VEight Cafe & Restaurant — Restaurant in Kaikōura

Oh my God this place was terrible. I've never given a review but feel compelled to warn others. This diner used to be an iconic place to have an authentic American diner experience but every moment of our meal was a disappointment. Firstly, the atmosphere. The place was empty. The only menus on the table were dirty, crinkled A4 print-outs randomly scattered on tables! The view from my booth was looking straight into a filthy bathroom with toilet paper all over the ground. No more friendly staff with themed uniforms and music. Firstly we ordered drinks. My kids ordered milkshakes. Despite them being lime and strawberry, they had weird floaty chewy bits which I thought may be left over from the last milkshakes that had been made but it was in my coke too! I have no idea what it was. I ordered a fried chicken burger. The crumbed chicken was burnt and dry! Our fries were cold and tasteless and the tomato sauce was the cheap horrible sauce that I dread when going to an eatery- I know that sounds silly but to me it's a sign that the owners buy the cheapest of everything, despite the taste. The blue cod smelt fishy (a sign it was not fresh; in KAIKOURA) and the side salad was drenched in cheap Italian dressing. We were not provided with enough cutlery and there were none on surrounding tables so I went to the counter and waited for several minutes as one of only 2 staff members rushed around saying 'one moment'. I was handed a fork, then he found a knife near the cabinet and WIPED IT CLEAN before passing it over. What used to be the highlight of my kids trip to Kaikoura was such a disappointment. We left town feeling deflated. I feel sorry for the car owners in the museum as people will be put off going there now. Oh, and they were selling the old 'Bernies Diner' t shirts! The ones that the previous owners were heavily discounting only a few months ago! DO NOT...

Went to VEight for the first time after the change of ownership from Bernie's. Had a delicious chocolate milkshake and the chicken burger was divine. Chicken was cooked to perfection while still being tender and the coating was crunchy. Had my burger with bacon which was the icing on the cake. The reviews are being tough due to people comparing it to Bernie's but provided you go in there knowing it is a new restaurant and bar that is just starting out they are doing a good job and just need time to get their footing. Staff was friendly and took on board our feedback as previous Bernies visitors on what can be improved upon. Would say rather than giving a scathing review provide feedback to them instead as they do seem to be willing to take it on board in order to improve. But I wish the owners the best of luck. I would also recommend a sign to say under new management on the door or something because that will then give people a bit more of a heads up so they will not try and associate it with the old ownership despite the building...

Pros: HUGE portions (and I say that as an American!) Really tasty American-diner-style food Pumpkin pie lattes were delicious! Quick, warm, friendly service As you've seen in the pictures, an incredibly specific and gorgeous retro aesthetic

Cons: Serious: it's impossible to socially distance at all if you're in a booth and someone sits at the adjacent booth. The booth walls are shoulder height, so you're basically sitting with your head about a foot from a stranger's head. Another group was seated at the adjacent booth near the end of our meal, and as we're still being somewhat cautious and there was no reasonable way to maintain any distance after that point, I left the booth quickly with my last several bites unfinished. Maybe this isn't an issue for you, but it's something to be aware of in case you want to socially distance for now! Trivial: the yolks in my eggs benedict poached eggs were set basically all the way through. 😭 Sad! (But the sauce was so good it made me almost forget the...