Capitol Restaurant — Restaurant in North Island

We arrived early for an early dinner, having struggled a bit to secure a booking online. Olivia welcomed us warmly and found us a cozy corner by the window—private, lovely, just right. Our server, Basil, was a gentle, joyful presence, tending to us with care. Even as the restaurant filled to the brim, we never once felt overlooked.

We shared two appetizers and two mains, each dish arriving in generous portions. The standouts? The salt cod croquettes and shrimp linguine. The croquettes were crisp and fragrant, light as air. The linguine, perfectly al dente, cradled four plump shrimp that tasted as if they’d leapt straight from the sea.

The meat dishes, however, didn’t quite hit the mark. The beef tartare leaned too heavy on seasoning, its flavors a touch overwhelming. The breaded baby lamb liver, slightly overcooked, turned out dry and firmer than we’d have liked—some extra moisture would have done it justice. Across the board, a lighter hand with the salt would have been welcome.

Portions were so generous that our appetites—modest by Asian standards—struggled to keep up. So, we settled on just one dessert to finish: a crème caramel with torched apricot. Thankfully, it was flawless.

This restaurant has character, warmth, and good energy. A place that lingers in memory, much like a...

Had a fabulous meal catching up with family from out of town. Food was superb - every dish was top quality, beautifully presented and best of all , tasted sublime. You always know when you've picked a great restaurant when you struggle to make choices from the menu. Highlights for us were the entrees of calamari with aoli, sautéed lambs brains and steak tartare. Mains were divine- Wagu steak with pamesan potato gratin, Nduja strozzapetti and lambs liver with spinach sautéed with gorgonzola. Portions were perfect, possibly even too large but there wasn't a heck of a lot left after the three of us eagerly shared a taste of our chosen dishes with each other. There was definitely some food envy going on. We couldn't resist the Pavlova served with blackcurrant coulis which was dessert heaven only to then be gifted one of Capitols delicious chocolate puddings with creme fraiche. Full and replete our night was over. Throughout the evening we were beautifully looked after by Toby who was extremely knowledgeable about the daily blackboard specials and was generous with his time without being intrusive. Overall a fantastic night that restored my faith in Bistro style dining...

Found this place via ChstGPT while passing through Wellington, and I have to say that I was disappointed the moment I walked through the door. The blond waiter saw me walk in and actually turned away before turning back to attend to me. After I was seated, I was handed the drinks menu and the food menu. I looked at the menu and was immediately disappointed because the dishes that was recommended on Google Review weren’t on the menu. I ordered the twice cooked lamb shoulder (excellently tender and crispy, but the amount of salt was too sharp for me) from the other waiter. Only then, I started hearing the blond waiter explaining to other diners the “off menu” items in detail! His attitude got worse when I decided against ordering wine, and he was outright curt even when asking me how the food was. I had intended to order dessert but the difference in service was simply intolerable, and I decided that I would not stay any longer. That being said, I had a chance to chat with Kate, who was very warm and lovely. However, I was already too upset to speak to her about what had happened, else I would’ve...