Swashbucklers

My favorite seafood place in Auckland. Money is worth it if you are a seafood person.

Swashbucklers
Kaum in Auckland angekommen hatten wir auch Hunger!
Wir waren zu 4 dort und haben uns für die Piraten-​Platte entschieden .
Wer denkt es war nur TK-​Fisch und Fertigprodukte liegt hier falsch!
Frischer Fisch, Muschel und Krebstiere. Alles auf einer Terasse am Hafen zu genießen. Und das auch noch zu einem vernünftigen Preis.
Der Service ist sehr aufmerksam und authentisch für NZ.
Auch für Drinks ist es eine gute Adresse in Auckland. Also wenn ihr hier seid und Fisch haben wollt geht zu Swashbucklers!
Definitiv zu empfehlen !

Seafood is so good here.
If you are into ‘décor and ambiance, this might not be the place. It’s a little dated and tacky.
What they lose in style they make up for in the quality of the food.
Go and have a Pirate’s Platter (with the Calamari) you’ll not regret it.
the natural oysters are so fresh and taste like the sea. the famous NZ Green Lipped Mussels are a delight, as are the prawns, shimp, fish and calamari.
If you aren’t a seafood lover, they do a good range of ‘real’ meat as well and that is also expertly cooked.

It doesn’t get much better than this. Sitting in the sun looking right out over Westhaven — Swashies is an oldie but a goodie. The décor leaves a lot to be desired but what it lacks in fit out, it more than makes up for in location and friendliness. A hotch potch of patrons, from businessmen to bikies and everyone in between, this is a great spot to have a few quiet drinks. If you fancy a romantic walk along the newly built walkway, this is a great place to stop in to quench your thirst!

Nothing better than Swashies Sunday feed! The best local down to earth spot for seafood in Auckland. The food is always fresh and cooked to perfection — you can get your usual Fried food or fresh seafood with a more natural spin if you want to stay away from the fried stuff. My fav is the calamari, scallops mornay and the Pirates Platter is not to be missed I also like the real cross section of people that come here– it’s no fancy ‘hot right now’ spot it’s been hot for years! So if your looking for a great spot (ideally outside on the deck) that is away from the ‘scene’ then try it out — keep the hipsters and pretentious dicks in ponsonby. They also do the old HQ breakfasts now!!! Yum!

I went there yesterday because it was pouring down outside and the whole waterfront area was parked to its max capacity. And I didn’t fancy getting wet. The swashbuckler has a carpark in front of it. But due to the roadworks it can park less cars than it used to be. Anyways, let’s start on the food. The place was pack at 1:30 in the afternoon. The décor is what you d expect a restaurant to be when they have pirate written on their menu. So I ordered the pirates platter for two plus calamari. A French bread starter and some fries. The amount of seafood that was piled on my plate was impressive at first. It had half shell oysters, shrimps, prawns, rolled smoked salmon, battered fish, mussels, scallops and calamari. See, sounds impressive right? Even the price isn’t so bad, all that for 80 dollars. So I placed a bit of everything on my own plate. And started on the shrimp, it tasted like oyster juice. Then i ate a prawn, it was cooked with coconut milk and it was tough like show leather. So obviously it was over cooked. The battered fish was also over cooked and dry. I couldn’t figure out why the batter was overly yellow. Calamari was nicely cooked but it lacked any sort of flavour and seasoning. So by the end of the meal I was vastly disappointed. I am not sure what was wrong with the place yesterday. Because I can see some good reviews on Unilocal.There is one tip I d give the swashbuckler. Please don’t just pile all the food on the platter as all the juices from different items will all mix in together and cause things to go soggy.

An oldie but a goodie, Swashies reminds me of the old RNZYS before it became all flash — full of salty sea dogs sharing beers and stories, smelling of durries or cigars or both.
I can’t ever remember eating here (bar the usual fried bar snacks) or even venturing into the dining area but the bar remains the same — decked out with sailing and boating memorabilia and offering a basic range of liquor, soft drinks, wine and beer. They even have a flat screen, perfect for watching the weekend footy.
For me though, it’s all about their large outdoor tables. They are right by the water but unlike other waterside venues, there’s no foot traffic so it’s more private and less pretentious.
My friends and I have often debated whether Swashies is the best place to soak up the last of the afternoon sun and I think it just might be. It’s definitely no frills but that means no fuss, just you and your mates enjoying a coupley beers on a Sunny arvo… bliss.

My partner and I enjoyed the seafood, views and service… parking and quality plus price four stars

Swashies is always great for an afternoon drink and eat. The food is basic pub-​style but always tasty and there are plenty of shaded tables down the dock that look out over the water.
The restaurant can also be hired for private function

This place used to be my Friday lunchtime date, I used to come down here with a bunch of friends from work and it was great for us as it was just around the corner from work so we never had to get into a car and drive anywhere.
What we loved about it is that they had chairs in front of the bar area so we could sit in the sun and enjoy our beers or wine. They have bar snacks that are pretty good prices, with things like fishbites and fries, prawn cutlets and fries, steak kebabs and fries, all very greasy but hey it was only once a week so we weren’t too worried, I did go back to work a little tidily a couple of times though, oops hiccup.
I only ever came here a couple of times for an actual restaurant meal, I had fish and chips, which I thought was a little on the expensive side for what it was. However my husband did fall in love with the Tuna here and he thinks it just rocks.

This restaurant may look a little tacky in its décor but apparently it’s one of the best places in Auckland to get fresh seafood.
The interior is decorated with old ropes and steering wheels so there is quite a nautical theme going on. Think Pirates of the Carribean!
The servings are massive and the fish is always fresh and delicious. Last time I went I had the John Dory — it was superb.
The only downfall to this place is the parking, it can be difficult so plan accordingly.
It can get busy so it pays to book in advance!

Went out on my Dad’s boat the other day and ended up getting stranded with a faulty motor for two hours and had to be towed back in by the coastguard. When we got back onto dry land we were cold, wet, tired and HUNGRY! The closest restaurant was Swashbucklers, it’s a comical looking place it sort of reminds me of a nautical themed children’s playland. Naturally I wasn’t expecting anything amazing here but I was pleasantly mistaken. There are two parts to the restaurant, the dine-​in/​sit down/​family orientated side, and the bar side that has high tables, big stools etc etc. We chose the bar side, it’s really quirky with stuff just covering the walls and the ceiling. Stuff like old car number plates, art, guns, nets just everything. The bar menu is just what you want and expect… deep fried. I chose the fish bites and chips and they arrived in a little wooden basket. They were REALLY nice, bite sized bits of deep fried fish and mountains of fries, other menu items included deep fried mussels, prawns, oysters, calamari and garlic bread. Since that first experience I have been back a number of times with friends and we have always had such an awesome time. Their meals are $ 12 and their drinks are cheap, they have lots of outdoor seating overlooking the water too, it’s just such a good time at swashies!

I will qualify my review by saying I am probably not in Swashies target demographic. In the three times I’ve been there recently, I think I was one of the only females in sight of the bar area.
There is definitely a strong maritme/​pirate theme going on. It gives the impression of not being the cleanest place in the world and certainly the seating is not that comfortable. The excellent location overlooking Orams marina and the harbour, along with the manliness of the surroundings, makes it a popular spot.
The menu I think is overpriced, and the food is not stellar, although the smoked salmon entrée salad makes a nice lunch and at $ 18.50 is pretty good value. They also serve The Ned pinot gris at only $ 8 per glass which gets a big tick from me.

If you’ve ever wanted to be a pirate, or imagine yourself a bit of a Johnny Depp, then take yourself down to Swashies for ale and wenches aplenty.
Ok, I’m exaggerating a little, but if you’re a boatie and looking for somewhere close by Westhaven for a cold one and some decent, inexpensive grub, Swashies is your place.
The Boathouse Bar is a tiny space filled with nautical themed bits of flotsam and jetsam adorning the walls, and fronts onto a huge deck with heaps of seating overlooking the marina.
Never actually eaten in the restaurant, just ha the bar platters, which are great value, but it’s always lively, so that’s got to be a good sign, right?