I am HUGELY remiss in posting a review. Today my daughter called me "remember that place in Nelson…read moreNZ with the smoked manhattan drinks?" Oh yes I do, in fact it was a highlight of places we visited in New Zealand. Inside is a pretty classic setting. Black tablecloths with white butcher paper. Clean, cozy. The first thing we noticed was this very small bar with 6 tiers of shelves hosting all sorts of spirits and alcohol, and the bar tender was ever so gracious. Our table wasn't quite ready but we enjoyed our chat with the bartender and honestly could have waited longer. The menu for drinks and food was immediately appealing. We tried their smoked manhattans. Delicious. They made it at the table and that was just fun. I got their scallops. Fresh, simple goodness. We shared their fries and I rolled my eyes. Great food, service and overall a charming relaxed and gem of a place in Nelson. Highly recommend!

A delightful setting with great seafood. Ok you hungry travelers tired of mediocre tourist food--…read moretry Cod and Lobster in the town of Nelson. Named after the British Admiral but hey, hi there anyway. Fresh is the name of the game here. You want it, they have it. A beautiful setting. Inside and out. I love it didn't feel touristy. Crazy good bar- see pic-- and great wine list. A lot of great regional pinot noir. Fairly priced for very high quality. I paid around $90 NZ for a hard to get delicious bottle. Try Burnt Cottage if you're into Pinot. Go here. Don't hesitate

We ate here on New Year's Eve and were so delighted with our meal! The view is captivating and…read morelovely sea breezes come through the open windows. The food was excellent - we had a multi course set menu for the holiday. I particularly loved the fresh baked bread, maple smoked salmon, and the snapper with new potatoes, radish and cauliflower. After dinner we walked along the wharf and watched the big ships come into the harbor. Truly a lovely evening!

Great views, great service, great food! If you are looking for a superb all around experience, look…read moreno further. Harbor Light will deliver on all accounts!

Classic, delicious, fresh fish and chips. Really popular place with locals, and only open for…read moredinner. Their full scoop of chips is a very generous scoop! We ordered one hoki, one fish burger, and a battered fish of the day, as well as one scoop of chips and one scoop of seasoned wedges (SO GOOD). The fish of the day came as a pretty good-sized fillet. The fish burger was a delightful surprise - several smaller pieces of fried battered fish, lettuce, mayo, caramelized onions, and tart-sweet pickled beet slices. Seabreeze also sell single packets of Wattie's tomato sauce, tartare sauce, and aioli for 60 cents a pop, and larger cans of the tomato sauce for $2 NZD. This is a takeaway joint, and they have some chairs inside for a comfortable wait. There are also three tables, but they're very small, so if you want to eat there you might be able to if they're not occupied by waiting customers, but don't necessarily count on it :)

My husband and I needed a place to grab lunch after the ferry ride, and didn't want to stray too…read morefar as we had a train ride coming up. We walked in to Cockles since they had a patio to eat on and it was the most beautiful day. The menu was extremely limited (maybe 5 items to eat), but we found out that it was the first week the new owners had it. They said they had some changes coming and didn't want to roll out a whole menu ASAP. They wanted to perfect it and make changes to make the place theirs. The wife and son were very friendly and welcoming. I had the blue cod fish and chips and it was probably some of the best fish & chips I have ever had! I was extremely impressed. They had a decent beer selection, too. I am excited for this couple to see what they do with this place, especially if the fish and chips were that good! (By the looks of the new menu now- it looks amazing!)

We had no initial intention of dining in Havelock, while on our way to Nelson for the evening,…read morehowever during a kayaking tour we learned Havelock is the Green Mussel Capital of the World! when in Rome...right?! We were encouraged to try the Mussel Pot Sampler. DELICIOUS. So much variety on one plate; the largest, juiciest mussels we've ever had. The variety included: smoked, marinated, creamy white wine sauce, bacon & cheese, garlic & herb, spicy tangy zing, fried, croquettes, with a side of fresh homemade bread. My husband and I split the platter and were equally well stuffed. Along with dinner, we enjoyed reading the table booklet all about mussels & the area's history. The town of Havelock is a quaint town, factoring in this delicious meal, this is a don't miss pit stop!

Stumbled upon this hidden gem while driving to the French Pass from Blenheim. Had to try the green…read moremuscle platter which did not disappoint. A good sampling of every which way muscles can be prepared. 10/10 would recommend a visit

Great ambiance. Friendly waitress. Looked clean and stylistically decorated. Bathrooms nice and…read moreclean. Food was above average, excellent sized proportions. My hubby had the burger - it was massive and he loved it. Daughter had the chicken and waffles which were a little spicy for her taste. I had the brisket and eggs. Perfectly poached eggs and great bread. Unfortunately the brisket wasn't great, a little tough and lots of fat. Overall I would recommend and would return to try other items. They had a nice looking outdoor area also.

I can't believe I haven't made a review for this place yet! I spent a lot of nights and hungover…read moremornings here haha. In my final few months in New Zealand I lived in a super small town, less than like 7k people small. It only had 1 main street and this was one of the few highlights of it. This restaurant is popular for the bbq, the inside of it gives off a USA vibe too. It had a big old looking front of a farm truck that they used as their cafe order window, barrels everywhere(hence the name) felt like I was somewhere in the middle of America eating here. As far as the food goes, it's a versatile place. The BBQ is their specialty but they also have some fun breakfast items and, a fantastic gourmet donut selection. I've had the pork ribs and lamb ribs, I loved both equally as much. Can't go wrong with either choice. If you're there for lunch give the brisket burger a try! And for breakfast try out the donuts or get the smoked slamon eggs benny on a bagel with a Chai Latte! Chai in New Zealand just hots different. They also have a carnivore brunch platter which is something I would expect in the deepest parts of Texas haha. So if that's your thing go for it. Sausage and bacon are really the only meats I can do for breakfast. The nice thing about their breakfast menu is it's all day! The prices are pretty high here, but it's one of the only "nicer" restaurants within about 20km, so I guess it's understandable that you pay for some quality food and a nice night out dinner. I enjoyed this place a lot. All the memories with friends, the friendly staff, great food at any time of the day. It kinda reminded me of home and that was comfy. It's a 5 star from me!

Seafood chowder.... What's better than that?! I loved this place! I went to New Zealand a year ago…read moreand got the pleasure of coming here. The coffee and the food was absolutely delicious. If I ever get lucky enough to go again, I'll definitely come here!!!

Always great food great people ! Good menu great atmosphere. By far the best in kaiteriread more

This was the first place we stopped for a bite after landing in Nelson. The drinks, food, and staff…read morewere good. We were there early (but had been on a flight for several hours), so I am sure we looked crazy coming in before noon for beers but the staff didn't give us too many strange looks ;)

Amazing calamari, amazing music and nice variety of fish options from two funny sweet knowledgeable…read moredudes- right across from the beach