Zephyr Kaikoura Open Daily From 5.30pm

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.