Steve Warne
Lovely staff, fantastic tapas and paella. We love this restaurant and if I'd reviewed after our first visit it would be 5 stars. However our second visit didn't go so well. They'd lost our booking, even though I made it in person while paying the previous nights bill! We were put on a table to have a drink while they found us a table and got our orders under way as we had a deadline to leave for a concert. They never actually found us a table as our food arrived delivered by confused staff who had no table number for us. We ordered wine but it took two reminders before we actually got it.
To recap, great food, lovely young staff and a nice place to eat.
Eddy Winter
We've been long-time fans of dining at Avida, and popped in for our usual, only to find that they'd changd the menu! The Manager explained that they'd decided it was time for a revamp - he made some recommendations, which we opted for. Great meal - loved every bite, and we'll be back again soon to see what's new on the menu this time!
John Arand
This place knows how to prepare good tasty food. They back it up with great service and atmosphere, this served with a cold Estrella is hard to beat. Definitely worth a visit when you're in Wellington.
Shirish Paranjape
I visited this restaurant on a weekday evening for dinner.
There was not much choice for vegetarians, but the staff said they could do a gnocchi for me.
The food was well presented, authentic and delicious. The wait time for the food was lesser than expected, considering that the place was reasonably busy.
I followed up with a dessert - Catalana Elderflower, which was nice too.
A good experience overall. I will be happy to visit again, and to recommend this place to others, including vegetarians.
María Paz Cárcamo Agüero
Good food, vibes and service.
Pros, we enjoyed the Spanish flavours in there. The potatoes tortilla, empanada and gambas were great.
Cons, there was a lack of presentation in the tapas dishes and a little too much use of paprika in the sauces in my opinion.
Graeme Wooller
Great tapas bar with good service, nibble food, and cool wine selection. Great for after work drinks and pre dinner snacks...
Christian Heeg
Lovely place for tapas and Dining, coming from Nelson we have been sorely missing the Spanish cuisine. We found it delightful, with friendly staff being always on their toes. Highly recommend, splendid food.
Robyn McCorkindale
Good friendly service and the food was delicious. There were 4 of us and we ordered breads, dips and spiced nuts to start, then went on to have 5 different tapas all were excellent. Extra points for the cocktails 🍸
Andrew Thrift
Friendly place, good food and a great ambiance. Try the hot sardines with a fruit mock tail.
Sascha Schwinn
I went for a. burger. It was the best burger. The service was very fast. I'll go definitely again.
Ian Sadler
One of the best bars I've been to.
Prompt table service, a very short wait for our meals to come out.
Awesome range of foreign and domestic beers, on tap and bottled.
Snacks are sized for sharing, best tasting fries I've had in a long time.
Hamish Giles
Lovely relaxed atmosphere with friendly staff and tasty nibbles.
elizabeth duncan
One of my favourite Wellington haunts. Always a great energy. Interesting wine list and delicious selection of tapas. Best to book if you want to be seated
amanda w
Great little girls lunch. Tapas and cocktails. Food was great and cocktails hit the spot.
Faye Barrand
A must visit spot, highly recommend!! Food, drink and atmosphere are excellent!!
Gordon Nowell-Usticke
Nice atmosphere and a fantastic wine selection. And enough that can be bought buy the glass rather than having to fork out for a whole bottle too. Last time I was there I had a brilliant 2018 Beaujolais for a great price.
I didn't get to sample to menu but I am certainly interested in going back and getting into it. A nice after work drinks and nibbles venue with something for everyone.
James Blackwell
Had some lovely tapas hear earlier this week with some work colleagues. <br/><br/>I was pleasantly surprised; having walked past many times but not gone in I was amazed.The venue and decor is wonderful, classy, but not overly so. Staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. <br/><br/>The food was very nice too, being a tapas bar the focus is on smaller share plates, but that is OK. We had some chicken skewers, goats cheese and honey puffs (my favourite), some fries, a share plate of Spanish meats, and some olives.<br/><br/>All the food was great, and the beer selection was fantastic too. Highly recommend.
Abhi
Enjoyed the drinks and nibbles yesterday. Surprisingly family friendly for an inner city bar catering mostly to the after office crew. Nice little private nooks around the place. Great service too.
EpiCurious
Pretty good! Attentive humorous service and a great range of tapas for sharing or hogging to yourself - whichever you fancy. The empanadas were s little pastry heavy - but when you got to the filling it was fab!
Mimifama
We had to evacuate the hotel just when we're about to prepare dinner due to a fire alarm. So we thought of going to Avida while the firemen were busy checking out the hotel. Service was prompt and friendly. We love the empanadas, meatballs and roasted pumpkin.
Anna Garland
I have to be honest - I am having a rather intense love affair with this place. I'm generally there at least once a week for a drink after work. I just can't help myself - I TRY to share myself around, but it's now become my firm "go to" place. It's the ridiculously good service (I've even had the tapas menu read to me in "Sam Hunt" poetry style - to be fair, I had initially asked for it to be done as a rap, but the Sam Hunt version was even better). And the impeccable wine list. And the faultless food (as a vegetarian I often draw the short straw when I'm dining out - but never at Avida - Goat cheese puffs drizzled with honey?! Roasted pumpkin and feta?! Parkvale mushrooms in sherry vinegar!?!! - what's not to love?!) The only thing that drives me a little crazy is that everyone else seems to love it as much as I do, so unless you've reserved a table well in advance, or arrived ridiculously early in the evening, it can be a little difficult to get a seat. Having said that - the wonderful people at Avida have always managed to find me a spot somewhere. Don't change a THING, Avida - this really is true love. X
Sean P E Fleming
We were heading to see AC/DC at Wespac but first we were looking for somewhere to eat. CBD was over-run with AC/DC fans and we were turned away from several places. We wanted a decent meal so popped into Avida. We got a table straight away. We ordered and received our meals in good time. Waitresses were helpful, knowledgeable and friendly<br/><br/>There were four of us, we ordered six craft beers and a bubbles.<br/><br/>I ordered the Empandas (tapas dish) for the table and a Angus Sirloin for main, rare to medium.<br/><br/>The Empandas weren't what I was expecting. I didn't realise they were pastry parcels, but they were tasty. A bit heavy on pastry to filling but they were good.<br/><br/>The steak was a little disappointing. The steak itself was good, but it was quite cold. Thankfully it was very tasty so it passed. The potato rosti wasn't great but the eggplant was very good and complemented th esteak well.<br/><br/>The other dishes on the table looked fantastic. My partner had the beef cheek and it was delicious. Rich deep flavours. The calamari and the paella looked great but I didn't try them.<br/><br/>Although I was a little underwhelmed by my dish, on the whole it was a good meal - which everyone enjoyed.<br/><br/>For four of us it came to $200. Reasonable.
Justine Hall
Loved this restaurant. Had lovely tapas on Saturday night and great service. Particularly recommend the tostada, calamari and the warm puffs. Good wine selection and fantastic waiter brought us a couple of wines to try before we decided what we wanted.
Pauline Smyth
This is still my favourite local dinner option by virtue of its convenient location, tasty dishes and comfortable atmosphere. There's not much to fault in all honesty... Although I do think my pork intake doubles whenever I visit Wellington, exclusively attributable to this particular restaurant. I find their pork dishes irresistible, which may be more of a reflection on me than Avida itself.
Sandy Palmer
This was our second visit and the staff were just as friendly and helpful as last time. The food was delicious and the only thing I was disapointed in was that they didn't have any of the salted caramel ice cream which is divine. New favourite tho plum and Pinot
Fleur
A great little sanctuary from a wet and windy Wellington day, the fire warmed us up quickly and a big glass of Spanish red disappeared in no time. Yummy nibbles included the goats cheese puffs with sweet honey, the chicken liver pate, the chorizo and a beautiful flat bread topped with shrimp, feta and garlic. Perfect for an afternoon snack, and great coffee to finish. Staff were super friendly and helpful with wine selections.
Philippa Lagan
Dined here for the first time last night. Three of us ordered two small plates each, which was more than enough. Each dish was delicious. Service attentive. Highly recommend.
Cecilia Luxton
I was a bit doubtful about finding tapas catalanas in Wellington. Went to Avida for lunch with a friend and most most impressed. Excellent service and wonderful food, loved the chick peas and chorizo and the pork crackling, everything was great. Good wine too. The crema catalana as a finishing touch is delicious. Will certainly go back soon.
Louise Morris
Nice atmosphere but disappointing lunch. I had a rice dish that sadly, lacked taste and was swimming in oil. Unfortunately I wouldn't go back or recommend it as a place to dine to others.
CCb
I am trying to find authentic tapas in Wellington. Having fun trying. Avida was a great surprise. Bit of a wine loft atmosphere. Staff were knowledgeable, food delicious and atmosphere surprisingly social.
SET
Super value, great tapas, excellent house red and even better service. While the atmosphere and food are great, I really think its the service that sets this place apart. Everyone was friendly and courteous, despite how busy they were. You don't often find that in NZ! Recommend the chorizo & white beans, Catalan bread, goat's cheese puffs and the fries are HUGE so perfect for sharing among a big table. Will definitely be back the next time we're in Welly.
Michelle
Visited for dinner during Wellington on a Plate. Loved their Wellington on a Plate menu, friendly and efficient service, nice atmosphere - busy enough to be fun, but not so noisy that you can't have a decent conversation. Definitely recommend.
Maria Lute
We were greeted on arrival by the Maitre d' and given a choice of seating. He stayed with our table for the evening and was a great help with both the menu and the wine selection. Great variety on the menu for the small plates - stand out favourite were the goats cheese puffs with honey- we ordered more of these! For 3 people we had 5 dishes and then added one more, so felt this was good value for money and allowed us to try lots of different flavours. Plenty of water top-ups throughout the evening and the staff were friendly and approachable. This is a great place for ambient, convivial dining - very reasonably priced and in a really good location to the railway station for commuters who want to be able to sample the wines and not drive afterwards. We will definitely be back.
Sarah
Came here mid week for a catch up with friends. Great tapas menu - vey good selection. Recommend te honey goat's cheese puffs, the Catalan bread, and the pork crackling. Good wine list and plesant atmosphre. <br/><br/>Avida is what used to be the Black Harp. Would definitely retun.
TheSmythes
Staying nearby, so an easy choice for dinner for two. We just shared tapas and the house Spanish red. Was surprised by how good the house wine was! Standouts were the chorizo and beans (could have eaten this by myself), and honey goats cheese puffs (who doesn't like salty/sweet?). Absolutely delicious! The staff are very friendly, efficient and despite us just grazing on a busy Saturday night, never made us feel like we had to move on. And the restaurant is gorgeous! Absolutely loved it!
Alice Harris
Great food, Great service, will be coming back soon :) Interesting Menu that takes your taste buds on a magnificent journey. :) :) :) :) :) :) :) Cute Waiter too :P
Ellise Connelly
Great casual atmosphere, lovely service, nice simple clean food. Perhaps lacking a little complexity in the flavours, but only for my taste. catered well for gluten free. overall great value, lovely menu and a terrific library of liquid refreshment offering rare liquor, fine whiskey and an extensive wine list. Recommend highly if you are in Wellington and looking for casual quality.
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