Bazza's Steakhouse has been a premium dining destination for the people of Franklin for over 20 years, set in a 1930s-era building on the corner of Tobin and Seddon Lanes in Pukekohe, modernised to fit with today's restaurant design. The result, in the restaurant's own words, is a truly unique experience — summed up by the house motto: "Serious steak, seriously good!"
Bazza's is a small family-run restaurant. Owner Fraser brings 25 years of hospitality experience from home and abroad and uses it to train and nurture a young team, so the service carries the same care as the cooking. Ingredients are chosen with just as much attention: Bazza's sources high-quality produce from local growers and buys a range of beef and lamb from Neat Meat. Nearly every meal is cooked or grilled from scratch — which can't be beaten for flavour, but as the team will tell you, make sure you're not in too much of a rush, because good things take time.
The extensive menu has choices for all the family, from premium aged beef steaks to old-fashioned thick ice cream milkshakes, and persons with specific dietary requirements are easily catered for — just let your wait person know when ordering.
Bazza's is also a natural home for celebrations. Large group bookings are welcomed for any occasion, with room to seat up to 24 people on a single table, and home-made or store-bought birthday cakes are welcome. Families with little ones are looked after too, with four high chairs and a change table on hand. The restaurant is open Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm, with free parking available at the council carpark between Countdown North and BP Pukekohe.
On the corner of Tobin and Seddon Lanes in Pukekohe, in a 1930s-era building that has been modernised to suit today's restaurant design, Bazza's Steakhouse has been a premium dining destination for the people of Franklin for more than twenty years. The motto that follows the name says it simply: "Serious steak, seriously good!" Two decades on, it's a promise the kitchen is still keeping.
Bazza's is a small, family-run restaurant, and that shapes everything about a visit. Owner Fraser brings twenty-five years of hospitality experience from home and abroad, and puts it to work training and nurturing a young team, so the service carries the same care as the cooking. It's the kind of room where the food takes centre stage — and where every effort is made to ensure customers leave satisfied.
The kitchen's calling card is its premium aged beef steaks, and the meat is chosen with care: Bazza's buys a range of beef and lamb from Neat Meat and sources other high-quality ingredients from local growers. Nearly every meal that leaves the kitchen has been cooked or grilled from scratch, which the team believes can't be beaten for flavour.
There is one ask that comes with that approach — don't be in too much of a rush. As the restaurant itself puts it, good things take time, and Bazza's is a place to settle in for the evening rather than eat and run.
The extensive menu has choices for all the family. At the top end sit those aged steaks; at the other, an old-fashioned treat — thick ice cream milkshakes that have become a signature in their own right. In between, the beef and lamb range runs through the menu, backed by produce from local growers.
Bazza's makes a point of welcoming every kind of diner. Persons with specific dietary requirements are easily catered for — simply let your wait person know when ordering. For families with small children, there are four high chairs and a change table for the littlest customers, and a menu built to give all ages something to be happy about.
It's also a natural venue for marking occasions. Bazza's is great for large group bookings celebrating any occasion and can accommodate up to 24 people on a single table — a rarity that makes it a standout choice for celebrations of every kind. Home-made or store-bought birthday cakes are welcome, so the party can be yours from top to bottom. For those giving the gift of a night out, E vouchers are available through the website.
Bazza's is open Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm, evenings only. It closes on Sundays and Mondays, all public holidays, Easter Saturday, Matariki Saturday, and from 22 December until 5 January — well worth checking before a summer visit.
Finding it is easy: look for the corner of Tobin and Seddon Lanes in Pukekohe, with free parking available at the council carpark between Countdown North and BP Pukekohe. Reservations can be made through the website, and with only five evenings a week and a single table that seats up to 24, booking ahead is a sensible habit. Questions can be answered on 09 238 3931 or by email at bazzaspukekohe@gmail.com.
Twenty-plus years in, Bazza's Steakhouse remains what it set out to be: a locally loved steakhouse where the steak is serious, the shakes are thick, and good things take time.