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.

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!

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.

This place is so good. It is organic and everything is fresh. They have pressed juice which I…read morehighly recommend. I have met Paul Hislop through CCSP NZ and got to tour his farm and learn more about his family's restaurant. Their customer service is always great. The breakfast is delicious. I recommend the hot cakes and eggs Benedict. This place is also great for when you need to get work done or have a work meeting at. The wifi is good.

Quick service but the food was just average. Beautiful presentation but nothing special from a…read moreflavor standpoint. We had the pancakes which didn't have a ton of flavor and lacked syrup, although the fruit presentation on the plate was lovely. The butcher bowl was unique but I was expecting a little more flavor from the chia, but otherwise good. An easy breakfast and lunch spot in Kaikoura, just don't expect anything to blow you away

We were bummed to learn that nearby Emporium Brewing, along with many other businesses, close on…read moreTuesdays, therefore Strawberry Tree was a welcomed pivot. Well mostly, because they certainly did have Emporium freshies on tap -- 3 tap handles to be precise -- which were kept ultra cold, ultra fresh. We were also interested in ordering local specialty fresh Kaikoura crayfish (basically lobster -- said no one ever!). They did charge up the wazoo for a whole one, about two-thirds more than at the kiosk or stands. It was rather fleshy, seasoned and buttered tastefully, and biggish. Overall atmosphere was warm and friendly, though a bit dark with the Irish pub vibes.

Kia Ora!!! A great pub with a great local and Irish charm. Went in for lunch and ordered the…read morescallops and corn ribs for pupu's followed by the fish and chips and BBQ Jackfruit sandwich. Ordered a some pints of Guinness and Kilkenny to was it' all down. Everything came out HOT, aromatic and looking very tasty! Highly recommend stopping in for a pint or a tasty meal!

Stopped in here for breakfast after getting takeaway coffees and thinking the food looked good…read more Decided on eggs Benedict, one with salmon and one with bacon. The salmon was a tiny portion, not worth the $1 more than the bacon one. The bacon one which I'd asked to have crispy bacon had more jellied fat than meat and I quickly took it inside to politely ask if I could please have the fat crisped up, as I'd asked for. The kitchen did this and it was brought out to me very crispy...but missing half the potato hash, half the hollendaise sauce and all of the spinach (I hadn't even touched the plate so obviously the kitchen had just left these items off the new plate). I pointed this out to the lovely lady behind the counter who was a bit shocked and apologised, by this time my partner had finished his breakfast and I'd spent the whole time waiting for mine which was now missing half the food. The lady behind the counter offered to refund me and give us a free coffee each, I thanked her but said a refund for the food was all I would need as the coffee was lovely and we didn't have an issue with it. Just before she refunded me the miserable owner / manager walked over and rudely stated "we don't do refunds". Right...so what do you do in this instance then? She said there was nothing wrong with the plate and I told her that it was missing half the food. She claimed that I was a liar and must have ate it as the kitchen only plated up what was there. Honestly at this point I just laughed at how ridiculous this situation was and asked if half the meal was wearing a Harry Potter-esque invisibility cloak as I was 100% certain I hadn't scoffed half the meal down between walking the plate from my table and the counter. She again stated the kitchen didn't miss half the food and I told her I would like a refund as at this point I just wanted to get out of there. She just smirked at me and stood there - in the end they obliged but I honestly can't believe the cheek of some people. I thanked the lovely lady behind the counter and left. If you want to support a business with a manager / owner that actually cares, can make eye contact and doesn't come across as wanting to fill you in if you complain then I would recommend going elsewhere...Kaikoura has many better spots on offer.

Excellent coffee and an outstanding breakfast. Creative, well prepared, and beautifully presented…read more It's a shame that this cafe doesn't have a 'downtown' location, as it is infinitely better than it's competitors down on the strand. Do yourself a favor and order the eggs benedict - unique and delicious.

Walked by this place on the Main Street. Partially open air bar and restaurant. Decided to give it…read morea try. Ordered the seafood stew and beef nachos. Seafood stew was very tasty. Has shrimp, scallops, something I cannot identify and green Mussels. The beef nachos were more like beef chili nachos but came with guacamole and sour cream and were very good. I got a Speights beer on tap...very common beer in New Zealand. Overall service was good. There was a pool table with lots of screaming kids around it. Seems like a family place during the day and maybe more of an adult place in the evening. It is nice because you can choose closed windows or open air along the part of the restaurant facing the street. Overall good experience. You can use Zenbu for internet. It's a paid internet service around Kaikoura. I would definitely come here again. Bartender was also very helpful about giving me information around town.

Cute bar located in the heart of Kaikoura's downtown district. We didn't order any food, just 2…read morebeers. Fun place to sit near the window and people watch.

Delicious food and friendly staff. Also one of the best apple ciders I've ever had! Highly…read morerecommend this place.

Fish and chips were cooked too low of a temp and fish was soggy with oil…read more The ribs were very poor quality meat, old, and bad. McDonald's has better ribs. And then the Pilsner was so old in the keg it had a strong metallic taste. If you ever have had old keg beer, you know what I mean. The staff was very friendly, the bartender seemed to know the food was bad and asked a few times. Since we were just passing through, didn't feel the effort of complaining, and the food was bad enough we lost appetite. Ambience was nice though, and, like I said staff was nice and helpful.