BLUE ICE RESTAURANT & BAR

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#2 of 11 Restaurants in Franz Josef$$ - $$$, International, New Zealand, Vegetarian friendly

+64 3-752 0707+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Mon

11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Tue

11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Wed

11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Thu

11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Fri

11:00 am - 11:00 pm

Sat

11:00 am - 11:00 pm

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.0

962 reviews

#2 of 11 Restaurants in Franz Josef

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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PRICE RANGE

$2.00 – $2.00

CUISINES

International, New Zealand

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

meals, features

Location and contact

12 Main Road, Franz Josef, Westland Tai Poutini National Park 7952 New Zealand

+64 3-752 0707

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Does this restaurant accept bookings?

Yes

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Details

Manage this business?

PRICE RANGE

$2.00 – $2.00

CUISINES

International, New Zealand

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Dinner, After-hours

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

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4.0

962 reviews

Excellent

480

Very good

315

Average

Poor

Terrible

Timiti

Berkeley1 contribution

Pleasantly surprised by a

Mar 2020 • none

Pleasantly surprised by a well-prepared meal. We enjoyed both the fish of the day—a perfectly baked john dory(ocean catfish) for my wife, with fresh vegetables *not overcooked* and a light and crispy fish and chips for me. Wait staff was competent and friendly. To earn 5 stars, they would just need to offer a rice option with the fish of the day. They didn’t even include rice with the stir fry, which is just strange. But apart from that, highly recommended dinner in the shadow of glaciers.

Written 4 March 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tim D

29 contributions

A fabulous find

Feb 2020 • couples

We were staying in FJ for a few days during a cyclone and torrential rain so our planned Heli Hike was cancelled. With the weather as it was most outdoor activities were off and as such FJ doesn’t have a whole lot more going for it. I decided to have a massage and my masseur a Filipino called Denis recommend that we try Blue Ice. Local knowledge is always good to follow. We booked the same night and umbrellas up off we headed. It’s at the far end of the Main Street and truthfully looks nothing too impressive from a distance. However as you get nearer it starts to look very interesting. There is an outside patio area and the chairs and tables used are very stylish and modern. I big box ticked. Inside it’s fabulous, light, bright, airy and crisply stylish. The business is run by a Filipino family with most friendly and attractive Mum and stylish daughter on front of house and Dad in the kitchen. The stylish daughter was the one responsible for the kit out and what a great job she’s done. I’m in the design/ furniture business so I do know if things are good or not. Ok your saying what about the food it’s a restaurant review. The food was amazingly good. I decided on a Filipino dish as a main and my wife went for the fish & chips. We shared a smoked salmon starter. Mine was great but as Filipinos cooking their own food you’d expect it to be. It was like home cooking but served with style. My wife’s was delicious and super fresh but beware unless your not very Hungary it’s a lot. If your in a FJ Blue Ice is a must great food, great atmosphere and all served with a smile! It needs to get 5 stars come on guys follow me. 5 STARS!!!!!

Written 18 February 2020

Chasyj

Newcastle upon Tyne187 contributions

Lovely meal and good fun on top

Feb 2020 • none

My wife and I enjoyed an evening meal here while staying at Ribbonwood Retreat nearby (see separate review) which included a complimentary private car collection and return. Lovely food with a large selection on the menu. The restaurant was full but staff were attentive and helpful. We 'won' a special prize of a box of chocolates for being seated at the 'lucky' table which made my wife's night, particularly as it was Valentine's Day! Thanks to all the staff there and I'd thoroughly recommend a visit to anyone in the area looking for a delicious meal or light snack.

Written 27 February 2020

KenVicLee

Huntington Beach2102 contributions

Best Meal We Had In Franz Josef

Mar 2020 • none

This place sits at the end of town so I suspect it does not get the traffic that other places do. We had read the reviews so we made a point of coming here for lunch. It is quite small. I think there is an upstairs that can be used when they are busier. The young man who greeted us was also our waiter. It appeared that there was only two people in the kitchen cranking out all the food. A simple and efficient setup. It is safe to say that everyone in our group believed this was the best meal we had in Franz Josef. My fish & chips were perfectly cooked and came out hot. But the people in our group that really raved about their meals were those who ordered a Chinese dish off the menu. It was comparable to the best they had ever had. So food was excellent. Service was impeccable. We heartily recommend walking the extra few steps to enjoy this place.

Written 30 April 2020

50StateVisitor

Randolph921 contributions

Unmet Expectations

Oct 2019 • none

We tried two of their Friday night pizza specials; both my Chicken Brie & Cranberry pizza and my spouse's spicy Cajun Chicken pizza were unremarkable. Service and the kitchen were slow. Wine and drinks were pricey. The best deal might be to order takeaway and buy your wine in the Foursquare supermarket up the street. No free wifi.

Written 24 April 2020

B.R.

7 contributions

Great food, great staff, a very special experience

Jul 2020 • none

My partner and I loved the Blue Ice Cafe, and it was one of the highlights of our trip to Franz Josef. Incredible Filipino cuisine and options (some of the best dishes we've had in a very long time.) Our waitress, Kara, was so friendly, and her experience and high standard of customer service were excellent. She and the chefs went above and beyond to help make my partner's birthday special with a specially presented dessert and candle. A wonderful evening that we will always remember when we think of Franz Josef. Thank you Kara and Blue Ice Cafe! Can't wait to return!

Written 24 July 2020

AandRNZ

Christchurch9 contributions

A Franz Josef gem

Sept 2020 • none

We chose this place from the few that were open because of it was recommended by a local resident we knew. It is slightly removed from the other restaurants (100 metres further down the road) but it was worth the visit - a really nice surprise. Friendly staff, good menu, lovely decor. We would recommend this to anyone going to Franz Josef.

Written 14 September 2020

Lyal C

Wanaka6 contributions

Outstanding food and service

Mar 2021 • none

Walked off the street not knowing how amazing the food was here and we were happily pleased with the outcome. The wait staff were helpful and accommodating proving good advice and service. The food was not only wonderfully varied and delicious but also priced very reasonably. The pizzas were particularly good value on a Friday and tasty; the mains were superb and Philippino dishes were a treat; and for those who still had space the desserts were amazing. Warmly recommend to anyone and everyone staying or passing through Franz Josef.

Written 18 March 2021

Brittney W

Hamilton96 contributions

Amazing Main Meals

Oct 2020 • family

Blue Ice was a great find! We didn’t happen to do any research prior to our nights stay in Franz Josef and didn’t realise how little options there were. After stopping to check out the menu, we decided this was the place to try. We received a friendly welcome on arrival and were seated straight away. The same lady was a pleasure to deal with our entire visit! The menu included a variety of options to choose from which were all well priced. Both drink and meal orders were promptly served. We ordered two stuffed chicken breast meals and two fish and chip meals. Both options were incredibly delicious. The chicken had great flavour, was well cooked, not dry, and was actually stuffed. Both meals were also good portions for the price. The restaurant was well presented and had a lovely atmosphere. Overall, we were super impressed with our visit and would definitely return if we were ever in Franz Josef again.

Written 19 October 2020

Monty H

Hertfordshire47 contributions

Very friendly

Feb 2020 • none

Went here on the recommendation of our hotel, also they offer a car service. Friendly greeting, somewhat stark atmosphere. Food was average. My seafood chowder was stodgy and over thickened. My wife’s Greek salad was fine. I pushed the boat out on beef fillet. Nice piece of meat ruined by the mushroom and ‘bacon’ sauce. Again over thickened and the ‘bacon’ bore no resemblance to any bacon that I know of. My wife’s salmon was average. Overall, very friendly and helpful but not a gourmet experience

Written 27 February 2020

Megan W

New Zealand37 contributions

Good mains

Jul 2020 • none

The mains - lamb shank and roast were nice, good serving size and lots of veges. Youngest had the pizza, not really worth $18 - would be ok if there for their $10 pizza night. Drinks expensive, narrow selection of beer (no craft beer).

Written 14 July 2020

KarenM1_10

1042 contributions

Disappointed

Feb 2020 • none

The receptionist at our hotel recommended this restaurant. I had a couple other restaurants that I really wanted to try based on Trip Advisor recommendations, but since she raved at how wonderful it was, we decided to give it a try. We ordered the Pasta Bolognese and Risotto with Chicken. There were very few people in the restaurant and our order took forever to arrive. When it did, the chicken was so tough that my husband sent it back. By the time he received his order, which was better the second time, I was done eating. Needless to say, we were both very disappointed with this restaurant and would not recommend.

Written 19 April 2020

Helen

6 contributions

Disappointed

Jan 2023 • family

The place looks lovely and staff were friendly however was highly disappointed by the misleading availability of seating and meal delay. Blue Ice have a hummer that they used to collect two loads (approx 22 people) for free, from the hostel we were staying as this is the regular Friday night discounted pizza night. Sadly the limo driver (who also works as part of the kitchen staff) didn’t inform hostel guests that the restaurant was already fully booked. We were all sat in the bar area and then waited 1.5hrs for our 3 pizzas ($28 each as they are usually $35 each). Sadly, I felt conned.

Written 12 January 2023

C F Linnell

Christchurch12 contributions

Rangiora Photographic Society visit

Oct 2021 • none

44 of us booked for dinner last Saturday night. We all arrived more or less at once and as soon as we were all seated the waiters/waitresses came and took our drinks and food orders. The food came out amazingly quickly and the quality was fantastic. We were so very impressed. Highly recommended.

Written 27 October 2021

Marie O

Henderson46 contributions

Filipino cuisine in Franz Josef? No way!!!!

Feb 2020 • friends

There is not much choice in terms of a sit-down restaurant. And this was a nice, quiet place for dinner with a great selection of food. The dessert choices were incredible too. The big surprise was the Asian dishes on the menu- it was Filipino dishes! Not your normal selection for Asian dishes. There were 4 of us and everything we ordered was very tasty and plated well. I ordered one of their NZ red wine blend and it was very good. Unfortunately I forgot the name! I met the young chef (Richard) and the sous chef (Jasper). Both from the Philippines. Check it out when you are in Franz Josef and enjoy your dinner- be adventurous with your palate.