The Pier - Kaikoura

Basic seafood bar, but overlooks Kaikoura bay and ocean. Service friendly and prompt. Food tastes fresh and was excellent. Loved the seafood chowder, mussels were enormous, and the crayfish lobster was great. My wife and I were going to split a large lobster order, but we liked it so much we ordered it twice. Reservation strongly recommended, , you'll need it!

A visit to the charming town of Kaikōura isn't complete without stopping by this restaurant! Be sure to make a reservation, as it's essential! Everything we tried was fantastic—the fish was perfectly cooked, the mussels were served in a rich and creamy coconut sauce, and the crayfish with garlic butter and lemon was exquisite. The staff were wonderful—hardworking and incredibly friendly! And the pavlova was enormous, perfect for sharing among four people!

A popular place for dinner, so reservations are a must. Its a homey place for crayfish and other seafood. We had the best seafood chowder here. It had mussels, clam calimari, fish, in a nicely seasoned chowder. The crayfish was grilled with garlic butter. We chose rice and slaw for sides. The slaw was lightly dressed and perfect for us. The crayfish was very sweet. I think it might be better than lobster. We also had a dessert of apple and pear crumble with ice cream. It was tasty. Service was fine. Its a somewhat casual place. No need to dress up too much. Think nice place in the neighborhood rather than tie and jacket place. The view if the mountains from the restaurant is awesome. Make your reservation and don't miss out!

This seems like the after-work beer stop for the Kaikoura townies, which makes it fun and with a lot of character. We had lunch here as well; we each had a chowder (seafood crayfish), and both were very tasty. This is a great spot for food and drinks in Kaikoura.

Others in our group tried the lobster chowder, which was not too thick and had good lobster flavor; however, it would have benefited from a touch of sherry and some white pepper to add more depth. If you're in town, make sure to visit this place. I recommend going later in the evening and enjoying a hike around the peninsula beforehand to work up an appetite!