Bacchus Wine Bar & Restaurant

With more than three decades in the dining room, Bacchus Wine Bar and Restaurant is a Dunedin fixture. Head Chef Rose Lock leads the kitchen with a steady hand and a classic sensibility, her tenure dating back to 1992. The result is a house style that feels polished and enduring, refreshed with the seasons yet faithful to the textures and flavours that have defined Bacchus for years.

The cooking draws on traditional European influences, opening with the quiet luxury of chicken liver pâté, brightened by beetroot relish and crisp crostini. Lighter notes arrive in a prawn, watermelon and lime salad scattered with roasted peanuts and coriander, a sunny counterpoint that signals a menu in tune with balance and generosity.

Mains lean into comfort and craft: Silver Fern Farms lamb rump carries a minted hummus crust and rests on winter vegetable couscous with cooling cucumber raita, while a changing fish of the day is oven-baked and paired with soba noodles, seaweed and cucumber salad. Sides keep pace, from broccoli glossed with hollandaise to Brussels sprouts in brown butter with toasted almonds.

As its name suggests, wine is taken seriously, with an extensive list roaming New Zealand, Australia, France and Italy, plus reserves for those special bottles. Service is friendly and assured, the mood relaxed yet refined. Settle in for seasonal cooking and a glass that suits the moment — book soon and let Bacchus call the tune.