Poco.

October 15, 2025

I'll say first that the staff were great. For starters, I like to recognise what they did great/I liked - service was amazing - friendly, hospitable and knowledgeable - i had no reservation yet the lady who greeted us accommodated us immediately. - fried chicken - you must order this. The coating and flavours were divine - wines - they have great wines here - atmosphere- great decor and lighting. It's romantic and cosy. Honest feedback hence the 2 star (staff raised it to 3) It's meant to be a Middle Eastern inspired restaurant with shared dishes which is nice. I ordered the yoghurt bread, Muhammara, iceberg lettuce salad, fried chicken and lamb shoulder on hummus. Starting with the muhammara, the flavour wasn't right nor was it Muhammara. It should just have cumin and Aleppo pepper but instead it was overpowered with cumin and other spices which doesn't at all reflect what muhammara is. The lamb on hummus was a bit of a disappointment. The lamb shoulder was dry and firm. It also had too much cumin so it was bitter. The hummus wasn't even hummus but rather ground raw chickpeas which were chunky and crunchy. Hummus should be made from cooked chickpeas with lemon, salt, Tahini and garlic but I wasn't getting that. I could tell the chickpeas were not cooked because it tasted like the blend you use to make falafel which is raw chickpeas, garlic and coriander. I understand the chef has artistic desires but the hummus wasn't pleasant, it tasted raw and the muhammara tasted Indian rather than Syrian. Also the green oil with the flat bread...I think it was meant to be mint infused but it honestly had no taste. Overall this place has potential, I would like to see it improve because food presentation was on point.

July 28, 2025

Took my Nana to Poco for her 83rd birthday and it was truly unforgettable. We chose the chef’s multi course menu (highly recommend!) along with some incredible cocktails. Every dish was beautifully crafted and full of flavour. It ended up being a bit too much food for Nana, but the staff were so kind and happily packed everything up for us so we could make it to our spa booking on time. Nothing was a problem, and the service was just as outstanding as the food. Thank you for making my Nana’s birthday so special - she hasn’t stopped talking about it! Visited on a friend’s recommendation and it absolutely did not disappoint.

June 4, 2025

Easy to see why it’s reviewed so well! Lovely little spot in Rotorua with good selection of small plates and wines. Pumpkin and sage aranchini was nice, but the lamb shoulder definitely stole the show! Everything on the plate worked so well together. Would definitely recommend Poco for a finer dining experience if you’re in town!

November 13, 2025

We had a lovely night. It's a cosy restaurant. The waitress was friendly and very helpful. The wine and cocktails were great. But the food. The food was delicious! We had the bread and dip, followed by the crab cakes and lastly the lamb. Everything was superb and each dish slightly better than the last. We left full but didn't feel like we'd over eaten. It was a fantastic way to spend our ten year anniversary.

July 5, 2025

Amazing tapas, perfect old fashioned, and great Pinot noir — best meal we’ve had in NZ! Big shoutout to Tyg at the bar for the cool stories, recs, and all the good vibes. Rooting for you and manifesting Broadway 😉