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Ratings and reviews

RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

Details

PRICE RANGE
US$7 - US$74
CUISINES
Seafood, New Zealand
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Gluten Free Options
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meals, features, about
Reviews (459)
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Traveller rating
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All reviews bluff oysters seafood salad cod fries prawns out of season amazing views new zealand south island lovely lunch nz queenstown
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Reviewed 3 September 2023

What a lovely place beautiful scenery aysha looked after us very helpful could see its very understaffed but she still managed to come back check to see if we were enjoying our meals and if needed top up of drinks we ordered 3 courses and...unlike most other places I didn't even need to say we were ready for mains or desserts they just arrived perfect timing, I was a little disappointed with my panfried bluecod but she did warn me that it would look smaller than my husband's battered bluecod and it definitely was its just the way the chef does it. She definitely deserves a payrise with everything she has to deal with she was pretty much looking after all the tables they did have another waiter there but I'm not sure what she was up to...I highly recommend this place and hope you get served by the wonderful ayshaMore

Date of visit: September 2023
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Reviewed 4 August 2023 via mobile

Fantastic location in this oyster shaped homage to the famous bluff oyster. Fantastic feel to the place in a location that is as mystic as Māori legend suggests. Disappointed that bad weather meant no Oysters available! Goes to show they only serve super fresh. Had...a lovely well priced wine and chips and admired their other offerings… shame I had only had a huge breakfast at the bach in Invercargill just hours before. The staff of local girls were engaging and lovely… live to visit again when the fleet gets back out and in!More

Date of visit: August 2023
Helpful?1  
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Reviewed 14 July 2023

I ordered pan fried Blue Cod meal, as you do in Southland. The chef did an injustice to such a beautiful fish. It was so thin you could see through it and grossly overcooked that it was crisp in some areas. Wouldn't go there again....Should have sent it back.More

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed 1 April 2023

The staff was upfront in telling me that the did not have a chef when I made our reservation. Thank you! And therefore had a very limited menu. We were just after the Bluff oysters. Two dozen later, we left very happy fat clients!! Thank...you to the lovely staff and whom ever prepared our oyster. We waddled next door to our cozy hotel room! Lovely walk, dinner and stay! Thank you all!More

Date of visit: March 2023
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Reviewed 8 March 2023 via mobile

A yummy restaurant. The girls are doing their absolute best without a chef. The cod was delicious. The view and situation is amazing.

Date of visit: March 2023
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Reviewed 1 March 2023

We drove a long way in search of good Oysters, we were very disappointed. Dried up oysters, dried of their sea water. Probably the worst I've had. The Blue Cod, Fish & Chips though was pretty good. I'd like to be more positive as this...place looks amazing in an amazing setting.More

Date of visit: February 2023
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Reviewed 26 February 2023

Fabulous cod and chips. Great location. Stunning view. Menu varied. Enjoyed our meal. Serves were good size.

Date of visit: February 2023
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Reviewed 4 February 2023 via mobile

One of the worst food in New Zealand. We came from Queenstown as we are huge oyster fans and we were expecting a great experience. Unfortunately we were served luke warm oysters which were not chilled or on ice and after we asked the chef...we were informed that the deep frozen oysters were defrozen under running water. A heavy food poisening followed. Even we informed the team and even the owner who also owns Land’s End hotel - not even a simple apologize was expressed and we were quite disappointed as we eat oysters all over the world and we were hoping for Bluff oysters - as they say world’s best oysters - which upfront was not told us thats not the Bluff oyster season. Only after we ordered we were informed. A place not to be recommended.More

Date of visit: February 2023
Helpful?1  
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Reviewed 1 February 2023 via mobile

To put it simply, the food was excellent. We shared a starter of homemade bread and a selection of dips. The bread was fresh from the oven, the dips were varied and interesting. Our main courses were prawns and the blue cod and chips. The...prawns were nicely spiced and the cod perfectly fried and flaky when cut. We finished with a desert of brownies which were made while we waited. Our waitress was cheerful and quietly attentive.More

Date of visit: January 2023
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Reviewed 20 January 2023 via mobile

Fantastic service, we’re about to close, still let us find a seat and didn’t rush to finish our cup of tea! Menu looked inviting, will return to eat another time. View was worth the drive, recommend!

Date of visit: January 2023
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Reviewed 12 January 2023

FIRE YOUR CHEF!!! (If I could take away stars I would) Absolutely the worst experience you can imagine. We booked a few months out for New Years Eve thinking it would be a really beautiful way to wrap up 2022 - a gorgeous view, amazing...seafood.....boy were we wrong! I worked hard to find a time that would work for them that we could fit into our busy day and road trip. We arrived at 6.30pm and took 4 min to find parking in their extremely awkward and limited parking lot. When we walked in the staff started commenting about how they would have to seat us as we were "only 5 min late". We had a lovely table and received the menu, quickly selected the seafood platter and were told sorry it's been a very busy day, they didnt order enough food and we're sold out of most things. OK, what can we have? Let me check....fish and chips (I don't eat fish only shellfish so this was not an option for me and there was no flexibility on this). That was the only option available which was a big no from me. In the end they decided to let us order an eton mess and a fish and chips with no cajun seasoning. They delivered the dessert well after 20 min and the chips well after another 20 min. Staff ignored us and didn't refill our drinks. When the food came the chips were covered in cajun seasoning so they agreed to give us a side of chips without cajun (we don't like spicy flavours) but covered in cracked pepper. Food was OK, ice cream in the dessert was melted because we wanted to eat together like a normal meal. When the manager was settling the bill at the end (we were given free drinks and dessert) she apologised for the whole thing stating that the chef had decided that he wanted to go home and had told the staff not to let us have a table because we were 4 min late and refused to cook any of the food they had except fish and chips. They didn't have our contact details with the booking so they couldn't call us to arrange an early seating either. So not only did they dishonour our booking, all of the staff lied to us throughout the entire evening and we ended up with a horrible experience to wrap up 2022 and ended up eating McDonalds afterwards. Needless to say we ended up with a free meal and the manager was lovely and very apologetic but personally I would never go there again until that chef is given the heave ho that he deserves. There were multiple tables there, many hadn't been served until right before we received our meal either and our table did not cause him to leave any later than anyone else there. Difference was they were allowed to order what they wanted from the menu and not treated like crap the way we were.More

Date of visit: December 2022
Helpful?1  
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Reviewed 5 January 2023

Visited today 5.1.2023 for lunch. Yes there was a delay for lunch but was advertised and let’s face it - hospitality is seeking staff all across NZ! Staff were really nice AND kudos to the Chef’s on today as food was too notch. Loved our...experience eating here today….thanks!! 💖More

Date of visit: January 2023
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Reviewed 11 November 2022

Arrived for coffee as advertised outside. Waited 27 minutes to be told "Sorry we forgot!" Lucky the view of Fouveaux Strait out the window was worth the visit. Not acceptable waiting. Other excuse given was "It's due to staff shortages caused by Covid" Again, not...acceptable. We will not return.More

Date of visit: November 2022
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Reviewed 5 November 2022 via mobile

Ayesha welcomed us as we arrived Only wished a quick drink Eventhough they were fully booked she let us sit. Fantastic views for quick snack or meal Look at me on social media Tom Morton

Date of visit: November 2022
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Reviewed 21 October 2022

Unfortunately, it was out of season for Bluff Oysters (March - August) and they had run out of Pacific Oysters, but none the less we did enjoy eating here.

Date of visit: October 2022
Helpful?1  
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.
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Questions & Answers
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stevesT7296HW
18 December 2016|
AnswerShow all 2 answers
Response from ECTrinity | Reviewed this property |
As far as I know they are licensed as a restaurant and bar which means no byo.... Also you need to check they are open, as they had a fire in the restaurant several months ago which needed repairs. (Try their website for... More
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Wendy H
9 March 2015|
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Response from Wendy H |
And does it have gluten free
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OYSTER COVE RESTAURANT AND BAR, Bluff - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews

Frequently Asked Questions about Oyster Cove Restaurant and Bar

Oyster Cove Restaurant and Bar is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 4
  • Value: 3.5
  • Atmosphere: 4.5