The fish was good, the fry, just ok. The oil that they use to fry was either old or they overheated…read moreit. It permeated the crust and produced a semi foul flavor. Maybe they don't change the grease often enough...

Got the seafood basket. Was okay. Too much breading on the seafood. You have to pay extra for…read morecondiments, cups and cutlery.

We had dinner here in March 2002 on a previous visit to NZ. It was so refreshing that the quality…read moreand service have not changed over the intervening years. Located across from the water, each of the window tables has incredible views of both the bay and the Kaikoura Mountain range. The evening we were there, they were receiving the first snowfall of the season on the upper peaks, which was awesome to watch. We had tried to book online, but somehow our reservations got mixed up. Elly (I think that's her name - or Ivy?), was wonderful to accommodate us at the time we wanted, and at a table with a view anyway. But reservations are definitely necessary, and if you want a table by the windows, book well in advance. Hubby and I each started with the fish chowder, then had the fresh catch gurnard, which were both amazing! My taste buds were definitely happy here. The fresh bread was hot and also tasty. Joanne, our server was very attentive, making the experience truly special. I just hope the quality remains the same for our next visit to Kaikoura, whenever that may be!

I'm pretty sure green dolphins don't exist, so you're not going to find any of those here. What the…read morerestaurant does have is fresh, delicious fare and a partial view of the water. I stopped by last night and tried a variety of dishes. The white bait, fish chowder, crayfish (I chose grilled) and chocolate cake were all excellent. Even the roasted vegetables that accompanied the crayfish tasted amazing. In addition to attentive service from the staff, I found the restrooms to be very clean. If you are planning to visit the seals after your meal (~15 minute walk), then I'd recommend tinkling here before setting off on your journey.

Delicious little roadside restaurant. Keep in mind, this is more of a food truck as all the dining…read moretables are outside. But the food is extremely fresh and well prepared and you can't beat the great price. No wonder that this was featured in lonely planet.

There's alot of negative reviews on this place, so I'm here to present some facts, as well as some…read moreinformation to help you choose between this and Nin's Bins. - This or Nin's Bins? It comes down to two things. The first is location. If you're going to Point Kean for the seals, this is right next door. Nin's Bins is closer to Ohau seal colony, or if you're driving up/from Blenheim/Picton. Nin's Bins is a much nicer looking "shack" and also has tables with much better views of the ocean. - The weather. This is fully outdoors. There is one table that is sheltered from the rain, but that's it. - The price of the crayfish. They're a bit sneaky in that they don't publish or tell you anywhere what the price per kg of crayfish is. When you turn up, you can have a look at their ice cooler of all their available crayfish. Each one has a different price. For reference, early Jan, the price of crayfish was between $110 and $155, depending on size. You can also choose a half crayfish. - Are they live crayfish? No, none of the crayfish are live. They are already pre-cooked, and will be grilled for a few minutes in butter to warm them up. - What else is there to order? Loads of other seafoods. From prawns to paua (abalone) patties, whitebait patties to local fishes, etc. I recommend the fish, either with rice of bread, really tasty and amazing value at like $12. The scallops were also pretty good; they are small scallops but super tasty ($13-16). - When are they open? For lunch. Don't know when they start, but they close up shop once they sell out all their crayfish. When we were there on a Saturday early Jan, peak tourist season, they finished at like 2:30-3pm. And this was despite it being a super rainy and windy day. - Are they much cheaper than other places in Kaikoura? We checked out another place (Craypot restaurant in town) which was looking to charge $129 per half crayfish! Here we paid $110-155 for a whole crayfish. Up in Marlborough Sounds, we saw crayfish in a restaurant at $60 for half, $120 for whole. So their prices are not super cheap, but probably cheaper than the restaurants in Kaikoura. Don't know compared to Nin's Bins. - Taste Really nicely grilled. The crayfish tasted super fresh, and very firm meat indicating the freshness. The rest of the dish (rice, salad, bread) was very mediocre. - Payment They accept card payments. Also - no credit card surcharge! Yay!

The clam chowder was amazing, the service was excellent, and the view was stunning. It was the…read moreperfect place to relax and recharge after a three-hour cliff walk.

An absolute must when visiting the charming town of Kaikōura! Reservations are essential- so make a…read morebooking! Everything was excellent- fish perfectly cooked- mussels in thick and lucious coconut cream, the crayfish with garlic butter and lemon were sublime. Loved the staff- hardworking and so so friendly! The pavlova was huge! enough to share 4 ways!

Incredible spot right opposite the beach and with views of the snowy alps towering above…read more Excellent spinach and feta muffin, good coffee and friendly welcome.

Hubby and I stopped here for lunch on an unseasonably cold, blustery day. A great place to eat,…read moreeven if you're not interested in any of the cruises. They are located on the Esplanade, right across from the water, so the views are incredible. Hubby had the salmon wrap, which he thoroughly enjoyed, and I had the salmon quiche salad. It was completely yummy, and served with excellent coffee. We went for breakfast the next morning, and had an equally delicious experience.

Food/Pizza REVIEW:…read more Okay so here's the deal. Unfortunately relying on good reviews doesn't always turn out to be good. Hence I was completely disappointed by the food, and am a bit shocked by the good pizza review. This has got to be one of the worst and most overpriced pizza I've ever eaten. Burned crust, moisty dough and no fresh toppings. It tasted like a frozen supermarket pizza -- and even for that it was bad. Maybe the other food's better, but as a cook I would've never even send these pizzas out. Beer is great, and we were friendly treated. But for a 25$ pizza this was an absolute disaster. Salad was okay! Local Beer on tap was great. So maybe pop in for a snack and a beer, but please no pizza.

The pizza was super good and the place was super nice inside. I got a Hawaiian pizza with chicken,…read moredefinitely would recommend that.

New opening on December 3rd due to owner change. We were the first guests and were very happy about…read moreour breakfast. We had pancakes, bacon cheese omelette and cereal with yoghurt. All was good and value for money. Minor things on the service to improve and then this will be perfect.

I found this place on Yelp and stopped here for breakfast. I made the mistake of ordering the…read morepancakes with bacon and banana. "My order" arrived--pancakes with canned fruit on top and no bacon or bananas. They apologized when I inquired about the bacon and took it back. Five minutes later it came out with raw bacon on top of canned fruit and cold pancakes. It was absolutely disgusting, so I asked them to remake it with well cooked bacon and no canned fruit. They actually charged me twice to remake the order they messed up in the first place. Come here if you want to spend $30.00 on an awful breakfast and staff who have no interest in making things right.

Great service, very good food and good value for your money. The ambiance is nice - it's quiet and…read moreroomy inside.

Great coffee! This popular cafe has a very tempting display…read morecabinet, an appealing menu and a lovely sunny outdoor seating area. We didn't end up eating there but we went there a couple of times for coffee. The coffee was very good - nice and strong with no bitterness!

We stopped in here for a light dinner after visiting the thermal pools. We ordered the soup of the…read moreday, which was a pumpkin with Thai curry. It was quite yummy and the bread that accompanied it was crunchy and tasty. The soup was so filling, we passed on ordering more. I would go back just for the pumpkin soup. The service was fairly good, and they had a decent selection of wines, which were cheaper by the glass than other places in town.

Tried "the Scotsman". Pretty good taste, but the meat wasn't the best Imo…read more Had a good experience there though. Helpful staff, and fairly quiet (first day open after the earthquake).

Just spotted this food truck by the esplanade and made an impromptu stop. They won the best stall…read morefor 2015's Kaikoura Seafest so I was very keen to try their menu. Ordered the mussels done both ways, crumbed with aioli and garlic butter, along with a whitebait sammie. Added on the fish 'n' chips as an afterthought. View by the sea is phenomenal and the couple behind this place are very friendly. They even provide fleece blankets for those who may feel the sea breeze is too strong. Everything was cooked to perfection and I enjoyed eating here. Ps: spotted them at a food market the next day and tried the scallops & chowder. Scallops were tasty, chowder was a bit too bland & thick. So i guess dont order the chowder.