Nice decorations nice people not professional hospitality, but friendly. Food is good and tasty not exceptional. MUCH better Indonesian food in Hastings in our experience a couple of months ago at NEW Indonesian, see my review. No BYO wine makes this Napier one expensive for what it is. Rice table meal for 4 persons approx 45 bucks each sharing a single bottle of wine, 2 desserts extra charge. Clean tidy space on Marine Parade, a comfortable little restaurant which was better 2 ownership changes ago circa year 2000. read more

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The 2nd best meal I've ever eaten was caramelized Elephant Ear fish on the Mekong Delta in 1997. This meal topped it. My girlfriend and I ordered the vegetarian rijstaffel (Dutch for "rice plate") and a local Merlot. The variety and quality of the food was just delightful. Barbecued tempeh, curried eggs, beautifully done tofu, several different vegetable dishes, all served on candle-warmed hot plates and complemented with 3 types of hot chili sauces on the side plus sweet soy sauce, paprika and pickle. The food was amazing, but the service and decor were its equal. I can't recommend Restaurant Indonesia highly enough! read more

Restaurant Indonesia - Vegetarian Rijstaffel - Indonesian Near Me - Napier, HKB

My co-worker and I decided to go here when in Napier on business, partly because it was one of the only places reviewed on Yelp in town and it had a good rating. It was a good choice. We showed up about 30 minutes before closing time and they welcomed us with open arms, and were very clear that we shouldn't feel rushed now that we had arrived. First of all, it's right on Marine Parade, across the street from the ocean. They've got nice windows out front that look out to the ocean. Lovely! The interior is very tastefully decorated with Indonesian cultural objects. It had a really nice feel to the place, and the people working there clearly cared a lot about the place. Apparently it's been owned by a number of different Dutch owners over about 30 years. They acknowledged the Dutch colonization on the menu in a way that was incredibly respectful as well - noting that it was nothing to be proud of, which was cool in my book. The menu is quite small, and being a vegetarian, I was immediately moved by the rijstaffel - the rice table - which features a number of dishes which are presented on a teeny table atop your table with candle warmers. You can choose from a meat, fish, meat & fish, or veggie option. There were so many things that came out, I can hardly remember them all, but I do remember that they were very good. Only one I wasn't as excited about was the teriyaki-like tofu, which was too sweet for my taste. All in all, it was great to taste so many varied options all in one meal. It all came with various sambal (hot sauces) of different degrees of hotness - some very very hot, and this lovely coconut, palm sugar, and peanut sprinkle stuff to put over the food. It was marvelous! They have a nice locally focused wine list, and the descriptions of the wine are just magical. It made me want to try every single one! I made the mistake of getting dessert - it was really too much but I couldn't resist a roasted banana with caramel sauce and ice cream, which was REALLY nice, but really too too much after such a full meal! That said, get it. It was lovely. Highly recommend checking this place out when you're in town for something different, and a lovely dining experience with a passionate staff. read more

Dropped by after a long drive after checking they had some vegan options. Such fantastic service and amazing food! Tempeh is made in-house and the host told us her personal history with some of the recipes. We went with a vegan rijsttafel--SO much fabulous food. Recommend highly. Great wine list (vegan wines!) and fantastic range of sambals/hot sauces. It doesn't get better than this. read more

The experience was not great. A set of rules on a place mat, followed by a wet wipe delivered with tongs commenced the meal. Unsure of all the outstanding reviews on trip advisor etc, the restaurant was awkward and food ok. We got the fish banquet - the fish was tasty but the rest was forgettable & mostly weird sweet/sour salads. The rendang just tasted like beef stock . Not my idea of a good meal unfortunately, would not recommend. read more

Restaurant Indonesia - The fish & meat banquet for two - Indonesian Near Me - Napier, HKB

Slam dunk. Delicious and flat out amazing. We were recommended this by our Bed & Breakfast right next door and we quickly checked the online reviews. All were pretty much in agreement that this was gonna be fantastic. Let's start with the one demerit which is the ambiance. Not glam or fab by any stretch. Haphazard art, too bright lighting, tight spaces. For dinner we opted for the Rojtorua (spelling?) which is a giant sampler/tasting feast of lots of treats -- hot and cold. Don't even bother w the menu. Just get this. Oh and New Zealand wines to accompany which were fantastic. Just spectacular. I've changed my review from 4 stars to 5 because I realize -- 7 months later -- that this was THE BEST meal we had in New Zealand. It is stuck in my mind as a truly stand out delicious meal. read more