Review Two Chefs Bistro - Dunedin

Great vibes at this restaurant. Loved the music playing solely, the friendly wait staff, and the wait staff's uniforms, with the smart shirt and the aprons, very on point with the vibe. Lovely old building that was warm and toasty inside. The food was very nice, and we had the spanner crab pasta to start, which was a wonderful treat especially to fine a dish with spanner crab. I had the fish main, and my husband had the venison, and we shared the vegetable side. Overall, it was a lovely evening evening out.

We just had one of our best meals in Dunedin at Two Chefs Bistro. Both the food and the service were perfect.

Superb food, wine, service, ambience. The onion soup: ‘to die for’. Ditto the “silere lamb”. Excellent value. Really, not expensive for what you get. Thoroughly recommend.

So glad we stumbled on this amazing restaurant. Everything was awesome. The service was first class. The food was some of the best I’ve had. Many classic French cuisine inspired dishes. Well seasoned with the best flavours and plated exceptionally well. Dunedin needs places like this where you pay for what you get. I’ll definitely be back and I’ll tell everyone to come and enjoy Two Chefs fine dining

This is a great place for dinner in Dunedin. The service is exceptional and the food good.

We experienced an exceptional meal and excellent service. Everyone was very kind to our needs, helping us to get in and out of the restaurant with our wheelchair. Thank you for making us feel welcomed and cared for.

My new favourite restaurant. It has the best cocktails I've ever had, impeccable unobtrusive service, an outstanding wine list and all the dishes we have tried so far have been delicious. I am comfortable ordering things here I am not 100% sure of because they are so well thought out and balanced in flavour and texture that I can trust I will like it. Everything on the plate is there for a reason and full of flavour - nothing is there as an afterthought. The terrine is the best I've tasted (I've eaten a LOT of terrine). Tempura salmon was perfectly cooked with translucent salmon in the centre. Duck soup is a highlight. I love the originality of the dishes especially when most Dunedin restaurants are all very similar. Love that the chefs are Dunedin trained. I would strongly suggest however implementing an online booking system as some people these days will only book online and may go elsewhere if they can't

Fine dining with professional service, nice menu, and good wine list. Food was very good but sometimes lacked the high quality and portion sizes the prices reflected.

Such a fabulous fabulous meal - we were down from Wellington for my daughters graduation. Had a very bad experience at Vault 21 where we had booked weeks ago but were given a table in the middle of a thoroughfare and told as a table of 3 weren’t important - rang Two Chefs Bistro - these lovely people who took us in at short notice and OMG amazing food French bistro style . Best oysters we had them tempura style so creamy and delicious, steak stunning , the vege spinach dish stunning and the desserts were truly sensational . would come back in a heart beat simply stunning !!!! YUM . We had exceptional service and the best food ever . We will definitely be back - thank you for making us feel special :) fabulous night!!

Felt like i was back in Paris! Terrine was very tasty, textures very complimentary. Confit duck with spicy lentils was beautifully balanced. Profiterols were crispy/ creamy though missed the orange icecream. Mocktail was inventive and tasty - raspberry sorbet, alderflower and ginger beer. Wonderful service. Recommend.

I took a friend out for a meal which was delicious, the wine was so nice we had a second glass, the atmosphere so comfy we stayed for several hours.

Such a surprise, shame no oysters, but great to find so close to octagon, menu is true

Really nice food. Unfortunately the service was not that quick, but really good ambience in the restaurant.

Went for a meal at 5.30 pm on a Saturday. Had a dozen or so people there. I had a salmon ontray, a duck leg meal for main course and my wife had a steak. Both great meals and I really enjoyed mine. Didnt order any extra veges as usually we do but find we dont need them certainly didnt this time as there was enough on the plate's. Had a desert and a good selection. A couple of wines and service and staff were great. Its a older sort of place but plenty of room and clean and tidy but pays to book I would say just to be safe. Its a place I would usually walk by but not now.

Amazing food. However - waited 30 minutes to be served, had to ask for water twice and still didn’t receive any for the entirety of the meal. Then waited over an hour for bread and further for mains. Understaffed (only 2 waitresses) on a Saturday night before a concert, and the restaurant only had 5 tables to serve. Quite disappointed as I’ve been here multiple times and it’s always been fantastic.

We opted for the set menu deal at Two Chefs where you get a choice of two courses with wine for around $58. The food is as to be expected in NZ super tasty & fresh. Loved the French onion soup to start, & that salmon was perfectly cooked with a crispy crumbed skin.

We walked in at 9 on a Saturday night, feeling terribly awkward but the waiting staff were nice.<br/>He suggested us to have a quick order and get things done quickly while introducing us to the table but later he didn't rush us at all. We still got to have a steady pace in dining.<br/><br/>However for me the rating is mainly about food. And it was probably the best meal I've had recently. By that I mean the taste. The chardonnay & vinegar sauce for the oysters, the double baked gruyere soufflé, the steak or the crispy meringue, there was nothing on the plate not tasty. Everything was just on point. The presentation was probably the last thing the chefs were thinking about while the tastes saved it perfectly. <br/><br/>I'm very happy with the meal and I would say it is worth going if all you want is good food.

Would love to have given a higher rating. The menu looked great. Sadly, we (my partner & I) were ignored by the waiters for a solid 20 minutes. We got drinks, then waited for our order to be taken. It was slightly busy so we put the wait time down to busy waiters. My partner grew inpatient and I even defended our waiter saying, "It's probably just a bit busy." However, after 20 minutes of waiting, the wait staff began to chat idly behind the counter. Two other tables that arrived after us had already had their orders taken. It was clear that we'd been ignored or just seemed irrelevant or invisible. These mistakes happen, but we felt rejected at this point, so we got up, paid for our 2 drinks and left. Very disappointing. We really wanted to try the menu. Sadly, we will never return.

Totally recommend this place for great service and fabulous food. I am looking forward to going again once I have a few spare dollars. Quite pricey but well worth it.. 2 Chefs.. I say Master Chefs!. I have never had duck before, and I found it to be devine, also the souffle entree...wow, melt in your mouth delicious. Small meals but with a side of order of the most deliciously cooked vegetable it certainly makes the meal substantial. Wish I had been able to try one of the desserts, maybe next time.

Just come home after a memorable meal at the Two Chefs. I had pre- booked our meal for my son's graduation. We were a party of 6. Dealings with the restaurant before booking had been handled very professionally. They took a deposit of $150 dollars on my initial booking. Before our date, they phoned me to let me know that it was no longer going to be a set menu. That was fine by me. We arrived and our table was ready. The waitress was excellent - patient, kind, humorous, professional. Our food was excellent and served all together. The total bill came to about $600, including a celebrationary bottle of Veuve ( that is including my $150 dollars which they were quite aware about). The waitress even offered to take a special group photo of us on several cameras as it was a special occasion. What a special night! I would definitely recommend the Two Chefs for a special meal. In fact our two Dunedin friends who joined our family group thanked us for introducing them to a new special Dunedin restaurant. I will most definitely dine there again if I am in Dunedin.

After reading some of the reviews, I was in two minds whether or not to book. I am so pleased we went. We had the full 4 courses and we couldn't fault anything. The flavours of everything were superb. The size of the meals were just right. The waitress was so attentive, topping up my water, and drinks all night. She was also excellent at choosing our wine and any questions we had. We will certainly be going back and I most certainly would highly recommend this restaurant.

Dined here again recently and once again was not disappointed.<br/>The French Onion soup was delicious as was the Duck.<br/>Yes the staff are a little inexperienced but this is a Student Town<br/>and as a result this is to be expected.. Having dined at two top Auckland establishments recently (just good luck) I have to say Two Chefs compares favourably for Value for money and was a far more pleasant atmosphere to dine in than the two noisy Auckland establishments. Keep up the good work.

I think I've dined here approx 5-6 times - lunch and dinner. The food is really quite good considering the general standard in Dunedin is low. I returned several times because I fell in love with the Duck Broth (divine!) and the pork belly main. <br/><br/>It is french cuisine but the chefs have added a little twist here and there, so that if you know a french dish well, such as the French Onion Soup, their rendition may surprise or disappoint; up to the individual I guess. The service has always been friendly but slightly vacant. I attribute this to youthfulness and a lack of experience being in the seat of a the diner. <br/><br/>Anyway, entrees and mains tend to be tasty, creative and well executed but are not generously portioned. If you skip the entree and go straight for main you may leave hungry. <br/><br/>It's a pretty restaurant in the style of a french bistro but it's always slightly chilly so bring a wrap or scarf. Or perhaps ask about raising the heat, I failed to do this.<br/><br/>They do tend to be cryptic in their seating arrangements, the last time, I too was seated right alongside the only other guests there who (rudely I think) did not remove their coats from the bench seat that encroached on my seat area. It seemed silly to squash us together in an otherwise empty restaurant so I asked if we could have another table. <br/><br/>We should all, if displeased, ask nicely for another table. Insist on it if you have booked. Ask about raising the heat. If you don't get a decent response, ask for the manager.

Not a very good value for money although some of the food can be very nice . It is a french restaurant but the quality of the product is not excellent. For instance, I do not recommend the duck. I think they should make more their own style of food and use more kiwi products. The food is original but without excellent and fresh french products it is hard to offer very nice french food. Deserts are however very good and they make the best "pate" in town. The selection of wine is disappointing. I also thing that the place is not cosy at all, they also failed to copy the Parisian bistro atmosphere.

Two chefs for me was good, food was tasty and generous and i liked there wine selection, service was professional and friendly.

I would summarize Two Chefs as being over prices and pretentious but without the benefit of actually getting very good food.<br/><br/>The food is not actually bad - but not worth the extra you pay over the many other restaurants on the same street.

Went here for dinner last week and it was outstanding. The food and service were both great - just what I would have expected from a restaurant with a reputation like it has. Unfortunately it is on the pricey side but I guess you pay for what you get and I most certainly would return. Shame they aren't in the Entertainment Book any more.

For a restaurant that is regularly mentioned in Cuisine magazine i thought it was pretty average in terms of food, service and ambience. We arrived around 8pm on a Wednesday night and suddenly noticed how cold it was inside, meals were okay my partner ordered the steak and hand cut chips with some fancy butter i think this dish was pretty plain and could have been cooked at home! wont be in a hurry to go back.

Great place and quiet friendly atmosphere. On both occasions I have eaten there we were lucky to be seated in a comfortable space. But I did note on my way to the toilets that this would be bothersome to the dinners seated in the adjacent tables.<br/><br/>The food was fantastic, well presented and served. This restaurant is a wee gem and I would encourage anyone to eat there. I just hope that they are lucky to be seated in the comfortable areas with no or few distractions so that they can enjoy the great experience.

A beautiful looking bistro with nice detail, although seating was awkward. We entered a very quiet restaurant, and found it frustrating when the waiter seated the next arriving guests directly next to us. The tables along the back row being 30 centimeters apart, and for the rest of the evening we had a awkward meal, hearing the dilemmas of the relationship next to us. <br/><br/>Non alcoholic drinks are limited.... mocktails should be on every menu in the 21st century, sober drivers shouldn't be limited to a glass of coke or orange juice. I was told they don't have the resources to make mocktails..... this frustrated me as they have a kitchen full of food and juices to make something creative. Another added issue when we requested a salad for an entree, the chef refused to make anything that wasn't on the menu... I was shocked that they didn't have some form of a salad, for a starter or even entree.<br/>I realize it is frustrating when someone orders something that isn't on your menu but what about the old saying 'the customer is always right'. Take the money and charge me $30 dollars for a salad... money is not the issue. <br/><br/>The food we did order tasted ok, although it was hard to enjoy re: statement above.

The atmosphere was great. food was fast and tasted great as well as the presentation. service was also good. Good night out.

Drove all the way down from Christchurch and was looking for a quick meal in an unfamiliar town. Found this place, ordered the entrocote with homemade fries and a glass of local beer. Could not have been happy, perfectly seared, seasoned and cooked steak and great fries. Ate there on 3 occasions during my 5 day stay and was happy every time. Will be returning!

For some reason the atmosphere was really bad. I too was seated beside the toilets which was not a great start. <br/><br/>The waitress didnt bother checking if our meal was ok, though it was. Only real issue for me was that i wanted to leave rather than have dessert as i never got settled on the bench type seating. <br/><br/>Mains and starters lived up to their reputation however.

Fantastic - a wonderful dining expereince..... loved the calves liver - yum yum, great service too..... thanks guys. A frequest diner and love it.<br/><br/>Rob

Very disappointing. I felt totally uncomfortable the entire time I was here. I'm young and sometimes get mistaken for a student. But I do not think I should have to wave my money around in order to get good service. We were seated way down the back near the toilet, despite that fact that the place was nearly empty as we were dining quite late. I felt like we were just shoved down there like naughty children. We were upset by the fact that we were constantly being disrupted by people walking past to use the bathroom. This happened four times during our meal. Normally I would not bother to get upset by something to insignificant. But the food was not good either. I felt like they had whipped it up very fast in the hope of getting us out so the staff could go home sooner. I mentioned that my chicken had blood still in it. It was probably alright, but I'm a bit paranoid and I didn't get sick. The waiter told me he would get me another. I said not to worry because we had ordered a couple of sides and I didn't feel like I was missing out because there was plenty more food and I knew I would not go hungry. but he shot back "well you're going to end up getting it for free so you might as well take it anyway". I was gobsmacked. He also took away my partner's meal and another side dish of roasted vegetables that we had been sharing before my partner was finished. Not only is it terribly rude to remove someone's plate while the other person is dining, but to take away the other person's food while they are still holding their fork?!<br/>The final straw for us was when someone came out of the bathroom and we received the odour of a hefty dump as a contribution to the end of our flavoursome meal of raw chicken.<br/>This is the WORST dining experience I've ever had.

I can see why this place was in the Cuisine magazine finalists. <br/>international standards produced right here in Lil old Dunedin...<br/>Some of the hinted flavours in my food I hadn't tasted in years it was utterly superb. I had the rabbit to start and the veggie tasting plate for mains (I am not a vegetarian but I would highly recommend this plate). My partner had the shredded duck soup and steak for main. He could not fault it saying it was the best food he has eaten in Dunedin. Dessert was divine but what I enjoyed most was a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon chosen with advice from the attentive staff that explored my preference for taste and matched to both mine and partner’s meals (I was blown away at the wine selection) served in huge wine glasses enhancing the wine experience.

Great food, great wine as always. This is a quality dining experience. The only issue would be the cold draught during winter as the door opens straight up onto the street. Maybe this will be changed in the future. But don't change the food or wine! Class!

Our experience at this restaurant was one to be remembered. The quality of service and food was excellent. We enjoyed how our waitress was very helpful and prompt with service. The wine list was very nice, as was the very interesting menu. Although some of the ingredients we did not understand, our waitress was helpful when asked questions. Loved how there were many game dishes available. I had a quail entree which was cooked to perfection, as was the main course i tried, the pork belly which was also cooked great, seasoned very well. The Parfait was also perfect. All of my other quests were very very happy with their meals. We tried the rabbit, seafood broth, game fish, crayfish, rib eye and lamb rump, which were all very well presented. Plates were cleared promptly and drinks were offered again. Waters were always fresh and the atmosphere was great. Its always nice to dine in a restaurant were the wait staff are dress smartly and linen on the table is given. Highly recommended and would definitely dine again!!

Cannot agree with the first two reviews and by comments from others customers we were not alone.<br/>We had wonderful service not stuffy prompt and friendly. The wine list was excellent. An inspired menu, most notably the entrees where game featured. Our dishes were above expectation perhaps my squid and water melon could have been larger - but very well priced. The atmosphere is European probably a little sparse for some but it works well.

When you travel you are always looking for something a little bit special.After reading the awesome review in Cuisine this was the place.The 2 Chefs Bistro.....a contradiction in terms really.There was more than 2 chefs and by the food they were clearly not chefs.My langoustine was so over cooked and the insipid flavoured sauce well thats something I'll never forget.Shame cracking building.And it would have helped if the floor staff were more aware of customers outside of cleaning.

Lovely fit out however one of the biggest disappointment Ive had.Extremely cold when we dined 2 of my guest had jackets covering their legs and the other wore a scarf for the duration....wasn't picked up on by waiting staff, lighting was so dim you could just about read the menu.Well the food is not particularly great very safe and boring wasn't one item on the menu that grabbed me.When the food arrived it tasted of the fridge which isn't a good taste..Extremely disappointing and basically boring.The whole place doesn't seem to gel the menu and fit-out really don't match..which is a shame.No salt on the table which was needed and to be offered pepper before you have even tried your food is very amateur and expected in a cheap pasta chain restaurant not in an establishment where you are paying for quality.This is a disappointment.

Excellent food and superb service. The only (minor) quibble was it was quite noisy and hard to hear the other end of the table of six. This was on the upper level and it may have been better downstairs. Highly recommended.