A MODERN FRENCH AFFAIR IN BEAUTIFUL WANAKA
Whatever reservations you may have about the French, their cuisine is what makes it all worthwhile. Bistro Gentil brings the delights of French gastronomy to the beautiful shores of Lake Wanaka.
“We revisit typical flavour combinations using fresh seasonal ingredients from our kitchen garden and the best of our region. Lumina lamb, Red Tussocks venison, Lake Ohau Wagyu…”
— Mario Rodrigues, Head Chef
Just minutes from town, our bistro is a serene spot to unwind, with sweeping lake views and sunsets worth savoring.
“Enjoy timeless favourites from our À La Carte menu, from French Onion Soup and Beef Tartare to our signature Crème Brûlée.”
Pair your evening with a visit to the Maude Tasting Room earlier in the day, and don’t forget to reserve your table for dinner.
Bienvenue au Bistro Gentil
Bon appétit !
We sat outside in this lovely, relaxed restaurant and had a really delicious meal, taking the “chef’s choice”menu. All 3 courses were delicious - well balanced and a good size.... read more The wine dispenser is great fun too! You can select a full or half glass...More
Anthea D
This place is amazing. We sat out on the terrace and the view of the mountains and lake is lovely.
The food is to die for. We had the... read more Bistro Classic which we loved . French Onion Soup is fantastic, beef cooked to perfection (medium rare) and creme brulee had a lovely crunch and perfect custard inside
Service is attentive without being obtrusive. We highly recommend.
Katie B
We had high expectations for our meal here, and Bistro Gentil delivered on them. We did the works. I had french onion soup, steak, and a canele for desert. The... read more steak was brilliant-perfect quality thick fillet, cooked exactly as requested. Blue cheese sauce, potato dauphines with an onion caramel and onion jam, washed down with a glass of Cote du Rhone. And all with a view to the majestic lake and mountains of Wanaka. Highly recommended.
evets1232016
Outstanding food and out on terrace was exceptional. They even had hats until the sun dropped enough. Great local wines to enjoy as well as many others.A lovely garden and... read more outlook.
H349ORpaul
Magnifique - what a delight it was to sit at a table and dine at Bistro Gentil. The food & wine was amazing and enjoyed by all.
The service... read more was attentive with good knowledge of each plate offering. Highly recommend Bistro Gentil for your next dining experience.
RobynD1060
I’ve visited this restaurant once before and it was absolutely amazing so I had to return! Although the menu had changed slightly to my first visit, it didn’t let... read more us down. We decided to go with the “Chefs choice” and that did disappoint. The staff...More
taylarhiko
We had an absolutely lovely dinner at Bistro Gentil. The service was good and the food was fabulous. We had the French onion soup, both croquettes, oyster, green salad, carrots,... read more seafood dish and steaks——all prepared beautifully. The wine was good (not great). The setting is beautiful, too. We definitely would return if we are in Wanaka again.
SunValleyTravellers
We always make Bistro a priority when we visit Wanaka, as the food is always spectacular. The meals are imaginative, well balanced and of course, delicious! Three of us dined... read more last night and ordered off the menu. We had the calamari, steak tartare and pork belly entrees. For mains we had the duck, market fish which was bream and the lamb and chorizo. All of the food was incredible but the lamb and fish dishes were something else! We left with full bellies and big smiles on our faces! Thank you to Mario and his creative team, we will continue to sing your praises and recommend you to others visiting Wanaka.
210stepht
Lacklustre service but food food
If I was the chef here I would be disappointed to see this comment, food was generally pretty good however let down by poor... read more service and non attentive service staff.
I was hosting a table of 8 people on a quiet Tuesday evening, the wait staff were more interested in chatting to themselves than wanting to assure our needs were met. I had to get up and interrupt their conversation to get table service. Not good enough when paying their prices.
Q5958IBchriss
We were very excited to be going to this restaurant as we had heard lots of good things about it. We were part of a group of six celebrating our... read more friends very special wedding anniversary.
The most disappointing dish was the lamb which two of the party had. This dish was totally overpowered by the sausage!. The other members of our party were also very underwhelmed by their meals although we would have to say we couldn’t fault the service.
Sadly we will not be recommending this very overpriced restaurant to our many friends who regularly visit Wanaka.
Nellteach53To make a reservation, simply complete the form below, a credit card registration will be required to confirm your booking. No charge will be made to the card at this stage. In the case of ‘no show’ a $50 fee will be charged to the card. Please refer to our booking policy below.
For private hire, large groups and special requests email bistrogentilwanaka@gmail.com.
For parties larger than 9 people, we offer a 3 course set menu so we can deliver the best service. Please email us for more details.
If you are unable to make a reservation online call us on 03 443 2299 as we may still have availability.
BOOKING POLICY
Please note that the cancellation must be requested 24 hours prior to the reservation time otherwise cancellation charges may apply. When booking we request credit card details via the secure Stripe payment platform in order to confirm the booking.
Bistro Gentil reserves the right to charge a cancellation fee of $50 per head when one of the following conditions has been met:
1. Booking is cancelled with less than 24 hours notice.
2. Guests do not show up for the reservation (bookings will be considered no-show after 30 minutes)
3. Party size is less than the original booking by 2 or more guests without notice.
The cancellation fee will be deducted from the registered card on file and the person responsible for the booking will be notified by email.
A request from us:
If you are unable to honour your reservation or would like to make any changes, please let us know as soon as possible. It is important that we reallocate seats to our waiting list during busy times.
We are a small restaurant, so the amount of staff on in an evening is based on our bookings. We will love you for it!
Merci!
Opening Hours
Monday – Saturday 6 pm – late
Sundays from 6:30 pm – late
To Make a Reservation
Click here
For Inquiries
Ph: 03 443 2299
Email: bistrogentilwanaka@gmail.com