The Oak Tree Restaurant is a modern buffet restaurant in Judea, Tauranga, located inside the Tauranga Citizens Club at 170 Thirteenth Avenue. Established in 2008, it has spent well over a decade doing one thing with real consistency: buffet dining built around a wide range of premium tastes, served in a room with a large seating capacity and an easy, family-friendly feel.
What sets it apart from a standard buffet is the live cooking station, where chefs prepare fresh, tasty dishes in front of guests. The buffet itself covers all the bases — a roast of the day, warming soups, a deli and salad bar, a hot food selection and an assortment of mouthwatering desserts, with hot tea and coffee to finish. A licensed bar serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to dining guests, and a seafood buffet features among the restaurant's best-known offerings.
Children are welcome, highchairs are available and there's a range of dishes the kids will love. With the ability to accommodate private functions, the Oak Tree is also a popular choice for weddings, family reunions, graduation and birthday celebrations and company parties — and each year it opens on Christmas Day with a special festive menu, staying closed on other public holidays.
Tauranga has plenty of places to eat out, but few do what the Oak Tree Restaurant does. Tucked inside the Tauranga Citizens Club at 170 Thirteenth Avenue in Judea, this established buffet restaurant has been serving the Bay of Plenty since 2008, built around a simple, generous idea: one spread, a wide range of premium tastes, and the freedom to go back for more.
It's a format that suits almost every occasion. Drop in for a relaxed weekday lunch, settle in for dinner with the whole family, or book the room for a wedding or company party — the Oak Tree has the seating capacity and the kitchen to match.
What lifts the Oak Tree above a standard buffet is its live cooking station. Rather than dishes simply sitting in warmers, chefs prepare fresh, tasty dishes in full view of diners, so you can watch your meal come together before you load your plate. It adds a bit of theatre to service and, more importantly, keeps the food coming out fresh.
The buffet line itself covers all the classic territory. There's a roast of the day for the carvery traditionalists, warming soups, a deli and salad bar for lighter plates, and a hot food selection of dishes created, in the restaurant's own words, to satisfy your taste buds. Sweet tooths are looked after with an assortment of mouthwatering desserts, and hot tea and coffee are available to finish. A seafood buffet features among the restaurant's signature offerings, and the licensed bar pours alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for dining guests.
The Oak Tree is openly child friendly. Kids are welcome, highchairs are on hand, and there's a range of dishes on the buffet that the little ones will actually want to eat — a small thing that makes a big difference for family outings.
That same accommodating spirit extends to groups of every size. With large seating capacity and the ability to host private functions, the restaurant regularly caters for weddings, family reunions, graduation celebrations, birthdays and company parties, with dedicated information available for weddings, conferences and celebrations.
One quirk of the calendar is worth knowing: the Oak Tree closes on all public holidays — except Christmas Day. Each year it opens specifically to serve a Christmas Day lunch, making it a genuine option for families who would rather not cook (or wash up) on the big day. Just remember that a 15% surcharge applies to the total bill on public holidays.
The restaurant runs six days a week, closed on Mondays. Tuesday through Sunday there are two sittings: lunch from 11.30am to 2.30pm and dinner from 5.30pm to 9.30pm. Prices and menu items are subject to change, so it pays to check ahead.
Reservations can be made by phone on 07 578 0083 or by email at info@oaktreerestaurant.co.nz — wise for weekend sittings and essential for larger groups. Whether you come for the roast, the seafood or the desserts, the deal is the same: a generous Tauranga buffet done with heart, much as it has been since 2008.