Several people had highly recommended Kisa, but it took me a couple of nights before I got there. Reservations are highly recommended, although they do save a small number of spots for walk-ins. As a Turkish restaurant, it's not specifically New Zealand food, but it often highlights New Zealand ingredients in unique ways. I started with Muhammara -- a roasted red pepper dip with walnuts, pomegranates, and nigella seed oil --and their freshly-made pita bread. So good. The addition of the walnuts really sets it off. Next was Mozzarella Böreks with tomato butter, black olive paste, and toum (a garlic sauce made with lemon, oil, and salt). A börek is a pastry made with thin phyllo dough -- think upscale Mozzarella sticks with really unusual and potent dips. I'd get that anytime. I finished with Wild Tahr Adana Kebab with smoked tomato jam, confit garlic yoghurt, and onion ash crumb. This was the dish one local had told me I had to try. The Himalayan tahr is not originally native to New Zealand, but is now most commonly found there in the Alps, where they've become a threat to the native ecosystems, so hunting them is encouraged. An unusual dish -- the taste of the meat was similar to goat (a little gamey, but not at all off-putting). It's a dish for the adventurous. I'm very glad I had the experience of trying this (and I happily finished it), but I'm not sure I'd order it again. There are so many options on the menu, I really want to go back and try more! The vibe is friendly and casual. A very nice place. read more

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WOW! I found this on a "top places to dine in Wellington" article and it did not lead us astray. We were worried about getting a seat here since it seemed so popular for dinner, but we went early and snagged a bar spot at the chef's table - right in front of the kitchen glass. Honestly, this is the best spot in the house! The menu had us drooling from the start - we ended up asking our waitress for some recommendations, and she didn't lead us astray. For dips and spreads, we got the lor cheese and the hummus - both incredible. I LOVE that they have gluten free flatbread available! And it was to die for. For mezze, we shared the lamb kebab and smacked cucumber. The kebab was a small portion but so well seasoned and the best lamb we had on our trip. The cucumber had a delicious punch and was the perfect pairing. Everything we ate here was unreal - and our waitress' service really helped us navigate the menu. read more

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Best meal I've had in New Zealand! Every dish we had was so delicious!! This place is cozy and really cute. The staff was really nice. We started out with the muhammara, which is a bit spicy, but really good. The pita bread was yummy. We split the lamb shoulder, which was superb! For dessert, we split the pumpkin ice cream sandwich. Man, was that the best! I can't rave about this place enough - one of the best restaurants in the world!! read more

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Had a great dinner on Friday night with a group. We had made a reservations and were seated immediately. Our server was quite attentive and took our food and drink orders in a timely fashion. He was also really helpful in recommending the right volume of food to order for our group, as well as drink pairings. For five adults, we ordered three dips (with pita), 3 small plates, and two large plates. It felt like the right amount, we might've been able to order one fewer small plate. The dips were all super tasty and the pita was really hot and fresh. The small plates were also great, the fried brussels sprouts were a true stand out. the Large Plates (market fish and the falafel) were both delicious, but our meal was a little bit marred by the fact that one of our small plates (the charred cabbage) and one large (the falafel) came out probably 20 minutes after the other things. Since half of our group was vegetarian and half were not, this meant that the fish eating folks were done with their meal like 20 minutes before everyone else. We left those folks to pick on a dessert while the vegetarians finished up. For dessert, we tried the lemon tart and the chocolate labneh cheesecake. The lemon tart was..properly tart - would order again. That cheesecake was definitely unique, but had kind of an unexpected sour taste that I'm not sure I would recommend. Overall, the food and service were great and I'd be happy to eat here again, but it might be better in a smaller group with fewer items ordered so everything could come out in closer proximity. read more