Mmmmmmmmm loved it. Really loved the asian twist on the flavours. My Korean chicken main, tempura prawns entree were fantastic. The only downer was that the dessert was too rich and hard to fit in. Liked it so much I purchased another voucher off Grabone. See you soon again!
Had a wedding lunch here one wet day in February. Everything about Tinakori Bistro was fantastic. The service was attentive and friendly, the food was delicious and generous (and innovative!), and the atmosphere was relaxed but special. Katy and her staff made us feel so welcome - even with several kids in tow - and it really made the wedding for us. Thank you sincerely, we couldn't have hoped for anything more, and I can't recommend this restaurant enough!
A lovely place with great food and service. We came here for dinner. I had the beetroot tartare with feta and walnuts to start, and my partner had the five spice duck salad. Both starters were larger than expected, and the duck salad was especially tasty. If it is still on the menu, I wholeheartedly recommend it. Our mains were also of a decent size - my duck was perfect, and the eggplant that accompanied it was delicious (not normally a word I would use when describing eggplant). My only complaint would be the fact that our desserts took a very long time to come out - much longer than the starters or mains.
A great place to come for a nice date or to celebrate an anniversary.
Awesome service and very delicious food. I enjoyed the duck breast so much and beef steak was also very tasty. I love the interior and the whole ambiance in tinakori village. Will definitely go back next time when I am in town.
Most people may not know that Tinakori Bistro has been under new ownership since April 2016. The new chef owner, Aaron, has worked in top restaurants around the world, including Nobu. We are very lucky to have Aaron in Wellington. Aaron is a master in Asian inspired flavours combined with classical European techniques. Combined with attentive service and generous portions, it was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. Highly recommended.
My partner and I went here for dinner with a Groupon voucher which turned out to be amazing value. We had an entree, main and dessert each. I can't fault any of the food, with the beef and Manuka smoked mushrooms being an absolute highlight! Service was friendly and efficient and although plain, the decor suited the relaxed feel to the place. I will definitely be coming back and recommending this place to everyone!
Fabulous date night! Very friendly staff with a stunning atmosphere. Beautifully presented food, the cheese cake is to die for. Would absolutely recommend.
This restaurant is apparently under new management and we had an amazing experience.
The food was incredible, with surprising taste combinations.
Our waitress was so friendly and helpful, without hanging around too much and the manager was also very accommodating.
We were impressed with a visit from the chef, who was happy to chat about the food, what was in season, where it was sourced.
I would definitely say this is my new favourite restaurant.
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Had a really nice dinner at Tinakori Bistro the other night, but this place does need to make some improvements here and there. I really liked the complimentary bubbles on arrival, this was a really nice touch. My dining companion and I both enjoyed a entree, main and dessert each. For entree I had the calamari and my companion had the chowder. My calamari were perfectly cooked and were accompanied by a fragrant and tasty pesto. The chowder was excellent, full-bodied and delicious. There was plenty of salmon strewn through the chowder but hardly any other seafood. I wasn’t complaining as salmon is one of my absolute favourite foods. However, I did expect it to have some calamari, mussels and prawns in it. For main I had the seared salmon which came with bok choy and mashed potato. The dish was enjoyable but not perfect. The mash was creamy and flavoursome. I am not really a fan of bok choy and thought green beans would have been more enjoyable, but that’s just my personal preference. Seared, implies rare, but my salmon was cooked well-done which was heart-breaking. Why people cook salmon for more than a couple of minutes on each side is beyond me. The salmon did taste very good though. My pal had the venison for her main and it was absolutely divine. The meat was cooked perfectly and was succulent and juicy. The rosti was fantastic. I’d give the venison dish a 5/5. For dessert I had the passionfruit cheesecake and my friend had the ice-cream selection. The cheesecake was absolutely perfect. I savoured every mouthful. The ice cream was average, nothing special. We ordered some tea and it didn’t arrive until we had nearly finished our desserts. When we were eating our mains, I had to remind our waitress twice about my glass of wine that I had ordered. All the wait staff here, apart from one, are very friendly and attentive. We had about three different people serve us throughout the evening which wasn’t great, consistency is important and it’s evident from things being forgotten, that this system isn’t working. I also noticed that the plates had a lot of fingerprints on them. Perhaps I have rated this place a bit harshly but all the little things start to add up after a while. Overall though, I did enjoy dinning here and my goodness these people know how to make Cheesecake. Alright, you've won me over (changes rating from a 3.5 to a 4 whilst dreaming of that cheesecake.)
30 of us arrived at 7:30pm for our work Christmas function here last night. The restaurant was packed with people enjoying their meals as we took our seats. Staff promptly took our drinks orders as we chose from the enticing set menu. Entrees came out about 20mins later and I thoroughly enjoyed the goats cheese soufflé while hubby had the prawns in a delicious tabasco sauce. Our mains arrived about 30mins after that and, to be honest, we were all surprised with how small they were. I had the turkey which was tasty but I was left hungry along with everyone else. The majority of us went with the baked white chocolate and passionfruit cheesecake which was really good and just about filled the gap. The service throughout the night was lacklustre but sufficient.Overall, nice experience and I would happily return to try the a la carte menu.
Great atmosphere, attentive and thoughtful service. A neat menu, with clever choices, all of which were nicely executed. A lovely way to spend a Sunday night.
A more than respectable local restaurant. I went here with a large group and everyone was very happy with their meals (no small achievement in itself). I started with the calimari - beautifully presented and perfectly cooked - and then had the steak. Again, very nicely cooked. We were upstairs as we were a big group - a little lacking in atmosphere but otherwise fine.
Came here with my wife for dinner. The staff were polite and attentive. We ordered entrees and mains off the express menu, they arrived in no time at all. I ordered the seafood chowder and coq au vin. Food was great. Could not be happier.
Lovely food, to die for creme brulee. Attentive service all in all a good evening, and for the quality of food the bill wasn't bad at all
We came as a large group for lunch. The waitstaff were very attentive.
I thought the mains were reasonably priced, especially given the quality.
The dessert menu had about six options, all of which looked amazing. Unfortunately too full to have one.
I agree with the previous reviewer who noted the lack of atmosphere. Some background music would go a long way.
Aside from that I really enjoyed the Tinakori Bistro. Will definitely go back.
Just the two of us went here on Friday night. We had a booking but there was plenty of space for people walking in off the street.
We both looooooved the food. We had entrees, mains and shared dessert. I ate the best venison I've ever had.
The service was also excellent. We never waited long to be spoken to, or for our food to arrive. The staff were friendly and polite.
However, the atmosphere was cold. They don't need to do much: a paint wouldn't hurt, or even a couple more pictures. It seems a little run down. Also the toilets (and the dirty curtain separating them from the dining room) could do with an upgrade.
But one thing would really help: you guys need some music! It was so quiet...
We had a lovely night though. The food was excellent!
Always seem to be good service and food. The Calamari rings are amazing!!!
Great mains too, never tried the dessert as I'm always too full by the end of the night
service has been great every time we've gone there. food has also been good.
Brilliant evening. We were a party of 18 and in hte back room upstairs. The service was very attentive, with one waitress assigned to us part-time. she was busy, but nobody waited a long time for anything.
We all chose from the full menu and the staff handled that perfectly, with all meals being delivered one after the other without pauses.
Everybody in the party spoke highly of the food and the service.
What was even better was that the total bill was not exorbitant.
Would I recommend it to anybody else? Of course I would.
Peter
I have been here twice in the past two months, both times with large groups. The food is generally excellent, although portion sizes tend to vary greatly between dishes. I give the bitter chocolate cake with orange anglaise and raspberry sorbet 10/10 every time - truly food from the gods. The upstairs room gets incredibly noisy with a large group and, with a 90 minute wait between ordering and receiving food, I came away quite exhausted after trying to keep up with shouting through the 'dinner conversation'. Overall, good waiting service and delicious food.
Being wellingtonions this is one of our favourites. consistently great, and BYO means we can bring our own choice of great wines.
I hadn't heard of the Tinakori Bistro before we booked a work Christmas function there.
In the interim I heard some good word-of-mouth about it.
By the end of our meal we were all raving about how good it was. The food was cooked to perfection - creative recipes, great mixtures of flavours; tender, melt-in-your-mouth steaks etc. Presentation and service were both excellent.
There were three separate large groups in at the time and I never heard a single complaint. There was no delay in getting the large number of meals out, and they were all perfectly prepared. Everyone seemed to have a great time.
I highly recommend this place.
Had a lovely meal here. Had the ceviche (was super flavourful annd included fennel to give it a bit of a kick), short ribs with excellent kimchi, chicken (moist but skin not crispy), salad and frites (best frites I have had in ages).
Loved the dessert - milk pie and chocolate mousse. Left feeling full and pretty wholesome.
Was a nice atmosphere. A little on the costly side, but it was a treat, no an every-day meal, so wasn’t expecting it to be cheap.
If I had to sum up in one word..GORGEOUS!… the restaurant, staff (including their aprons), ambience, food, decor, restrooms, music… all gorgeous. Food was fresh and healthy portion sizes. Their home made butter was delicious as was the hand made gnocchi. What a wonderful find this place was and I will definitely be a repeat customer.
Delicious! We had the dinner party option, lovely food, adequate portions however maybe a little pricey at $89 which was made up by BYO option.
Lovely decor and athmosphere
Fell in love from the outside already. Finally had the chance to come here with my partner and it was absolutely beautiful.the food was delicious. The service super nice and attentative. Even their drinks tasted unique and amazing at the same time. Will definitely be back! Thanks Team!
Fancy! Had the dinner party experience as a group of six, which included 7 courses. They catered thoughfully for various dietary requirements. Food was exquisite, waiter was really lovely and friendly. We were the only group there which made us sad as it's a great place with lovely ambience. Will go back again I hope!
This small removed restaurant is a culinary gem. The food was exquisite. Every bite was a dimension of flavor immersed in the main event. We ordered the château Briand, which was cooked tender and flavorful. The Butterfish was my favorite which included pumpkin, gnocchi, kale, and sweet potato. The house salad was light and cleansing. The chicken was falling off the bone and had a great flavor. We ended the dinner with homemade chocolate mints and the night was complete. Thank you Daisy!
Very welcoming, friendly staff and excellent service. Lovely cosy decor inside and we were blown away by the incredibly tasty food. The bread and home-made butter to start was divine. We had the Chateaubriand fillet with a couple of veg options on the side and it was incredible. The apple panna cotta and milk pie desserts could've been better. Highly recommend the place.
Absolutely delicious! Great service. Travelling through Wellington and staying nearby for 2 nights - we loved it so much we ate there BOTH nights! Thanks Henry and staff for some incredible food!
Massive thank you to the Daisy's team for a fabulous night. Our group of old hornbags haven't laughed so hard in a long time.
The food was wonderful and the service exceptional. Thanks for catering to our various food needs without hassle.
We had a wonderful night. Thank you!
One of my favourite restaurants, I’m omnivore but they do great vegan dishes too, great place!
Andrew and Kate Harvey-Green
+5
We had a lovely dinner last night, great staff, tasty steak cooked to perfection
Just fantastic. Extremely tasty, well priced European fare (which let you BYO a nice bottle of wine, which you may not be a good enough cook to do justice to at home) with a level of service and attentiveness usually found in restaurants with an extra '0' in the price.
Favourite restaurant in Wellington
Wasn't sure what to expect but my companion read about it online so we decided to brave the stupid protesters at Parliament (bus route blocked) and head to Thorndon. Worth the trip. From the moment we arrived the staff were friendly and engaging, even the young person who wasn't as familiar with the menu as others went out of their way to get us information. Chose the 5 course Daisy's choice ($85) as we couldn't decide what to have. Fantastic experience and the way to go. Buckwheat balls, Tuna, Courgette (to die for), chicken and finally the dessert. I'm not a dessert person but, oh my! The the dark chocolate to finish. Had a lovely bottle of Syrah to match. We spent the evening discussing ingredients and asking about the process. The chef came out three times and had a conversation with us, and explained some of the dishes. That was a bonus. One of the best nights I've had in Wellington for food.
Amazing tasting food with very knowledgeable and polite front of house. Would recommend to anyone
Delicious, such yummy flavours. All the dishes ordered were superb. Staff amazing despite few being on and more walk ins than expected. Yum!
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