The Wharf Bar & Grill sits in a prized spot on The Esplanade, looking straight out over Gisborne's Inner Harbour. Its large alfresco dining area is made for long, relaxed evenings — settle in with a drink and watch the sun set over the water. Rebuilt after a fire in January 2016, the restaurant reopened with an exciting fresh look and feel, and its open kitchen design gives the room a casual yet upmarket energy where you can watch the chefs prepare your meal in style.
In the kitchen, every meal is prepared and created in-house from scratch. The culinary team works with the finest ingredients, showcasing fresh, mouth-watering flavours and proudly serving New Zealand's most premium cuts of meat alongside fresh seafood and local produce. Behind the bar you'll find a great selection of handpicked local and imported beer and wine, complemented by a cocktail menu and a solid range of spirits.
The Wharf is a walk-in bar and grill, though booking is recommended during peak periods. Brunch runs on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 12pm, the venue opens from 11am Tuesday through Saturday until close, and Sundays run 10am to 3pm. Takeaway ordering, gift vouchers and function enquiries are all available online.
The Wharf Bar & Grill sits in one of Gisborne's loveliest spots: right on The Esplanade, looking straight out over the city's Inner Harbour. It is the kind of place built for slow evenings — take a seat in the large alfresco dining area, order another round, and watch the sun set over the water. Inside, the open kitchen keeps the room buzzing, and the hum of the bar carries on until close.
The building itself has a story to tell. The Wharf was rebuilt after a fire in January 2016, and the venue that reopened its doors came back with an exciting, fresh new look and feel. Today's dining room balances two moods at once: the open kitchen design gives the restaurant a casual, lively energy, yet the overall feel remains distinctly upmarket. Grab a seat near the pass and you can watch the chefs at work — plating, searing and finishing every dish in full view — which turns dinner into something of a show.
The kitchen's philosophy is simple: every meal is prepared and created in-house from scratch. The culinary team works with the finest ingredients, showcasing fresh, mouth-watering flavours and proudly serving New Zealand's most premium cuts of meat alongside fresh seafood and local produce. That from-scratch approach runs through the whole menu, which stretches from breakfast through light meals to full lunch and dinner plates, from the first plate of the day to the last order at night.
Mornings at The Wharf deserve special mention. Brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 12pm, and the breakfast menu is far more than an afterthought. The Butchers Breakfast is the big one: free-range sausage, free-range bacon, grilled tomato, a croquette and fried eggs, plus a side of creamy mushrooms & spinach and in-house made toast. Bacon Me Crazy keeps things classic with two farm-fresh eggs cooked just how you like them — scrambled, poached or fried — alongside crispy bacon on thick-cut housemade toast.
For something sweeter, the American Waffles arrive golden and fluffy with a vibrant mixed berry compote and a generous dollop of whipped cream. Vegetarians are well looked after by Meat is Murder, a creamy mushroom and spinach dish with pinenut crumb served on toast, also available as a gluten-free option. Note the earlier Sunday hours if brunch is the plan: the restaurant runs 10am to 3pm on Sundays.
The "bar" in the name is no afterthought either. Behind the counter you'll find a great selection of handpicked local and imported beer and wine, complemented by a cocktail menu and a solid range of spirits. It's an easy place to settle in for a drink while you decide on dinner, or to linger over a cocktail after the plates are cleared — the alfresco area in particular is made for long evenings as the sun drops over the harbour.
The Wharf operates as a walk-in bar and grill, but the team recommends booking during peak periods, and reservations can be made online. Doors open from 11am Tuesday through Saturday until close, and from 10am on Sundays; the venue is closed Mondays. Can't stay? Takeaway ordering is available online, and gift vouchers make an easy present for the Gisborne food lovers in your life. Function enquiries are welcomed through the contact page, and younger diners have a dedicated pre-teens menu to order from. For anything else, give the team a call on 06-281-0035.
With its harbour-front position, from-scratch kitchen and open-flame energy, The Wharf Bar & Grill delivers exactly what its name promises — a proper bar and grill, in arguably Gisborne's best setting.