Best Tapas in Nelson

3 restaurant menus in New Zealand, (the ranking and the list of restaurants are based on the number of recommendations received from users in the last month, currently updated to December 2024)
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Red16
Red16
92/100 (146 ratings)
Restaurants
Spiced Rum and Coke
Passionfruit Margarita and Ginger Nut
Fish Burger Special
Sour Wishky and Wine
Corn Chips and Dips
Chimichiri Steak Taco
Prawn and Garlic Taco
Tapas
Tacos
Strawberry Margarita
Mulled Wine
Reservations
"What a gorgeous spot for a quiet drink! Check out what’s on as there are fun events/themes every night & the cocktail menu is to die for! I had a..."
Janita Patrick
"Amazing little bar, great sounds, so many tasty cocktails for $18-$20, loved the Ginger Nut one and the Passionfruit Margarita. Lots of Mexican tapas..."
Kim Seaward
"it was a packed house and 9pm on a Saturday Night...so service was compromised due to being very busy...BUT they handled it well despite this...the..."
Glenn Dunlop
"Comfortable and cruisy venue, great selection of beer and wine, cocktails etc. Tasty Mexican food options too. Open Mic nights Thursdays. Lotsa live..."
Zerostudy1
"Nice place for a drink. Has both indoor and outdoor seating. Good selection of beers including a few on hand..."
J K
"This is one of our favorite spots in Nelson. Granted we came here during public holiday and many other places were closed due to that fact. The..."
Andrew Nelson
"Fabulous for a drink. Prefer the tacos were not served all at once as my second was stone cold when time to eat. Excellent service. Very friendly and..."
Prudence Kilshaw
"Awsome spot for a bar and great customer service. Food here is nice enough for a price. It's a tidy outfit a small group would enjoy to..."
iNVASIVE Sports Team
"We visited Red while we were in Nelson and it felt like home away from home. One of those places you can jump in and find your community, listen to..."
Kaylee Schipani
"Dog Friendly! What a find! Awesome Owners, great crowd, there was live music when we went & everyone seemed happy & responsible. Such a treat to be..."
Twané Chéze-Gower
Smugglers Pub And Cafe
Smugglers Pub And Cafe
85/100 (3178 ratings)
Restaurants
Vegan Options
Vegetarian Friendly
European
Bar
New Zealand
Pub
European
Gluten Free Options
New Zealand
Bar
Pub
Vegan Options
Vegetarian Friendly
Gluten Free Options
Brunch
After-hours
Dinner
Lunch
Beef
flat white coffee
Chowder
Ribeye
Ice Cream Sunda
Billy Bones Pork Ribs
Burrito
Cheesecakes
Pasta
Salad
Smokin' Hot Meat Platter
Fish & chips
Salmon
Lamb
Pesto
Fish
fish n chips
Chowder
Lamb Rump
Pork
Mochaccino
Cheesecake
Chicken parmigiana
Cocktails
Mushroom Sauce
Fish & Chips
Burger
Fish chips
Beer on Tap
Tapas
Brownie
Sticky Date Pudding
Fish Taco
Garlic bread
Calamari
Tacos
BEEF BRISKET
Roast Beef
Ribs
Sit down
European
New Zealand
Bar
Pub
Television
Street Parking
Seating
Table Service
Wheelchair Accessible
Serves Alcohol
Gift Cards Available
Parking Available
Free off-street parking
Highchairs Available
Full Bar
Accepts Credit Cards
Outdoor Seating
Reservations
Takeout
Dinner
After-hours
Lunch
Brunch
Mid-range
"From the outside we thought this place would be a very average pub feed, but it outdid our expectations for sure! Lovely fish tacos, great kids..."
Kim Seaward
"Food was excellent with big portions and loads of flavour, all cooked perfectly. Really friendly service and great value for money. Would 100% come..."
Gavin James
"Blown away by this amazing place. Food was impeccable, worth every dollar. I had the Lamb Loin (it's a dinner special), the Hot Pudding of the Day..."
Yu E
"Great restaurant, the mains are quite huge. Tacos are a great size for older kids. Steak was meant to come with coleslaw but came with leafy greens...."
Emma May
"The food was so yummy, and the place has great character. Peter, our waiter, is great! - so friendly with a great sense of humor. "Bob" the fish in..."
Nathan Blaxall
"We are extremely satisfied customers and highly recommend everyone in the area to check out Smugglers! The food and customer service here was..."
TJ R
"Wow! What a stunning place! The interior is creative and there's is always something to look at. The service was a amazing. Duty manager was a bloody..."
antony clark
"Really nice and delicious restaurant. The steak was really good and also the fries. The ambient in the restaurant is like you are sitting in a pub..."
Steffi Brüm
"Great service very inviting and easy to book. Our waiter was on point in taking orders with our big group with lots of jokes. Family friendly place..."
Danii Matthews
"Excellent food,great service,its a little bit dear but great food and good size..."
Ian Wilson
"Amazing place to visit. We had the best waitress, Maia who made the night amazing. Well worth every minute spent there..."
Conor Walsh
"We had great time at this restaurant! The owner was super friendly, he was very accommodating. Kids meal was great value, my steak was good. The food..."
Kumiko Steer
"We went there for a family outing. Welcome was warm and friendly, we were quickly seated and menus arrived. Drinks followed soon after. The range of..."
Donald Lamont
"Overall good food and great staff, but I did think the food is a bit lacking. The ribs and brisket were good but not great. The serving size was..."
Daniel Lee
"Great atmosphere. Smugglers has been operating for ages in Nelson and is now more of an institution. Lots of seating with small and large tables,..."
Simon nicholson
"Had a large group booking. The service was fantastic, prompt, and efficient. They kept everyone's glass full, and the meals came within a good time..."
Rachael Steans
"Came here and ended up going for the cheap lunch option with dessert. Next time I would like to try a normal menu meal as they do look amazing in the..."
Kate Griffiths
"Was impressed with this restaurant themed bar. For dinner we had the brisket and the calamari and both were good quality meals. The establishment was..."
L Lee
Nicola's Cantina
Nicola's Cantina
84/100 (768 ratings)
Restaurants
Gluten Free Options
Vegan Options
Mexican
Vegetarian Friendly
Mexican
Latin
Latin
Gluten Free Options
Vegan Options
Vegetarian Friendly
Dinner
Lunch
Chili
Guacamole
Pork
Vegetarian Burrito
dulce de leche
Margarita Mango
Piña colada
Huevos Rancheros
Tapas
Burrito Steak
Fish Taco
Salad
Tacos
Chocolate Mousse
Prawns
Shrimp Quesadilla
Taco Steak
Tequila and Tacos for Breakfast
Vegan Vegetable Burrito
Burrito
Big Drink of Tomato Juice
Fajitas
Beef Burrito I Enchilada Espinacs
Nachos
Ceviche
Salad
Fish
Sit down
Latin
Mexican
Full Bar
Accepts Credit Cards
Reservations
Seating
Table Service
Outdoor Seating
Wheelchair Accessible
Takeout
Accepts Mastercard
Accepts Visa
Serves Alcohol
Wine and Beer
Highchairs Available
Dinner
Lunch
Mid-range
"This place really exceeded my expectations. The waiting staff was pretty good. There was one instance when they forgot to serve us our desert, but..."
Tinos.adventure
"Our favorite restaurant in Nelson, very authentic mexicano cuisine and reasonably priced. The seafood burrito and ceviche do our local fish justice,..."
Julie Hixon
"I thought it was pretty authentic Mexican food (not that I've been to Mexico), generous servings, fantastic attentive and friendly service, food was..."
Charmaine
"Great place to be really nice food burritos and quesadilla and everything lovely environment friendly staff :) only thing I didn't like was the music..."
Prashant Ahuja
"We went to Nicola's Cantina last night for the first time ~ Was quite blown away to say the least! Enjoyed the food (Jalapeno Prawns - Amazing), the..."
Geoff Adams
"Great place to come for tasty mexican food and delicious Golden Bear Brewery beers!  Recommend the fajitas!  Fun casual atmosphere although it can..."
Mic Heynekamp
"We came in late on a Wednesday evening and were the last to order. The staff were fun and friendly and we were happy to enjoy a good atmosphere and..."
Jasper Gobes
"Such lovely decor and a really chill vibe. We enjoyed the margaritas at $18 a piece. The cerviche was excellent ($24), although I would have liked..."
Kim Seaward
"The best & the only authentic Mexican food in Nelson was extremely scrumptious, however you may have to re order your mains because of the portion..."
Sneha Bharadwaj
"Such a great spot with a real traditional feel and great atmosphere. Amazing food and friendly staff that went out of their way to make sure we were..."
Matt Goodman
"Great little Mexicano Restaurante. Delicious margaritas, excellent music. Had the tacos gf pescado and beef. Tasty and well priced for the size...."
loveleov
"We enjoyed our meals here. We were squeezed in on a really busy Friday night in a cozy corner. Service was prompt with mocktails and a nice big good..."
Steve Warne
"I enjoyed every moment in this place. The food was excellent, staff friendly and helpful. I'll be back again..."
Aleksandar Jovic (Alex)
"Absolutely amazing food, tamales out of this world, super authentic. Staff were good although a bit slow on order takings, and their hot sauce they..."
Jemmah Shelling
"I've had quesadelas in some od places all over the world... And tonight I tasted one of the best in my home country...."
Altercode “Atercode”
"Excellent food and fun atmosphere! Almost all the menu is Gluten-free as well. We tried the Burritos, guacamole, tacos, chorus, chocolate cake,..."
Matat Lipsky
"Nice and cosy. Food is great quality..."
Adrie Jansen van Rensburg
"a little small for the amount of people we had but the atmosphere was fantastic and the staff where very..."
Jasmyne Taylor