Careys Bay Historic Hotel

This place has lots of character with various dining areas both inside and outside. The food was great - plenty of seafood choices

The location is a doable walk from the cruise terminal. The outdoor seating is fabulous, the indoor seating is cozy. Depending on time of day you may need to make a reservation before you make that walk. I found the food to be wonderful and well worth the walk. I am glad to give Careys high marks.

The cashier was racist and unfriendly to Asians. Until we said we had a reservation though it was pretty much not needed. The food was fine. But the smoked salmon felt like it really smoked alot before arriving on our plates. Overall not a very pleasant experience.

The best mussels I've ever had. The service and atmosphere are on point.

Second visit to Careys Bay Hotel for dinner in less than a month. Love coming here. The food, service, atmosphere, scenery and prices are all great. It is a seafood restaurant and bar but there are plenty of non-seafood options on the menu. My only criticism would be the vegetarian options are very limited. Friday night can be a bit crowded as the locals fill the place but still a friendly family vibe.

Very delicous food, nice location, friendly staff. I would come again!

A lovely location and a beautiful beautiful stone building. The atmosphere and service are great. Food is well presented but the fish crowded and seafood pie lacked flavour. The other meals looked ok so maybe it was just our choice.

So good we went back twice in a week! I absolutely loved the food here. The seafood platter is ridiculously good value for money, especially the large one. It has a bit of everything: fried battered fish, pan-fried fish, salt and pepper squid, mussels, clams, scallops, and ceviche. All delicious. I also had the shellfish bowl, which was mussels, clams and scallops cooked in a creamy broth, with a couple of pieces of bread and butter for soaking the sauce. I'd also recommend an extra cheese roll to dip or some chips to soak in it (I'm weird, I know). On our second visit we also tried the chowder and that was excellent. 100% recommend, just so good! Go and then enjoy the resulting food coma!

Carey's Bay Historic Hotel (and Pub) is an unassuming stone building just past the port near Port Chalmers. Our host recommended we eat dinner there for their on-menu seafood. We showed up without calling for a reservation -- something we recommend others do -- since there were no indoor tables available for dinner when we got there (on a week night). We were able to find an open outdoor table, and they provided blankets to use, as it can get chilly by the water. We ordered a couple beers while waiting for our food (a milk stout and a Hefeweizen). At this point it started to sprinkle just as our food came out. Fortunately, we were quickly moved to an inside table (another party had finished their meal and the table was available). Not only was the staff great, the food was also excellent. We ordered the seafood bowl (a big bowl of steamed scallops, clams, mussels, green lipped mussels, and white fish in a garlic-coriander-butter broth), the Thai curry seafood bowl (the same steamed fish but in a creamy red Thai sauce, served over rice), and a plate of loaded wedges (a staple menu item across all of New Zealand). The seafood portions were huge -- we probably could have split one between the two of us. And the seafood was excellent! Some of the best I've had in recent memory. In all this little gem turned out to be the perfect spot to take a chance on. And the secret must be out because it's a popular place worth hopping into for dinner or drinks.

If you want seafood, thus is one of the places to get it. Fresh with an asian spin. Great selection of beer and over looking a sheltered part of otago harbour makes this place worth a visit. The decor is historic and quaint. The food is great, worth paying for fresh seafood. The Poisson cru is a great take on cerviche with an Asian spin. Look out for the seafood specials, bluff oysters freshly shucked from the shell are a highlight when they are in season.