Athenree Pancake House 1254 State Highway 2, Athenree Gorge, Bay of Plenty 3177

"As soon as my partner and I walked in here I wanted to leave. We walked up and were getting mean mugged by people sitting outside the entrance smoking, but turns out they were the staff. No "Hi" or "Welcome" as we walked past them only stares. We got to the counter and one woman walked past us with no greeting and served us. She was blunt and unwelcoming, we were the only customers in there but we felt like we were intruding. So we ordered two sweet pancakes and sat down. The front of house interior was musty old, and outdated. Smelt like it had been wet and then left to dry without ventilation, it was hot as hell in there. No AC, no airflow. There was no music or atmosphere, felt like the beginning to a cabin in the woods film. Given the choice we would have loved to sit outside, as the trees surrounding the area were beautiful this time of year, but the only outside seating was taken up by what we assume was the three workers/owners ? Smoking cigarettes. So we sat inside and our table stunk of vinegar and was oily to the touch, while we waited we heard their microwave going for what we assume was our pancakes, why they don't ready make their own pancakes at a pancake house I don't know. Once the food came out it was horrendously sweet and doughy, which I could forgive if pancakes weren't the main item on their menu, how much effort does it take to whip up two fresh pancakes and cook them on the stove top? Not like they were busy before hand. Aside from all that, there were just dirt and grime everywhere, from the display plate sizes having dust and dead bugs on them, to the fruit flies that were flying around while I ate or the rusty water jug. Maybe the staff should spend their time cleaning rather than smoking cigarettes in full view of their customers. I am genuinely unsure about how this place is able to maintain business and stay open. Some serious changes would need to take place for me to every consider revisiting this place. To be fair, a lot of these negatives could have been forgiven if it was just a cute breakfast place with friendly people but it doesn't even have that saving grace. Finally, I would not recommend this place to anyone. Stay clear, drive an extra 5 minutes to the surrounding towns for a much nicer experience."

"Most delicious pancakes! Savoury for me sweet for hubby❤️"

"If you like pancakes you will love this place! Pancakes are made fresh to order and are delicious. A must when you are in the area (= Waihi Beach) @owner: run social media ads targeting Waihi Beach; people will overrun your business"

"Great pit stop for something sweet with some hot tea on a rainy day. We ordered the strawberry pancake with extra chocolate sauce and shared it between the two of us."

"I had the raspberry and banana regular sized pancake. It was delicious, but I couldn't finish it all. The hot chocolate wasn't very chocolatey, but my partner enjoyed his cinnamon latte."