We had a lovely Wednesday lunch with friends while traveling through the area. This is a rather elegant yet unpretentious place that specializes in Mediterranean and New Zealand tapas. We enjoyed nice service, delicious wine, and good food. We recommend the shrimp, potatoes bravos, salad,...seafood chowder, cheese plate, and artichokes. Cheers!More

Busy but were found us a table Good choice of food and a wine wall! Service attentive and efficient. Recommend the scallop risotto

What a surprise - the tasting /pairing menu was done perfect meeting all of our expectations. The server explained each course and wine pairing and patiently explained preparations . Very unique ingredients combined to make this an amazing dining experience. Make a reservation in advance,...sit back and enjoy .More

The customer service was appalling. We arrived on time and were ignored. Finally someone took our name and we sat at the table. In order to get wine we had to walk to the bar and order. One bottle of wine arrived and the other...didn’t. We asked where our wine was and was told they were chilling it and it would be with us in 4 minutes. 8 minutes later we asked for our wine. Still chilling! So waited another 5 minutes and no wine so we asked again and were told to “chill”. The wine arrived 35 minutes after we ordered it. The food when it did arrive was also very average. The tuna was inedible. The staff behind the counter were so rude. Won’t be going back!More

Was nice but has gone down in quality in food and presentation just lacking that certain something and they charge for that .wait staff exceptional menu choices great and great variety saying that menu same as year before so maybe getting a little stale in...the kitchen ideas wouldn't need much to go to 5 stars just bit more energy on food presentationMore

Fantastic wine selection. Food was best we have had at any restaurant around New Zealand. Lee was an amazing server and we loved her mannerism and knowledge about the restaurant and food selection. Would we go again - a huge yes. Would we tell friends...about this place - an even bigger yes. Best Birthday Dinner in 12 monthsMore

My husband and I were delighted to find that Vine Eatery was a doggie friendly restaurant, with outdoor seating that was sheltered and heated, whilst on holiday. So we decided to celebrate my birthday by eating here the following evening. We were warmly greeted and...the waiter pulled down the covered awning, switched on the heating for us, brought our dog a bowl of water and took our order. After about 15 minutes or so, our food came out....but in the wrong order (we ordered 2 starters, followed by 2 mains and a side of vegetables). The waitress almost appeared annoyed when we said we were waiting for our starters first and walked away. A few minutes later my starter arrived but my husbands did not, so I ended up eating it on my own. During which time the original waiter came out with the side order of vegetables - which too were sent away. My husbands starter arrived after I had finished mine. When we were eventually served our mains, my fillet steak and my husbands pork was tepid - so we were obviously served our original meal about 20 minutes after it was cooked. No one came over to us to apologise for the mix up, which was disappointing. I feel some much needed training in customer services is needed. The food itself was delicious but my overall experience was disappointing - not how I imagined a birthday meal.More

Sorry, the buzz of a busy eatery was good to experience and the wait table service was good; the food however was very average indeed. I thought the size of the menu was ambitious - could the restaurant do all the options justice? For us,...the answer was no. There wasn’t a single excellent dish that we trued. Do less and do it better is my suggestion.More

Great night out , fab food. Couldn’t get a table Saturday night, luckily we could go on Sunday night. Great service and vibe.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner here. The menu is big, with a ton of variety. Everything was done very well. The flavors are Mediterranean and each dish offers a depth of flavor that was so well appreciated by our group. We ordered the roast artichoke,...tuna tartare, beetroot risotto, roasted mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes. All of the dishes were really well prepared and delicious. We couldn’t have asked for a better dinner spot in Taupo. Will definitely be back!!More

August 2023 - Lunch. High quality wine by the glass selection on menu. Friendly service but a bit disorganized. Lunch entrees were decent but a bit underwhelming for the price. Liked it for the wine - food was okay.

This place has a lovely ambience, has been beautifully decorated, is comfortable and welcoming. The food is also very nice. Unfortunately that’s where the good stuff ends. Apart from very nice Latvian waiter who I met first up (and who provided me with a very...good local craft beer), the staff couldn’t have been more disinterested. Whilst waiting for my main to show up, I asked for a refill beer, not once, and not twice, but three times. The place was nearly empty being a non-school holiday Monday night. The guy who appeared to be the manager, who looked to be in his early 20s with a wispy moustache, was way more interested in chatting up the young female staff, than serving a beer. I had to try and get his attention ( or one of the two young barmaids he was chatting up), he ignored me completely, she took the order but then went behind the bar and started drying glasses. I asked the second barmaid, but Mr wispy moustache was in, chatting her up within seconds, and she too was this waylaid. When I pointed out this appalling service to Mr wispy, he was affronted and told me to leave the bar area. The food arrived, which was good, but not what I ordered. I went to pay and there was not even a hint of an apology. In fact, I got the impression that Mr wispy was waiting for me to apologise. I would be appalled, if this was my restaurant. It could be so good, but with staff like this, it’s not going to be… Ever.More