Siostra

Siostra is perfectly suited to Grey Lynn with its eclectic décor and cosy, homely setting.
We came for brunch and enjoyed seeing a menu that strayed away from standard fare of bacon and eggs and muesli. Instead, we enjoyed salmon pastrami with perfectly poached eggs and also octopus & chorizo skewers from a rather imaginative menu.
All of the staff were really friendly and we even got a huge smile and a wave from the chef in the kitchen.
Siostra offers a Sunday roast special and I’m sure would it’d be a great evening out at a local neighbourhood eatery.

I came here for my birthday. The staff were fantastic. The entrees, mains and wine list were sensational. I will definitely return. Fantastic restaurant.

‘Siostra’ is a polish word — meaning ‘sister’. I had heard a lot of great feedback from this newly opened restaurant late 2014, so hence looked forward to acquainting. We walked into this unassuming, understated space and were quickly seated by the friendly, vibrant staff. The wine list was extensive and as it was a celebration, we asked for a recommendation. Decision was made on the ‘Cloudy Bay’ Champagne: exquisite. Specials were written on the blackboard, a handful of entrees and a couple of mains including goat! I had the zucchini flowers stuffed with buffalo mozzarella and my friend had the T-​bone steak. Great portions I must say. My fare was extremely tasty, enjoyed every bite. T-​bone steak was cooked as requested, so that’s great news in my book. The surrounding tables overflowed with people as we were leaving. Great service, innovative menu, stunning wine selection and fab location! Go!

we found this place the other day about 2pm we were very hungry and the menu looked great so we tried it and WOW the food was great my hallumi sandwich with real homemade fries were amazing and the beers were good too,
I came home and told my partner how good this was and we went back for dinner on Thursday night and had a great selection of taster plates the chriso and squid skewers are great, the waiting staff are very friendly and take their suggestions for dishes everything we had was good

Headed over here for brunch this morning after reading about it in the Denizen and following their Facebook page for a few weeks.
It did not disappoint me one bit. I went for their twist on a veggie eggs benedict — a yummy hash brown cake with two poached eggs, asparagus, hollandaise sauce, and some incredible tomatoes that appeared to perhaps be poached to remove the skins and somehow infused with basil… oh my god. It was heaven! Those tomatoes, I could have eaten them all day! It all came together to be fresh and delicious, and wasn’t an overly heavy breakfast.
They also had cold brew coffee — brewed from All Press. It was yummy, as cold brew should be!
Most of us ended up getting the same thing, and we were pleased. Another friend got the salmon dish over a buckwheat waffle, which she wasn’t as in to — I had a bite of the waffle and it was interesting… it tasted very earthy and almost like patchouli. Perhaps it melded well with the other flavors of the dish, but I didn’t love it on it’s own.
I was surprised on a sunday around noon there was virtually no one there! I wonder if it’s more popular for dinner or if it just hasn’t taken off yet. As well, don’t jump straight for the seats out front — they have a beautiful patio out back that I wish we had gone for if we had known! The place looks deceptively small, as when you come in, it looks like there is just some counters for eating at, but there is also a dining room, and then out back the patio, plus seats out front.
I’ll definitely be back, maybe to try dinner (if they’ve got enough veggie options), but definitely back for brunch. It was a hit!

We were lucky that we only had a short wait at the bar– although it would have been long enough to have ordered a glass of wine if we had been asked.
The tables at Siostra are very close so you better like the people next door. Funnily enough we knew the couple next so that was kind of ok.
The wait staff were very prompt and the orders for wine placed — unfortunately when they arrived she couldn’t remember which was which. They were both Chardonnays so we sorted it out between us who liked which one.
We ordered four or so dishes to share — the scallops were first up and were very nice. The rest of the food arrived pretty much all together which was interesting as the table wasn’t that big.
The octopus skewers were tasty but the Brussels sprouts were a bit on the salty side.
We must have been feeling vegetarian as we also had chips and feta — most probably a bit of an overkill and we couldn’t finish it all.
Overall we probably should have ordered a bit less and more variety.
I would probably give it another shot to see if it is better than the three stars I thought it deserved this time

Siostra is perched unassumingly in the middle of the Grey Lynn shops and has a lovely warm & inviting feel. The menu is full of small plates with simple, bold flavours (there are also a couple of full sized meals too). We loved the scallops with a creamy cauliflower purée and crispy guanciale (I know, I’d never heard of it either but it’s cured pork — similar to bacon) and the octopus & chorizo skewers with Ouzo aioli, although the Ouzo was very subtle.
The wine list also deserves a special mention. It’s full of boutique NZ wineries with some interesting European reds and plenty by the glass (BIG tick)! We ended up playing it safe and ordering two glasses of Chard — one Mt Edward and one Man O’War — both were delicious but the waiter forgot which was which, which was a pity!
My one teensy complaint was that we ordered several small plates to share between the two of us and they all arrived at once leaving us hardly any room on the small table for our side plates! Considering how fast we inhaled the delicious scallops it wasn’t an issue for long but it would have been great to have had some time to enjoy our olives and skewers before the rest of the food arrived. Also, keep in mind that the portion size is generous. We definitely over ordered.
All in all, Siostra is a charming neighbourhood bistro with equally charming staff… I just wish it was in my neighbourhood!