The little bistro — Restaurant in Banks Peninsula Community

We have been recommending the Little Bistro to others for years, as the food has always been excellent, and the service pretty good.  We have always raved that this was our favourite date night restaurant of all time after multiple visits over several years. Especially nice without kids under 11 allowed.

However they wouldn't let us use our prezzy card on our most recent visit (visa) given to treat ourselves after a hard small business year, trying to support another small business that we specifically came to Akaroa for - kinda affected our New Years, and tainted our view a bit, as we have never had this trouble using prezzy/visa cards anywhere else ever before, including restaurants, and it doesnt cost the vendor to accept it. Was a bit disappointing. 3 stars for this aspect.

The tables are small and very, very close together, so may not suit everyone, but I think this is outlined on their website. Quite intimate which is nice, if that's what you're looking for.

May not continue to bring business over the hill from Christchurch anymore, as it's a long way to go if your repeat business doesn't feel valued, but overall, would recommend everyone tries it at least once for the food, not...

Disappointing, from start to finish. Despite walking through the door to a half-empty restaurant on a Tuesday evening, we were made to feel like a burden. Once seated at our table, we got our order underway. The bread was tasty, but the butter was rock solid. Asking about the difference between two wines (of the same variety) I was not told the difference or offered a taste, but instead just told which one to take because it was “better”. The scallops were tiny and a touch undercooked; the charred corn wasn’t charred and the corn purée was a strange, grainy mush; and the black pudding croquet tasted nothing like black pudding. The fish (John Dory, the day’s special) was cooked well but under-seasoned; the wild rice spring roll (yes, you read that correctly) was tasty, but soggy, and strange; the miso-butter sauce didn’t taste of miso; the “pickled” wakame salad didn’t taste of pickle and was mixed with corn; and there were various random extra elements on the plate which had no place. The creme brûlée was tasty, but the crust was 3mm thick in places and could have broken a tooth. Oh, and the restaurant was boiling, so...

In a nutshell, The Little Bistro offers some of the best cusine to be had in the South Island.

Exceptional cooking lies at the heart of this exceptional little restaurant. It's a must-visit venue; especially if you're trying to collect meaningful NZ culinary experiences.

When it comes to The Little Bistro, their food seduction strategy (FSS) is simple and effective; while you'll have tasted the ingredients on their menu before, it's unlikely that you'll have reaped the full sensory rewards that each of these has to offer.

This is where our trusty head chef steps in to offer a helping oven-glove. George's respect for local produce -- coupled with imaginative flavour combinations -- capitalises on the very best that our taste buds have to offer. Across both savoury and sweet, the execution of his seasonal menu is perfect; do yourselves a favour and try a dish from each section.

'Trust the chef' is an understatement. If you're after top service, top atmosphere, and top food, take full advantage...