The Garden House Restaurant operates within an historic building inside the grounds of the Thermal Reserve. During the re-development in 1992 it was moved 20 metres to its present position. It serves lunch, dinner and snacks. You can eat inside or out depending on the weather.

We were very lucky to get a table because pre-booking is usually necessary. It was outside and the temperature was too cold for my wife (who thinks 30C is cold) so we ordered and ate quickly. She had a kebab appetiser (NZ$8.50) and I had the soup (NZ$6.50). For mains she had a satay chicken stack (NZ$19.50) while I thoroughly enjoyed my reef and beef - sirloin grilled to perfection then topped with sautéed scallops and shrimps (NZ$23.50).

We thought the food was average but it may have been because we were both tired after a long day and my wife was cold. The fact that it is so popular seems to indicate that the food must be good. The service was reasonable despite the big crowd.