We took a little drive to Akaroa from Christchurch to enjoy what this beautiful, French inspired…read moretown has to offer. We have been before but haven't stayed long enough to catch a meal in town. Hearing nothing but good reviews, we decided to make a reservation and pop down to The Little Bistro. The atmosphere was warm and cozy. A close-knit style so you can easily see what people around you are dining on and eavesdrop on their conversations ;). The name is fitting because it is in fact a little bistro. It seemed a little cramped for the staff to deliver food, but they seemed to manage just fine. With the exception of one of the girls accidentally spilling wine on the lady next to me. But she handled it professionally and no one was angry. Accidents happen. We felt welcomed and at home with the staff. Our waitress was very attentive and helpful. We had questions on the wine and specials and she knew what she was talking about right away and what to suggest. I wish I could remember her name, but she was from down south. Everyone was friendly though, so no complaints there! We decided we weren't hungry enough to get a starter or entree so we shared a bottle of Sanctuary Sauvignon Blanc (not a bad wine) and got one main each. From what I saw at the other tables, the entrees were quite small, but I guess that is the point. They looked really yummy though. Instead of regular table salt, they had a little rock salt grinder that you could use. Quite quirky but it was cute. I ordered the famous Akaroa salmon with a mussel and caper mashed potatoes and bok choy and my boyfriend had the venison with green beans and potato terrine with a truffle jus. We were very excited to see our mains arrive and when they did, they looked incredible so we were ready to stuff our faces! To be honest, the food was really disappointing. I mean for the price at about $40 a main, I would expect pretty great flavor. It was so-so. My salmon didn't really taste like anything, the mashed potatoes tasted really sour and the bok choy was just kind of there. I had to dump some rock salt on there to liven it up a bit, and I hate putting salt on food. I would have been happier if we spent a lot less on the meal. We ordered dessert thinking we'd give the place another chance. We went with a safe option of the creme brûlée. Again, disappointing. The texture was off and it was on the eggy side. We heard such rave reviews for this place and in the end, it was okay food. Apparently they have changed owners so maybe that's why we didn't enjoy the food as much as we heard. I really would give it a 3 1/2 stars because the staff were that nice but yelp doesn't do halves so it's 3 stars. I hate complaining but people have to know. I would really love to come back if it's improved!

What a lovely place, guys! We've came from the US to New Zealand and after a long flight were so…read morehappy to have a delicious meal at "The Little Bistro". They really have a great service, relaxing, cozy and creative atmosphere. Staff is friendly and a whole place is super clean. For a dinner we have a wild salmon, lamb and "Parfait" with a Straight 8 Rose! Everything was do good! But my "Parfait" was the best one! Great job, chief! We were at the restaurant in the evening and it wasn't crowd, but if you'd like you can make a reservation to be sure. Also this place was a good advice from our Canadian friend, who fell in love with New Zealand And we did not regret it! Really a great place to visit. I advise!)))

Was looking for some seafood and bumped into this place. Tried the "Local Fish & Chips" ($25) and…read morethe Seafood Platter ($58 for 2 people), and boy.. The seafood was fresh! They ran out of mussels, so they replaced them with clams for the Seafood Platter. Overall, the seafood was cooked well, especially the platter. Loved the salmon, loved the prawns, and they gave one whole squid (it was cut up into rings), so it felt like the squid was a "staple". I was dining with my 2 parents and my girlfriend, we are typical Asians, and the meal was just nice - not too full nor too hungry after. I don't really know how else to describe the food, but if I'm back in the area, I would try the others! Also happened to have the travelling piano man (http://pianomad.com) so there was great music along with the meal.

Don't recommend noodle soup. We ordered some beef, pork and Tomyum noodles soups, all the meats…read moreare chewy and dried. Service is good but very slow.

Unfortunately, the food and the service ruined our experience at this otherwise charming and…read moreeclectic outdoor restaurant in the historic seaside town of Akaroa. We arrived for lunch and were directed to sit anywhere by a rather distracted young French waitress, who seemed to be one of only two people servicing a multitude of tables. We placed our orders and our drinks (an Earl Grey tea and a cappuccino) arrived quickly; however, we waited at least 25 minutes for my simple order of salmon pate and a few slices of baguette to arrive. My partner's salad was nowhere in sight and took ANOTHER 20 minutes to arrive, and when it did it was delivered to the table not by our waitress, but by the rather grumpy male manager, Carlos. The French waitress seemed completely lost as she wandered around from table to table carrying food, and the other waitress, who seemed to have more experience, was bustling around trying to pick up the slack. They came by our table more than once with incorrect orders and the general atmosphere was chaotic. As to the food, we ordered two very simple things that should not have taken long at all to prepare. My salmon pate was disappointing and not at all what I had expected. It was a tiny cup of what looked like a salmon dip more than a pate, with four slices of baguette, a couple slices of anemic-looking tomato, three slices of cucumber, and one tiny cornichon pickle which had inexplicably been sliced up into tiny ribbons. Overall, a very sad and unappealing-looking plate. My partner's smoked-salmon salad was only slightly better. Mostly lettuce with some odd other ingredients (sweet potato in a salad is, I guess, a choice). The lackluster food made it difficult to enjoy the lovely and quirky garden with its trees, flowers, kitschy decorations and birds; even a couple of free-roaming chickens. Once finished we had to go inside to pay the bill and deal with the grumpy manager man once again. He offered no apologies for the length of time we waited. We left extremely disappointed and still hungry. As my dear departed mother-in-law would say, "Well, we've been here twice. The first time and the last time."

Gorgeous garden and building. Lovely outdoor seating. Which was what we did .... sat and waited…read more Went inside initially and 3 staff milling around, one of whom finally said they would take our order outside. After quite a wait they finally did. We also had to ask to have food wiped off the table. Food took well over 30 minutes to arrive. Was tasty but overpriced at $14 for a salmon bagel with s bit of lettuce, a smear of cream cheese and maybe 50c worth of salmon. At that price I expected more. Service and attitude very poor and food didn't make up for it.