Several people had highly recommended Kisa, but it took me a couple of nights before I got there…read more Reservations are highly recommended, although they do save a small number of spots for walk-ins. As a Turkish restaurant, it's not specifically New Zealand food, but it often highlights New Zealand ingredients in unique ways. I started with Muhammara -- a roasted red pepper dip with walnuts, pomegranates, and nigella seed oil --and their freshly-made pita bread. So good. The addition of the walnuts really sets it off. Next was Mozzarella Böreks with tomato butter, black olive paste, and toum (a garlic sauce made with lemon, oil, and salt). A börek is a pastry made with thin phyllo dough -- think upscale Mozzarella sticks with really unusual and potent dips. I'd get that anytime. I finished with Wild Tahr Adana Kebab with smoked tomato jam, confit garlic yoghurt, and onion ash crumb. This was the dish one local had told me I had to try. The Himalayan tahr is not originally native to New Zealand, but is now most commonly found there in the Alps, where they've become a threat to the native ecosystems, so hunting them is encouraged. An unusual dish -- the taste of the meat was similar to goat (a little gamey, but not at all off-putting). It's a dish for the adventurous. I'm very glad I had the experience of trying this (and I happily finished it), but I'm not sure I'd order it again. There are so many options on the menu, I really want to go back and try more! The vibe is friendly and casual. A very nice place.

Delightful mediterranean dining experience in the Cuba St. district of Wellington that a local had…read morerecommended while I was visiting the area. Suggest making an advance reservation if you are able to. We did not have a reservation and had to wait about 30 minutes for a table to open up. There are nearby parking garages about 5 minutes walk away that charge a fee to park. Our party of six had the hummus, lor cheese, pita, cured market fish, lamb kabebs, fried brussel sprouts, mozzarella boreks, flank steak, and several other menu items that were all so good! We did have to order multiples of some menu items since the portions of the mezze items were on the smaller side for our table of six, however the waitstaff helped us determine how much we needed to order. Great place to go with a group of friends or family to share dishes!

Great little place for a late night kebab! A small kebab is a good size but if you're really hungry…read moreget a large for $1 more. Lamb kebabs are my favorite but they do a good felafel kebab too. There are other things on the menu: Turkish pizzas, Iskenders, salads, and baklava. Pro Tip: they only take cash or Eftpos, but there is an ATM down the street if you need one.

This is the first time I've been back since the renovation and I really love the new design of the…read morecafé area. It's really terrific to be dining knew the big windows on the street side. Had the antipasto for lunch it was delicious.

Came in on a Tuesday night when they have a $30 Steak and Drink special (beer, wine, or soda). One…read moreof my favorite meals since moving to Wellington! The steak was perfectly cooked and the potatoes and broccoli that came with it were the perfect compliment (I've never had au gratin potatoes like they made it and it was absolutely delicious!) I got a Pinot Gris with my steak while my husband got a beer with his. My kids shared popcorn chicken and small fries (thankful they had Heinz ketchup since my kids do not like Watties or other tomato sauce). Although next time we will probably have to get them the steak since they really love steaks. The customer service was excellent, very friendly and took great care of us. We will definitely return here and highly recommend!

Went there using a Grabone voucher which was $36 for 4 lunch/brunch items. Since there were three…read moreof us we decided we would share the 4th item. It's lucky we had only 3 of us. The steak sandwich on ciabatta bread with chunky fried was okay. Another one of us ordered the hash stack and belly pork and black pudding only to find it was chunks of potato scattered over some thinly sliced pork and quite dried pork (that was the belly pork) and a few bits of sausage. Even at the Grabone price that was pretty poor value but for a full menu price of $19 it was shocking. My friend expressed dismay at the dish and to the restaurants's credit they replaced it with the steak sandwich. We also ordered calamari salad which comprised of a few pieces of calamari scattered in a bowl of salad greens. That was a very small portion also. Finally we had their version of the big breakfast with eggs, ciabatta bread, scrambled eggs, sausages, mushrooms (there was one mushroom in the disk), baked beans and tomato. List price for that was $20. Other cafes in town do much better big breakfasts for less. On the whole a very unsatisfactory experience and I will never go back. They need to really review their menu items and the descriptions and employ a more skilled cook/chef.

Had a coffee and a muffin. $9 for the two. Regular cappuccino which was 50% froth and tepid and not…read morestrong. Muffin just ok. Nice environment though and thin crust pizzas look good though. July 2019 Ok it's been a year. Thought I'd check it out again with a family group for lunch. So yes, still a good atmosphere, but unfortunately still average and over priced food. 8 of us and no one raves about the meals. A few had variations of the sandwich/crostini. The various toppings of salmon, steak, roasted veg looked good but huge slabs of bread filling the plate. Comments from around the table "salmon too salty" "my toasted sandwich uncooked on one side and more bread (inch thick each side) than filling". I had Caesar salad with chicken and pancetta - tasty but just ok. Carrot cake afterwards a thin slice, not fresh and for $8. Coffee ok but one of our party asked for hot milk on side which was forgotten then cold when remembered. Friendly service but not impressed overall.

I went there couple of times as were living nearby with my partner, and what we thought would be…read morejust a convenient store became a real pleasure! The staff is really lovely, they've got amazing pizzas and really nice coffee. The deli is also a really nice shop with so much nice choice! Really fell in love with it!

Great coffee and location but food and service can be a bit mixedread more

This place is so good I really don't feel like sharing it with anyone :)…read moreThat'd be too selfish though, even for me. The cafe is by no means posh from the outside. Once you step in you immediately relax as there's something familiar about it. Everyone smiles, the staff are laid back and polite, the tables and the decor are what you'd expect in a batch by the beach. The food is always fresh. I highly recommend the seafood chowder and I suggest you try the Sacred Water (house brew). They have separate menus for brunch and dinner and there's something for everyone. The cuisine is Mediterranean / European so it's usually light but consistent. Waimea Cafe is one of my favourites places in the Wellington region!