Bistro Gentil

A fine-dining Wānaka restaurant boasting a love affair with French cuisine, Bistro Gentil serves excellent meals in a beautiful, sultry interior. Sample local, award-winning wines by the glass alongside your pick of appetisers, entrées and principal dishes, or allow the chefs to take the reins with the five-course tasting menu, where for extra you can have the whole meal matched with wines too.

Led by Head Chef Mario Rodrigues, the clever kitchen team puts a spin on typical flavour combinations using fresh, seasonal ingredients from the kitchen garden and the bountiful surrounding region that is Central Otago. The menus combine the best of New Zealand produce, cooked French style — à la française, with a modern twist — think French onion soup, chicken liver parfait and West Wānaka merino lamb rump. It would be silly not to indulge in dessert, with crème brûlée, poached fruit crumble, and, of course, fromage, also available.

Set in a beautiful spot just a short jaunt out of town, Bistro Gentil offers a tranquil respite from the busy town centre below, where dining outdoors with Lake Wānaka in the distance is often the best seat in the house. Whether you come for the food, the wine, the art, the view, or for the wine tasting earlier in the day and never left (Bistro Gentil doubles as Maude Tasting Room), the team at this modern-rustic restaurant hopes it will become a special place for all its guests.