Dockside Restaurant and Bar at Dockside Restaurant and Bar
Shed 3 Queens Wharf, Wellington Central, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
Dockside offers a range of versatile event spaces that can be tailored to suit any style of function, from intimate seated dinners to large cocktail-style events. Whether hosting a corporate function, private celebration, or wedding, the flexible layout ensures your event feels well-suited to your guest numbers without feeling cramped or lost in a large venue.
Located right on the waterfront, Dockside provides a relaxed yet impressive setting that guests genuinely enjoy. The harbour views create an instant sense of occasion and add a special touch to any event, while still maintaining a welcoming, approachable atmosphere rather than a formal or restrictive one.
With an experienced events and hospitality team, Dockside ensures every function runs seamlessly from start to finish. From the initial enquiry through to the event itself, clear communication, quality food and beverage options, and attentive service allow hosts to relax and focus on enjoying time with their guests.
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Reviews for Dockside Restaurant and Bar
Stéphane S.
Another visit to Dockside for lunch today. The setting remains as pleasant as ever, with beautiful waterfront views that are undoubtedly one of the restaurant's greatest assets. Unfortunately, this latest experience left us feeling more mixed than our previous visits. Service was noticeably slower than on our earlier occasions. We were also served by two very different waitresses: the first was efficient, professional, and attentive, while the second seemed far less comfortable when dealing with customers. The most frustrating part of the meal came at dessert time. One person at our table simply asked for a plain yogurt. What should have been a very straightforward request turned into a lengthy discussion, during which several desserts from the menu were suggested, along with explanations as to why providing a yogurt would be complicated for the kitchen. After several exchanges, the yogurt was eventually served, but it was charged at the same price as a main course, which only added to our surprise. More concerning was the response when we expressed our confusion. The manager appeared not to understand the issue being raised. The problem was never the cost of the yogurt itself, but rather the principle and the way such a simple request was handled. The food remains decent and the location is certainly attractive, but this visit gave us a sense of a lack of professionalism that we had not experienced before. Perhaps I have become too demanding after more than forty years working in the hospitality and restaurant industry, but I have always believed that simplicity, customer care, and a willingness to accommodate reasonable requests are among the fundamentals of our profession.
Jack
Today, we went for the 7-course menu. Unfortunately, the service was disappointing. The waiter explained only 3 out of the 7 courses to us, but we noticed she explained the full menu to other customers. We understand that we have the menu to read, but we felt that the inconsistency in service with other tables was a bit odd. We had to ask several times for water to be topped up too, and service was a little slow. We also ordered extra bread to go with the second course. However, the waiter didn’t inform us that there would be an additional charge. We only found out when we received the bill. We noticed that three small pieces of crostini had been charged at $6. We went back to double-check the price after paying, not to complain. However, the manager, who appeared to be the Indian manager, responded by saying, “Everything here is expensive.” We felt that this was an unprofessional response and could’ve been handled better. The lamb was also tough and overcooked, while the risotto was undercooked and crunchy? Which was weird. The duck spring rolls were also really tough too, and snapper ravioli was bland and unseasoned. On the positive side, the portion sizes were very generous. Overall, it’s a restaurant worth trying once for the food, but based on our experience, I don’t think I would return for a second visit.
S K
Guy behind the bar that seated us rather rude and abrupt. Other staff awesome. Guy making coffees at that stage fantastic ( thanks for the lovely presented irish coffees). Shame, if it wasnt for that one person seating us it would have been a primo spot. Better luck next time maybe.
traderles
Had a pre show dinner for 5 last evening and thoroughly enjoyed it. The service was on point and each dish was superb! Great presentation, from the cocktail and entree to desert. We enjoyed the sharing platter, Whitebait entree, pork belly, salmon with sides- delicious. We even came back after the show for desert- Pavlova and crumble. All fabulous.
Summer and Shane
We had our wedding reception at Dockside Restaurant & Bar at the end of February, and it truly played a huge part in making it the best day we’ve ever had. The food was a standout, the service was seamless overall, and the location is hard to beat. We were lucky enough to get one of those “Wellington on a good day” days, and being right on the water made everything feel extra special. One of the biggest highlights was working with their Functions Manager, Chyanne. She was responsive, bubbly, and incredibly helpful throughout the whole process - always happy to answer our (many) questions whenever we popped in. There were a couple of small hiccups on the day like all of our cake being brought out at once instead of half. That said, this didn’t take away from the overall experience and everything else ran smoothly. The team took care of everything from set-up to pack-down, which meant we could just show up and fully enjoy the day. We’d highly recommend Dockside to anyone looking for a wedding reception venue in Wellington 🥂 Photos by Olivia Melhop Photography 📷