Kika Reviews

Fantastic dining experience Pressure was on to find the perfect restaurant to celebrate my husbands 50th with our grown up kids and Kika didn’t disappoint. From the friendly staff to the stylish decor and the excellent food it was everything I could have hoped for. We considered the chef’s menu having seen great reviews but the five of us honed in on several dishes we all liked the sound of and didn’t want to risk not trying so we opted to share throughout and it worked perfectly for us. For five of us we ordered 4 small plates, 2 mains and one each of the four sides which was more than enough. Standout dishes were the beef tartare and the slow cooked lamb shoulder which literally melted in the mouth. The biggest surprise for us carnivores was the flounder which was baked whole and served with an Asian inspired sauce - and was most people’s favourite. I’m a huge dessert fan and ordered the chocolate mousse. It wasnt a mousse as I know it but it was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had - the hazelnut ice cream and chocolate praline crisps were divine. Drinks were good too. We started with fizz and moved on to red and white wine, good selection of wines available. Only one negative to the whole experience - and this seems to be an issue throughout most of the cafes and restaurants we’ve visited during our trip to NZ - the bathrooms were freezing. Otherwise Kika gets 10 out of 10 and would definitely go again. We also tried their sister restaurant Paloma where the tapas style menu was also excellent. A few good eateries in Wanaka but these two really did stand out for all the right reasons.

Trust the Chef Experience This is Wanaka's #1 rated restaurant, and for good reason! We had booked the 'Trust the Chef' option, seemed like the right thing to do and hubby was intrigued when I told him! He opted for the wine matching and was really pleased with the pairings. There is something quite exciting about not knowing what food is about to be served to you! After starting with half a dozen amazing oysters (Marlborough from memory) - a chosen upgrade, 3 more starters were served. A delicious beetroot and goat's cheese dish - always a winning combination, the Kika fried chicken and the delicious smoked salmon with a very tasty seaweed lavosh. Flavours in all 3 were supreme and complementary. The main course was the most delicious short rib that must have been slow cooked for days! Aside from just falling off the bone...the crispy and tasty rendered fat was next level. We love love loved this dish! Hubby said it was quite possibly the best meat dish he had ever eaten. It was paired with a Hawke's Bay Syrah (Clearview)....a good match said hubby. This was served with roasted potatoes and a very sexy cos lettuce salad. The meat was the star of the show and we savoured every mouthful. I had a glass of bubbles to start, then liked the sound of the Foxxy Cleopatra cocktail, which listed aquafaba as an ingredient...I was intrigued so had to try one! Was delicious and the waiter said it was his favourite. Dessert. This is where you really do have to 'trust the chef' . There would be no way I would ordinarily order a 'charred pavlova, with cherries' dish.....but alas, that is what came out and I have to say, it was to die for! Simply perfection (again!). Light as a feather meringue with a delicious chocolate ganache and the cherries were perfectly complementary and not over powering the dish at all. We didn't want the night to end!! We paid, then realised there was a whiskey menu, so we sat at the bar having a whiskey and a cointreau to finish our supreme evening. The waitstaff were very attentive and knowledgable and you could tell they enjoyed what they were doing. The atmosphere of the restaurant was great...lots of people. The fire wasn't going this night, but the restaurant was warm and cosy. The food was sublime and we both rate this restaurant right up there with some of the best food we have ever eaten.

Interesting. The food was tasty and a bit different, which is not easy to achieve. I am not sure about the structure of the menu offering which is small plates and shared main plates. It makes it a bit tricky if there is a lack of agreement about what to have as a main. But that is not a major problem and we enjoyed our meal. The choices of wine by the glass were certainly adequate.

Best fine dining in Wanaka We had a wonderful fine dining experience at Kika. We were seated at a table next to the open fireplace which was lovely on the cool Wanaka night. Our waitress was lovely, friendly, attentive and helped to recommend a number of dishes that we were undecided about but later appreciated. We thoroughly enjoyed a variety of piccolo (small) and grande (large) sharing dishes and contorni (sides), topped off by dolce (dessert). For the piccolo dishes we had the smoked, cured Ora King salmon with herb oil, horseradish and seaweed lavosh and the agedashi tofu with mushroom nd ginger puree,prickly ash and mirin broth. The salmon was melt-in-the-mouth smooth and fresh and was balanced nicely by the flavour of the horseradish and seaweed lavosh. The agedashi tofu was nice and hearty and just the thing for a cold night. For the grande dish we enjoyed the half roasted Eastherbrook Farm duckwith heirloom pumpkin puree and mandarin. The duck was cooked to perfection with a lovely, crispy skin and sweet, moist, tender meat. For contorni we ordered the Patate Fritte with black garlic vinaigrette and mustard seed oil and the charred broccolini with pumpkin seed butter and pinenut gremolata. The Potatoes were crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside and the vinaigrette and mustard seed oil added a nice flavour without being too overpowering. The broccolini was nice but could have been a bit hotter as they arrived luke warm. Flavour-wise it was still nice. For dolce we ordered the chocolate mousse pavlova with whipped yoghurt and poached cherries and the caramelised cocunut rice pudding with pineapple, mango sorbet and lime. The pavlova was very rich whereas the rice pudding was light and refreshing. Both were wonderful. Overall, Kika was a a wonderful dining experience and arguably the best restaurant in Wanaka. Definitely worth visiting when in Wanaka.

Great Food. Great Service. Superb food and great service. We had a very enjoyable meal with great flavors and tastes. Lots of local meat, seafood and produce complimented with a good wine list with good Central Otago representation. Thoughtfully put together and visually appealing. An excellent dining experience.

Best tasting menu YUM!! One of the best “Trust the Chef” meals we’ve ever had. Great service, amazing food and delicious wine pairings. Would highly recommend

Don't miss this restaurant! Wow. Just wow. I never expected this level of service and quality of food in such a small town. We got the "Just Feed Me" option, which was a little challenging for the chef as I'm pescatarian and husband is a meat-eater, but he customized a meal that we could share. Each dish was more beautiful than the last, with unique flavors and presentation. Servers were lovely and made sure our experience was a stellar one. When in Wanaka, DON'T MISS THIS RESTAURANT!

Great food Fantastic food Great service Had tofu for the first time and it was lovely, told them I didn’t like it at they told me just to try it. Was lovely The whole meal was amazing, 3 starters and and main and pudding. Best food I have ever eaten. Staff were great, so helpful

A refreshing spirited restaurant. A suave dining experience, good wines and fresh local produce. You’re advised to share courses, and the mains are huge . The potato were superb, highly recommended. Prices higher, but worth it.

Brilliant - don’t miss this! Brilliant - hands down one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had, ever!!! We had the tasting meal - they choose our meal, with matching wines. The chief needs a pay rise- exceptional! The description of the wines to accompany each meal was a delight! Thank you 🙏🏼

One of our favorite meals in New Zealand Maybe our second favorite meal in New Zealand. Very creative menu and everything was delicious. Lot's of small plates to try. Seems like the place to go in Wanaka.