ortega fish shack & bar

with such outstanding reviews we were pleased to land ourselves a reservation at this restaurant. loved the interior of this place and we were impressed with the service. we had the bluff oysters, salmon stew and gurnard. the food was good but maybe our expectations were too high. we felt like it could be more flavoursome but perhaps the style of the restaurant is to keep the natural tastes of good qualityseafoodat bay? fish were both cooked to perfection though!

atmosphere, service and food are all top notch. the only place to eat great quality freshseafooddishes that will make you love kaimoana. we will definitely come back to this place.

ortega combines everything you would want in a good restaurant - great food, great staff, great ambiance, and a feeling of being looked after. in the evening, the decor and lighting give a warm, cosy and intimate feel. there are four dining areas, either by the entrance, at, or by the bar and an upstairs room. all are good but a table downstairs, is possibly best if you can get one. ortega has a loyal following and a quality that is well known in wellington. therefore if its a special evening you'll need to book a week or so out, especially on weekends. the staff do not change often, some seem to have been there for years and clearly that is a sign of a healthy restaurant and good management, as well as knowledgeable but relaxed service.

ortega's menu focuses on, but is not limited toseafood- while fish is generally perfectly cooked, so is a fillet of beef. the dishes are not fussy or overworked, but concentrate on presenting the ingredients honestly for maximum flavour and enjoyment. to my mind the sashimi entree is a national treasure, and the cafe de paris butter which tops the beef is incomparably good. personally i find the chocolate mousse with the sweet px sherry is gluttonously perfect to finish. a cheese course comes by the gram so don't overdo it.

the wine list is extraordinarily good. however if you can't think of what to have, ask the maitre'd - davy - one of the youngest looking institutions in town. let him offer a suggestion - he has never put me wrong so far. tapping into his knowledge and passion for food and wine is a must.

this is a remarkably good restaurant.

come here for a special occasion, superb service, boutique atmosphere,seafoodand sangria to die for and not outrageously expensive considering what you get.

dinner date with hubby tonight and our first time at ortega.
a nice restaurant tucked away from courtenay place, we were seated at the front by the window.
we both enjoyed our starter - natural oysters which were so fresh & delicious. our entree - garlic prawns....we absolutely enjoyed, the creamy garlic sauce was amazing. mine was a little salty but still edible.
for our mains, we ordered the flounder and the blue moki.
my partner enjoyed his flounder, my blue moki looked amazing on the plate, the downfall was the saltiness from the beautiful cooked skin of the moki. i was pretty gutted at this point because i couldn't enjoy the rest of the fish.
ordered a cocktail - the patient lady....so yummy that i ordered another 🤭
our waitress for the evening was very friendly, polite & provided such a great service along with the rest of the staff who greeted us when we arrived and bid us farewell when we left.
overall, we will definitely return to ortega to try more dishes from the menu which may differ from time to time as their main cuisine isseafoodthat is caught daily.

one of the best fine diningseafoodrestaurants i have been too. my first ever try at deep fried oysters they were delicious and came with 3 dipping sides. all our mains were great but just make shure to be prepared for the pricing, but definatly well worth it. amazing staff, well presented.

ortega fish shack has stolen my heart, appetite and wallet. wonder if i should set up a direct debit??

ventured there on the last weekend of wow so we had to book but i understand bookings at anytime are probably the safest bet as this place was humming with people.

the decor is this well appointed kitsch that works in an odd way. the walls are heaving with random pictures but it works well and great for anyone with ocd.

the service is awesome. my water glass was never not full. the wait staff are super friendly and we had a couple of laughs with one of them. hope they got the tip i left!

the food is next level. if you don't like seafood, there are limited meat and vege options but, if i'm honest, i would pick somewhere else. i am aseafoodfiend. theseafoodwas just out of this world. i would hate to try and pick anything wrong with it. the ceviche i had as an entree set the tone for the food - it was just chilli infused heaven.

for any riesling fans, try a glass of number 29 on the list. it is a french riesling and by far the nicest i have ever tasted. can't remember the name of it.... something fancy and french!

i had an allseafoodmeal for entre and main. the food presentation was good and dishes prepared really well and tasty. the portions are not big so would recommend having a few courses.

ortega is aseafoodlover's dream! we started with the pan-fried prawns and tagliatelle in a creamy garlic sauce. this dish is a classic and it was executed without fault. for the mains we picked another classic, bouillabaisse and something a bit funky, john dory with arroz negro (black rice). both were outstanding! all the dishes are imbued with a richseafoodflavour and eachseafoodcomponent was cooked to perfection. i especially enjoyed how each dish had little hidden morsels of potato and chopped up mussels respectively. each bite was like a culinary gift. the complimentary chocolate truffles were a classy touch. thanks ortega! helpful, attentive service and light, airy atmosphere upstairs. great for gatherings and romantic dates alike. will repeat!

outstanding !! you must try, but best book as it was super busy when we got there and people were waiting for tables.
loved the busy vibrant atmosphere, service was fast and efficient.
menu is great all the dishes we had were delicious mostly fish orseafoodbased but they do have some meat dishes in there for the meat lovers i will definitely go back.

this has to be my favourite place for a special dinner in wellington. elegant yet relaxed, the atmosphere complements the menu. the food is always exquisite - complex and interesting. i loveseafoodand this restaurant always does it justice. i have never been disappointed with the food or the service at ortega. i must come back again soon #bestseafoodinwellington

this was the perfect night out for every reason. amazing friendly warm service from every waiter who spoke to us. a delicious negroni cocktail to start followed by equally awesome food. every dish we had was so tasty and beautiful . theseafoodwas impeccable and the best meal of our trip to wellington. not being from the area we asked for a wine selection and it was exactly what we wanted and $20 cheaper then our first pick.

after dinner we moved to the bar for more local wine and spirits and the bar tender was super knowledgable and let us try lots of things. he opened a special bottle of rare wine and let us have it by the glass though usually only sold by the bottle.

we actually didn't want to leave . we the were recommended a bar to continue on to which was helpful a friendly of the bartender.

i can't recommend this place enough .

it’s our first taste of exotic nz seafood, with entrées of richly murky paua (abalone) ravioli served with crayfish and pernod butter (22.9), gin-cured tuna sashimi, and mains of pan-roasted gurnard on a rich silky truffle and comté mash served with raw cow’s milk cheese, shitake mushrooms and silverbeet in red wine butter (34.90). surprising, rich, hypnotic, it’sseafoodworth travelling for; a must stop!

it has been a while since i was last here.  we decided to come here to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  having previously made a booking a few weeks out, i asked whether it was possible to request something special (a dessert) which i was willing to pay extra for.   the friendly staff at ortega informed me that it was no problem, which really made my day.

not only does the food look and taste good, the service here is exceptional, where staff are willing to go that extra mile to make your night a special one to remember.   i was very much impressed with the our meals that i would recommend this place to anyone.

please check out my website for an indepth review

review from november 2014
i do not know what all the hype is around this place.  i have visited this place twice, and in both visits i felt it is just a another restaurant, the only distinguishing feature is that they specialise inseafood- fish predominately.   the service here is good and attentive, though i did feel a bit cramped when i dined here.

amazing, amazing, amazing! the service is impeccable, the food is outstanding, as aseafoodfan it doesn't get much better than this.....the cheese board is definitely worth mentioning too. when leaving davey stood at the door shaking hands and wishing us farewell, outstanding! very, very highly recommended.