We showed up 1 hour prior the time we booked our table, it was packed, but they still managed to find us a table. Staff was very friendly and accommodating, great table service.
Food was ok, nothing memorable, but a good potion size for affordable prices. Not sure if I would come here for dinner, but defo for a light snack before the night out.
The only let down for me was their unisex toilets downstairs, which I am not a fan of. But I guess this is a personal preference and greatly depends on the degree of your drunkenness.

Citizen Park is like a quirky, modern, all American diner. There are glowing neon signs, gingham half curtains across the windows, giants shelves of kitschy Americana (think football helmets and model planes) and of course, baskets full of mustard and ketchup. Maybe it’s because I’ve just moved home from America but I absolutely love it!
We came here on a Sunny Sunday arvo to catch up with friends over a few quiets. The outdoor area here is huuuge and with several long tables with bench seats it is the perfect place to catch up with a group. It must also be said they have done a great job of making the outdoor area as sheltered as possible and they even have a retractable roof for when it inevitably starts raining (this is Auckland after all!).
As for the drinks, both us girls where in the mood for a refreshingly, cold beer and opted for a jar of the Monteith’s Pilsner ($ 8). I thought the list was pretty reasonable in both price and variety although I do think they could do with a few more boutique beers on the list as opposed to the usual mass produced varieties.
The boys on the other hand were nursing rather significant hangovers and were in need of a drink of the non-​alcoholic variety. ASAP. They ended up settling on a Sweet Alice; a strong cup of Kokako filtered coffee with condensed milk on the side. Heaping the rather generous serving of condensed milk into their coffee both of them seemed pretty chuffed with their decision.
All in all this is a very pleasant way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon and I am looking forward to coming back soon to try their rather tasty looking menu.

I really, really wanted to fall in love with Citizen Park. I liked it, but we just didn’t hit it off in that way, despite how hard I tried. Upon arrival, things looked good. I mean, the place was pretty packed on a Wednesday at 7:30pm — both inside and outside. We ordered a variety of food in order to sample everything: Macaroni Cheese (served in a cup), fried calamari, three kinds of tacos, the ‘dirty bird’ (fried chicken), a burger with fries, chilli cheese fries, fries with melted cheese (we like fries).
The calamari was great. It was the best of everything we ordered. Tender, lightly fried, tasty. The macaroni cheese was okay, apparently it used to come with feta and now it doesn’t, which was of concern to Shirl. Maddy said her shrimp taco was good. The chilli cheese fries were half eaten, I got a quarter of the way through my burger before giving up — you’d get a better burger at burger fuel or handmade burgers across the road. The fried chicken was spicy and good but nothing to write home about. The fries with melted cheese were a disappointment. The fry to cheese ratio was pretty sad — hardly any cheese, and at $ 8.50 you’d expect something a bit better.
On the plus side, the drinks were good — my peach and passionfruit caprioska was pretty nice, and the banoffee pie was proclaimed ‘awesome’. The churros should come with a chocolate option (as opposed to just lemon curd and jam) but were nicely fried.
I’d go here for drinks and maybe a couple of snacks, but not for a full meal.
Side note: The staff were pretty good. Attentive despite the fact it was really busy, and relatively prompt with the food bringing. They didn’t bring our second order of calamari and charged us for it, but when it was queried at the till, they immediately refunded us.

I have been watching Citizen Park come together as a bar and restaurant for the last few months, and when it opened recently I couldn’t wait to check it out.
The décor is fantastic; lots of brick and concrete. Light bulbs hanging in metal cages. Wooden tables and stools. Ivy on the ceiling. Great indoor/​outdoor flow, with a whole other bar outside and a retro red light ‘food’ sign — Citizen Park looks great and the atmosphere of the joint is funky and relaxed — it’d be a great place to meet with a group of friends for drinks.
The staff are all pretty young and friendly, and I have to say I was surprised by how many of them there were. I went to Citizen on a Sunday evening for dinner and there were seriously about 12 people working — quite a lot considering how slow the service was. It took my dad and I about 15 minutes to get a waitress’s attention, and then it was another 15 minutes or so before our drinks actually turned up and we could order.
As much as it pains me to say it — because I really want to like Citizen Park — there were quite a few things I experienced while there that I was unimpressed by. Firstly, all the cups are plastic — beer in a plastic glass wasn’t my dad’s idea of a good time. Secondly, when we went to order our meals we were told half the menu wasn’t available as they didn’t have the ingredients. While I understand Citizen is a new establishment, we should have been told this upon our arrival as it meant the only light meals that were available were burgers (and to be honest, they were pretty average but then again, they only cost $ 10). The other thing that was a bit strange was that when we asked the staff what some of the meals actually were, they didn’t know. Options like ‘gumbo’ and ‘tamele’ are on the menu at Citizen, and although we asked three different people, no one could actually tell us what they were.
These negatives having been said, Citizen has only just opened so hopefully they’ll get their service sorted and smooth out the issues with their menu etc. It would be great to have another funky fun place to meet friends in Kingsland aside from Neighbourhood. So fingers crossed!

What a fabulous new restaurant/​bar/​club. It’s been decked out really smartly and has bucked the trend for making everyone stand up by installing plenty of seats, including some great long benches in their covered outside area.
Reasonably priced beer and wine are overshadowed by expensive cocktails. We ordered something that tasted really badly watered down so went back to we moved onto bottles of wine. The house red was a bit too dry for us but they had a great Pinot, third time lucky!
There was a DJ playing on the Saturday and it’s open nice and late for the merriment to continue as long as you can stand it.

I have curiously been watching this place evolve during it’s construction for the past few months and couldn’t wait for it’s opening. Finally it did… I went today and oh my goodness I am going back there tomorrow (seriously not joking). It’s a lovely bar/​restaurant type thing and I felt relaxed the very instant that I sat down. It feels beachy, it feels American it feels right! They really got it right and I’m so happy, I ‘m panicked that something is going to happen to this perfect place and it won’t be there anymore. Their menu appeared to be of a Mexican influence and their prices were amazing! I thought I would get a very small meal for the price but I was mistaken. I chose their vegetarian taco for $ 6 and their corn cob for $ 6, you can see in my photograph the size of it! Perfect for lunch. Others at my table ordered their mushroom burger for $ 10 and it was huge (perfectly flavoured they said) and it came with a large serving of skinny fries, winner for me! The service was incredible, they allowed me to take my dog into their outdoor area which they could have said no to, they brought a jug of water to the table without us having to ask and everything was super quick from ordering to having it at our table. I just know that I have found my go to place for so many different occasions casual drink, lunch, dinner, evening drinks just anything I’m in LOVE!