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About
With delicious and world-renowned Pacific cuisine, superb cocktails, an evening with your loved ones or any occasion at Tamarind House and Ukulele bar is an extra special experience. Whether your requirements are large or small, we are eager to accommodate you with an occasion that you will long remember. Tamarind House Restaurant and Ukulele Bar is a versatile venue offering five different areas to suit any occasion. Situated on a large oceanfront property, with it's stately beautifully restored historic colonial house, huge verandas and french doors, and a lovely garden shaded by coconut palms and green lawns sweeping down to the ocean. Ukulele Bar on the beach open from noon daily is a great
PRICE RANGE
$15 - $76
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Drinks
CUISINES
Seafood, European, New Zealand, Polynesian
FEATURES
Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Street Parking, Wine and Beer, Waterfront, Beach, Gift Cards Available
Reviews (1,604)
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1,066
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LanguageEnglish
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Traveler rating
1,066
329
115
29
25
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All reviews fish curry lamb shank garlic bread tuna oysters salad colonial house fine dining fairy lights beautiful setting birthday dinner food was amazing cook islands ika mata lawn view rarotonga
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Reviewed 1 week ago via mobile

First time here & it didn’t disappoint. Great service welcoming staff & food/drinks came out quickly so we didn’t wait too long! Platter was exceptional hats off to the chef 10/10. View from the restaurant was amazing, added bonus! Definitely coming back when we’re back...in the island!More

Date of visit: March 2024
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Reviewed 3 weeks ago

Had an amazing time here the service was brilliant. A beautiful location and the service and attitude from the staff was exceptional. Food and drinks were the best on the island. Definitely coming back here we had a great time

Date of visit: January 2024
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Reviewed February 11, 2024

One of the best restaurants on the island. Ate there twice . The views are amazing, lovely attentive staff! The manager was accommodating and stopped by for a nice catch-up.

Date of visit: December 2023
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Reviewed February 3, 2024 via mobile

Good quality ingredients, very fresh fish Mahi-mahi and Tuna, curry still excellent, really interesting and fresh salads - took trouble with presentation and service was professional. Shame we couldn’t fit desert as they looked fabulous. And some terrific old school desert coffees! Great smart beach...vibe and a nice sense of ‘occasion’ … we will be back.More

Date of visit: January 2024
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Reviewed January 22, 2024

Excellent service, lovely view and nice old building. Food was fresh and tasty with a good range on the menu. Well worth a visit

Date of visit: January 2024
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed January 1, 2024

Great location and service. Meals were disappointing. Chicken curry was 60% potato 40% chicken, flimsy mini roti and miniscule portions of chutney and raita. Partners beer battered fish was just that, no garnish or greenery to be seen. Not value for money.

Date of visit: December 2023
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Reviewed December 25, 2023 via mobile

Stunning surroundings. Delightful waitstaff. Delicious food. Returning for another dinner ! One of the best on the island.

Date of visit: December 2023
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Reviewed December 5, 2023

Beautiful service and a tasty selection of food. Entrees quite big I couldn’t finish my main & definitely no room for dessert. However my main was good with a fresh salad the next day. The entrees we shared were the Arancini and seafood chowder. So...so good. Stunning views of the sea.More

Date of visit: November 2023
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Reviewed December 1, 2023

Lovely place for dinner. Food was amazing! The vegetarian lasagna was amazing!! Indi at the Ukulele Bar was the perfect bar tender! Inside the restaurant can get a bit noisy, but if you manage to book a table away from large groups its quite nice.

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed November 27, 2023 via mobile

Pros: delicious cocktails & views Cons: chicken tastes like rubber, way overcooked. The rice was undercooked. Completely overpriced for the low quality. Cheesecake was super salty. I don’t normally write reviews but for the price I was super disappointed ~ warning people before to not...order the chicken or cheesecake The restaurant did take off the cheesecake from my bill because they saw I didn’t eat much of either of the plates. It was also my birthday dinner and definitely did not feel special. Honestly just go here for the drinks and views.More

Date of visit: November 2023
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Reviewed November 11, 2023 via mobile

Wow - what a place - and old house on a large property turned into a Pacifc Palace We started at the beach bar with great music from one of the locals and amazing cocktails Then fine dining in the restored 200 year old governors...home - with fantastic food and service Don’t miss thisMore

Date of visit: November 2023
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Reviewed November 7, 2023

An excellent venue and the food and staff attention were top class! We were there for my mothers 80th birthday. I had a quiet word with one of the staff and the staff came out and delivered her dessert and sung her happy birthday. This...made the night very special. I would highly recommend this venue for that special occasion.More

Date of visit: November 2023
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Reviewed October 13, 2023 via mobile

I was a bit disappointed this time, more in the atmosphere than the food. There wasn't a pleasant, comfortable seating area for pre-dinner drinks, (without going indoors without a view) firstly. Then at dinner time it was 'busy' with a mix of young families and...groups, so wasn't the best for conversation. Granted, nothing to be done about that. Food. however, was very nice and staff attention very good.More

Date of visit: September 2023
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Reviewed October 9, 2023

We have been coming to the Cook Islands for many year now however had never visited Tamarind House or The Ukulele Bar. This trip (on advice from local friends) we decided to pop in and take a look at the Tamarind House location. What a...gem of a location! As a result we decided to stay for a couple of drinks at the Ukulele Bar next door. We arrived at 2.30pm, just after the lunch and before the dinner crowd. What an absolutely lovely bar. Very calm and peaceful. Fantastic music playlist (70's/80's etc). We had the best cocktails and bar food. We were so impressed, that we decided to come back the following day before our flight home. An absolutely highlight was the outstanding service we received from Indi. He made our wonderful experience. We have since recommended this bar to several friends who have visited since we got home. We will definitely make this a regular hangout from now on and will also try Tamarind House next visit. 5 star experience!More

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed October 2, 2023

Lovely location, food lovely and staff most friendly and helpful. The only disappointment was that the fabric covers on chairs needed a good deep clean.

Date of visit: October 2023
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Questions & Answers
Ask a question
RobHappyBuddha
June 24, 2017|
AnswerShow all 3 answers
Response from Raroliving | Property representative |
Independent licensed restaurants and bars and retailers in the Cook Islands are required by law to close all of 25th December and also Good Friday. Only hotel/resort licenced dining is available on these days.
0
Votes
L153JWteresam
April 26, 2017|
AnswerShow all 7 answers
Response from Jon P | Reviewed this property |
The currency used in Rarotonga is New Zealand dollars. Rarotonga does have its own low-denominational coins which you will often get as change when paying for items. Visa and MasterCard are accepted everywhere but Amex... More
3
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45justus
February 21, 2017|
AnswerShow all 4 answers
Response from David nJacquie O | Reviewed this property |
They have a website. Type into your search engine tamarindrarotonga as one word and you will find it
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TAMARIND HOUSE RESTAURANT & UKULELE BAR, Avarua - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Tamarind House Restaurant & Ukulele Bar

Tamarind House Restaurant & Ukulele Bar is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travelers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4.5
  • Value: 4
  • Atmosphere: 4.5