Francesca

A Wānaka favourite for many years, Francesca on Ardmore Street has been reimagined by Sean Smith (also behind Mediterranean neighbour Sofi) and his team. They view their maximalist Italian spot as a well-travelled expat: someone who arrives with a pocketful of recipes and tradition, but recreates home using local ingredients. Eclectic, loud, Francesca is definitely not your red-and-white-chequered cliché.

Step inside and you’ll see what they mean. First, you pass through a charcoal-framed glass pavilion that sits amongst the streetside greenery. Then you enter a space where creativity clearly leads the way and good times are the priority. Walls of exposed red brick meet polished concrete, with rich wooden floorboards underfoot. Clusters of mason jar pendants cast a warm glow over character seating, such as teal leather chairs, tan bar stools and cane-backed sets. The interior is indulgent, but never kitsch. Visual nods to Italian antiquity fill the room, and you're quickly convinced this is exactly how the Romans did it.

The menu changes with the seasons, but the approach stays constant: wood-fired pizzas, handmade pastas, Italian pours, and hedonistic tiramisu to finish. Authentic but adaptable, and imported staples are traded for local heroes, think more Southern Alps than Dolomites. We’re talking kina instead of anchovies, Italian classics with a Wānaka spin.

For Sean and the team, a restaurant is never just about eating. It's a backdrop for the moments that matter: celebrating, relaxing, partying, remembering. Intimate and beloved, at Francesca, the wines are larger, the lights darker, the music louder, and so is the laughter.