hippopotamus restaurant & cocktail bar

very good dinner indeed - superb presentation and excellent service. the meals outclassed all other restaurants we have been to recently - especially in the "up market" sector.

nothing wrong here. you are sure to have a splendid experience here. food outstanding, service outstanding, environment outstanding. one of the few restaurants left that just get it.

it was my first time at hippopotamus and i came here with a group of friends for high tea. we had to arrive 30 mins before our booking so it was quite a wait before we were actually seated at our table.

the atmosphere is really welcoming, and definitely enhanced by the fancy furniture and gold-tipped table settings. it's a good place to spend a long afternoon, although it can get a little noisy with everyone chatting around you, but i guess that only attests to the restaurant's popularity.

the food was also elegantly presented without being overly dainty. it came in a three-tier cake stand that was enough to share amongst three people. my favorites from the savoury selection were the tiny jar of smoked salmon with sour cream, and the sweet pepper with macadamia nuts. both of these had great texture and flavour.

for the sweets, everything looked really delectable but none stood out for me. i thought that the lemon curd with meringue was overly sweet, and i didn't feel like i wanted seconds of anything.

i'd say that the price is too high for how everything tasted overall, but i'd definitely recommend the rose and french vanilla tea. it smelled wonderful, creamy, and sweet, but was never cloying to the taste.

showstopper: rose and french vanilla tea. i could have had 5 more cups.

overall rating: b

lovely setting with perfect views and wonderful staff, feels very lush. we came for high tea with delightful treats and flowing tea.  nice as a little treat every once in a while.  wear a pretty frock and enjoy!

lovely romantic place to dine. the lounge bar was cozy and artistic, i had the most fantastic wine, if only i could remember it name.
food delicious and well persented, i loved the hole place, the staff and the view are brilliant.

beautiful and luxurious afternoon tea. the tea kept flowing and the food was top notch. excellent decadent treat if you've done some culture at te papa and need a treat.

we had a boozy dinner and a quick lunch at hippopotamus. thought the food was all beautifully executed - fabulous wine list, great produce, creative chefs. delicious!!!

hippo is up on the 3rd floor of museum hotel. my wife & i had an early dinner & we went for the 6-course degustation menu.
amuse bouché was a sort of fruit-based. good - well, i do mean "good, stop". bread was not served "warm." the first entrée was scallops, beetroot cured salmon & saku tuna - salmon was slightly overcooked. then came beetroot scallops, wasabi caviar, lemon-snow & butter milk gel. again, no surprise. the first main was roasted kingfish, creamed leek, smoked eel beignet with oyster velouté. this was my first wow. the second main was seared venison fillet with baby beetroot, port prunes & salted caramel ganache - superb. lemon sorbet with cranberry espuma was served before the desserts. the dessert started with espoisse cheese with cranberry & hazelnut crumble - we were told that this was hippo's first cheese dish and that's a surprise. dinner ended with warm french toast, salted caramel butter, crystalized hazelnut, roasted apple & almond milk sorbet.

it was a super dinner but not superb. 1) it didn't start perfectly, like cold bread. 2) every now & then, after something good, there's something i could say " eh eh," like crumbles of bread not removed immediately. 3) a bit of minor dent on dessert plate. 4) a tiny little sand-fly was enjoying our dinner with us. (food - 4.5+/5; service - 4.5/5; ambience - 4.5/5)

went here for high tea and it proves to be popular. the service was very good and the miniatures very tasty. we also had cocktails that were enjoyable. the restaurant itself is a little quirky but cool. enjoyed my experience here and would definitely come again.

absolutely stunning food! we were all blown away with our meals. silver service! staff amazing well trained. highly recommend to anyone looking for an experience. love the decor and atmosphere

one of the best places for dinner. excellent service. never a fault. good menu and good atmosphere. perfect place to take the otherhalf. never in doubt of the food or quality of the experience

oh my lord.... what happened to this place?? went last weekend for high tea, and i am not sure how to rate this place now, because the food served for our high tea was simply a disgrace to "this use to be" must go place for high tea. the service was good, as expected for this place, and the tea was also good but not great. alas, once presented with our food, i was not sure if i was to be embarrassed for my choice of place, as one of my guest commented once the waiter left:" by the look of it, this reminds me london in the 70'", and it was not a great time for food there in the 70' let me tell you... there was no real efforts made for the high tea, most things presented looked either boring or premade sweets, the kind that you pull out of a box, add a little flower, and then voila, and there was no flavors to it, apart from either sugar or salt... but as much as you would have get away very easily in the 70' anywhere with that, the kitchen may need to be reminded that this is 2015, and this is well below the expectation anyone could have for this place. anyway, it's ok, there is a way better place that i recently found in wellington for high tea.so to sum things up, you may want to go for lunch or dinner, but i would not recommend this place for high tea, waste of money, time and great disappointment for your palate.

great cocktails ... very retro art deco decor kind of mesmerizing takes you back to the 1920's. the bar man is an expert at his trade friendly and passionate about his art as a friend suggested this is a place to get a drink and gaze at the waterfront . the meal i had was delicious.

such an amazing experience. service was really great; and food was amazing!!! ive been a big fan of sweet and savoury dishes and the venison really amazed me with it's ganache, the lamb dish was superb.. it was well seasoned and the flavours just had such a good harmony. will definitely be back . pretty expensive but im sure its worth the price.

when i'm in wellington, i love going to hippopotamus... tonight (as always) the food was delicious, and the service impeccable!

if you're passing through wellington and only go to one restaurant, this should be the one.