Review Salty Pidgin - Wellington

Have heard raving reviews of this place and everyone who attended this dinner were curious because of its reputation. We shared 4 entrees and 5 mains plus their Turkish pizza, and because the dessert price was very palatable, we mostly ordered 1 dessert each and didn't share this. The crudo (tarakihi) was nice and fresh but not very distinct in flavour, the orecchiette (like a shell pasta) had a very nice tangy lemon flavour to it and was generally very well like by all the diners, but the sauce was very watery. The biggest surprise of the entrees was the ox tongue, usually my impression of ox tongue is that they can get very hard, but these were extremely tender and fell apart when cut, the flavour was beautiful and it resembled the texture of beef brisket cooked for a very long time. The beetroot was nothing notable and some of us claimed it would be the same if we had cooked it at home in our own kitchen. The mains arrived promptly and the lamb was raved about by many of us, I am personally not a big lamb fan because of its smell, but I must admit it was fall-apart tender, even softer than a beef brisket would. The steak was nice and soft but the flavour was quite generic. The chicken breast to me was as soft as they could be without having them soaked in brine (which means it was still on the dry side) but it was done rather well, the sauce that goes with the chicken breast was beautiful and actually I liked that more than the chicken! I actually really loved the gnocchi because it was infused with a very nice cheesy flavour and a rich side of mushrooms. The fish had quite a strong smell to it but it did not taste old or off, so it must have been some condiment they had used, with the eggplant in the side that had a good kick or spice to it, generally if you like fish this was quite well made. The consensus of the table especially with all the mains that we had, was that the name of the restaurant is present in these dishes - they were all very salty. Every single bite made us reach for that glass of water in front of us, which was topped up very frequently by our lovely attendant. At the end of all over our savory dishes we added the beef kofta Turkish pizza, it was a very cute presentation of a boat shaped pizza, the crust was lovely with a nice texture and the filling was very well liked, it was one of our favourite dishes of the night. Yes it was also very salty! On the other hand, we collectively ordered the chocolate semifreddo, coffee rice pudding and panna cotta. The chocolate was rich, the coffee pudding had a nice coffee flavour to it and the panna cotta was very bland. It was quite funny because the chocolate looked like pate, the rice pudding looked like porridge and the panna cotta looked like tofu. Generally the portion size was on the small side for all the dishes, and even though they had very nice flavours, but the saltiness dominated our impression of this place, albeit the service we received was top notch and the attendant was very knowledgeable and friendly. Giving them a 7/10

High points: Overall food was spectacular, including a stunning vegeterian main. Wait staff were attentive and friendly. Deserts to die for. Let downs: a long wait on drinks and meal. A missing side dish, as it was delivered to wrong table. Very small lamb main for the price and rolled cabbage with pork was bitter.

We always enjoy our meals at the Salty Pidgin. The staff are always so friendly and accommodating. The Salty Pidgin always has some fun specials and I enjoy seeing their dishes change on their menu.

Such delicious and wonderful food... Excellent service. Beautiful quirky setting. Perfect wine match and yummy cocktails. The flatbreads are delicious.. the cheese one was a huge hit with our table. The beef fillet was perfectly cooked with a wonderful, unique smokey flavour complimented with scrumptious sides... the asparagus was so good we ordered another dish. The gnocchi was also a favourite. To end with, we had the cheese board and panna cotta. Semifreddo desserts they were all fabulous....We'll definitely be back.

highly rate this restaurant! the food never disappoints, absolutely beautiful. balanced all the way through. the menu covers everything, but isn't overwhelming. the service is always on point, feel looked after appropriately and never over the top. prices match food and service! can't wait for my next visit! thanks to the team (:

Every dish was on point. Amazing flavour combinations and good selection. Very good service. Highly recommend the roasted cauliflower and the meatballs in pomodoro sauce. Desert was amazing. Looking forward to going back when I’m next in town.

While the food is relatively tasty it's way overpriced. A Bluff oyster cost $4.5 each and was presented raw with a vinaigrette sauce. The Turkish pizza entree was fine and the duck liver pate very tasty but the mains were disappointing. My main was what was called lamb neck in filo pastry. I expected puffed filo pastry wrapped around some lamb beck but what came out was just something wrapped around pulled lamb meat sitting on a bed of peas. The meat was lacking seasoning and dry. The dish (for $42) really needed two of this filo wraps, a nice gravy on the side and possibly some mash to make it a complete dish. Another dining guest had the special of the day which was whole flounder. It only came with some leaves on the side and while well fried lacked any seasoning. When I mentioned during paying the bill the lamb needed the sauce they said they were experimenting a new menu and would pass on the feedback Plus for a high -priced menus, they didn't even take Paywave forcing me to scramble around to find my physical credit card. I don't think I will be back.

Amazing food and highly attentive staff. Highly recommended. Friend & I had a lovely evening. Thanks, Charles CJs Junk Removal Service Wellington.

Such a great spot, friendly service, nice warm environment. Local small busienss at its best. There is even an intimate fire place plus an outdoor area for those sunny days. Beer tap list is of local brewies and changes often. Food is excellent, thier Pides are amazing 👏 Want to try them all! (Partial photo due to my hunger...)

cute place up the hill with a good rotation of great beer, the menu is unique and fun

Went for dinner on a weekday. The staff were great, made sure we were looked after without being overly attentive. The food was very good and there was a good selection of wine and beer. The pizza was popular and would will be back to try more.

My new favourite brunch place in Wellington. Good interior, friendly staff, and good food! Very reasonable price for what you get too. Will definitely come back. Highly recommended!

Great service and superb food - I want to go back to try other things on the menu.!! An excellent selection of wines. You definitely need to book as even early on a Wednesday night it was full

I must say this is the best restaurant in Wellington in<br/>every aspects, the place, the atmosphere, the service, the wine list and most<br/>important the food. Four of us enjoyed every single dish we have selected,<br/>include sides and desserts that burst with flavours. This is a total joy. Thank<br/>you the Chef, you are a hero.

Selection of 6 entrees for dinner to share between two. Beautiful food, helpful friendly staff especially the young charming guys with glasses.

Wow.  The reason for honest, critical restaurant reviews is when you come across a good place it is a delight to mark it up.  Just stopped in at Salty Pidgin in passing and great, light, welcoming casual but tidy atmosphere with a fire.  But the food.  Great menu and very tasty, fresh, light everything cooked to the touch. The fish tartare was so good, the duck was excellent and cooked perfectly and the terakihi was very cool - always difficult to get it cooked right and out on the plate without over cooking or it going cold.  Deserts were also fine although a hint more tamarind would have been good. Wine list classy and accessible.  So good, a little pricey but it is value for money. Oh, and delightful service.

Having recently moved to Brooklyn, I’ve been exploring my new suburb, checking out the various eateries and services in the area. I’m all for supporting local businesses and was delighted to see our suburban bistro and bar Salty Pidgin was hosting Flight Club, a one-night only themed event as part of this year’s Visa Wellington On a Plate festival. Getting tickets to the event was a mission - Jono and I were both glued to our respective computers and only one of us was successful at securing a pair of tickets when it was released for sale in June. Needless to say, the event sold out within minutes! Cost $150 for a general admission ticket ($135 for a seat at the bar) to the degustation with wine pairing.

Came for a Sunday breakfast. Not too hungry so ordered a flat white and a breakfast pide to share. Wow! The size of that pide is ginormous! Super tasty and bursting with flavour it would make anyone happy. A nice crust on the dough makes it almost pizza-like. Coffee is great as well. Will definitely be returning. Highly recommend. Beautiful fit out and also great service. A hidden gem in brooklyn.

Excellent food and great atmosphere. From the mutton bird enter through the venison main to the licorice dessert all was so good. Staff also very good. Desserts took slightly too long to arrive otherwise this would be a 5.

The Salty Pidgin is truly a Brooklyn gem. The atmosphere has a sophisticated yet very relaxing feel. The menu and wine list are both well rounded. We started off with some Pinot Noir from Central Otago region. A must for red wine from NZ. Followed it with some garlic bread from a pizza base. The entrees were amazing. We had a rack of lamb on a bed of rice, we also enjoyed the fish of the day which was blue warehou served with clams and zucchini, followed by the free range chicken breast served over barley and diced Corizo sausage. These were a 5 star entrees. The service was good as well but our side order failed to turned up. Highly recommend the Salty Pidgin.

Best place in Wellington in my opinion. Great outdoor seating in summer, away from the wind, but on a less than perfect day the windows are large and make the place very light. Super Scandinavian interior is cosy. Breakfast Pide, Haloumi salad and delicious coffees and hot choc. 5⭐

Went last week after a while away and we did miss it! Very good food and drinks, the service friendly. Salty Pidgin is very nice to get out of town and enjoy a dinner but still an easy Uber home. Always recommend you won't be dissapointed

Whilst the food was very good. To be told by the owner I was "over reacting" when I queried the $5 per person charge for blowing out candles on a small token birthday cake i'd taken along following our desert order I won't be going back. And this after the entire table ordered entrees, mains and drinks. The owner attempted to back track but it was all too late. Birthday ruined.<br/><br/>

This place is amazing.  So much so I had lunch there on the Thursday and dinner on the Friday.  The food is fresh, interesting and reasonably priced.  Their raw offerings are beautiful - the best oysters I have had in a long time.  Good wine selection and fantastic service.  I'll definitely be back.

Fabulous! Fantastic service and the food is original, fresh and beautifully flavoured. On a sunny day make sure you find the cute garden bar hidden away at the back.

Went last night, a Saturday as we live close in Brooklyn. Although it was a busy night the service was good and the food excellent. The waitresses were friendly, coming over to check and chat, which was a nice touch. The entrees were just the right size, and very tasty<br/><br/>For mains I had the Pig's cheeks which was wonderful,my wife's beef fillet was also gorgeous. We all cleared our plates, more because the food was so good, rather than because there wasn't enough.<br/><br/>Finished it off with a creme brulle, something which I eat quite often so it is with some authority that I would suggest it was one of the best I have ever eaten.<br/><br/>We don't drink alcohol but there seems to be a massive choice of wines and some interesting looking beers that people were drinking. The bar/restaurant aspect works well, there were folks there just for drinks and bar food, others there to eat; it works well for both.<br/><br/>In all a pleasant evening, well priced with wonderful food and good service. Our new local favourite :)

Our local, amazing boutique wine and beer selection which is always changing. They use to offer more gf/df selection, now just on starters. Cauliflower fantastic. If your not dietary challenged then food is gastro pub delish, if you go gf/df it can be a challenge eg deep fried potatoes and steak...

We live nearby and just decided to wander over to the Salty Pigeon one evening for a drink and maybe just a snack. The welcome on walking in the door was brilliant - eye contact and a big hello from the manager who subtly guided us to a seat while giving us the option of which table - 'make yourselves at home' was all we needed to hear. <br/>The menu was pretty exciting so we went the whole hog and got an entree, main and dessert in the end, with a carafe of very, very good chardonnay - finally a proper old fashioned buttery, oaky chardonnay. The chicken entree was impressive - crispy chicken skin on the drums and wings, smothered in a lovely slightly hot sauce with celery sticks - weirdly that worked! I had the quail for main (evening special) and he had a lamb pizza. Both were great, but I actually loved the green beans and crispy duck fat potato sides the best. Desserts were divine - the apple and walnut tart was exactly as it should be and he had some chocolatey, orange semi-freddo type dish of luciousness which was truly inspired. Great atmosphere, great menu and great wine list. What a score for a local bar/restaurant!

The pidgin tumbles architecturally down to the bottom of Brooklyn hill. Originally Lois Daish's old haunt, reincarnated multiple times to take on a piratey name in keeping with the prow shaped restaurant and bar.<br/><br/>This was my first return since it was the Brooklyn bar and grill. It was on saturday night and by 7.30 the place was full of 40-somethings in slim-fit shirts, laughing, talking loudly and creating a warm, buzzing ambience, - eating taking marginally greater priority over drinking, and the majority, if not all tables full - standing room only.<br/><br/>We looked through the WOAP menu and the a la carte and then selected bits and pieces from each. The a la carte is quite small - 5 entrees, 5 mains, about the same desserts and quite a few bar snacks.<br/><br/>The drinks list was OK and we went for a Ma Maison Pinot Noir (martinborough) which I thought was good in a Burgundian sort of way. So good that we went onto a second bottle.<br/><br/>Bar snacks: <br/>Crispy cauliflower in Harrissa - nice - plenty of flavour, happy to have again.<br/>Crispy quail half with slaw - pleasant but so crisp it was difficult to identify the species involved. Possibly would reorder.<br/>Mussels and fries - a standard white wine mussel dish - one unopened - should it be eaten - if there are no more posts from me NO!! Probably wouldn't reorder.<br/>Chicken wings with honey sesame - like a chicken toffee apple - would be OK for those without diabetes. Possibly would reorder.<br/><br/>Mains:<br/><br/>Beef fillet with lentil ragu, greens and a rosemary potato dauphine - perfectly cooked beef, pleasant ragu, slightly over rich dauphine. Probably would reorder.<br/><br/>Duck - one of our number complained that it was tough and inedible - the maitre d' tried to explain the difficulties of cooking duck and I tended to agree with him - it wasn't too bad just a little overdone. The risk is that if the duck is either under or overdone it can be tough in different ways - hence the deliciousness of a slow cooked confit. The maitre d' was superb (jean paul henderson) clearly a professional with a total "the customer is always right" attitude - I was incredibly impressed - in fact I think he should go and teach trainees the art of service. Probably wouldn't reorder.<br/><br/>Artichoke and potato pide (read boat shaped pizza) - rather bland - I often find potato pizzas need something extra to liven them up (capers / anchovies etc). Probably wouldn't reorder without something extra.<br/><br/>Wagyu short rib with garlic yorkshire pudding. The meat was rather stringy - not a brilliant cut - jus quite rich but the yorkshire pudding was OK, filled with peas but I wasn't able to get access to any garlic. I felt the yorkshire pudding saved the dish. Wouldn't reorder.<br/><br/>Dessert:<br/>Doughnuts with a mandarin cream. Similar to those of Salute in Greytown but with a more gentle mandarin flavoured cream in contrast to the harsher lemon-pomegranate(?) Salute dish. I think of them a beignets but I guess there are many varieties. It was OK - pleasant. Would happily reorder.<br/><br/>Chocolate brûlée: The standout brilliantly delicious plate of the evening. A layer of chocolate mousse with sour cherries, topped by a layer of caramel, then a thick layer of butterscotch foam - gorgeous. Will reorder.<br/><br/>Looking into the kitchen I felt the stress levels were pretty high, and I had the gut feeling that the salty pidgin was operating at the edge of its sea going capabilities. The food was OK but not brilliant (with the exception of the chocolate brûlée), the ambience was great, the service was lovely and the maitre d' exceptional. <br/><br/>I understand the chef came from Capitol where, to my mind the dishes concentrate on simple perfection - just a few components each perfectly prepared. In contrast the pidgin seemed to have lost control. Better to simplify and get the components perfect.<br/><br/>Groups: yes<br/>Date night: yes<br/>Kids: probably<br/>Drive across town: Hmmm if there was a reason to go - movie at the penthouse, or you're a local.<br/>Foodies: Yes, try it, I'm sure its capable of getting better.<br/>Ambience: Great<br/>Craft Beer geeks: Yes

Meet a girlfriend here for lunch. I was apprehensive as I had been hankering to come here. It was great!<br/><br/>Parking was easy mid week at lunchtime less than a 20m walk. Warm welcome and asked if I had a preference of where to sit. The fire was crackling away and the restaurant was toasty warm. <br/><br/>I ordered the halloumi pumpkin dish and I love that they could accomodate the meal by swapping the gluten component out and bulking the meal up with rocket and more pumpkin and caramelised red onion. Divine!  My friend had the fish of the day. Moki on a bed of garlic buckwheat, broccolini and green olive sauce. Fish was moist and perfect. We accompanied these meals with crispy cauliflower.....OMG!  So yum!<br/><br/>We were not offered dessert.  Not an issue as we were too busy talking but on reflection this was an oversight. Coffee was good, though I think there green tea was dull and boring. <br/><br/>Toilets clean but very cold. Service friendly and not in your face. Would we come back?  Absolutely.

This place is amazing! The service is outstanding, the food delicious and beautifully presented, and price reasonable. Would happily order same dishes next time, was outstanding! Can't wait to go back!!

We are so lucky having this place in Brooklyn. We probably go at least once a week, great beers on tap, and constantly changing. The food is exciting and always well presented. The pricing is very competitive too, great value. The only quibble I have is the acoustics can annoy me a bit as there is a lot of reflected sound, especially if you are seated under one of the speakers. I would give it a 5 otherwise.

Unfortunately we are moving away from Brooklyn, so this will no longer be our local. We have not had a meal yet that wasn't thoroughly enjoyed, the food is absolutely terrific and the prices represent great value. The service is delivered by a young crew who are very friendly and obviously want to ensure you have an enjoyable experience. This restaurant is another example of why we love to dine in Wellington. If you are in the area, ensure you take the time for a meal, you'll be very pleased you did.

Situated in the iconic Todman St building, The Salty Pidgin must be a welcome breathe of fresh air to the residents of Brooklyn - god knows we could do with something like it in Karori. The new ownershsvr brightend the furnishings, and removed a few taps by the look of it.<br/><br/>The food is fresh and interesting. We ordered the house baked beans, which were delicious. Cauliflower anything is of great importance to me, so naturally the crispy cauliflower with harissa mayo was ordered. This is awesome, and would make a great snack alternative to fries. <br/><br/>The pizza toss-up came down to a choice between the lamb or pork. The lamb won on the day - it's tasty, wth flavours not dissimilar to a lamb kebab (but obv. way better). The pizza comes out more like a pide - something I haven't seen outside Melbourne. The edges are slightly turned in, so it appears kind of like a calzone. You slice it yourself, and eat it rolls up to make a superb mouth-morsel.<br/><br/>The taps appear to change out, keeping things interesting for the bearded folks - I have enjoyed the Whitewall form Panhead, Ballast Point's Wahoo White Ale, and Modern Love from Choice Bros.<br/><br/>We'll be back very soon, not least to try the Pork Pizza.