Black Barn Vineyards 34 Black Barn Road, Havelock North, Hawke's Bay 4294

"Spent two lovely outings at Black Barn Cellar Door and Resturant during our stay in Napier. We were delighted with our cellar door experience. The lady who welcomed us was friendly, and handed us over to a cellar door staff member who was a delightful lady (apologies we didn't get her name), extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the products. We were totally suprised to thoroughly enjoy the Chardonnay, being absolute NON-chardy drinkers at Home! It seems that Adelaide has a long way to go to keep up with the wonderful fruit forward, yet rounded buttery balance of an NZ Chardonnay, complete with the wonderful oakyness that Chardonnay is known for without feeling like you have a mouth full of bark chips! Delightful. And for two fans of big bold Adelaide reds, the Syrah had surprising length, with enough red fruit flavor profile and soft tannin on the palate that it balanced beautifully and definately would earn a place in our collection for a lighter style red. We had such a lovely time we came back to try the restaurant the following day and boy are we glad we did! Absolute food-gasam! My parter and I started with the sourdough bread which was a generous portion, beautifully presented with whipped butter and sea salt. The bread was served warm from the oven and was soft and chewy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, morishly delicious! We ordered the 600g rib-eye on the bone (designed to share between two), and sides of fries, brussel sprouts and salad. The steak was cooked to perfection and portioned ready to eat. It had an amazing butter/curry leaf emulsion served on top that was to die for! The brussel sprouts; and yes I know what you are thinking but these changed my partners mind about sprouts, they were caramelised on the outside and were as flavoursome as they looked beautiful. The fries were crisp and delicious and served with a sprinkle of parmesan and a side of aioli. Although I must admit that I used some of mine to try and mop-up every last bit of that steak sauce! Soooo good. Two very full, extremely satisfied Aussies! The wait staff were attentive and friendly and looked after us wonderfully despite a bustling resturant, so thank you to all. We will be singing your praises from across the pond! A must visit for anyone looking for great wine and food, not to mention a stunning view! Thank you! Laura and Matt."

"Great to be able to visit Black Barn bistro again. Our dinner was 10/10. Great service and beautiful, comfortable interior. We enjoyed very much. Make sure you have dessert. Amazing!"

"Fantastic place. Excellent food, great wine, lovely surroundings. Top service!"

"We stayed at the Gate House lodge for our wedding weekend and it was perfection. Our host Sophie was attentive and welcoming. The lodge was spacious, comfortable, and a great location - and we had bubbles on hand for celebrations moments at all times! A&A"

"Lovely atmosphere, but food was hardly edible - Whole meal tasted like soy sauce, and the dessert tasted like baking soda. We didn’t finish any of our meals, it was quite disappointing. We had an amazing server, who was still in training, she was doing a perfect job but unfortunately the manager was telling her off constantly. Really brought down our dining experience"