hippopotamus restaurant & cocktail bar

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 agreatdining 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!

brilliant ambience.greatpolite hospitable staff. portions are good. food is tasty and pretty creative. price is on the high side but worth the experience.

agreatevening out. i like going out for dinner and not being rushed out the door, this was a dining experience and it was fabulous. complimentary things to taste and try between meals was a nice touch. staff were very polite, friendly and price was great. have paid similar price for much less. food was delicious, would happily return.

the menu has changed from what's above on the zomato page. i had the three-course option for $75. i didn't enjoy the venison starter (which is a signature dish) so much - the meringue and figs didn't quite mesh together with the meat. the fish of the day was wonderful and one of the more delightful and memorable dishes fish i've had in the last year. i loved the sauce and kept licking the plate clean. the date and pear dessert was divine as well. the vanilla and coconut sorbet was superb, and could almost be its own dish. the pear and sticky date pudding wasn't overpoweringly sweet which i very much appreciated. while you dine you'll getgreatviews of the harbour.

truly a complete experience! excellent service, amazing food and drinks. the restaurant itself is beautifully decorated and has agreatambience. the art pieces along the way to the restaurant is another experience in itself. the creme brûlée here was amazing 🙏🏼

we came here as a group for high tea to celebrate a friends birthday and it was a really lovely place. the staff are wonderful and attentive, food and drinks weregreatand the decor is beautiful. i can't wait to come back!

amazing food ❤ everything was great!greatcustomer service! the flavour combinations were impeccable. recommend everyone to go here at least once and treat yourselves 😊

stayed at the museum hotel & dined at the hotel restaurant the hippopotamus, we ordered the le roy (prime beef fillet for two 500-600g) comes with three sides, ours was petite cesar salad,pommes de terre lyonnaise potato & gratin de brocolis cheese gratin of broccoli. we also received complimentary aperitif & bread.
the service was above & beyond expectations, the ambience & views weregreatbut the food was exceptional *****
if back in wellington we will definitely be back! only one little gripe..... ladies you need a jacket as the aircon is set too cold for your little black dress.

my sister n husband suggested we visit the hippopotamus for after noon dessert. what agreatsuggestion love this place, very arty, light and inviting with the stylish chairs, mirrors and art works. we were welcomed to our seat and provided with menus. a small but delightful choice for dessert. i went with a selection taste plate type dessert while hubby got the pear in chocolate accompanied with nugart ice cream. tea was the drink of choice. well we were not disappointed, all were very well presented and my selection of 4 samples of just plain yum but enough to satisfy. the staff we attentive but respectful. very nice..we will so be back for dinner on our next visit to wellington.

had high tea here on saturday - have been here before for dinner so hopes were high. overall great! lovely service, tea was flowing frequently andgreatselection of treats. only lost the 0.5 as my partner specifically asked for no seafood and then was still served some - staff were understanding but no replacement was given.

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 hadgreattexture 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

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

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 agreattime 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 andgreatdisappointment for your palate.

the good, the pretentious and the disapproving.....lovely setting for a silver service meal.  its meant to be pretentious and doesn't disappoint.  french accented food notes for every dish from and disapproving french table staff.don't expect to find a cheap and cheerful quaffable wine.  take the amex and enjoy a magnificent selection.  but you need to know your stuff or you may end up with something less than you expected for more then you are willing to pay.the food - not delicious.  catch of the day main was dreadful.  the monk fish was watery, and the vegetables pale and boring (brussel sprouts?  i know it's winter but surely there are better veges around).   i know the french scorn salads and vegetables, but this is not a french restaurant.the salmon entre was delicious but a bit of wasabi does not make a sashimi (carpaccio?). all in all i would go back for the setting and thegreatbar/wine selection, but not to eat.as for breakfast - you pay and pay and pay.  take your own vogels and coffee.

with high expectations since the many reviews we heard about this restaurant, i was looking forward to agreatdining experience with my family. however, my experience was on a downhill decline as we were greeted by a rude host or manager that informed us that our table has been given away as we were late. we had decent reasons for being late but were too stunned to explain our predicament amidst the loud accusations and rude remarks.

we were given a table after a slight wait and wasn't spoken to by the manager after that, unlike his manner and attitude towards other tables that night.

i would not write off the restaurant altogether as the food was decent and flavoursome, kudos to the chef. the waiters and waitresses were very polite and attentive to our needs.

overall, the food was good and ambience was good but my first encounter with the manager was enough to deter me from returning to this restaurant. i was only wanting to have a good experience at a fine dining restaurant, irrelevant of my status (we made sure to dress up as well) and the colour of my skin.