Three of us lunched at the Hippopotamus Restaurant and were delighted with the atmosphere, the service and the food.

It was a special occasion and we loved every minute of it.

In fact we recommended it to friends who have already made a booking

Dont get me wrong, I love the decor, and most of the waiting staff are very good, but we have been many times at this hotel, we stay here when we come to Wellington. But the barman so needs some extra training in the making of cocktails, [which he always drowns in ice, which waters down our poor drinks, and then if you complain he is a very very rude little man. We love the desserts and entrees, but give the mains a big miss, because there is always something wrong with them. For the over the top money you pay here, its not quite the whole experience one is looking for, and we eat out heaps !!!!!

Extremely pricey and somehow pretty common… Very posh. I was actually very disappointed as I had heard very good reviews. Maybe we were not lucky with our choices… Who knows? But I don’t think I will go back…

This place is exceptional! We went there for a family birthday and we were all so impressed. The waiter was at our table making sure everything was perfect as if her was an old friend. He new everything about everything and even told us how 3 different types of gins were made and how they tasted! The food was really nice, interesting and i tried thing i would never have expected to. Were got deserts which were delicious and they wrote a beautiful happy birthday on the plate made of chocolate. It is quite pricey but you pay for the quality and service so no reason to complain.
Our dinner was a luxury, Highly recommend. Thanks hippo for a great evening!

Had the pleasure of dining here Saturday evening. Dining room was busy due to WOW and several other Wellington activities. Plenty of knowledgeable staff in attendance. We dined early and were served our three courses with an hour and a quarter which was perfect for attending a show. We would have liked to have not been limited by time due to the show, longer to savour the amazing cuisine..flavours and combinations superb. Wine suggestion went well with our choices.Too often the wine waiter wants your wine order before you have chosen your menu… not here!! A beautiful dining experience. A little pricey but definitely fine dining at its best.

Went here for lunch as part of wellington on a plate and was not disappointed – excellent service & excellent food. Also managed to be in and out in under an hour without feeling at all rushed – awesome!

Rather disappointing. Food just seems colder than it should be. Soup was cold but it was forgivable since there was a novel pannacotta melting in it. But mains were served warm at best too. Maybe it’s because food was trying too hard on presentation and it took ages plating up but I would rather have good warm food with less fancy pretentious presentation.

We dined here on a Friday night and it wasn’t overly busy which was nice. We were served cocktails in the bar area which had the old decor and looked great. We were shown to our table; a nice place by the window. I could go on for quite a while about the experience. We ordered entree’s and mains and we were given complementary starters from the Chef which was brilliant. The food was perfect and flavours amazing. The waiter we had was his first night working there and he was superb. It was refreshing to have someone professional serving us. We were offered bread rolls several times. I would definitely dine here again for a special occasion and don’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone who is after a great dining experience, just don’t be ignorant to the fact the cuisine is very nouvelle and a big bloke may be left wanting, but tell him to shut up and pay the bill!

overpriced. Fairly ordinary food. Somewhat arrogant waiters who did not realise I actually knew a lot about wine but insisted they knew best which wine should be served with which dish. After all that fund myself with no wine to drink with the main course. Expensive for a fairly ordinary meal with a menu that did not inspire with original ideas. In retrospect fairly typical hotel fare

A friend and I were staying at the hotel and decided to pop in for a late dinner. This restaurant is not for “popping in” as it is very expensive. However, we were not disappointed with our meals, the service was attentive (if a little pretentious)and the wine suggested was spot on.

Superb French food, and fantastic service from the predominantly French staff who really understand their role – professional, helpful, and yet unobtrusive. I’ve eaten there about four times, and it’s been consistently excellent from the complex dishes (wonderful snapper with a lime beurre blanc sauce) to the comparatively simple (french fries). Pricey; but worth every cent. recommended, as it’s one of Wellington’s best.

Fantastic french fare, excellent wine selection and a very friendly and efficient wait staff. A very enjoyable time.

We had a fantastic time. The service and food were both excellent.

Really enjoyed this restaurant – went with my family of 4 for my dad’s birthday. The food was excellent, and the service was impeccable (there weren’t many diners, so we practically had the waiter to ourselves – he was very attentive, professional and knowledgable about the menu and wine list), and the restaurant ambience was very nice. We passed over 4 hours here and didn’t even notice the time.
I really loved the way the desserts were served – each dessert came out in three servings, so we were able to taste each other’s desserts (and all were very very good).
Also is in the entertainment book so, all up, a very positive experience.