Strawberry Tree Kaikoura Limited

What makes your venue the Best Gastropub in New Zealand?

We believe Strawberry Tree Kaikoura Limited is the Best Gastro Pub in NZ for so many reasons. We are a local institution and take pride in consistently having satisfied customers that visit us again and again. We have outstanding and dedicated staff.

Our staff are committed to ensuring the best experience for each and every one of our customers. We invest in training, including through HANZ, to create a team that is confident and educated and love what is the hospitality buzz. We offer fantastic food!! Our kitchen team are consistent and creative and invested in the journey to ensure satisfied customers that want to keep coming back for more. With locally sourced and carefully selected fresh products we have a seafood theme showcasing Crayfish and recently diversifying in to smoked eats. Our menu is solid with special touches & generous portions - we are family (& dog) friendly and there is something for everyone.

Our beverage offerings are researched and extensive and include local and international flavors to complement our dishes and tempt both our domestic and overseas patrons. Our venue is nothing short of sensational - we have a quirky and eclectic style which represents the owner's family fishing history as well as an underpinning Irish theme.

We have two large outdoor beer gardens, fantastic for soaking up the sun on the long summer days - picture a cold pint, warm ocean breeze and views to the stunning seaward Kaikoura Ranges. In the winter & cooler days we have a huge open fire indoors to create a cosy warmth and ambience you just can't walk past.

We offer live music often - from a Sunday session to a rocking weekend or an intimate dining entertainment experience - we take pride in supporting local, national and international acts.

• Describe the experience your customers have at your establishment – what is your food and beverage offering and why do people come back for more?

  Our menu offerings are filling yet refined - true gastropub style. Our portions are generous and hearty but plated with care and attention. The selection is varied with something for everyone and now with an exciting twist of onsite smoked eats.

  We have a great selection of beverages, local, NZ and imported. We have a range of beers, cider and grown up lemonade on tap and chillers stocked to suit the masses. We are proud to provide a great 0% alcohol range of beers, wines and soft drinks. We work with our suppliers to change up our offerings to keep things interesting and current. We offer pub style with restaurant quality.

  Here are some quoted testimonials from our happy customers:

  "Exceptional Seafood and staff - Classic local pub, just homey in a "Irish Bar" sort of way - but the staff are almost as exceptional as the fresh lobster! very busy but went out of their way to squeeze us in, primo seat near the fire Great seafood, the locals pointed us to this place"

  "Awesome staff, very helpful. Let us try local beers and their reccommendations were amazing. The food was great, loved the wedges! Ambiance was great too. The warm fireplace and great decoration made our experience memorable. Will be sure to stop by when in Kaikoura"

  Very happy, friendly, attentive staff, and the food was amazing. We had the roast of the day with wood smoked Brisket that melted in your mouth. Highly recommend this bar / pub for food and drinks."

  "Fantastic place for a kai in a popular local pub! We had smoked pork ribs, brisket and chicken for dinner. The pork ribs are the best I've ever eaten. The smoked brisket and chicken are fantastic too! All portions were generous and valued for money. Highly recommend this place!"

  Maybe the best pub in Kaikoura.. Great super friendly service, good prices on food and beer. Lots of detail added for atmosphere and even the odd dog around. Very enjoyable place."

  "Called in without a booking to have dinner with my 3 childreb as we were in town for the night. Atmosphere was so welcoming, the hosts were just amazing, had such a great energy about the and the food was delicious. Generous servings, will definitely be back when down this way again. Highly recommend."

  "Best pub in Kaikoura - Excellent food - I had the "catch of the day" which as well as delicious fish had fabulous roast vegetables. I was unsure what beer to have and the barperson offered me to try the APA which was great. A place run by people who care and as a consequence has a much better atmosphere than some other places in Kaikoura. We enjoyed eating and drinking in the very pleaseant sheltered beer garden out back. Highly recommended."

• Tell us how you showcase NZ produce / offerings? Does your menu change with the season and how is it locally influenced. How do you accommodate allergy and dietary requirements?

  We are proud supporters of our local Kaikoura Mt Fyffe Distillery gins and locally brewed in Kaikoura - Emporium Beers. These products are hugely successful for us and we love sharing a local story and supporting these businesses. Recently we have formed a partnership with Giesen Wines and showcase their wines predominantly from the Marlborough region and other regions around NZ. When possible or product is sourced locally - from crayfish to blue cod & mussels, seasonal fruits and vegetables. We showcase our offerings by complementing our existing menu with seasonal specials and further promote with the use of table talkers, blackboards and in house promotions. We love to get involved and support the community and showcase our offerings at events such as the Kaikoura Suburban School Whale Run, Crayfest & The Kaikoura Hop and we regularly entertain and sponsor our local Rugby, Cricket and Netball clubs. Our smoker takes centre stage in the rear courtyard providing entertainment for guests who are watching the process and sending the aromas around the township. We are looking to add to this experience by expanding the enterprise in to the wood fired and smoked produce markets to further enhance the use of locally sourced food and seafood.

  Our menu is accommodating with gluten free, dairy free and vegan options and our Chef's daily specials provide additional options using seasonally available produce.

• What are your key points of difference and how have you managed to deliver them?

  We offer fresh, locally caught Seafood. We have forged relationships with suppliers to ensure a reliable supply of top quality fresh produce. We have invested heavily in a large Smoke Dog Smoker to provide an array of "Smoked Eats". We source fantastic product, adventure with creative rubs and marinades then smoke onsite presenting our unique products to our customers. We have now woven them seamlessly in to our current menu. We have a strategic plan to continue to diversify and expand and continue to grow in this market. With 3 stages (one indoors and two outside) we are a fantastic Live Music Venue. From the Jordan Luck Band to the community choir and our local jam nights we love providing live music and entertainment - it creates a unique atmosphere and point of difference as well as supporting musical talent - we are proud to be licensed through One Music new Zealand.

  Our venue is unique and is another key point of difference - there is nothing that rivals the look or the feel of it anywhere in NZ. We are carefully planning to modify the venue and grow the dining space whilst preserving the character and vibe that can be felt the second you step through the door.

Best Known for:

• Local caught seafood

• Smoked eats

• Live music
  

strawberrytreekaikoura.co.nz

instagram.com/kaikourastrawberrytree

facebook.com/StrawberryTreeKaikouraLTD

• Please describe your commitment to sustainability.

  We are continuing to look to develop strategies to integrate environment, people and the economies of business. We have been focussed on creating a solid foundation and are now excited to be operating a thriving business. We are proud to supporting local industry, including other businesses with a focus on sustainability, through our choice of product lines and our community support and involvement. We are also looking to build sustainability through integrating digital technology in to our every day practices eg our Food Control Plan. We make decisions with the environment in mind such as switching to paper straws and paper disposable plate ware and cutlery rather than plastic. We reduce our waste by separating our recyclables including our clear and coloured glass. Our waste oil is collected and repurposed. We look to source ethically manufactured product for example our coffee grinds. Lastly you can't look past the interior design and fit out of our building - many hours of recycling and repurposing objects bringing the old world to life and creating a vibe and ambience that is in keeping with the local surrounds. We will continue to strive for the best balance we can of people, planet and profit.

• Have you won any awards in the recent past? Tell us about them.

  We have received several online awards through Restaurant Guru & Trip advisor. Now with a solid team, post covid, a recovering economy and solid product line up we are ready to showcase our fabulous offerings.

• Please describe how you create ambience.

  Our venue is something to be seen to be experienced. We have natural charm and character that you feel as soon as you walk through the wooden doors - we are old world, eclectic with quirky decor and a relaxed seaside vibe. Our rustic brick fireplace is a sight to behold and it warms the cockles on the coldest of days. Old bottles and gorgeous mood lighting with candles set the scene. There's an old piano to tinker on, a duke box and music memorabilia to occupy you visually. Our friendly staff are welcoming and add to the vibe. To ambience is further complimented with our support of a huge array of musicians from all genres - folk to jazz, blues, rock and everything in between.