The Occidental

The most delicious mussel restaurant
I'm glad you came
Reservations are recommended for the evening.
I went there every day during my stay!

Great place! Great beer! Most of our food was great - we got the beef stew, the chicken schnitzel, the fish and chips, and the seafood chowder.

The chicken was pretty standard while the fish was a bit of a let down (on the dry side).

The beef stew - great! Really yummy, definitely get it with the mash.

The seafood chowder - amazing! Highlight of the dinner. Wish we got 4 of these tbh. Creamy, seafoody, big portion, all the things you want in a chowder.

The food here was great before, was one of my fav restaurants and recommended to many of my friends. I decided to come here again with my friend on Saturday. Last time here they accepted our photo ID saying that was okay with it, so we thought a photo of ID would be okay (me and my friends are both over 20, we just wanna have dinner here with no drinks) This time they were like asking us to show our actual ID otherwise we had to show credit card with our names on it. I was like? Coz credit card doesn’t have any photo or age of the person on it. That’s way too wired… if they could accept credit cards, then what’s wrong with the photo of ID? The manager seems a bit mean and didn’t wanna communicate with us by sending another staff to talk to us unless we are showing her our credit cards. I am so confused with their policy nowadays. Felt so disappointed and lack of respect here. If they say they can’t do it anymore because they changed the law I could totally understand, but by saying showing our credit cards and saying you are only allowed to use photo of ID once in your life made me feel like the store a bit disorganised. The customer service experience I had here was terrible this time.

The atmosphere is nice, the food tastes good, and the staff are friendly. There's a reason why a lot of Koreans come here and everyone recommends it. I recommend visiting at least once when you come to Auckland.

There is a grill and steam for mussels. I recommend steam.
There were a lot of reviews saying the steak wasn't that good, but when I actually ordered it, it was good. I guess it depends on my condition that day.
It comes with fried squid and chili sauce, and it goes well together.

This restaurant is frequented by many locals.

I asked for a gin and it didn't have any alcohol, it was just a glass with water and ice Bad

Staff are always helpful and attentive. Bought 2 guitars already in the past 4 months. Of course, I'm an Ibanez loyalist. Bummer they don't carry Boss and Line 6 brands.

Not really my scene. Nothing bad per se' but I'm not a fan of music so loud you need to scream across the table at your friends.
It was a nice enough pub, and the food was ok.

5 years ago I left my son here.it was a momentous occasion as he came from small town NZ to the big city.tonight we celebrated him achieving Masters of physics. I left him there again tonight. Just as proud. #cheers

Enjoyed a drink here - Lovely little old style pub. Great service, warm atmosphere and a great selection of beers on tap.

Amazing service. Was tight in finding a spot to sit. Came here for the mussels and hoegarden.both did not disappoint.creamy white wine and garlic sauce the best. Will return if in the area.

Really enjoyed our visit here. First time but keen to go back when in Auckland again. Great atmosphere. Had the pink gin special, which was very nice. Wonderful old building and nice staff. Felt very welcome and although we didn't eat, the menu looked great and others peoples meal looked generous and tasty.

Me and my hostel friends went there and the flemish stew was so good the wine can be tasted in the sinews of the meat the Skyrim flavor shocked me but it was my friend's friend's dish. I tried to order one myself a few months later and this one tasted like canned stew from Countdown I was so sad I was trying to eat it and thinking about whether it's worth eating the rest of it. I didn't have heart to tell them how bad it was. You should make the Flemish Stew very very good and sell it to NZders as the lunchtime deal instead of other things because they can GET other things in other eateries. Do this instead of doing the lamb or fish generic unmemorable $20 deals because NZ cousine is Chancery Square's raw vegetable in sour sauce and medium rare meat and see if you will will not hit that corporate area right in the face with a load.

Nice attentive waitress. The dish of steamed mussels I chose was VERY poor. Old dark shriveled mussel meat with the sauce glopped over the top. Dish was barely lukewarm - The opposite of succulent. Calamari was tasteless. Nice place for a beer on the balcony in the late sun. But would think twice about returning

Grand old pub with probably nearly a 150 year history. Original interior and relaxed, warm atmosphere. Tasty pub meal on a chilly Tuesday afternoon.

My son and a friend of his came here two months ago, the place, the food, the service, were Awesome!
My wife and I had to try it. So, we a brought a friend in all the way from Queenstown. We were speechless! The food; texture, flavours, presentation, Beautiful! Don't forget to try the Sea Kiwi, we loved it!
Great great service team; the Dynamic Duo! The music, our place to be; the rolling 70s, 80s, 90s.

Great food and great service is never taken lightly. Always had a great experience dining here. Love the casual atmosphere. Had the 1 Kilo Mussels, 500g Angus Rump Steak (medium), Belgian Sausages, Roast Lamb Shank, and the Chicken Vol Au Vent. All the food was exceptional. Great tasting and cooked to perfection. Left the place full and happy.

This pub is outstanding, excellent service and great selection of European beers. Very vibey spot

A great vibe to the bar and their half a kilo steaks are always cooked to perfection whenever I go there

Will always go back there any time!

Good atmosphere and an impressive selection of beverage options. The seafood platter was huge with a variety of fresh eats ready for consumption. We overestimated our eating ability and struggled to finish but we didn't want to leave anything behind!

We were a group of eight and the service was excellent. The range of Belgian beers was very extensive and having several on tap was a highlight.
Cocktails and mocktails were also enjoyed by those that had them.
They do serve food but we were going out for dinner so didn't try any but what I saw looks good.
Also serve what is claimed to be the best beer in the world.