Nero Restaurant brings fine dining to Palmerston North from one of the city's original historic buildings — a Victorian character home built in 1918, set on a quarter acre of landscaped grounds in the city centre. Inside, the atmosphere is sophisticated yet welcoming; outside, French doors open onto expansive decking and an alfresco dining area among established trees and gardens that comes into its own on fine days. In winter, the warm, cosy rooms suit intimate dinners and relaxed gatherings.
The kitchen is led by head chef and co-owner Scott Kennedy, working alongside Yvette Kennedy. Scott shops daily for the finest available ingredients, favouring local produce from markets, food purveyors and private growers across New Zealand. The menu is modern New Zealand cuisine with European influences and subtle Asian fusion notes, evolving constantly with the seasons — think AngusPure Beef Fillet with puffed beef crackling, Prawn & Scallop Ravioli in citrus butter, and Lumina Lamb Rump with a herbed pistachio crumb.
That cooking has earned lasting recognition: Manawatu Restaurant of the Year in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016 and 2017, Beef Dish of the Year from 2009 to 2017, and a long tenure in the Beef and Lamb Hall of Excellence. Nero is also an 'A' graded restaurant for cleanliness and food safety.
Beyond the dining room, Nero is a preferred venue for special occasions and functions, with adaptable spaces and bespoke menu options for corporate lunches, client dinners and celebrations. Lunch is served Fridays from 11am to 2pm and dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm; the restaurant closes on public holidays. Reservations can be made by phone, email or the booking inquiry form on the website.
Step off Amesbury Street and you step back a century. Nero Restaurant occupies one of Palmerston North's original historic buildings — a Victorian character home built in 1918 — set on a quarter acre of gracefully landscaped grounds in the heart of the city. It is an unusually romantic setting for a New Zealand restaurant, and the team here make the most of it: classic architecture, elegant interiors, and French doors that open onto expansive decking among established trees and gardens. When the weather is fine, the alfresco dining area is one of the most tranquil places to eat in the city; in the chilly winter months, the warm, cosy rooms are made for intimate dinners.
At the heart of Nero are head chef and co-owner Scott Kennedy and Yvette Kennedy, whose names have become shorthand around Palmerston North for serious cooking. Scott personally leads the kitchen and shops daily for the finest ingredients available, working with local markets, food purveyors and private growers across New Zealand — his preference is always for local produce. The menu names its sources plainly: Coastal Spring Lamb, naturally seasoned by the sea, and Taupo Beef and Charolais x Angus, which Scott calls "one of the best steaks he has ever eaten."
The cooking itself is modern New Zealand cuisine with European influences and subtle Asian fusion notes. The menu evolves constantly with the seasons and the market, so expect contemporary plates built around fresh, quality ingredients rather than a fixed list of house standards.
If the trophy shelf is anything to go by, beef is the plate to order. The AngusPure Beef Fillet — caramelised onion butter, hash brown chips, pecorino cheese, puffed beef crackling and a red wine jus — is the house benchmark, recognised in the Beef Dish of the Year awards from 2009 through 2017. The Lumina Lamb Rump, crumbed in herbs and pistachio with spiced red cabbage, potato pave, goats curd and mint gel, shows that Coastal Spring Lamb at its best.
Seafood lovers have a signature of their own in the Prawn & Scallop Ravioli, dressed in a citrus butter sauce with caviar. Other mains run from lemon-and-thyme pork belly with a pork and prune bon bon to confit duck leg over duck fat and bacon rosti, and there is a roasted heirloom and miso-baked cauliflower with soy aioli and dukkah for lighter appetites. Entrees such as the twice-baked three-cheese souffle with truffled cauliflower cheese sauce and poached pear set the tone early.
Desserts are a proper finale: hokey pokey sundaes, sticky date ginger pudding with whiskey caramel, vanilla bean and white chocolate brulee, and a house curiosity of Pedro Ximenez 12-year-old sherry poured over vanilla bean ice cream rolled in chocolate, coffee and hazelnuts. The cheese board, served with house port, is another memorable way to finish.
Few regional restaurants in New Zealand carry a trophy list like Nero's. The restaurant was named Manawatu Restaurant of the Year in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016 and 2017, with runner-up spots in 2013 and 2014, and held a place in the Beef and Lamb Hall of Excellence from 2010 to 2017. Scott Kennedy has been a Beef and Lamb Ambassador NZ and a Platinum Ambassador, and the kitchen's commitment to developing talent has produced Apprentice Chef of the Year honours in 2013 and 2014. Nero is also an 'A' graded restaurant, reflecting its standards of cleanliness and food safety.
With adaptable spaces and bespoke menu options, Nero is a natural choice for anniversaries, birthdays and engagements, and a preferred Palmerston North venue for corporate entertaining — business lunches, client dinners and sophisticated events. Either way, the service is personalised and the pace unhurried.
Lunch is served on Fridays from 11am to 2pm, and dinner runs Tuesday to Saturday from 5pm; the restaurant closes on public holidays. Booking is wise — call 06 354 0312, email [email protected], or use the booking inquiry form at nerorestaurant.co.nz. Let the team know about any dietary requirements or allergies when you book; they are happy to help. You will find Nero at 36 Amesbury Street, Palmerston North Central, where every meal, as they put it, is an occasion.