I was part of a private group…read more So in December call ahead and make sure of their hours. The owner greeted with incredible enthusiasm. His passion for wine and vineyard really showed. We enjoyed seating on the large covered patio next to vines. Starting with 2019 Grand Reserve Priestess Pinot Grigio $25AU. Truly the light pest and peach came through. A lovely change from California Pinots that have a tart grapefruit. 2020 Grand Reserve Lodge Chardonnay $35AU. Aussies seem to love their Chardonnays, but not heavily oaked. Thank you. Stone fruits and a very light acidity. 2019 Grand Reserve Peak Syrah $40AU. Plum, blackberry, with a hint of spice and pepper. Soft tannins finish. 2019 Grand Reserve Cut Cane Merlot $50AU. Intense plum and black fruit, with soft French oak notes. After our tasting we wandered the property. I stepped in the actual tasting room and requested a couple of more sips- I judged the Plateau Pinot Noir, Spring Stone Pinot Noir, and Pacemaker Cab Franc all were $40AU. SpringStone came home with me. I wish New Zealand would send more of their delicious wines to the United States. Shipping was out of the question. And I could only get three in my luggage. Seriously a great staff and beautiful grounds. I will return.

It's always a bit of a crap shoot when vacationing and trying to find a good spot for dinner…read more Emporium was a winner for us today. We made a reservation online although when we arrived it wasn't too busy and we were able to get a seat outside on the sidewalk. As most places do not have A/C in town, this was preferable to the somewhat warm restaurant. Our nice server Michaela took good care of us and made some good food recommendations. We started with the prawn toasts (indescribable but REALLY good), then followed with Fish and chips (light and good) and the coconut chicken salad which was shaved cucumber, poached chicken, coconut, and peanuts with a light refreshing dressing-quite good (according to my spouse). A bottle of Rose topped things off. The menu has quite a lot of choices so it should be easy for most people to find something that interests them. Nice food, nice service, nice meal.

Location is great, in the heart of the Art Deco city center, a half block from the tourist…read moreinformation office. Service was fine. A little inattentive, but we got everything we asked for, we just had to ask for everything. We had fish and chips. There was a lot of fish, flaky and perfectly cooked. The chips (fries for us Americans) were really really good, seasoned and crispy outside, potato-y inside. All-in-all, a welcoming a reasonable lunch.

In general I feel like Neopolitan pizza is just the best already. I mean I feel like the rest of…read moreItaly should just not even bother and stick to just pasta, but I digress. At Alessandro's they have a calzone that's pretty solid, and unfortunately they don't automatically give you a side of marinara with it, but if you just order it separately believe me, that alone will more than make up for the oversight. Alessandro's marinara was stop-your-heart delicious. My wife was really enjoying her pizza as well obvs. The service was pretty great too, but seriously ... those pizzas. If you go to Havelock you HAVE to go to Alessandro's. I think I'll try the pasta next time.

Came here on the recommendation of a friend, and it was a very good pizza. Nice traditional Italian…read moreflavours and a pizza dough made with a starter and rested for 3-4 days to add that authentic flavour. Our toppings included prosciutto, mozzarella and fresh rocket. A nice woodfired taste, but the only criticism would be that our base was a little too charred (maybe left a bit long in the oven).

The fact that we had to make a reservation to eat at 5.30 tells you everything you needed to know…read moreabout this place. Every table but one has reserved signs on when we arrived We first visited in 2019, and in 6 years it's only improved. We both had the Hawaiian fish burger, which sounds simple enough, but it's the freshness of the fish that makes it special. Definitely give that a try. Great selection of other fishy goodies too.

Delicious food, great simple ambiance. Staff were very busy, yet still attentive. Good wine…read moresuggestion!

Just popped in and they had a table. Food and service were great and the food amazing!…read moreBang bang cauliflower was the dish to get!! Loved it!

From the owner: Deliciosa Tapas & Wine where the village eats, drinks & relaxes. Deliciosa combines relaxed…read moreMediterranean styled tapas dining with the finest Hawke's Bay produce and an extensive local & international wine list. Deliciosa offers an intimate & rustic ambience and a commitment to quality food and wine. Our guiding philosophy, over the past 7 years, is a focus on great service, superb food and excellent beverage in order to create what they affectionately call our little 'South of Spain' experience. This means bringing an inventive Spanish-Kiwi influenced range of 'tapas' and 'raciones' plates together with a hand-picked wine& beer list highlighting regional wines to the fore amidst a frequently changing selection of wider NZ and International offerings, all presented by a cheerful professional team. HOURS: Mon & Tues from 4pm, Wed to Sat from 11am till late for all day grazing.

Delicious high end meal in the quiet town if Napier. Got to say that I want impressed by the lack…read moreof service or freindliness I received once I arrived (alone). I standed at the front for about five minutes before I asked where to be sat. Once they learned I was a food writer the vibes changed a bit. I tried the appetizer sampler. The tomato sorbet was truly a unique tasting experience I quite enjoyed the savory approach. I think the marrangue texture was a little stale but overall great tasting experience and beautiful plating. For my main I got the fish, in which I found a bone but otherwise delicious flavor contrasts and preparation though it was served pretty luke warm. I loved the take on crunchy fish tails (something from my childhood) that the female head chef had. My favorite of the night was the dessert. It was fantastic and had plenty of fun textures at play. Of all, small tweaks and they could be on the Michelin Guide

A true work of art! We had the six course meal and each item…read moreWas cooked to perfection. Sabrina was very knowledgeable about the wines. We had man o war wine and it was fantastic. Highly recommend this place!

Excellent service. Booked a table outside and they positioned us under a heater with a great view…read moreof the marina. Even had water waiting for the dog Gorgeous night to sit out and try the many gins on offer. Fish of the day was delicious and with great vegetables. Rack Of lamb on couscous also excellent.

Despite fairly high prices even by New Zealand standards, the management here are too stingy to let…read morecustomers use WiFi. Waitress used the old "oh, its to stop people sitting on their phones" excuse which I found insulting since I just wanted to google something in our conversation, not sit on my phone and I don't have a New Zealand SIM as I'm on holiday. Just be honest and say "We are too stingy to share with paying customers or too lazy to change the password periodically. A good idea would be to call the SSID 'office' instead of 'Gintrap'........and also put a cell blocker if you are all so concerned about people using their phones since locals were using their phones all around us. One of the three ladies who were serving, with short hair and glasses has no peripheral vision, we were waving our arms 10degrees from her 12 o'clock, we thought she saw as she looked, then she walked towards us ...... then over to other people, plus failed to hear. Anyway, the food made up for the poor service, the food is actually a five if they just fire all the idiot women who are serving and hire people who belong in the restaurant and service industry as none of the three floundering around me and my mum did. Seafood soup was perfect, prawn salad was amazing. I loved the mushroom risotto balls even though they were a bit too salty. Bravo chef, boo to the three waitresses and manager/owner for the service and lack of WiFi. That alone made us move on immediately after our meal so you missed out on 6 beers just because of petty stingyness; think about that; as that is more than the cost of unlimited Internet at your prices. So, if you negate the stingy minded manager who doesn't want to upgrade to an unlimited package or whatever; and fire the idiots for incompetency and replace them with good staff, this place would be a 5 with it's perfect Napier marina location and great food.

Ten Twenty Four operates one of the smoothest lunchtime services in Hawke's Bay with a constantly…read morefresh take on a menu that never stands still. Kent Baddeley is one of the best chefs in the region if not New Zealand and is continually under-rated by the 'cuisine-aratti' yet Ten Twenty Four isn't designed to please food snobs - it simply delivers fine country dining at affordable prices. This is the only restaurant that I'd put up there with the premium winery restaurants in terms of consistent execution. Go once, it's great. Go every week and be immersed.

The food was excellent here. It is a beautiful restaurant, and the service was outstanding.read more

We landed in Napier from Auckland to visit some friends and stopped here for lunch on the way. The…read morefood was innovative, fresh ingredients and perfectly prepared. The atmosphere was relaxed and the staff was professional. I would definitely go again.