Bistro Gentil

  We dined here this week and not only had wonderful food but the service was exceptional as well, in fact the best on Wanaka. We choose the chefs choice menu... read more and it was lovely. Wine recommendation was superb. Would highly recommend you try this place.

  My partner and I went to Bistro Gentil for our anniversary and had a lovely experience. There is an option on the menu to "trust the chef". This was such... read more a fun option and the meals were delicious. Our waitress Caragh was wonderful and explained each of our dishes to us and even communicated with the chef to pair the perfect wine with our meal. We sat in the outdoor area with beautiful views and the staff immediately turned the heating on as we sat down to ensure we felt comfortable. I highly recommend eating here and my partner and I will definitely be back!

  I'm still digesting the delicious 3 course meal as I write this. The food was next level. If you're wanting the best of what Wanaka has to offer then this... read more is it. I'm a local of 5 years and I've tried every all the restaurants...More

  Fabulous. Great location, friendly service, and delicious food. Te loved everything about the meal. They have a card on each table and you are able to sample... read more wines. We ended up choosing the Maude 2017 Pinot Noir which was selected the Best Wine in New...More

  We ate twice. The beef tartare and monkfish were outstanding. Desserts looked amazing and we had the pavlova which is highly recommended. Lovely staff a bonus

  While on holiday in NZ we visited Wanaka and celebrated my wife's birthday in this restaurant. Excellent food, good service and a nice and special way to choose your wines... read more (I won't tell you more, should be a surprise).

  We were grateful to get in on a Saturday night after another group cancelled - but after overnight rain their carpark was flooded so we had to park in a... read more muddy road side area - maybe an omen of what was to come.
However that cancellation did not do us any favours.
Three of us had "Trust the chef" suggestions- well I dont think I would trust him with my grandma - entrees were a pastry case ( read pappadum) filled with tasteless array of shredded meats and a few blobs of cornichon puree ( gherkin puree) to pretty up the plate . Somewhat disappointed we were then looking forward to our suprise main meal - what we got was fatty, slimy glutinous pork slices with green beans and roast potatoes- the pork was inedible for one of us - and the plate was returned uneaten. The saving grace was the crunchy roast potatoes....Our other dining partner had ordered off the a la carte menu - a good move - French onion soup which proved to be delicious followed by a rib eye steak and dauphin potatoes. Wish we had not Trusted the Chef - very very disappointed overall and over priced pretentious French cuisine.

  Bistro Gentil is described in a major tourist brochure for Wanaka as '...our award winning restaurant ' and came up as #1 on Trip Advisor reviews. The online menu looked... read more exciting too, so off we went for dinner.
Now I don't like writing negative reviews but I really was disappointed.
Wild venison carpaccio as an entree had about as much venison as a single thin slice of prosciutto. And with more than that in the form of poached pear, cranberry gel and sun dried tomato, I just couldn't taste the venison. It's not that these things don't go with venison, but the dish was so mean on the venison that it just got swamped.
It didn't get much better with the fish main. Three tiny pieces of monkfish, while tasting good, just didn't show the character of the fish. The celeriac puree was good, and could have been the main counterpoint of the fish with maybe one other flavour. But add prawns, leek, orange and bok choy to a tiny serve of fish and it just got lost. Somewhere there was apparently black garlic butter too... I've had many entrees that were more generous.
On the plus side, the garden salad was good and so were the wines (though a bit on the high price side by the glass).
Overall I think Bistro Gentil is trying too hard, maybe to hold or rescue some past glory. But the meanness of the and better balanced than this.
A French onion soup was sweet but maybe at the expense of some flavour of the onion. It was saved by a crust of gruyere but we're still trying to work out where the crouton was.
Overall the meanness of the feature ingredients in the serves, and the overcomplicated and overcompensated accompaniments, really it down.
I'm hoping they were just having a bad night, as their menu should really set you alight.

  We went on a Friday night and there weren’t many people perhaps because it’s not in the downtown area. There’s inside and outside seating in an attractive setting. We had... read more the beef tartar and tuna apps with the lamb and fish special. All were memorable. One of the best meals on our trip.

  We spontaneously went to the bistro in the evening. Without reservation and got a place outside. It was quite cold, but okay, since we had not reserved a table. We... read more got the menu and when we wanted to order, the waiter said we had to...More