Menu

  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!

  This restaurant was recommended by our hotel. We sat outside on a covered patio with heaters. Fabulous views overlooking Lake Wanaka. The kitchen is open as you walk in,... read more and is a hive of activity. There is a wine machine for the local wines, which...More

  We are Wanaka locals and have dined at BG many times over the past 6-8 years. Some time ago, I found that while the food was amazing, it was often... read more a little too fancy in the fact that the dish comprised of too many flavor's...More

  The restaurant is in a great location overlooking the town, with easy parking. The tables are well spaced for easy conversation and the service was quite excellent, polite and well... read more informed. My wife has a garlic allergy but nothing was a bother and lots of options were made available with no fuss. We all agreed that the menu had great variety and local interest, and the food was beautifully cooked and presented. Maude wines are hard to beat and reasonably priced. Just a memorable evening and highly recommended.

  There have been a few places we have eaten in that were memorable but this is certainly one of them. Nothing we ate or drank came short of the mark... read more and the service attentive and overall experience notable. We both had the Ora King Salmon, tempura soft shell crab, avocado, soy glaze, grapefruit gel, pickled radish, fennel. Remarkable and perfect in every way. Our mains were the free range pork belly, crumbed rib, tomato relish, bok choy, broccoli, hot sauce, white bbq sauce, crispy kale, and the aged beef fillet, red onion relish, onion caramel, café de paris, potato dauphines. Both were faultless. Desserts were unbaked fig cheesecake and the salted caramel set mousse. With all this came a complimentary amuse-gueule to start and a surprise course for our wedding anniversary (which I had casually mentioned when I had booked). All in all a huge treat and one of the best meals out we have experienced (and we have a surfeit of restaurants in Wellington to compare). So nice to read that other reviewers have felt the same way. Keep on doing what you do!

  Having been locals for over 5 years now our special treat has always been Bistro. Seasonal, fresh ingredients backed by a creativity that's second to none! They never cease to... read more amaze. It's definitely the best restaurant in Wanaka for its consistently mind blowing inventiveness. I...More

  Visitors to Wanaka, Bistro Gentil had been recommended to us by our AirBnb host as somewhere top rate to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Hands down, one of our best... read more dining experiences. Ever. A glass each of Maude bubbly started us on our way, whilst the...More

  Take a stroll up past the golf course to find this charming little restaurant with a view even better than down by the lake shore ( those snow capped mountains... read more seem closer, somehow!)

A lovely menu with a good selection of dishes providing vegetarian,fish and meat options, small to larger portion sizes so you can share, or choose soup and a generously sized entree instead of a main course ( and then have room for a gorgeous crème brûlée)

Professional service, tranquil location, great food - and good value too. And a nice after dinner stroll back down past the golf course.

What more could you want!

Highly recommended.

  Both indoor and covered patio areas offer casual elegance in atmosphere. Go around sunset and you will hopefully get beautiful glowing skies from the patio. The food is superb. And... read more even more, the service is very good, a rarity in New Zealand.

  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.