Review Zephyr Restaurant - Kaikoura

Excellent service from the moment we sat down. Lovely waiter, interesting, unhurried and very attentive. The meals were superb only the venison could have been a bit warmer. No specific kids menu but happy to serve a kids portion. Well catered gluten free. Beautiful side of vegetables.Timely service and wholesome interaction. A bit pricey but we did eat quality meals. Well done AAA

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.

What an amazingly delicious meal. Service was outstanding and food was so much more than we ever expected. Best Seafood Chowder ever, best Salmon Gravlax, best Cannaloni, best ribeye Steak and to top it off, delicious Chocolate Tort! Will be back!

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

We went out for dinner with friends to Zephyr restaurant, and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. The food was absolutely delicious, cooked to perfection and presented beautifully on the plate. The staff offered a high level of service, and the restaurant has a lovely relaxing atmosphere. Highly recommend.

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!

The entrees of bread and dips was amazing. Probably the best entrees I have tasted in awhile. Great tasty portion for the main meal. The staff were gracious.

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.

Our best meal on the South Island, this place is the real deal. We went both nights we were in Kaikoura. Only slightly more expensive than the pub food places nearby but food that is really delicious and would hold its own in the likes of Auckland, Melbourne, London, etc. Green-lipped mussels are a real treat and local to the region so definitely try those!!

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

Very nice food!! (The fish of the day backed with lemon and butter sauce) the desert and the wine… everything super tasty. Very nice customer service too.

Extremely nice and accommodating staff, but their food is truly top tier. Sometimes visiting a small town the food options can be hit or miss but they certainly are a hit! The steak was served with bone marrow on the side, which was quite a treat.

My wife and I had dinner at Zephyr on 22 July 2023, and it was excellent. The baked cheesecake was the best I had ever tasted (and I'm old enough to have had quite a few! 😅). Highly recommended.

The food was delicious and service fab. We dined at 8.30pm so it was quiet.

Had a lovely evening meal here. Fortunately I reserved a table earlier in the day. Wait staff were attentive and professional. Atmosphere was upmarket. I felt the pricing was appropriate for the experience we had. As for the food, delicious. I liked all my dishes, very tasty. Portion size was good and vegetables or salad were included - big thumbs up.

We had the most amazing meal when we went to Zephyr last weekend. Service was very good and we ordered the Lamb shoulder to share (between 2 people). It was the best meal I have ever had. And the duck fat potatoes and vegetable were great to.

Nice to find a place that is passionate about their food. Good service and recommendations. The Snapper was beautifully cooked. Definitely worth a visit, but probably need to book.