The Lookout Bar and Kitchen is a modern, relaxed and spacious bar and restaurant on the outskirts of Te Rapa at 60 Church Road, Pukete, Hamilton. True to its name, it 'looks out' toward the Hakarimata ranges, and the balcony is the ideal spot to take in the scenery over lunch or a drink. Indoors there are three seating areas to choose from, two with large flat-screen TVs for the sports fanatics, and open seven days from 11am until late, it works just as well for a quick snack as for toasting a special occasion.
The kitchen turns out lunch, dinner and snacks menus with something for everyone: entrees from loaded fries, Thai prawns, green-lipped mussels and pork belly bao buns; four burgers; a pair of generous sharing platters; five pizzas; and dinner mains running from seafood chowder and Sri Lankan lamb curry to a full Hereford Prime steak line-up. Daily specials give each day its own hook, from Monday's beef rump and Parmigiana Tuesday to free upsizes on Thursday and Friday evenings, weekend mussel bowls and the Sunday Roast from 4pm.
Groups are well looked after. The Terrace is an indoor/outdoor space that can be closed off from the main bar and restaurant, with its own bar and private entrance for a more exclusive experience, while Lookout catering delivers fresh baps, wraps, antipasto, pastries, sweets and house-made salads and meats to Hamilton workplaces. Food on the go is covered too, with click and collect available Monday to Sunday, 11am to 9pm, plus gift vouchers. All of it pairs nicely with their popular range of cold brews, wine and in-house beverages.
The Lookout Bar and Kitchen sits on the outskirts of Te Rapa at 60 Church Road, Pukete, Hamilton — a modern, relaxed and spacious local that opens seven days a week, from 11am until late. True to its name, The Lookout 'looks out' toward the Hakarimata ranges, and that outlook shapes the whole experience: long afternoons on the balcony, an easy lunch in a cosy corner, or a lively evening with the game on the big screen.
It is a place built to flex with the occasion. Drop by for a snack and a cold brew, settle in for dinner as the ranges change colour, bring the family or the work crew, or book The Terrace and make the space your own.
The balcony is the headline act — the ideal perch for taking in the scenery with a drink in hand. If you would rather be indoors, there are three seating areas to choose from, and two of them come with large flat-screen TVs for the sports fanatics, so you do not have to miss kickoff to enjoy a meal out.
For small get-togethers and celebrations, The Terrace was purpose-built. This indoor/outdoor space can be closed off from the main bar and restaurant, and it houses its own bar and a private entrance, so you and your guests get a more exclusive experience without leaving the building.
The kitchen runs lunch, dinner and snacks menus that, as the team puts it, have something for everyone. The snacks and entrees list alone is worth the trip: loaded fries with bacon and melted cheese, sticky chicken strips, three-cheese wontons, a baked cob loaf, Thai prawns with prawn crackers and paratha roti, salt and pepper calamari, Greek-style lamb ribs, corn and jalapeno arancini, and steamed pork belly bao buns. The mussels — a dozen green lipped mussels in Thai green curry sauce with toasted ciabatta — are a house staple, and they return on weekends as mussel bowls in your choice of sauce.
Feeding a crowd? The Lookout Platter stacks sticky pork belly, sticky chicken, arancini, onion rings, lamb ribs, wontons and garlic pizza bread, while The Base Platter heads to the sea with Thai curry mussels, chilli prawns, battered fish bites, calamari and battered prawns. Burgers come four ways — crispy pork belly, a double-smash beef, cornflake-crusted chicken and a sweet corn vege patty — and the pizza list runs from the Carnivore Lovers to the Sweet n Spicy Lamb with its harissa lamb and hot honey.
Mains lean hearty. There is seafood chowder, seafood and mushroom tagliatelle, beer-battered fish and chips, crumbed chicken parmigiana, a Sri Lankan-spiced lamb curry with paratha roti, and a proper steak line-up: Hereford Prime scotch or sirloin, eye fillet with potato gratin, and a 400g bone-in ribeye with creamy roasted garlic potatoes and battered prawns. Save room for the housemade sticky date pudding or an affogato.
Each day brings its own drawcard. Mondays it is a 400g beef rump with chips, eggs and red wine jus; Tuesdays are all about the parmigiana. On Thursdays and Fridays between 4pm and 6pm, any glass of tap beer or house wine is upsized to a large for free. Weekends add mussel bowls and a mixed beer bucket of four bottles.
Sunday stacks up two reasons to visit: Slushy/Cocktail Sundays from 2pm to 5pm with slushies and cocktails on tap, then the Sunday Roast from 4pm — served to groups of two or more while it lasts, with bookings recommended.
Beyond the dining room, Lookout catering provides what they call irresistible catering to Hamilton workplaces: fresh baps, wraps, antipasto, pastries, sweets, house-made salads and meats for the next work shout. Closer to home, click and collect runs Monday to Sunday, 11am to 9pm — order online and your food will be ready to pick up — and gift vouchers are available for a friend or as a gift.
All of it is best washed down, naturally, with The Lookout's popular range of cold brews, wine and in-house beverages. Feeling hungry, thirsty or all of the above? They look forward to seeing you.