Citizen Park
‘Good times, good spirits, good people’ is the tagline for Citizens Park Kingsland, and for us, this rings true most of the time. This popular bar and restaurant is known for its laid back atmosphere, fun quiz nights, live sports viewing and is perfectly positioned near those year round Eden Park events. The place felt relaxed, light and airy, with plenty of room for both small and large groups to spread out and enjoy a drink at the bar or enjoy their American inspired comfort food. Offering plenty of simple selections with excellent ‘snacks & sharesies’ ( the Huskies love a good opportunity to share ;), the fav of the day was the truffle parmesan fries. Another round please!
Unfortunately the day we were there the service was less than friendly – a smile and a bit of polite banter goes a long way towards that welcome feeling – but alas, this was in short supply. Such a shame and a lost opportunity to impress!
Total spend – 4 people – $164.35
Louise had lime and coriander falafel salad and drank water. She said, “The best thing about Citizen Park for me today was that there were heaps of parks outside, unusual for Kingsland during Friday lunch. Oh, and the truffle parmesan fries. And there’s a nice vibe. Kind of. Nice, apart from the service that was lacking, unfriendly and sparing. And apart from the salad which was uninspired – a bag of cos lettuce thrown on a plate with a few chickpeas, radish slices and falafel bites on top. Sadly, I always want Citizen Park to be better than it is.”
Mel had a poke bowl with chicken. She said, “The food was ok, I do like a good poke bowl but this one seemed to lack the flavour punch I was hoping for. The truffle parmesan fries however, well they nailed it and I would definitely have these again! As for the atmosphere during our lunch, there really wasn’t much at all. I think this came down to the slightly steely service (maybe they were having a bad day), but when you don’t really feel welcomed by cheerful service peeps, that can be a downer for me.”
Sam had fish tacos and drank a flat white. He said, “Citizen Park is a great spot for a beer and watching the rugby, loads of room and big tables. Food was pretty good and a good selection.”
Sarah had a poke bowl with eggplant and drank remedy kombucha. She said, “Citizen is a place to go for a quiz night and a few beers. It was a quiet crowd on a Friday lunch and the service was pretty average, maybe they were saving their energy for a big night? My poke bowl was pretty good, just very dry and the rice was super stuck together. One of my pet peeves is bars not having good non-alcoholic options – we gotta improve this! The fries were great though. Would return for the fries on quiz night.”
