What can I say, Matterhorn is always guaranteed to impress, both in the service offered and the food served.

I took 5 friends who were visiting from London here last week and they loved the chilled and relaxed decor, fantastic cocktails and suburb food.

The Suckling Pig, Southland Venison and Aged Angus Fillet could not be faulted.

Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a venue that is very reliable in all aspects.

Dinned here last time I was in Wellington, fantastic venue , great food ( kitchen need a pat on the back ) , front of house staff need to pull their head out of their own back sides, and remember its about the customer not their own ego, same goes for the bar staff who were even worse. Still the food was good enough that I’ll return and given them another go, its was only one visit after all.

A group of us came in just for desert and cocktails and the service is pretty poor, our waitress was impatient and when we asked her a question she very rudely told us to wait till she had done our water then she would talk to us. Like the other reviews below it is way too dark in the restaurant, people like to see what they are eating.

The desert menu was interesting, they are obviously trying to be different but all the deserts were quite out there. I had a frozen stuffed meringue with rum jelly and freeze dried white chocolate. It was intriguing but I wouldn’t have it again. While it is a trendy restaurant some of their prices are way over the top at $13 for house spirits.

When I arrived down here in Wellington, my sister recommended this place, it’s a little out of the way, and the environment/setting is awesome.

Really nice lighting outside, and the outside environment is nice. I can’t speak for the Inside as I haven’t dined here inside yet; The inside did look nice though.

The Food was nice, and the staff were friendly.

always a good sign.

all in all, it’s a good place, and the quality of what food I have ordered has been nice.

A place worth checking out.

Having read & heard about this award winning restaurant our group of four were eager to dine at the Matterhorn.
We popped in during the day to make a reservation for that night, they have some weird reasoning for not doing so during certain hours but asked us to try that night.
We arrived and were asked to wait in the bar until a table was ready. After working hard to attract the attention of the bar staff & succeeded in conversing with a guy who was drying glasses and couldn’t serve us. Why isn’t that done elsewhere which would leave more room for the bar staff in a very narrow bar area. We decided on pre-dinner bubbles & were eventually shown to the dining area.
Not sure why it needs to be so DARK, they seem to have confused an almost blackout with ambience. Thanks to cellphone light we manage to read & decide from the menu. Two have the lamb, one the snapper and one the crab.
One of our group was upset due to a personal matter and rested her head on the table while waiting for our meals. The waiter came , shook her and said that looking as if she was asleep at the table wasn’t a good look for the restaurant and to SIT UP ! Quite frankly, I don’t think that was a clever call on his part, it upset her more and those around her. He showed no common courtesy to us as patrons or his guests.

The meals arrived on huge plates but contained very small portions. One of our party who knows a thing or two about fish & fishing particularly snapper, questioned the amount of snapper on her plate and suggested that for a main of $39 there was less than $9 of produce on her plate. She was dismissed like a naughty child and ignored as were any of our comments agreeing with her.
We decided to eat quickly and leave with one paying our account so we could make our “escape”
For those who havent been to the Matterhorn, it’s entrance is off Cuba St via a side alley which feels more like a closed forgotten arcade.
So if you enjoy overpriced & undersized portions, a military like bossy waiter, an attitude that believes an annual award is a lifetime achievemnet, menu’s with tiny print and BYO torch to read it with are your idea of a good night out then the Matterhorn is for you!

The food at Matterhorn Rules! But the wine pour could be reviewed (it really should be a bit more generous if you are purchasing by the glass) now days I would go straight for cocktails or a beer instead..

We had some friends down from Auckland who had wanted to eat at Matterhorn since it won Metro’s awards a couple of years ago. We were slightly apprehensive since anecdotally it was not the same establishment it was then, but we didn’t want to be negative so headed off hoping for a good night.

The evening started off well with glasses of wine and cocktails and we were seated by the friendly and professional waiter. Our waitress soon made herself known and she was also friendly, attentive and professional.

But things took a steep dive from there. The tables are so dark so you actually can’t read the menus. We had to pass round a cellphone with a torch. Once illuminated the food looked good but we decided to skip entrees in favour of a big round of cheeses after the main, since one of our visitors is a fromage freak.

Our main arrived and while they were beautifully presented, 3 of the 4 were stone cold and the fourth was perhaps luke-warm. The chef had delightful flavours and presentation but because of the horrendous lighting and obviously long wait time on the counter, we couldn’t enjoy either.

It was about this time that we ordered a second bottle of the same wine, the Craggy Range Gimblett Syrah. Another waiter came over and said “Gents, would you like to taste it first or should I just pour it out?” I was snickering under my breath at this outdated assumption that we men are the custodians of good taste at our dining table, until I looked up and saw my female dining companions staring in horror as he had topped up our glasses and ignored theirs, which were at even lower levels than ours.

My girlfriend is not the type of woman to take this one on the chin, so as politely as she could manage complained to our female waitress. Our waitress received the complaint very well and went to investigate (apparently he doesn’t like mixing two separate bottles of wine, which would be a much more compelling excuse had he not done exactly that on our glasses).

The cheeses to follow were nice enough but by then we were well and truly ready to move on and try somewhere else.

I appreciate that the chauvinist waiter is likely an anomaly, but there is no excuse for cold food and not just bad, but dismal lighting (that’s not to even mention the bathrooms, which are so dark you feel like you could be accosted at any second). I was tempted to mark it up to 2 stars for the excellent waitress but ‘meh I’ve had better’ was certainly not the sentiment of our party on the night. With so many other great dining options at this price point in Wellington, it will be a long time before we return.

Consistently this restaurant has the highest standards of service, staff knowledge, quality food.

The ambience is homely chic, the fire in colder weather is great and the outdoor bar is comfortable in sunny weather.

Last visit I had the Gorgonzola soufflé. The accompaniments of caramelised witloof, radicchio, pear, sugared walnuts & apple vinaigrette enhanced the richness of the soufflé.

For desert the bitter chocolate & rose marshmallow with confit rhubarb, manjari délice & milk sorbet met expectations of indulgence. Personally I might have preferred the rhubarb pieces to have had a little more tartness to help the sorbet cut through the sweetness of the marshmallow. However, I am being very picky.

We’ll be back.

Matterhorn is the kind of restaurant you go to, and regardless of your preconceptions – which foods you do and don’t like, you are confident to order anything from the menu and know your taste buds will explode. The bar is extensive, the waitstaff attentive and very knowledgeable, yet able to tell when you shouldn’t be disturbed at the same time. I couldn’t recommend Matterhorn more from my visits.

This place deserved to do well. Hard to find but once found it is a great discovery. Great atmosphere sets it apart from other eating establishments. We think there is a new chef but if so it hasn’t changed the outstanding quality of their meals.
A definite go-place…

A cold wet Friday afternoon,after a very blah day at work, my friend and I decided to go to Matterhorn for a wee tipple. The staff were so warm, friendly and knowledgeable. The fire lit was very inviting. The service was excellent, my bad day just melted away, Love their work. Very impressive wine list (we opted for Pinot Noir) and gorgeous tapas style food to match them.

A good place for a special dinner – good food, nice atmosphere. Quite pricey but probably worth it. Need to book before to get a table.

I’ve always loved Matterhorn. The decor and knowledgeable staff always make it a great experience.

The drinks before dinner were delicious as always, and shortly after we were whisked away to an intimate corner.

The tuna sashime starter was delicious, but the rabbit terrine was overly gelatinous, and the flavor of the rabbit got a little lost. My main was tasty, but a little over seasoned.

Ambiance and music excellent as always.