Wharfside Restaurant: And a Fantastic Year it's Been!

Well it’s that time of year again, Christmas is fast approaching and it is a busy time for all.  We wanted to finish up the year with an overview of our year at Wharfside Restaurant & Café. 

CLIENTS AND CORPORATES

We wish to extend our thanks to our many loyal customers and corporate clients.  We have had a large number of successful functions this year for groups from Government Departments, schools and the education sector, professionals, banks, Returned Serviceman Clubs, Coach Services, Corporate sponsors and many more.  We also welcome those clients who were new to us this year and hope they found Wharfside and Circa a relaxed and well-organised environment for their functions. We hope to see you again next year!

FUN THEMES THIS YEAR

We have had a variety of events we could really have some fun with this year including themed events tying into shows.  We had a 1920s theme for The Great Gatsby, during which the staff dressed in 1920s attire and with decorations and music to represent that era.  This was lots of fun for customers as well as staff, a real talking point.  We also had Mauritius – a suspense play about stamp collecting.  We organised a special wine in connection with the theme of the play after discovering a winery in Marlborough who do a wine label that depicts an adaptation of the 1989 Kiwi New Zealand stamp.  We also had a fundraising cabaret evening which was put on by some of our staff who attend Toi Whakaari (the NZ drama school).  This was an excellent evening and showed the talent of up and coming artists yet to come through to the main stage.  The Birthday Boy was another show that had a great theme.  We introduced birthday packages for this show, with many groups enjoying the bubby and birthday cake package especially.  We had quite a few stunned birthday boys and girls whose families had arranged a surprise birthday evening out with these packages and a happy birthday song sung by the cast at the end of the show. 

NEW TO WHARFSIDE THIS YEAR

We had a new chef come on board at the beginning of this year and he outdid himself with two fantastic new menus.  The current menu has some old favourites as well as some new and exciting dishes.  With being located on the waterfront, we decided to have more of a seafood lean to our menu which customers seem to be really enjoying.  

Also just recently, as well as having our evening restaurant, we have opened as a daytime café with an a la carte menu together with savoury and sweet counterfood, scones , muffins, great coffee (of course!) and much more. 

CHRISTMAS AT WHARFSIDE

We always celebrate Christmas with lots of vigour at Wharfside.  With two Christmas trees, plenty of decorations, classy Christmas music and, on request, themed Christmas tables for functions (and even Santa, if you’re lucky), it really feels like Christmas.  With so much going on at this time of year and not much down time, it is nice to come to Circa and Wharfside, especially with the kids, to enjoy a relaxed meal in a Christmassy environment and a wonderfully funny and engaging show – this year the Pantomime Robin Hood.  

All of us at Wharfside wish you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

Dee Ryan & Martin Halliday

Owners Wharfside Restaurant & Café


Wharfside will be closed from 24 December to 3 January, reopening on 4 January at 10 am with the daytime cafe. Bookings are recommended for evening dining, please call 801-7996 to make your reservation.

Wharfside Restaurant: Daytime Opening, New Menu, Christmas at Wharfside

We wanted to talk about some of the great things happening at Wharfside over the next couple of months.    

DAYTIME CAFE OPENING SOON

We are very excited to announce that Wharfside, in conjunction with Circa, will be opening its doors as a daytime cafe from Tuesday 16 November. The cafe will be open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am. 

We invite you to come in and try us out, whether it be for lunch, a sweet treat, or simply a tea or coffee. We also have an extensive NZ wine list so if you feel like relaxing over a glass of wine while enjoying the superb waterfront views, then Wharfside is the place to be.  

We have a variety of hot savoury counterfood items including vegetarian options, sandwiches, wraps and salads, cakes, slices, biscuits, scones and muffins. All items will be available to either eat in or 

takeaway. We will also be running a Sunday brunch menu which will include traditional breakfast options as well as build-your-own-brunch options.

For those coffee lovers, we have great coffee card discounts available for our regular customers: buy four get your fifth one free.  

We are a great summer and winter venue. On a beautiful summer’s day, sit in the conservatory with the doors and windows open or in our outdoor patio area and enjoy the sunshine and vibrant waterfront atmosphere and on a winter’s day sit in the warm while still being able to watch the world and the weather go by.

Wharfside has plenty of space with the choice of both the conservatory or the foyer and so is a great place to meet friends for a coffee or lunch or to have a business meeting outside of the office. Wharfside and Circa also cater for daytime functions and seminars.  

NEW MENU

Our new menu also kicks off on 15 November. While still keeping some of the old Wharfside favourites, we have revamped the menu to include some fresh new dishes as well. We thought, as we are on the waterfront, we would have more of a seafood lean to our menu, but we still do cater for those non-seafood lovers as well. We also cater to those with special dietary requirements such as vegetarian and gluten free, etc. See the website for details of our new menu. 

CHRISTMAS AT WHARFSIDE

Here we are again in the lead up to Christmas. Wharfside will be working in conjunction with Circa Theatre to provide great Christmas entertainment and dining. With a great Pantomime on in the theatre this year, it provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Christmas with dinner and a show. We also cater for Christmas groups, whether it be a staff or client function or just a group of friends or family, we can tailor an evening specific to your group.  We can theme your table to give you a real Christmas feel to your evening.   We provide a very affordable children’s menu if you are looking at bringing the kids along. So why not come in for a meal and see a family classic, Robin Hood, which is a favourite with everyone, as a Christmas treat.                                                                                                      

Well, as you can see, we have a lot happening at Wharfside in the next few months and we would love you to come and join us, whether it be for a daytime snack, an evening meal or just coffee and a look around to see what’s new.  

We look forward to seeing you down at Wharfside @ Circa soon.

Dee Ryan & Martin Halliday

Owners, Wharfside Restaurant and Cafe 

Wharfside Restaurant is open for pre and post show dining, in addition to the new operation of a daytime cafe. To make a reservation, please call 801-7996.