Had a fantastic meal here, the food was Devine, the flavors were exceptionally balanced. The staff were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about the menu. Thanks for a lovely meal on our trip to Taupo.

We really enjoyed the degustation menu with expertly matched wines. This unassuming restaurant is much better than it appears. It’s slogan (“simple but nice”) doesn’t do it justice. The food and service was excellent. Our dinner was the best and most surprising dining experience of our recent NZ North Island holiday.

Very much a bistro style restaurant with great tasty food. Also a very good selection of wines and beers. Location isn't amazing but worth going to for the great food.

I had read some reviews on Tripadvisor prior to choosing to dine at The Bistro. So I guess there in lay the problem in that we had somewhat high expectations. The frontage of the restaurant is very unassuming and tucked in amongest retail stores.

There were plenty of staff but they were not particularly friendly nor welcoming. It was a busy night and things ran with military precision - hence maybe this is why it lacked warmth and friendlyness.

But in saying that the food was outstanding, we had the fish which was truly delicious. If they are able to soften the warmth of staff and atmosphere this would be a truly great place to dine.

The restaurant was fully booked on a Tuesday night, so we chose to eat at the bar (full menu available there). Arriving hungry, we initially wanted to try one of everything on the delightful menu, but restrained ourselves and ordered a few things to share. The calamari appetizer with lemon gnocchi was outstanding. Cooked perfectly with just the right balance of flavors. We also would like to rave about the cheese plate we chose for our final course-- we only chose one cheese (a NZ bleu), but it was beautifully presented, with many fruit pastes, crostini, grapes, etc to build with. The wine list, like the menu, seems to emphasize quality over quantity. Several good selections by the glass. The ambiance here is nice-- lively at the bar with a view of the kitchen and more serene at the tables. We loved our visit.