Zephyr Restaurant

I would have liked to have awarded Zephyr five stars because when it arrived the food was very good. There were two waitresses on duty, with about a dozen diners, and we were the last sitting, so not too much pressure. So it was odd that we waited too long for our menus (why not have them as part of the table setting?), water, and the opportunity to order pre-dinner drinks. A couple who arrived after us were attended to before we were. Maybe they were locals known to the restaurant, and I understand the importance of repeat customers compared to one-off visitors. And no problem at all if it doesn’t affect us adversely. However it took 30 minutes from entering the restaurant at just after 8pm to getting our main courses - the stuffed chicken breast and the confit duck leg. I know this because the time clock on my photos of these dishes is 20.36. Both were of top quality, as were the vegetables, and amongst the best food we’ve had during our five week tour of both North and South Islands. Congratulations to the chef. We then ordered slices of the cheesecake of the day and of the chocolate tart. We also asked for our tea and coffee to arrive at the same time. The hot drinks arrived within a few minutes, but not the two puddings. After about ten minutes I wondered why two cold dishes were taking so long. (Why hadn’t our waitress noticed?) I had to raise my arm to wave a couple of times to get attention which is embarrassing. (A common fault is a waiter who doesn’t scan the tables constantly to spot a customer needing something.) Waitress was flagged down, arrived, apologised, checked, and reported back; the chef had turned off the electronic ordering system so hadn’t received our order… Another five minutes and our delicious desserts arrived. At NZ$145.50 or GB£74.58 for two (there was no non-alcoholic wine on the list) this was very good value. In Wellington you’d have paid double that. I appreciate that staffing is a problem being experienced across the industry, but in this case I think it was more a question of vigilance and communication. Zephyr deserves five stars and I hope they go from strength to strength. P.S. I’m not the sort of customer who goes looking for discounts or refunds, but it would have been good to have been offered one. In this case I’d have declined because the gesture would have meant acknowledgment of these glitches, and that’s part of a good recovery.

Great friendly service. The food was excellent both in preparation and presentation. Good wine menu. Highly recommended - in a central location

The Zephyr came highly recommended and with good reason! Our meal was superbly cooked- light, super tasty and left us with enough room for dessert - which was a delicious treat. Will definitely be back!

Wow! An awesome restaurant. Can’t fault this at all, and I almost never give out 5 stars. On a rainy winter night we were warmly welcomed in, served in a friendly manner, and the food was outstanding. Makes me want to head back to Kaikoura as soon as possible.

Beautiful fine dining experience, excellent service and reasonably priced. Well worth giving this place a try.