+64 3-443 5599+ Add websiteImprove this listing
Hours
Sun
12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Mon
12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Tue
12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Wed
12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Thu
12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Fri
12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Sat
12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Details
Someone from this business manages this listing.
Learn More
PRICE RANGE
$0.00 – $30.00
CUISINES
Italian, Pizza, European
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
meals, features
Does this restaurant serve Neapolitan food?
Details
About
Well travelled Italian. Wood fired pizzas and house-made pastas inspired by the Italian's who broke their mothers hearts and left home looking for adventure.
PRICE RANGE
$0.00 – $30.00
CUISINES
Italian, Pizza, European
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner
FEATURES
Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Digital Payments, Accepts Credit Cards, Gift Cards Available
Contribute
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
1,668 reviews
Excellent
1,043
Very good
418
Average
137
Poor
36
Terrible
34
James M
Auckland422 contributions
Dec 2019 • none
My lovely wife and I booked a table for two and were very glad we did so. Francesca's is a study in efficiency and the staff there work very hard to please the customers and make the dining experience enjoyable. We were given water immediately on being seated and our orders taken promptly. I opted for the lamb and paperdelle pasta. It was superb. The only disappointment was that when I tried to order one of the Italian red wines by the glass I was told it was unavailable and offered an alternative Italian red. Unfortunately, the wine was sadly disappointing with very little body or flavour. However, overall recommedned.
Written 5 January 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.
FIKWanaka
Thank you for visiting and leaving us a review. Our staff have been working very had over the busy period and we aim to keep our service 5 star at all times so its great to have some feedback to share.
We're sorry that we couldn't provide the wine of your choice from our menu. Our suppliers are local and our Italian wines come from Italy; from time to time during the busy the season they offer us an alternative due to deliver delays.
Next time you visit don't be shy to try the wine before ordering.
Grazie Mille
Written 5 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Rundlich
Sydney36 contributions
Jul 2020 • none
Friday night dinner at Francesca's in late July. We'd made a reservation online and, knowing from previous visits how busy it could get, called ahead to say we'd be turning up about 20 minutes late. Fortunately, this was no problem.
We went straight to the main course on arrival - ordering two different vegetarian pizzas (Margherita and Zucca), a Kale salad and some sparkling water. One pizza promptly arrived however, after waiting a few minutes, we queried the whereabouts of the other pizza. The very apologetic waitperson confessed she'd mistakenly entered our choices as one half/half pizza but she would get the second pizza on the go immediately. We were in no rush, so this wasn't an issue for us - the second pizza arrived less than 10 minutes later. Both pizzas were excellent.
When given the bill, we noticed only one pizza listed. We thought this was a mistake, however the waitperson and manager (we think) said the second pizza was on the house due to the inconvenience caused by the order mix-up. We thought this (lovely) gesture was absolutely above and beyond, however also felt it was disproportionately in our favour. We offered to pay full price, however they wouldn't have a bar of it, saying "that's not our standard". In the end, they reluctantly accepted a small tip.
We already had a very high opinion of Francesca's, however this most recent experience reinforced that.
Written 17 August 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.
FIKWanaka
Thank you for dining with us and taking the time to write this glowing review. We really appreciate that you understood the mistake we made when taking your order and that it didn't effect your experience.
We hope to see you again soon at Francesca's for more delicious pizza!
Grazie Mille
Written 24 August 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Builder Tom
Christchurch35 contributions
Jan 2020 • couples
My wife and I are big fans of Italian cuisine, so thought it’d be silly not to try Francesca’s, and we weren’t disappointed. The starters were delicious, we shared a gnocchi and pizza, and both of them left us feeling well satisfied. We also discovered our new favourite drink there, a Tom Collins, and these were both reasonably priced and delicious. Great atmosphere, where it was busy but still quiet enough that you’re not yelling at your partner across the table to have a conversation
Written 26 January 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.
FIKWanaka
Thank you for your review. Excellent to hear we didn't disappoint on your Italian experience in Wanaka. Tom Collins is a classic for us and very popular, we make ours with Cardona Distillery Gin, The Source. We hope to see you next time your in town.
Grazie Mille
Written 29 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
JCM
13 contributions
Feb 2020 • none
Unfortunately a poor experience at this restaurant, despite it being rated highly and bustling with people. The service was surprisingly slow - we’d finished our starter and plates weren’t cleared for another 20 minutes which also meant a long wait for the mains. I had the beef cheek gnocchi which looked great on the menu but taste-wise was very off balance. I’m genuinely surprised a professional chef would send that out of the kitchen. It was so bad I couldn’t finish the food. The waitress was nice enough and keen to pass on feedback but as we weren’t meal checked and they didn’t offer anything to make it right, I felt this was a really poor dining experience.
Written 27 February 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.
FIKWanaka
Thank you for your review and sharing your concerns. I believe that you visited last night...we obviously failed at your experience and would like to apologies for this. As your plate was almost finished, your concerns around how unpleasant the dish was for you were not fully understood.
For the delay in your food, and the service i would also like to apologies that we did not get this right for you, we would have liked to improve your experience.
Please feel free to email us and give us a little more insight to your meal and why it was so off balance for you. Contact us on fikmanager@gmail.com.
Grazie Mille
Written 27 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
KC-NZ1
Auckland124 contributions
Apr 2021 • friends
For an Italian restaurant, there was not much pasta on offer. Just gnocchi. We both had the beef gnocchi (there was a beetroot gnocchi as well which was good) and it was lovely, but if you are looking for some great Italian pasta dishes, this is not the place to go. It was a disappointing start to what we had been anticipating. Our son had the pizza and we didn’t realize what the balsamic sauce would be like - not so good for a 13 year old. And I would have thought the waitress might have said something when the kid ordered the pizza off the adult menu (don’t know if there is a kids menu). Maybe she didn’t know the menu? The chocolate mousse dessert - OMG, it was amazing! Not too sweet, not bitter - it was easy to eat ALL of it!! Waitress was a bit odd. Nice atmosphere, good wine list. We wouldn’t go again, but we had a nice evening.
Written 28 April 2021
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.
FIKWanaka
Hi
Thanks for sharing your experience with us & thank you for the lovely comments about the atmosphere, wine list and chocolate mousse dessert (it's also a staff fave! )
We do have a kids menu which is a simple selection of pastas and pizzas. It is thought for kids for up to 10 years old but we are sorry that we didn't offer it to your son. We would have happily replaced his pizza at no extra charge, or even created a customised pizza for him.
Regarding the pastas, we serve pappardelle, orecchiette , linguini & agnolotti (filled pasta that we made from scratch in our kitchen) . We offer these dishes alongside the gnocchi and the risotto (staples of the Italian cuisine). We think it is a nice combination of mains, but we are sorry that you don't feel this way. Anyways, we are glad to read that your gnocchi was lovely.
Would you like to email me to fikmanager@gmail.com with more information about your waitress? We would have loved for you to get a 5 star service from us.
Grazie mile
Written 2 May 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
gcnz02
Dunedin1038 contributions
Dec 2019 • none
We were in Wanaka on 31 Dec for lunch, we wanted to try Francesca's and I'm glad we found it after being a bit confused. It was so peaceful there compared to how busy the places closer to the lake were. We really enjoyed the risotto and tartufo pizza, are 18 month old loved both. It would have been great if they offered us a high chair sooner, we just assumed there wasn't one since they didn't say anything when they seated us.
Written 15 January 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.
FIKWanaka
Thank you for your review. It's nice to see we could offer you some tranquility amoungst the bustling water front. We also love the Tartufo Pizza, its simple but packed with flavours and aromas!
We're sorry to over look your need for a highchair when seated, its something we would like to get right first time to make you as comfortable as can be.
Grazie Mille
Written 22 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
DDignum
48 contributions
Jan 2020 • family
The 4 different starters of foccacia, garlic bread, polenta fries and potato skins were fab. The main dishes for 3 of us were a little disappointing. My husband did thoroughly enjoy the beef cheeks and gnocci however. My brother's and my lamb dish contained very little lamb and barely a siting of the baby spinach. Like the prawn and pasta dish there was just a heavy portion of pasta with little flavour. Desserts were lovely.
Staff need training in how not to roll their eyes when you are making a decision, we did appreciate you were busy. Neither staff were able to pour drinks without dripping the bottle badly. Wasted wine. The restaurant was also very, very hot. Wish we had been sat near the door.
Overall it was nice, but wouldn't return. Too much competition out there.
Written 12 January 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.
FIKWanaka
Thank you for reviewing your dining experience with us. Great to see you enjoyed our starters to kick off your meal. We're sorry to hear the main event did not live up to your expectations. We do serve all our pasta dishes with the same pasta portion each time which shouldn't be too heavy, however we would have been happy to consult with the chef on your dish when we did a meal check.
Apologies if you felt our staff were rolling their eye at you, this not something we condone and will be addressed immediately. Thank you for your patients whilst we train some new staff members, we do have a standard of wine service which we aspire all our staff to be at.
During these hot summer months we do have an outdoor-indoor open plan dining area which should allow the breeze to run through the restaurant. We do understand your comments on how hot it can become, especially with our pizza oven taking center stage in the restaurant.
We hope to see you soon.
Grazie Mille
Written 22 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Shakey031062
Wellington10 contributions
Jul 2020 • none
We went to this beautiful little Italian Restaurant just off the front at Wanaka yesterday. I had the slow cooked lamb ragu Tagliatelle with olives, spinach and chilli. It was beautifully fresh and packed full of flavour, we had the Chocolate fondant desert with Ice cream and cherries and enjoyed a bottle of beautiful sun dried Syrah from Brookefield Hawke’s Bay. The restaurant has a great attention to detail and everything is mad fresh, their customer service is wonderful and they even have mini Greenhouses outside named after Italian cities where you can have a romantic dinner for two on a warm night. They also do beautiful wood fire pizzas if you want something simple
Highly recommended, great ambience and delicious Italian food
Written 13 July 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.
FIKWanaka
Thank you so much for visiting us and leaving a great review. We're so happy to read about how much you enjoyed your dining experience at Francesca's. We hope you can return again to try our wood-fired pizza and maybe spend the night in one of our Greenhouses.
Grazie Mille
Written 21 July 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Caramedique
Auckland503 contributions
Sept 2020 • couples
We had high hopes walking in as this place looked the part, but that soon stopped. Mulled wine fail - the syrup and hot water was terrible, I assumed wine had actually been mulled for hours in a lot with spices etc. alas not. The affogato was a barely a dessert spoon quantity of ice cream with coffee and Fragelico for $16, the tiramisu lacked all that Italian tiramisu should possess. Flavourless, coffeeless, liquerless, little to no saviolardi base and copious amounts of sweet but otherwise tasteless glug in a glass $15. This was unfortunately our first and last time here.
Written 1 September 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.
FIKWanaka
Thank you for coming to dine with us and leaving your feedback. We're sorry to hear we didn't live up to your expectations. We make our mulled wine with Chianti House Red and a syrup spice mix, it's heated to order and garnished with some dried spice.
We offer a range of desserts and our Tiramisu is very popular and very well received usually so its a surprise to us that you didn't enjoy it. Our Affagato is served with homemade Biscotti, Allpreess Espresso coffee, Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur and Local vanilla ice cream; which are all quality ingredients.
We really hope you can return on your next trip to Wanaka to try dining with us again.
Grazie Mille
Written 11 September 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
MichaelEllyett
30 contributions
Jul 2020 • family
We have been to the restaurant a few times and had good food, however we got take out today and the pasta was almost inedible. The “Carbonara” had no discernible egg, no pancetta and no cheese (of any kind), and no pepper. It was oily and came with large glutinous lumps of meat. What a disappointment. The polenta chips were as good as ever, but someone is taking the mickey offering this pasta abomination as Carbonara.
Written 15 July 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.
FIKWanaka
Thank you for your feedback on this recent take-away order. We're sorry to hear that it didn't live up to your expectations. Our Carbonara is not the typical Carbonara but should definitely be received as described on the menu - the sauce is seasoned with pepper, egg yolk is added at the end and topped with Pancetta and finely grated Pecorino. We have found with takeaways that perhaps the cheese has melted by the time its being eaten. We would like to more about your order in case we have missed something in this dish. Please send us some more feedback and information to fikmanager@gmail.com.
Grazie Mille
Written 21 July 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Murray F
Dunedin59 contributions
Jun 2020 • none
Every menu item we chose was really tasty and enjoyed. The soup (brocolli) was created by someone who understood the flavours. The potato skins ( will have the gnocchi next visit) were heaven -sent. The salads so flavoursome and a good choice.
Cannoli -yum! Budino the stand out. The cherries and marscapone ice cream made it special.
The service was attentive and friendly and clam on a busy evening. So glad we booked ahead.
Written 12 June 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.
FIKWanaka
Thank you very much for leaving us review on your recent visit. Its great to see you enjoyed your meal so much, the Gnocchi is a must try with us. And of course who can pass on a delicious chocolate dessert to finish the night!
We hope to see you again soon.
Grazie Mille
Written 17 June 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Angela A
23 contributions
Aug 2020 • couples
We were recommended to try this restaurant and wow are we glad we did. We shared garlic pizza bread to start and I then had a fabulous pizza with anchovies and capers and my husband had the seafood linguine. It really was the best meal we had during our week's holiday and the staff member who served us was
friendly and knowledgeable. I wish we lived nearby as I would love to go again.
Written 5 August 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.
FIKWanaka
Thank you so much for leaving us a lovely review. Its great to hear how much you enjoyed your meal with us. The Prawn Linguine is a current favourite amoungst our staff too!
Grazie Mille
Written 10 August 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
HelenMN
Berkhamsted50 contributions
Feb 2020 • none
This restaurant didn’t disappoint - would advise booking, especially for dinner.
Food was delicious and very reasonably priced. Service was excellent!
Sadly we were only in Wanaka for one night otherwise we’d definitely be back!
Written 17 February 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.
FIKWanaka
Thank you for your review. Yes we always recommend booking to guarantee a table.
We hope to see you again soon.
Grazie Mille
Written 24 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
NZUKTrip
Onetangi24 contributions
Aug 2020 • couples
This is one of the best options in wanaka. Beautiful Italian - great dishes, lovely quality ingredients and warm friendly service. The bombardino warm cocktail and tiramisu and beautiful salad and pasta are highly recommended. We have been here quite a few times and it is always excellent! Need to book as it is very popular.
Written 28 August 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.
FIKWanaka
Thank you for dining with us again on your stay in Wanaka. We love the Bombardino cocktail, it really hits the spot on a cold winter night. We look forward to seeing you next time!
Grazie Mille
Written 10 September 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
YvySurrey_UK
Banstead283 contributions
Jan 2020 • none
Booked here on the strength of other reviews. Hint- Do need to book) Were not disappointed. Service and food both excellent. A local told us he ate there sometimes, so if the locals go I consider that always a good sign!
The evening we were there was not all that warm and we were pleased we were seated inside.
Handy Hint - it is not quite on the Lake front with all the other more touristy restaurants, but tucked just down the side towards the end of main Lake front.
Written 7 February 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.
FIKWanaka
Thank for your review. We're very happy to see you had such a lovely time. We love being tucked away from the busy main street of Wanaka.
Grazie Mille
Written 12 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
…
Showing results 1-15 of 1,562
As Featured In
Best moderately priced restaurants
See all 
Best nearby
We rank these hotels, restaurants, and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Best nearby hotels
See all 
Best nearby restaurants
See all 
Is This Your Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Free Listing