Red Earth Bistro and Wine Bar

About Red Earth Bistro and Wine Bar

Red Earth Bistro & Wine Bar is a friendly local bistro on Great South Road in the heart of Papakura village, serving bistro-style European and New Zealand cuisine. It is a family-oriented restaurant built around a simple idea — that food and wine come together — whether you are calling in for a glass of wine and a share plate or settling in for a full tasting experience.

The kitchen works with quality New Zealand produce: Hawkes Bay lamb shank simmered in shiraz, Te Mana high country lamb braised for nine hours, grass-fed Angus beef aged 21 days, and organic Clevedon Coast oysters. The menu stretches from wood fired breads and tasting plates to slow-cooked classics, char-grilled steaks with a choice of five sauces, vegetarian plates, desserts and a cheese board.

An extensive wine bar and full-flavoured beers on tap accompany the food, with a dedicated bar menu of share plates and a special coffee menu topped with whipped cream and liqueurs. Red Earth opens for lunch and dinner Wednesday to Sunday, runs a $35 lunch special (garlic bread, main and a house wine, beer or juice), caters for under-12s with its own kids menu, and takes reservations online, by phone or email.

Red Earth Bistro & Wine Bar: European Bistro Dining in the Heart of Papakura

Red Earth Bistro & Wine Bar sits on Great South Road in the heart of Papakura village, and it makes no secret of what it wants to be: your friendly local. The kitchen cooks bistro-style European and New Zealand cuisine, the room is set up as a family-oriented restaurant where food and wine come together, and the offer is straightforward — quality dishes, an extensive wine bar and full-flavoured beers on tap, whether you are in for a glass of wine and a share plate or a full tasting experience.

From wood fired breads to slow-cooked classics

The menu runs wide. It opens with a bread selection — garlic bread, wood fired feta & spinach bread with roasted red pepper and a garlic dipping sofrito, and turkish pide with caramelised onions and dips — alongside a seafood chowder crowded with calamari, fish, prawns, mussel and saffron.

Tasting plates are made for the middle of the table: battered organic Clevedon Coast oysters with remoulade, salt & pepper prawns with wasabi mayonnaise and pickled red onions, polenta chips with black garlic mayonnaise, and two kinds of meatballs — lamb & feta in pizzaiola sauce, or South Island venison with rosemary, dijon and sour cream.

Slow cooking is where the kitchen has built its reputation. The famous Hawkes Bay lamb shank simmers in shiraz & onion sauce and lands on mash; the Te Mana high country lamb shoulder braises for nine hours and is served as a dish for two; the wagyu beef brisket is spice-rubbed and braised sweet & sour, Ashkenazi style.

Grill lovers are looked after too. Angus scotch fillet and eye fillet — grass fed and aged 21 days — come off the char grill with a choice of five sauces, from Madagascan green peppercorn and béarnaise to blue cheese & ricotta butter and portobello mushroom & smoked bacon, while hanging skewers pair lamb rump with chorizo and eye fillet with capsicum and onion. Elsewhere: market fish with pistachio crumble and lemon hollandaise, crispy chicken breast in gypsy sauce, a beef eye fillet schnitzel with mushroom marsala and grilled mozzarella, and scallops wrapped in smoked bacon over arborio rice. Vegetarians get a proper main — chickpea-battered cauliflower and broccolini with cashew cream and chickpea ragu — and the Red Earth Classics column pairs macaroni cheese with ham off the bone against char-grilled eye fillet finished with scallops or garlic butter prawns.

The wine bar, the coffee list and the sweet finish

The wine bar half of the name carries real weight. There is an extensive wine list and full-flavoured beers on tap, plus a dedicated bar menu of share plates — oysters, prawns, meatballs, mac n cheese, polenta chips — for a lighter kind of visit. Coffee gets its own chapter: the special coffee menu tops drinks with Bailey's, Jamesons, Wild Turkey, Frangelico and Drambuie, all finished with lightly whipped cream. Dessert runs from crème brulee and mascarpone tiramisu to mango panna cotta, pecan pie and affogato, and the cheese board pairs Italian Gorgonzola with Clevedon Buffalo Gouda.

Lunch deals, little ones and the practicalities

Red Earth opens Wednesday to Sunday, with lunch from 12pm to 2.30pm and dinner from 5.30pm to 9.30pm; it closes Monday and Tuesday. The $35 lunch special is the local drawcard — garlic bread, a main course and a glass of house wine, house beer or juice.

Families are clearly welcome. The kids menu, for children under 12, covers fish fingers, macaroni with ham and cheese, flat lamb meatballs, American-style hot dogs and chicken nuggets, each served with salad or fresh fruit and a choice of juice or soft drink, with chocolate brownie or ice cream to finish. Menu items are subject to availability, and dietary requirements can be ordered on request.

Reservations can be made online, by phone on 09 296 9027 or by emailing [email protected]. Whether it is a slow-cooked dinner for two, a family table on Sunday or a quick plate and a tap beer at the bar, Red Earth keeps the promise of a neighbourhood bistro: generous food, a serious wine list and a warm Papakura welcome.

Signature items

• Hawkes Bay lamb shank
• Nine-hour braised lamb shoulder
• Angus scotch fillet
• Battered Clevedon Coast oysters
• Seafood chowder
• The lunch special

Menu

Soup

• Seafood chowder — Calamari, fish, prawns, mussel and saffron, with a wood fried bread roll.

Lunch

• Garlic bread — Included in the lunch special.
• Chicken breast schnitzel — Crumbed in panko with black forest ham, swiss cheese and dijon sauce.
• Our famous slow cooked lamb shank — With shiraz & onion sauce.
• Grilled fillet of fresh fish — With pistachio lemon crumble and hollandaise sauce.
• Nine hour braised wagyu beef brisket — Jewish style with Sicilian olives.

Mains

• Fresh fillet of market fish — With pistachio crumble and lemon hollandaise, served with potato.
• Crispy chicken breast — With gypsy sauce and three cheeses, served with potato.
• Beef eye fillet schnitzel — With mushroom marsala sauce and grilled mozzarella.
• Scallops wrapped in smoked bacon — Char grilled with garlic cream sauce and arborio rice.

Sides

• Steamed french beans — With almond butter.
• Beetroot & Clevedon buffalo bocconcini — With balsamic and mint.
• Slender stems broccolini — With virgin lemon olive oil.
• Bang bang cauliflower — Crumbed and fried with bang bang sauce.
• Salad leaves, pear, parmesan, candied walnuts — Fresh leaves with sweet pear and crunchy walnuts.
• Fries — With garlic aioli.
• Caprese salad — Buffalo mozzarella, vine tomato, basil and white balsamic vinegar.
• Kumara chips — With house made blueberry ketchup.

Desserts

• Crème brulee — Banana Daiquiri style, with fig & honey ice cream.
• Tiramisu — Layers of mascarpone, sponge fingers, espresso and marsala, with maple walnut ice cream.
• Three scoops of ice cream — Hokey pokey, triple chocolate, strawberry, vanilla bean, salted caramel & cashew, black doris plum or fig & honey.
• Baked cheesecake — Ask for today's flavour.
• Mango panna cotta — With mango sorbet and toasted macadamias.
• Affogato — Two scoops of vanilla ice cream with a liquor of your choice and an espresso shot.
• Pecan pie — With fudge sauce and salted caramel & cashew ice cream.

Kids Menu

• Fish fingers — With chips, plus salad or fresh fruit and a juice or soft drink.
• Macaroni — With ham and cheese, plus salad or fresh fruit and a drink.
• Flat lamb meatballs — With chips, plus salad or fresh fruit and a drink.
• Hot doggies American style — With tomato ketchup and chips, plus salad or fruit and a drink.
• Chooky nuggets — Nuggets with chips, plus salad or fresh fruit and a drink.
• Chocolate chocolate everywhere — Brownie with triple chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce.
• Vanilla ice cream — With strawberry sauce and a sponge finger.

Bar Plates

• Garlic bread — A bar favourite for the table.
• Wood fired turkish pide — With caramelised onions and dips.
• Salt & pepper prawns — With wasabi mayonnaise and pickled red onions.
• Lamb & feta meatballs — With pizzaiola sauce.
• Mac n cheese — With ham off the bone.
• Battered organic Clevedon Coast oysters — With remoulade sauce.
• Seafood chowder — Calamari, fish, mussel, prawns and saffron, with a wood fried bread roll.
• Polenta chips — With sriracha mayonnaise.
• Fries — With garlic aioli.

Char Grill

• Angus scotch fillet 300g — Char grilled, grass fed, aged 21 days, served with potato.
• Angus beef eye fillet 200g — Char grilled, grass fed, aged 21 days, served with potato.
• Hanging lamb rump & chorizo skewer — Buttermilk-marinated, grass fed, aged 21 days, served with fries.
• Hanging eye fillet beef skewer — Grass fed, aged 21 days, with capsicum and onion, served with fries.
• Choose your sauce — Madagascan green peppercorn, béarnaise, roasted garlic & red wine jus, blue cheese & ricotta butter, or portobello mushroom & smoked bacon.

Vegetarian

• Chickpea-battered cauliflower — With cashew nut cream, broccolini and chickpea ragu.

Slow Cooked

• Our famous Hawkes Bay lamb shank — Simmered in shiraz & onion sauce, served on mash.
• Nine hour Te Mana high country braised lamb shoulder — A slow-braised sharing dish for two people.
• Wagyu beef brisket — Braised spice-rubbed, sweet & sour Ashkenazi style, with potato.

Tasting Plates

• Battered organic Clevedon Coast oysters — Local oysters in batter with remoulade sauce.
• Salt & pepper prawns — With wasabi mayonnaise and pickled red onions.
• Polenta chips — With black garlic mayonnaise.
• Lamb & feta meatball — Served with pizzaiola sauce.
• South Island venison meatballs — With rosemary, dijon and sour cream.

Bread Selection

• Garlic bread — The classic starter, straight from the oven.
• Wood fired feta & spinach bread — With roasted red pepper, onion and a garlic dipping sofrito sauce.
• Wood fired turkish pide — With caramelised onions and dips.
• Bowl of mixed olives — A simple share plate of mixed olives.

Cheese Selection

• Italian Gorgonzola — Delicate blue, well veined and buttery, served with fresh fruit.
• Clevedon Buffalo Gouda — Firm texture, sweet and nutty, served with fresh fruit.

Speciality Coffee

• Caramel Irish Coffee — Bailey's, Jamesons whisky and butterscotch liquor, topped with lightly whipped cream.
• Kentucky Coffee — Wild Turkey and American honey liquor, topped with lightly whipped cream.
• White Ruffle — White chocolate liquor and Nocello (Italian walnut), topped with lightly whipped cream.
• Kura Paradiso — Kahlua, banana liquor and Bailey's Irish cream, topped with lightly whipped cream.
• Scotsmans Pash — Scottish whisky and Drambuie, topped with lightly whipped cream.
• Chocolate Nutta — Hot chocolate with Frangelico and butterscotch liquor, topped with lightly whipped cream.

Red Earth Classics

• Gold spice salt & pepper calamari — With remoulade sauce.
• Char grilled eye fillet with bacon-wrapped scallops — Topped with scallops in smoked bacon and garlic crème.
• Macaroni cheese — With ham off the bone and parmesan crumbs.
• Char grilled eye fillet with garlic butter prawns — Wrapped in bacon with a pinot jus.

Frequently asked questions

What are Red Earth Bistro & Wine Bar's opening hours?

Open Wednesday to Sunday. Lunch runs 12pm–2.30pm and dinner 5.30pm–9.30pm; closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Is there a lunch special?

Yes — $35 per person gets garlic bread, a main course and a glass of house wine, house beer or juice (sides excluded).

Do I need a reservation?

Bookings are recommended; reserve online via the website, call 09 296 9027 or email [email protected].

Is there a kids menu?

Yes — a dedicated menu for children under 12, available lunch and dinner, with mains served alongside salad or fresh fruit and a choice of juice or soft drink, plus kids' desserts.

What kind of food does Red Earth serve?

Bistro-style European and New Zealand cuisine — wood fired breads, seafood, tasting plates, slow-cooked lamb and beef, and char-grilled steaks with a choice of sauces.

Are there vegetarian options?

Yes — a vegetarian main of chickpea-battered cauliflower with cashew cream, broccolini and chickpea ragu, plus sides like bang bang cauliflower, salads and kumara chips.

Can dietary requirements be accommodated?

The menu notes that dietary requirements can be ordered on request, and menu items are subject to availability — mention yours when ordering or booking.

Tips

• {"body":"Service runs Wednesday to Sunday only — reserve online or ring 09 296 9027 to secure a table.","title":"Book ahead for dinner"}
• {"body":"The $35 lunch special includes garlic bread, a main and a house wine, house beer or juice, available whenever the bistro is open.","title":"Make it a long lunch"}
• {"body":"The Te Mana braised lamb shoulder is a slow-cooked dish for two — pair it with something from the extensive wine list.","title":"Share the nine-hour lamb"}
• {"body":"Char-grill steaks come with a choice of five sauces, from béarnaise to portobello mushroom & smoked bacon.","title":"Pick your steak sauce"}
• {"body":"The online dessert and lunch menus are labelled sample menus and items are subject to availability — confirm dishes on the day.","title":"Menus are samples"}

Good to know

• {"family":"Kids menu for under-12s at lunch and dinner — mains come with salad or fresh fruit and a juice or soft drink.","dietary":"Dietary requirements can be ordered on request; menu items subject to availability."}