TOP 10 BEST Restaurants in New Zealand - Updated November 2024

Portlander

83/100 (1780 ratings)

Restaurants

Grill

New Zealand

Gluten Free Options

Grill

Steakhouse

Vegetarian Friendly

Steakhouse

European

New Zealand

Gluten Free Options

Vegetarian Friendly

After-hours

Dinner

Lunch

Breakfast

Brunch

Creme Brulee

Deer Milk Panna Cotta

Salad

Fish of the Day

Scallops

Beef Tartare

Duck

Port Jus

Oyster

Lamb Ragu

Lamb

Risotto

Duck

Pesto

Salmon

Sirloin Steak

Crème Brûlée

Fish

Pasta

Cheeseburger

Pork

Burger

Meat

Chowder

Garlic bread

Ribs

Chateaubriand

Prime rib

Prawns

Venison Special

Beef

Red wine

Toasts

Salmon Entree

Crème Brulée

Mashed potato

Wakanui Ribeye

Sticky Lamb Ribs

Juice & Smoothies

Spring Potatoes

Pasta

Juice & Smoothies

Sit down

European

New Zealand

Grill

Steakhouse

Reservations

Accepts Credit Cards

Non-smoking restaurants

Takeout

Accepts Mastercard

Accepts Visa

Seating

Accepts American Express

Table Service

Street Parking

Wheelchair Accessible

Sports bars

Serves Alcohol

Wine and Beer

Gift Cards Available

Highchairs Available

Full Bar

Digital Payments

Free Wifi

Breakfast

Dinner

After-hours

Lunch

Mid-range

"Awesome service and food. Highly recommend...."

Tracey Thurston

"FOOD: Panko cauliflower was life-changing! 🔥 Proper seasoning, great texture, enough cheesiness, you’d barely notice you’re eating..."

Meimei

"I first knew the restaurant from First Table, and my friend worked there before, so I came to try their beef, surprisingly, their lamb is as..."

Vicky Yiu

"This place is very good at what they do. The steak cuts, cooking of the cuts, sauces, sides and wines are on point!!! I found having a steak with a..."

Mareko Panapa

"Food: 4/5Ambiance: 4.5/5Service: 5/5Ordered garlic ciabatta, 21 day dry aged beef burger and 35 day dry aged 500g..."

Vogue Foodie

"Portlander is situated inside the Rydges hotel and we had decided to come here for dinner. The service on arrival was friendly and we were seated..."

LiLi Bee

"Went for dinner for the first time here tonight and it was very surprising. The food portions were quite generous - which was nice and it was hot,..."

Sei

"Came for Burger Wellington on a Plate. Was a steak burger with Fix and Fog peanut butter, it was really nice. Loved how it was served in a box...."

Sharon Harvey

"Had the chance of stopping by this little gem last weekend! Good date place if you want something intimate. The cocktails are nice and reasonably..."

Panini T

"portlander bar and grill is one of the best steak houses ive been to with its restaurant style cuts and atmosphere. I ordered the free range hereford..."

Tate Hollis

"Went here for dinner with hubby. Awesome food. Customer service was good and atmosphere was nice. Nice and easy to get remaining food in a takeaway..."

Tbroadley

"Having returned from a disappointing restaurant meal where we left our food we returned to the hotel and ordered the Portlander dry aged burger. It..."

Megha Dogra

"The food is excellent and the place looks great after their refurb. Definitely on the more pricey side of dining but definitely worth..."

Plaunge

"Had Ribs and desserts. The ribs were especially juicy and rich in flavour. It took quite awhile to be served but it serves the purpose. Dessert was..."

AA

"Came here as we stayed at the Hotel above. I had the fish which was beautiful & my partner had the steak. Couldn't fault it. We also had room service..."

Sara King

"Came here for dinner sometime last month and I really like the restaurant's classy, comfortable vibe. We ordered their wakanui steak and lamb shank..."

Foooodie Explorer

"Came here with my family on a trip of Wellington.Atmosphere was amazing. We started with some natural oysters and wine, it was so so so..."

Mimirello

"We had another great lunch at Portlander today. And I'm starting to see a bit of a trend in three areas;1. The quality of meat is always..."

The Wanderer

"Utterly impressed for a hotel place. I came for dinner because of the Entertainment Card discount. I stayed for 4 hours because of the food..."

Mya

"Went last night for a work dinner, the steak tartare was unbelievable as was the crime brûlée. cheese platter and salami platter was..."

Salya

"Went there on Saturday part of a party of 14 we emailed thru our order 2 weeks earlier we were going to the rugby so wanted to eat before the match...."

Rene Robertson

"Love the little outside area on a nice day. The shredded lamb burger is something to behold - I return purely for this item. Also amazing selection..."

Richard Naylor

"Superbly cooked steak! Gave this restaurant s hi with a foodie friend and while the menu is a little limited if you don't want steak - if you DO want..."

EpiCurious

"Stay here for work frequently Normally venture out for dinner but decided to eat at the hotel. Was busy but got a table easily. Decided on the..."

Nik

"Was positively impressed by breakfast service at Portlander. The buffet bar had sophisticated options to cater for any taste or preference. There was..."

Olga Palmer

"I've only been here once and it was a great experience. I had a delicious burger and my partner had an equally yummy steak. Portion looked small when..."

Sammy Jo

"Often frequent this spot for coffees and other drinks during the day. Its a nice comfy and quiet spot so good for chats and there is a little buzz..."

Team Thomas

"Hands down one of the best restaurants in Wellington. If you want a decent steak cooked perfectly, then this is the place you need to go to. I've..."

Damage

"Saw this as one of the recommended places for steak, brought my parents here for their last night in Wellington. Decided on this place as soon as I..."

Lesley Chen

"We are regulars here. The food is consistently good and the service is always excellent. The steaks are extremely tender and cooked to..."

FurryBrownGuy

"If you want a quality steak, cooked exactly the way you want it, this is the place to go. I found it to be a bit pricey for what was actually plated,..."

Featured Eats

"The food was delicious and the service 10/10. I had the entrée porkbelly and scallops and confuit duck for my main. Superb! Definitely a fave in..."

Manz87

"I wouldn't usually venture into a hotel restaurant - always feel they are the domain of tourists and travellers on business. Winning a voucher for..."

Philip Reeve

"The breakfast buffet is outstanding especially the continental section. Also fantastic for those gluten free like me. You must try the pancake..."

Dani Hennessy

"Took my boyfriend here the night of the hobbit movie midnight screening, we missed our train and called to change our reservation the staff were more..."

Stasha Rapata

"The mashed potato alone is worth a trip here. It's so good. The chunky fries and onion rings were also superb. My only complaint is the dessert..."

Kate

"I've been here twice for Wellington On A Plate, and quite a few birthdays now (mine and others)... I have complete confidence in being able to..."

WineListPlease

"We came here before heading to WOW, it was pretty full of people heading that way and making use of their special menu.The food was good, I..."

Muffin Mum

"I have been here for coffee and drinks on a number of occasions at varying times of day. Usually I have found the service pleasant and prompt. On my..."

PeterMS

"Pork ribs with beautiful slaw and thick cut potato wedge chips- amazing. The meat just fell off the bone and so so saucy. Expensive but worth it...."

SarahandElla

"Breakfast is SUPERB! We come here quite often. $29 but worth every cent especially for those big eaters! Very unique, love the milk/juice bottles,..."

Geneva Pearson

"Stayed at Rydges last week and ate here for breakfast. SO GOOD. Really enjoyed it. great selection of food, plenty available and everything was..."

Fleur Peps

"I took my wife out for a quick lunch before going on to something else .We were met at the counter with a great smile and were told we would have a..."

Wayne Tuapola

"The most amazing steak I have ever tasted, hands down. Cooked to perfection, with excellent and simple sides to compliment it. The cocktails weren't..."

CaptFuntimes

"Our party of six dined here at the Portlander Bar & Grill last night. Four of us chose the same main course. This was to be the Pistachio Lamb...."

Bob Lee

"I wanted to take my partner here because he's a man who likes his steak and he was not disappointed! We didn't have a reservation and it was quite..."

Joanne

"Magnificent service, great people, awesome food. It was 22.15, I had thought they close at 23.30 when in fact it was 22.30 (boo wellingtonnz.com) but..."

Kutluhan

"Myself and partner visited Portlander for dinner and thoroughly enjoyed it. We started with a dark beer loaf, which was full of grains, loved it. I..."

Biggie C

"Four of us went for a friend’s birthday, and as the friend had recently dined there and said he’d be back for his birthday he was recognised and..."

Annie Mckissack

"Learnt about their burgers just the other day.Decided to give the lamb one a try. It was delicious - pulled lamb cooked in duch fat - just..."

Rosemary Young

"We stayed at the Rydges Hotel and had breakfast, lunch and dinner at Portlander over the duration of our stay. The service was excellent with..."

Izzy Holland

"I dined here with friends on a Saturday night, the service and food were great. My friends had the lamb which they both enjoyed and I had the fish of..."

Leigh H

"After attending WOW last Sunday my wife and I went for dinner at the Portlander. We were very impressed with the staff who were very friendly and as..."

Paul Jennings

"My partner and I recently dined at the Portlander and found a complete service from the time we walked in to the time we left. The service was second..."

Anna Leahy

"We have recently been lucky to dine at Portlander Bar and Grill, we weren't sure what to expect as we took our 3 kids with us. We had a great time,..."

Paul F

"Yum! The dinner we had here was excellent. We each had 3 courses and enjoyed them all. The entree was fresh seafood including lovely whitebait..."

Kimmy

"I went there earlier this month with my family and my partner's family. The food was absolutely delicious. I had a steak that was cooked perfectly to..."

Wendy Yee

"Fantastic night at Portlander.Last Friday myself and the lads from work wanted a few beers after a long busy week at work.Great..."

Shane Walker

"WOW, what an amazing experience, "portlander" is by far the biggest thing to hit Wellington, if I could I would eat there every night.My partner..."

Jade Redfern

"We are Aucklanders who were fortunate enough to be invited to this new restaurant. It gave us the opportunity to compare the standard of fine dining..."

Wai Se Fei

"I went to the Portlander with a couple of friends and it was a really enjoyable evening. The service was great, staff were very friendly, and no..."

Jessica Young

"Recently my husband and I were celebrating our anniversary dinner and decided to go to the Portlander after hearing great things from some of our..."

Kazia Ataria

"My husband and I recently went to the restaurant at Rydges Wellington - The Portlander. We had heard several good things about this restaurant and..."

Belinda N

"I was recently invited to join a friend at the Portlander Restaurant at Rydges Hotel in Wellington. Everything about my experience was amazing. Such..."

Emily Nixon

"I have to say that the Portlander cooks the BEST steaks in town. Sirloin steak on the bone is to die for. Service was impressive and the overall..."

Matt

"My husband and I chose this restaurant as we wanted to show our future in-laws the standard of fine dining in Wellington and we were not let down at..."

Jennifer Yee

"Upon arrival at the Portlander Bar & Grill, I found the atmosphere warm and pleasant, and the wait staff were all very personable, knowledgeable..."

Major Yee

"This place is unreal, we had a meal here on Saturday night and the place was humming. We had heard about the place through friends and they were so..."

Rob Von Hartitzsch

"Amazing!! A large group of us dined here for "Wellington on a Plate - Long Lunch - Grain vs Grass Fed" and all I can say is amazing. Every single..."

Fam Webster

"A group of friends and I went for a leaving dinner (about 12 of us) and were blown away at how attentive the staff were to such a big group. Normally..."

Katy Smart

"I walk past the window everyday and thought I would give it a go. WOW is all I can say, restaurant was full so had to wait for a table in lounge bar..."

Sam

"I had dinner with colleagues and was blown away by the atmosphere of the place and the food was excellent. I haven't found it in too many, if any..."

Andrew O

"I went here with a business associate and had a fantastic experience. My t-bone was absolutely the lovely, large, perfectly cooked piece of meat I..."

David Blue

"I have been here twice and both times had a steak. Those two steaks share first equal for the best steaks I have ever had. So delicious - and not as..."

Laura Kay

"Nice restaurant we had the tomahawk 800g. We waited for awhile as we were advised it might take longer as the steak was big but it was cooked to..."

Ann K

"The desserts at Portlander restaurant are simply delightful! Their selection offers a delectable array of flavors and textures. From rich and creamy..."

Mahdi Abdollahi

"What a delicious celebratory meal we enjoyed for my daughter’s graduation from Victoria University. There were 6 adults and the men chose the..."

Kelly Beckett

"Several hit it out of the park. We arrived without a reservation and when only the bar was open. We asked for a food accommodation and they..."

Andrea Brentano

"Just had a really great meal here, the food was outstanding, the service was top notch, the staff are amazing. Really could not recommend more...."

Lyndelle Barnett

"My goodness the food was delicious. Their lamb steak/rib combo, Maryland chicken & cauliflower gratin is our new favorite. Best of all is their..."

Nicola Sims

"Had my birthday dinner here tonight and it was amazing. Service was top notched, both servers were pleasant, really helpful and gave great..."

Amanda Pledger

"Located inside a nice, clean hotel. Food was very yommy, had the smoked chowder which was super nice and filling. Texture just the right amount of..."

Peony Yang

"Located onsite within The Rydges Hotel on the ground floor. Nice atmosphere and friendly service from the waitresses. Easy access for wheelchairs and..."

PL V

"Our waiter made our evening very enjoyable. He was very friendly and attentive. Wife loved the steak, and I had the rump and ribs were..."

Zac Farrugia

"I had “the cheese burger” and this is the best ever! This is what the cheese burger is. It was not only cheesy but patty was so yummy. Plus,..."

JOHN AHN

"Beef is delicious but I was expecting a bit more of bacon. And it would be good to have the option for an aioli instead of regular tomato..."

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