Split Bar & Restaurant is a central Whangārei dining room and cocktail bar with a separate garden bar, giving the Rathbone Street venue several moods within one address. Lunch and dinner run from Monday to Saturday, and the restaurant takes bookings while keeping an all-day menu available between the main services. That setup suits a quick midday plate, drinks and snacks in the garden or a longer evening meal built around the grill.
The opening plates are varied enough to form a shared meal of their own. Pumpkin, sage and pine-nut arancini sit beside bruschetta, market-fish crudo, spiced lamb mince with hummus and burrata with chilli jam. Seafood chowder provides a warmer, richer start, while simple sourdough makes sense as an accompaniment when several plates are moving around the table.
Mains balance familiar bistro comfort with more composed cooking. Fish and chips and bangers with mash share the page with market fish and slow-braised lamb shoulder, while pasta changes with the kitchen's daily preparation. From the grill, diners can choose chicken, line-caught fish, bavette or New Zealand ribeye and add a sauce, creating a clear route for anyone who wants the meal centred on a simply cooked protein.
Dessert keeps the same mix of polish and familiarity. Dark chocolate and Cointreau mousse, rhubarb with white-chocolate crémeux, spiced coconut panna cotta and apple beignets each offer a different finish, from rich and citrusy to light, spiced or crisp. With vegetarian dishes and dietary modifications identified across the menu, Split can accommodate a mixed group without forcing everyone into the same style of meal.
Address: 15 Rathbone Street, Whangārei Central, Whangārei 0110, New Zealand
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