Villa Maria

Great food, great views, average service.
We had artichoke fettuccine, smoked duck salad and the fish of the day, washed down with some Villa Maria semillon. The salad exceeded expectations, the pecans being a particular delight. The vegetarian, who doesn’t usually like fettuccine, loved his. The fish was standard but enjoyed.
Service though didn’t match. Unintuitive wait staff with poor peripheral vision. I waved my hands on more than one occasion, and we’re centrally seated.
A great place to experience and walk around. Hope they improve their service standard.

Amazing Sunday lunch here … we came for a late lunch about 130. And there is no more outdoor seat so we decided to wait till we are seat with an outdoor table as the weather is too good to be indoor!
Okay, view is amazing, food is so good and wine is awesome… what more do I want? An easy 5 star for me!

We decided to cycle here from Onehunga along the Watercare coastal walkway. It is N easy flat cycle taking about 1 hour.
Unfortunately we got there at 3.30 and they close at 4. We were able to order a cheese board and wine — Pinot Gris and Arneis.
The cheese board came with 3 cheeses, ciabatta bread, grilled baguette slices, a sliced Apple and dried fruits and walnuts. It was a nice snack to accompany the wines especially after the cycle in the sun.
Try to get a table in front so you can look out over the vines as you eat/​drink. Beautiful in the summer time and well worth a visit

Don’t forget to make a reservation! This place fills up pretty fast around lunchtime.
Came here for a coworker’s last day. Unfortunately, we had to go to work so we didn’t get to try any of the wines. Sacrilege, I know.
I ordered the soup of the day (eggplant, tomato, and goat cheese) which arrived and was very hot, but I enjoyed it after it cooled. My main entrée was the Pan Seared Marlborough Sounds Salmon w/​fresh pea risotto, poached green beans, vine tomato & basil. THAT was phenomenal. Everything was delicious, although the salmon could have been cooked a bit longer (I like mine a bit firmer). The risotto was really good, and the green beans were crisp.
Will have to come here again to do the wine tasting /​flights ($ 5 /​$ 10, respectively). Missed out!

I had a late flight out of Auckland so myself and a couple friends stopped here for lunch. We had been hoping to find a winery and this place was more than we expected. We were surprised a tasting was only $ 5 but waived if we bought some wine (which we all did). The woman who hosted the wine tasting was very knowledgeable and personable. The place fills up quick so make reservations if you plan on going! We just happened upon the place and were able to get a table because of two reasons; we were there early enough and it was nice outside which opened up more tables. My dinner was fantastic. I had the eye fillet and I know I could have eaten at least 2 servings!
As for the wine itself…
The Riesling and the Cab Sav were amazing! I’m sure if I found the bottles in the US they would only cost $ 15 at the most but I guarantee the export isn’t as good. So, if you’re traveling and you stop at this place, take a couple bottles home. They sell Wine Skins so there’s even less of a chance they’ll brake in a suitcase if you pack correctly. I bought a bottle of the Cav Sav and Riesling knowing I had really only had room for ½ a bottle in my suitcase.