charley noble eatery & bar

charleynoblehas been recommended as an out of towner by quite a few people. food was top notch and the service too. drinks menu is pretty extensive. fries, arancini, venison rump, beef cheek, petits fours. all very good. would love to come back

had dinner with family at this restaurant last night.  the food was divine.  ravioli was to die for, sirloin and eye fillet steaks beautifully cooked, fish and chips exceptional, pavlova perfect with the plum compote divine (could have eaten a bowl of the plum compote by itself). staff were awesome and friendly and not intrusive.  price for 5 people was very reasonable.  would definitely eat here again and highly recommend charleynobleto all wellingtonians and visitors.

if you’re looking to enjoy world-class dining with quality new zealand produce while you’re in the land of the long white cloud, then you’re in luck. charleynoblein wellington has long held a reputation for being one of the best restaurants around and if my dining experience was anything to go by, it certainly holds up to its name.

one of the best meals out i've had in a while. the wait staff were all friendly, helpful and good at their job, even the people out the back seemed to be enjoying their night. the place was busy, but our meals came out to us a lot faster than i anticipated and were beautifully presented. we shared the house smoked potted salmon and were given the option of having it as a starter or as a side with our mains, which was a nice touch and appreciated. we also chose the ravioli and charleynobleburger for mains. the ravioli was one of the nicest i have eaten, and the burger didn't stay long on the plate either. the burger was served medium rare (the best way) but it was double checked with us that we were ok with this. we also ordered the strawberry and rhubarb tart, and the yoghurt panna cotta. both i would recommend. really good meal.

have been here for several times and every each time was so amazing. the service here is friendly and the dishes are really good. ordered the charleynobleburger and it's quite juicy. the bacon provides some smokey taste, but not oily at all. definitely recommend and definitely will come back.

visiting from melbourne, our party of four were very underwhelmed by our dinner experience here last friday night. the service was almost non-existent - having to ask to have our water glasses refilled shouldn't be necessary. the menu offered a good range of options and the starters (such as my bruschetta) were fine - without being very innovative or memorable. two of our group had 'aged' sirloin steaks for mains which were  grisly and certainly not the tender piece of age beef we expected for the premium $38 price tag. to add to the disappointment we then had to order sides at $9 each. surely its not too much to ask to expect some modest accompaniments when paying a premium price for essentially a 300g slab of meat? at least the turkish delight for desert was a tasty finish but i won't be rushing back . great location and good vibe but charleynobleshould do much better.

charleynobleis one of my favorite places to go in wellington. their arancini balls are fantastic. service is great. all round great place.

simply beautiful delight.

welcoming staff. warm atmosphere. real tasty foods. nice bar. organized set up. only thing disappointed me was there was no seats next to their awesome open kitchen.

we ordered prawn & crab bisque with brandy cream with breads on side, woodfire grilled lamb shoulder, and their black charleynobleburger.

prawn & crab bisque with brandy cream. strong crab and prawn taste with little bit smoke flavor. consistency is perfect. melt in our mouth. with bread. my gosh. we still talking about this dish the following day with our chef friends.

charleynobleburger. pickles, patty, buns, sauce. every single things on that place kept pleasing us. we were actually so full already when we half way through. but we managed to kill it all. cuz we will never waste such a a good burger. chips been taken care well too.

woodfire grilled lamb shoulder. pickle in the bottom with perfectly cooked sliced lamb shoulder meat on top. finished with yogurt and garnish. sided with pumpkin sauce garnished with pumpkin seeds. talented dish. beautiful presentation. balanced so well on plate. heavy meat with tiny bit sweet & sour pickles and yogurt. creamy sauce with crispy roasted seeds. nice.

but we ordered coffee latte. honestly, coffee really needs to be improved. very average. no presentation. milk emollience is just ok.

i will definitely come back and introduce this restaurant to all my friends.

really good service with a delicious meal. the atmosphere at charleynobleis lively and inviting. presentation of the meal was really well executed along with what i saw from other plates.

it was my partners birthday and we chose charleynobleto celebrate; which, we were both quite excited about as neither of us had been before - and we'd read good things.

the restaurant has a great look and feel; large windows, big open space, nice decor with some stylish industrial pieces and an open kitchen; all making this a pretty cool spot. the bar hosts several craft beers on tap too which is always a bonus.

we arrived about 5.20pm. there were only a couple of other tables occupied. come 6.00pm, the place was filling up quickly. we started with a drink, 285ml emerson’s pilsner ($10) and a glass of champagne ($18). both very nice indeed as we perused the menu.

for start we ordered the chicken liver parfait ($14.00). nicely presented in a jar on a wooden board. it came with six small, thin pieces of bread which worked well with flavours of the parfait, keeping it the focus of the dish.

the bread didn't last long and we were almost out; the passing waitress noticed and offered us more bread, we accepted. what we didn't realise (although suspected) was that we had to pay for it. $4.00 for six more pieces. it wasn't the cost, but the principle as we were offered the bread, we didn't order it - big scheme of things, not a big deal though.

the parfait was nice but it lacked something - a depth of flavour perhaps. but it was an enjoyable start to our meal.

we ordered two glasses of the marqués de riscal reserva, rioja, to have with our mains ($28.00) - it was quite heavy but thoroughly enjoyable. a good choice.

next were the mains, we both ordered a wood fired rotisserie dish; pork belly ($33.00) and lamb shoulder ($34.00). we also ordered sides; truffle fries ($9.00) and french peas ($9.00).   

my partner had the lamb. she found it a bit fatty and bland - overall average. i tried a bit myself but couldn't really taste it because of the issues i was having with my pork belly.

first bite of the pork belly was extremely salty. quite overpowering. the waitress passed and asked how our meal was going. i said 'fine thanks' as i felt it was too early to judge as it could've been just that piece of the crackling that was over seasoned. so i persisted hoping that it would improve but unfortunately it didn't. the meat and crackling were over seasoned throughout - a real shame.

the next time the waitress passed i mentioned it was too much and i couldn't eat anymore. she apologised and offered to replace it with another portion but by then the salt had killed my appetite and i didn't want a repeat experience, so i declined stating 'thank you, but i'm kinda over the dish'.

i was then offered a free desert and for them to clear the table - which was a nice gesture, but it left me thinking; 'so, i have to pay for this dish even though it was inedible?' - i said i 'wasn't feeling that hungry right now but would think about it (a desert)' - i didn't want to make a decision right there and then.

about five minutes later the waitress returned with a take away box with some complimentary 'sweet treats' to take away, saying: 'i know you're not feeling that hungry so here's something to take away'. this again was a nice gesture but it missed the point. i wanted to make my own decision but it was made for me. we did want a desert, so we shared a panna cotta, which, we later found out, we had to pay for. so my free desert wasn't free after all. i appreciate she was trying to help, but it didn't work.

the sweet treats were a couple of marshmallows, some dark chocolate and toffee popcorn.

the caramel panna cotta ($16.00) was a welcome dish taking the taste of salt away from my palette. however, it was a bit too fussy. as my partner commented, 'i don't see why it needs cream on it', it also had chocolate crumble sprinkled over it - it was a nice desert but would have been much better if it was simpler.

there were some high points to the meal, but also some low points. when i went to pay the bill, it was for the full amount - my main at full price and the desert wasn't free after all. i paid for everything (all up $174.00) as i didn't make a fuss as it was my partner's birthday.

to be fair, the service was good, the ambiance and music are great and if you experience no issues with your meal you will have a great night here, but we left feeling disappointed.

the next morning i still felt that it wasn't right. so i called up and left a message for the manager. to their credit they called me back that day and i spoke with the duty manager, and passed on my feedback. he passed my comments onto his manager and they chose to compensate me - i didn't necessarily expect that, but it was a great gesture offered in good faith, for which i was very appreciative.

the point i'm trying to make here is that things do go wrong sometimes, but the important part is how they are dealt with that makes the difference - i was happy with the way they professionally rectified the situation.

because of this i will return to charley noble, and look forward to a better experience.

firstly i want to say they have whole gluten free menu. yay no food envy for me, no skipping over the menu to find the gluten free options – they were their right in front of me!

as soon as you walk into charleynobleyou get hit with a delectable smoky aroma from their woodfire ovens. 

i started off with an air mail at the bar which was bacardi, lime & honey with orange and champagne foam. they give you a little letter that has the recipe enclosed to keep, in theme with the name (super cute).

entree i went for the bruschetta starter with asparagus, green bean, feta and mint. i literally asked them to ask the chef if it was actually gluten free because it looked too good to be true! to my surprise it was, that bread is the best gf bread i have ever tasted! 

main – woodfired spatchcock. it was served on a panzanella salad with gluten free crotons. yum, i couldn't finish all of this but lucky my boyfriend was willing to help me clean the plate. the spatchcock was juicy and succulent and surpassed my expectations.  

overall the experience at charleynoblewas outstanding, all the waiters and waitress had incredible knowledge of the menu and wines. service was great except the long wait for mains, but luckily we were in no rush to go elsewhere.

magnificent food and use of nz produce at its finest. charleynoblelifts the calibre of the wellington culinary space to new levels. i think winning the wellington on a plate burger challenge was well deserved, but only tells half the story of this place and its impeccable crew.

appetisers: had the octopus and chicken parfait, both innovative and refreshing takes on their ingredients. were satisfying starters perfect for sharing.

main: i had the lamb shoulder, was melt-in-your-mouth, sensational combination of flavours and the tzakiki gave it a wonderful finish.

beverages: they have a great selection of freshly squeezed juices, the pear juice in particular. the hot chocolate is to die for too.

service: warm, friendly, attentive, 10/10. really felt like we were looked after.

price: not actually that expensive. it's reasonable, and while not fine dining, it offers diners of any age group a sophisticated, premium experience to remember.

verdict: with all things in mind, i give charleynoblea 5.0. i hope to see more places match the calibre of the service and kitchen of charley noble's.

the first thing you notice about charleynobleis the cool vibe...and the beautiful people who dine there :) the service was impeccable, never hurried. the wait staff went out of their way to offer little comforts, such as proactively asking if you want to share the entrées.
the cocktail list is fun, classy, and short. that gets my vote: offer a few choices and do them really well.
this was my second visit and i was very impressed with the meal last time. however, their woap menu fell short of my expectations. i think the concept was excellent; it was the execution that failed. my entrée, the pig's tail salad, had way too much dressing and the meat was overcooked. unfortunately, same goes for the lamb main, which came out very dry. the rhubarb and apple crumble had too much rhubarb in it and the crumble was plain and bland. i was tempted to send it back. i know it was an extra busy friday night, but that's no excuse. they had enough chefs in the kitchen to cope with the demand. that's the beauty of having an open plan kitchen. it was fun to watch them at work, though, and we still felt it was a good night out.

a group of us went to charleynobletoday for wellington on a plate lunch.  it was 2 courses (from a 3 course menu) and a beverage for $35. as a meeting was scheduled at late notice we were needing to be served promptly so we could get back to work.  to assist the restaurant we prepared a list of what we would like to eat by course - this was clearly set out in the piece of paper i handed the waitress.  this request was ignored (i was served early rather than with the group) and the waitress proceeded to serve us by menu so people without starters were left waiting until the mains were served and people who selected starter and main were left waiting for desserts to be eaten.  so despite the group having 2 courses we were served our courses as if we were having a  3 course meal.  when a starter and my main appeared (and no one else's food) i reiterated our request, the waitress was very aggressive and unpleasant advising our request wasn't clear enough for her.  she made no effort to apologise or to resolve the situation. the wine- half a glass of a nice pinot gris.  the food.  most of the table (5) of us had the fish.  servings were small, but more disappointing was that the fish was overcooked - this was agreed by all who had the yellow brick fish of the day.  the dessert was the saviour of the lunch.  the dark chocolate mousse - it was delicious and beautifully presented. overall for $35 the lunch was overpriced and the customer service needs alot of improvement.

what a nice place! love the way it has been restored to its original (?) glory. we love eating out and it is always nice to try out new places. the food was really good but the portion sizes not very generous. our waiter was very friendly and we had a nice chat. may save our next visit to charleynoblewhen we go out to see a show since it is so conveniently located.