Located attached to an old church and settled inside an old meeting hall/reception venue/sunday…read moreschool classroom, Zest offers a modern spot to enjoy a classic pizza. The wall decor features local artists with paintings of local Timaru vistas and all are for sale. The paint color is a relaxing purple-grey hue with feature walls of lime green which really brightens the large room, but the space is so vast the setting is more casual than intimate; perfect for brunch with the family or lunch with friends. The outdoor patio area was bustling with cyclists taking a break for a caffeine pick-me-up. Zest is a pizza restaurant and cafe so you can enjoy quick cafe sandwiches and coffee or sit down for an extended meal from their restaurant menu. They are most known for their pizzas, which are more of a thin crust style and come loaded with the toppings you select. They will gladly do a half and half pizza for $2 extra. One regular pizza is definitely enough slices for sharing. Mark and I split the Greek and Zest Favourite. The Greek (tomato base) has fresh roasted garlic, feta cheese, olives, chunky tomatoes, red onions and spinach and is topped with sour cream and parmesan. It is AMAZING and refreshing. The Zest Favourite has chicken, red onions, capsicums, cranberry sauce and Brie. Yum, yum, yum! but is a little more savoury than the Greek. The cranberry sauce is not overpowering as I was expecting, but is delicate and hardly noticeable. This pizza is also tomato-based. Not in the mood for pizza? Zest also has pastas or other mains to consider. Not to mention entrees or their desserts (unfortunately we were coming straight from the Cadbury Factory so we just stuck to the proteins). Zest has an extensive wine list and a moderate beer selection. The wines are mostly local NZ with some Australian selections and the beer is all NZ local. If you're in Timaru, or just passing through, I recommend stopping here for a quick bite for lunch or dinner.

Delicious salad and pizza! We got the vegetarian pizza and veggie salad and both were fantastic!…read moreThe only reason one star short is for desserts. They were good, but not nearly as good as the main dishes we got. We ordered carrot cake and the Neapolitan cheesecake. The staff was so kind and helped me choose a sweet Riesling wine which I would recommend! Definitely worth it to try for lunch or dinner, as we really loved our time here :)

Nice decoration and atmosphere, this restaurant is like a pearl in the path to Mount Cook…read more We were well welcomed by the owners and it really feels home. We like the concept where you can have an aperitif at the lounge before entering the dining room for the foods degustation. With my wife we came here for her birthday, I chose the venison and she chose the lamb. As dessert I chose a double brownie and she chose a chocolate mousse. It was just delicious. I strongly recommend this restaurant if you stop at Fairlie or if you just pass by!

The food here is fantastic! We got the whitebait fritter to start which is very tender with no fish…read moreflavor at all, tis very tasty. Then had the pork belly and eye fritters for mains. Both of these were amazing with great flavor and texture. The ginger date sticky toffee pudding was such a delight and capped off the whole meal wonderfully. The wine selection was quite good and they helped us discover some great wines both white and red.

Nice spot to stretch your legs and have some coffee while driving in NZ. We passed this place and…read morecame back since it looked cozy. Got a coffee and a hot chocolate, both of which were good. The seating area is very cute and the backyard has some outdoor seating overlooking green hills with lots of sheep grazing on them.

Beautiful stop to get a flat white while on your roadie from Christchurch to Wanaka or other parts…read moreof South Island. We took a bathroom break but ended up staying for a flat white and the view! It is a quiet cafe with a goat in the back, super cute but be careful of putting your finger in the fence to pet him, he sticks his head out to get grass on the other side and will bite anything in sight. Also tip: if you order take away it is a $0.50 NZD charge for takeaway cup even if you bring your own, plus the wood cabin dining room is so nice so take a load off and enjoy the stop.

Beautiful garden setting with great food and friendly service. Delicious cheese scone and excellent…read morecoffee. Gorgeous on a sunny day and warm and cosy inside with the fire on a cold one.

Had salmon, soup , tea and coffee. The food in particular was delish! Very fresh fish, also had a…read morenice tea selection. Top marks all around!

Stopped here for an evening meal of fish & chips…read more Everything was good. Not great just good with the exception of the tartar (not sure if yall call it that in NZ) sauce to dip the fish into. That stuff--I think I mixed in a little garlic aioli or something--was phenomenal. I'd eat that by itself. So so so good. I also had a spieghts beer -- forget which one -- and it was pretty bad. This is coming from someone who can drink (and like) just about any beer. Maybe this batch was off or just older? I dunno. Just not my favorite whereas I loved their Old Dark. Anyway, it's a fine place to stop for a meal. Everyone was super friendly.

Absolutely DISGUSTED by how the male staff unlocked and opened the toilet door with a key while I…read morewas using it, just because another customer wants to use it. What the fuck seriously? Who in their right mind unlocks a toilet when it's in use? I shouted that someone's inside but to no avail. My husband confronted the male staff later but all he said was that there is nothing he could do about it when another customer wants to use it. Wtf?! How does this even make logical sense? Ever heard about WAITING? I was barely in the toilet for 2-3 mins before having such a rude shock. Zero apology from the entitled customer, zero apology from the male staff working at the morning - noon shift today. This is NOT how you treat your customers especially after such an ignorant and grave mistake. If you're thinking of bringing your daughter, girlfriend or wife here or you're one yourself, I suggest you avoid this UNETHICAL trash bag of a place and support other local cafes in the area instead. I'll give this place 0 stars if I could.

We ate there yesterday after a drive down from Christchurch. Interesting fare and we were able to…read moreget half portions that suited us well. We recommend the Purple Lizard.

Best Fish and Chips in New Zealand! If you are within 100 miles, it is a must drive…read more Very fresh fish, delicious batter, perfectly cooked chips. Can't be missed!

Friendly service, very fresh fish.. We had the blue eye special. It was very fast and cooked…read moreperfectly!! Not oily

We happened upon this place by accident and I am so glad we did! All of the staff were very helpful…read moreand friendly, the food was amazing! We got the full breakfast which was a ton of food and very high quality. Their gluten free bread was the best I have ever had! Would definitely recommend stopping here for food if you are in the area!