Menu

  This was an awesome dining experience.
I ate off the menu and wife tried the “Trust the chef” option and was most impressed.

  Oh. Wow. Came here with my parents (75 & 80), and we were simply blown away.
Incredible view and lovely staff who genuinely seem to enjoy working there. ... read more />
My mother normally “chooses badly” even in top London restaurants. Here she was just bowled over. I can’t remember the last time that happened.
The cauliflower soup was incredible. Her lamb was the best of a faultless main selection.

Just an extremely rare experience.
I often love the food in NZ restaurants but this was simply on a different level.

  Nooo? What else do you desire besides lake views, fab art and delish froggie cuisine. Its was memorable for us sitting alfresco and being water-only, sils vous plaise, we didn’t... read more have to contend with the silly gimmicky digital self-pour system. Its certainly the apex in dining in Wanaka

  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.

  The food was good, the service attentive, the tables are well spaced, the restaurant had a nice buzz but not too noisy for conversation. All the makings of a very... read more pleasant evening

  Great location . Good wine. Service standard but food worst in our experience in New Zealand - esp. For among the high end restaurants. Everything was overpowered with mayo type... read more sauces and too salty. Minute crab appetizer tasted more of fried batter stick than crab. French onion soup good. Main meal of lamb - so much mayo sauce that couldn’t taste lamb the way we should. Side dish of veggies again doused in mayo sauce - lost taste here again. Really disappointed . Compared to other many locations in New Zealand , very disappointing and cannot recommend . Liked other local lunch places better in beautiful Wanaka! Recommend to pull back on the very overwhelming sauces!

  Fabulous meal, thet best we have eaten in a long time. Easily beats the #1 rated place.

Best on a nice day, to eat outside.

  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

  Dined here as a husband, wife and fussy teen. This place didn’t disappoint. Staff are excellent. I just kept asking myself why we can’t have more restaurants with great staff... read more like this in Australia. I don’t think the staff realise how good they are. They...More

  We went to this place on a friends recommendation and it absolutely blew us away ! The atmosphere is classy but casual and feels really welcoming as you step in... read more the door . The staff were efficient and friendly , and the food - WOW !
French onion soup would be on my last supper list and this one was sublime , melt in your mouth beef was next - cooked to perfection and accompanied by just enough mouth watering accompaniments , my only complaint is that I couldn’t fit dessert in -gutted !
This place is an absolute little diamond .