St Georges Restaurant

Nestled in the green landscape between Hastings and Havelock North, St Georges Restaurant offers a family-owned culinary experience, grounded in a garden-to-table philosophy.

Once a winery, this charming site was revitalised in 2012, when Francky and Kat Godinho picked up the keys and transformed it into an organic, garden-centric foodie destination and boutique event venue. Today, Francky oversees both the working gardens and kitchen, while Kat handles the day-to-day operations, ensuring each guest feels at home. Even their three kids pitch in every now and again – a true family venture run with a lot of heart and passion.

Francky’s grow-it-yourself mindset, rooted in his upbringing on a family farm in Goa, India, has shaped his entire career since entering the industry at age 15. His journey has led him to prestigious kitchens, including the world’s only seven-star hotel in Dubai, and earned him the title of New Zealand’s ‘Chef of the Year’ twice. Not bad.

The menu at St Georges features exciting Modern European dishes, built around organic seasonal produce – 90% of which is grown from seed in the restaurant’s own flourishing gardens. Depending on the time of year, the beds are popping off with thousands of vibrant vegetables, from 25 different varieties of tomatoes, capsicums and eggplants to cauliflower and carrots. This abundance shapes a vegetable-forward menu, complemented by free-range meats from local suppliers and house-made specialties. Each dish is refined but fun and approachable, presented with such artistry it’s hard to believe it tastes better than it looks. Spoiler alert: nothing tastes better than produce that’s travelled just a few metres to your plate.

St Georges makes a point of hosting guests for all of life’s moments – wedding bells, Wednesday wines with friends, and everything in-between. With its variety of dining pockets, you can easily tailor the experience to your mood. Enjoy a relaxed lunch under a canopy of grapevines in the rustic Tuscan-inspired courtyard, or celebrate something a little more momentous in the elegant indoor dining spaces. No matter the moment, St Georges offers a beautiful atmosphere and warm hospitality as memorable as the food itself.