Great ambiance. Friendly waitress. Looked clean and stylistically decorated. Bathrooms nice and…read moreclean. Food was above average, excellent sized proportions. My hubby had the burger - it was massive and he loved it. Daughter had the chicken and waffles which were a little spicy for her taste. I had the brisket and eggs. Perfectly poached eggs and great bread. Unfortunately the brisket wasn't great, a little tough and lots of fat. Overall I would recommend and would return to try other items. They had a nice looking outdoor area also.

I can't believe I haven't made a review for this place yet! I spent a lot of nights and hungover…read moremornings here haha. In my final few months in New Zealand I lived in a super small town, less than like 7k people small. It only had 1 main street and this was one of the few highlights of it. This restaurant is popular for the bbq, the inside of it gives off a USA vibe too. It had a big old looking front of a farm truck that they used as their cafe order window, barrels everywhere(hence the name) felt like I was somewhere in the middle of America eating here. As far as the food goes, it's a versatile place. The BBQ is their specialty but they also have some fun breakfast items and, a fantastic gourmet donut selection. I've had the pork ribs and lamb ribs, I loved both equally as much. Can't go wrong with either choice. If you're there for lunch give the brisket burger a try! And for breakfast try out the donuts or get the smoked slamon eggs benny on a bagel with a Chai Latte! Chai in New Zealand just hots different. They also have a carnivore brunch platter which is something I would expect in the deepest parts of Texas haha. So if that's your thing go for it. Sausage and bacon are really the only meats I can do for breakfast. The nice thing about their breakfast menu is it's all day! The prices are pretty high here, but it's one of the only "nicer" restaurants within about 20km, so I guess it's understandable that you pay for some quality food and a nice night out dinner. I enjoyed this place a lot. All the memories with friends, the friendly staff, great food at any time of the day. It kinda reminded me of home and that was comfy. It's a 5 star from me!

I am HUGELY remiss in posting a review. Today my daughter called me "remember that place in Nelson…read moreNZ with the smoked manhattan drinks?" Oh yes I do, in fact it was a highlight of places we visited in New Zealand. Inside is a pretty classic setting. Black tablecloths with white butcher paper. Clean, cozy. The first thing we noticed was this very small bar with 6 tiers of shelves hosting all sorts of spirits and alcohol, and the bar tender was ever so gracious. Our table wasn't quite ready but we enjoyed our chat with the bartender and honestly could have waited longer. The menu for drinks and food was immediately appealing. We tried their smoked manhattans. Delicious. They made it at the table and that was just fun. I got their scallops. Fresh, simple goodness. We shared their fries and I rolled my eyes. Great food, service and overall a charming relaxed and gem of a place in Nelson. Highly recommend!

A delightful setting with great seafood. Ok you hungry travelers tired of mediocre tourist food--…read moretry Cod and Lobster in the town of Nelson. Named after the British Admiral but hey, hi there anyway. Fresh is the name of the game here. You want it, they have it. A beautiful setting. Inside and out. I love it didn't feel touristy. Crazy good bar- see pic-- and great wine list. A lot of great regional pinot noir. Fairly priced for very high quality. I paid around $90 NZ for a hard to get delicious bottle. Try Burnt Cottage if you're into Pinot. Go here. Don't hesitate

Overall great vibes and great flavors. They put a lot of care into changing up their menu regularly…read moreto showcase different local or seasonal items which makes for a fun experience. The service is a little hit or miss at peak times, and they seem to forget about us after we get seated, so prepare to be a bit assertive to get attention.

Don't visit this place during busy times. They take on way too many customers/tables than they can…read moreservice. We ordered just two dishes. Oysters, which doesn't require cooking, and one hot dish. The oysters came out after 10 mins, as expected. But after more than a hour, and no second dish, we walked out as they repeatedly gave untrustworthy wait times. When we ordered, we were told a 30 minute wait. After 50 minutes of no dish, we enquired. Waitress talked to chef, came back with an exact 7 minutes needed. 12 minutes later, still no dish. Waitress goes to kitchen again, comes back with 2 minutes. Guess what happened when 2 minutes later passed... No offer to comp dishes or drinks while waiting, no sincere apologies. Just an excuse than "it's busy at the moment, food will take longer". So yeah, just don't go during busy times. Clearly too popular and they're treating it like a cash cow now. Oysters weren't actually that good. Small oysters, not juicy and tasty. We had oysters at another place in town the same day, and it was night and day.

Toad Hall Cafe is a gem! Beautiful and slightly rustic restaurant with a lovely country store…read moreattached. Excellent menu for breakfast and lunch (my boys LOVED the Biscoff French Toast, I enjoyed the eggs Benedict on sour dough and excellent coffee). Outdoor play area for kids, some lovely outdoor seating too. We may actually eat here all 3 days of our trip to the area!

What a refreshing rustic restaurant and fresh food market located in Motueka. Loved the natural,…read morerustic, and open restaurant area located just past the doors upon entering the food market, its expansive floor plan rotating between different indoor and outdoor areas. They are family-owned and operated, the love and attention put into the natural, wooded space quite apparent. Menu items are sourced locally so they are as fresh as possible. I had the Lamb Burger with their "world famous" slow roasted lamb patty, topped with a fresh picked salad, mint jelly, and tomato salsa. The lamb burger patty was actually shredded meat -- rather than minced -- and packed into a puck. It was a little tough to tear the meat, a fork coming in handy to eventually deconstruct the burger. The salad portion was extraordinary as well, requiring the use of the fork to pick away at it before crafting the burger/ sandwich. Overall though, it was ultra yummy, scrumptious burger, the mint jelly combo enhancing the enjoyability greatly. It left me feeling satiated though not overly bloated. The freshness was prominent indeed. Beers were flowing and while they claim to host a keg of nearby Hop Federation, the single offering was somewhat basic (a pilsener). I actually opted for a local Pinot Noir, a lovely pairing with the Lamb Burger. The TOAD Hall is an easy option while in Motueka and Tasman area!

We ate here on New Year's Eve and were so delighted with our meal! The view is captivating and…read morelovely sea breezes come through the open windows. The food was excellent - we had a multi course set menu for the holiday. I particularly loved the fresh baked bread, maple smoked salmon, and the snapper with new potatoes, radish and cauliflower. After dinner we walked along the wharf and watched the big ships come into the harbor. Truly a lovely evening!

Great views, great service, great food! If you are looking for a superb all around experience, look…read moreno further. Harbor Light will deliver on all accounts!

Stumbled upon this hidden gem while driving to the French Pass from Blenheim. Had to try the green…read moremuscle platter which did not disappoint. A good sampling of every which way muscles can be prepared. 10/10 would recommend a visit

We had no initial intention of dining in Havelock, while on our way to Nelson for the evening,…read morehowever during a kayaking tour we learned Havelock is the Green Mussel Capital of the World! when in Rome...right?! We were encouraged to try the Mussel Pot Sampler. DELICIOUS. So much variety on one plate; the largest, juiciest mussels we've ever had. The variety included: smoked, marinated, creamy white wine sauce, bacon & cheese, garlic & herb, spicy tangy zing, fried, croquettes, with a side of fresh homemade bread. My husband and I split the platter and were equally well stuffed. Along with dinner, we enjoyed reading the table booklet all about mussels & the area's history. The town of Havelock is a quaint town, factoring in this delicious meal, this is a don't miss pit stop!

Classic, delicious, fresh fish and chips. Really popular place with locals, and only open for…read moredinner. Their full scoop of chips is a very generous scoop! We ordered one hoki, one fish burger, and a battered fish of the day, as well as one scoop of chips and one scoop of seasoned wedges (SO GOOD). The fish of the day came as a pretty good-sized fillet. The fish burger was a delightful surprise - several smaller pieces of fried battered fish, lettuce, mayo, caramelized onions, and tart-sweet pickled beet slices. Seabreeze also sell single packets of Wattie's tomato sauce, tartare sauce, and aioli for 60 cents a pop, and larger cans of the tomato sauce for $2 NZD. This is a takeaway joint, and they have some chairs inside for a comfortable wait. There are also three tables, but they're very small, so if you want to eat there you might be able to if they're not occupied by waiting customers, but don't necessarily count on it :)

My husband and I needed a place to grab lunch after the ferry ride, and didn't want to stray too…read morefar as we had a train ride coming up. We walked in to Cockles since they had a patio to eat on and it was the most beautiful day. The menu was extremely limited (maybe 5 items to eat), but we found out that it was the first week the new owners had it. They said they had some changes coming and didn't want to roll out a whole menu ASAP. They wanted to perfect it and make changes to make the place theirs. The wife and son were very friendly and welcoming. I had the blue cod fish and chips and it was probably some of the best fish & chips I have ever had! I was extremely impressed. They had a decent beer selection, too. I am excited for this couple to see what they do with this place, especially if the fish and chips were that good! (By the looks of the new menu now- it looks amazing!)

Go eat here and have the green lipped mussels with miso sauce. Heaven on earth. It's served with…read moretwo slices of toasty bread to sop up the delicious sauce.

Went for a date night here. Great location on the harbor. We sat outside. It was beautiful but…read moreservice was awful. No one took us to our table. Bartenders just told us to go outside and sit anywhere. Then no one came out to greet us for at least a half hour. A table that sat down after us was actually greeted before us. A young boy took our drink orders only to come back and tell me they are out of the wine I chose so I need to choose something else. As far as food, we ordered the large seafood platter to share. It was definitely large but I wouldn't consider it seafood as everything was overly breaded and deep fried. I hardly ate anything and same for my husband. Though we liked the ambiance outside we probably wouldn't return.

Very solid option near the jumping off point for many of the Abel Tasman tours. They appear to…read moreserve a lot of what Gone Burger's walk up stand outside also serves, plus a number of other seafood options, as well as a larger selection (or just...a selection in general) of wine and beer. I had the "rocket" venison burger - nice tasty patty that wasn't greasy and wasn't dry. Good venison flavor, actually, served on an enormous bun at least double the area of the patty (which seems to be a thing in NZ for sandwiches - bread much much larger than toppings. And not small toppings, just...bread like whoa. Fortunately I love bread.) spread with a fig/date spread that was really yummy, plus some greens and a beet slice. I'm not a beet fan, so I swapped that with a family member, but in general, the burger was good and kind of hit the spot after jumping on the road early. It's super convenient to grab a bite as you wait for your tour, or afterwards. It's also the closest thing, otherwise your options are very limited and further afield. So - I'd totally come back. Again, it's about the only option. But then again, I wouldn't drive out of my way to get here. It's perfect for what it is and where it is.