Kisa

Kisa: 3/5 Before you read this review, I only tried the vegetarian options, all other opinions were from my parents and sister. I would give this restaurant a 2/5 purely based on the food I ate, but after balancing with my parents and sister, we gave it a 3/5. This restaurant was booked full at New Year’s Eve, we were told to come 30 minutes later since we didn’t book. Around 45 minutes later, we got texted a message saying there were spots left, spoiler warning, by the time we left, the restaurant is practically empty apart from a few remaining tables. The menu is extra complicated for no reason at all, maybe to seem like it’s more stylish and seem exquisite. Middle eastern dishes. The starter was mozzarella, cheese sticks: 5/5 Honestly, one of the best cheese sticks I’ve ever had. There was a great cheese pull, the cheese was creamy whilst the skin was crunchy and crafted a masterpiece of an introduction along side some great dipping for even other meals to come. We also got the Hummus, green shut, black lime crispy chickpea, parsley oil: 2/5 The bread itself was alright, a bit too thick, very traditional middle eastern taste. Not my favorite type of food. The sauce is either too sour or too salty, I wouldn’t recommend it. Lamb Urfa kebab, marinated tomato, parsley yogurt: 4/5 The taste itself was given a 4/5 by my father and sister. The meat itself was said to be great but it certainly did not taste like lamb at first, the yogurt and tomato wasn’t the best though, too sour for my likings. One of the beef/steak, not very sure which one, between beef short rib, 350g, nohutlu pilaf, rose harissa, date labneh or flank steak sis kebab, paprika marinade, tabuk butter, leak toum: 3/5 The meat itself was nice, well cooked however, the sauce was too salty and the rice was horrible. Notably the worst rice I’ve had in ages. Weird sides and complicated language completely threw off my sense of enjoyment for the food, which by itself was not the best. Now the greatest piece from this menu, steamed market fish, spiced sogan souvise, saffron creamed leeks, crispy filo, baharat: 5/5 Definitely the cream of the crop, everything else tasting mid but this screamed greatness. A Juicy, tender, flavorful fish. No idea what any part of the name means but the fish itself just carried this whole dish. If you are ever going to this restaurant this is a must buy. The food itself from the restaurant is not the greatest other than the fish, the servers are really impatient as well. Just so much hype around the new year and every restaurant is so packed. I do not recommend coming here, if you are ever in a situation where no other places are open. I only suggest getting the fish & cheese sticks and nothing else that we have ordered, this location glazes itself and try to seem luxurious, but it’s just a loud, mid place that’s not worth checking out.

Amazing food and service. We loved all. Our dishes. The raw fish and the lamb plus the asparagus were delicious and perfectly done. Really great flavours and quality of food. The staff were also great

This is a great restaurant situated on corner of Cuba and Vivian Street in Wellington. It was busy for a Monday night. The service and food were excellent. This is a turkish restaurant. They cater for dietary needs and allergies. They have vegan and gluten free options . The food was extremely tasty. The staff were friendly and provided fantastic service. One that was interesting is there is not a great deal of privacy. It is on a busy street corner and you have people watching from the street. Photos include a beef short rib on rice and chickpea, lamb chop, tahr kebab, beetroot salad...

Such a treat! 🥙✨ This place has decent options of DF and GF (think their GF bread was bit on the crispier side) also a super clear allergens menu — ordering is a breeze. The garlic pilaf was pure magic, my partner relished all their dishes, especially the wild thar, and for my fellow non-meat eaters, the falafel main plate is a total win (and great for sharing!). Dessert was fresh and light, though I was hoping for a stronger hit of the pomegranate sauce. One of their staff, who took our coats, was incredibly professional and spot-on with customer service. Delicious food we’ll definitely be back.

I loved this place. The food is exquisite. A very varied menu and spectacular presentation. The young woman Brooke, who served us was incredibly kind and pleasant. I recommend this place a thousand times over. I give it a 10 out of 10 rating.

A well-established, well-marketed spot that delivers exactly what it promises: good food and reliably attentive service. Our experience was smooth from start to finish, with dishes prepared competently and staff keeping things running efficiently. While nothing missed the mark, there wasn’t a single showstopping plate that made us eager to plan a return visit purely for the wow factor. Still, it’s a solid, satisfying choice—especially for casual catch-ups or a lively meal with friends. The ambiance leans more social than intimate, so it’s better suited to groups than a romantic dinner for two. Overall, a confident 4-star pick and a dependable place to have a good time and a good meal.

Kisa in Wellington was an absolute delight — every dish felt fresh, light, and wonderfully authentic. The menu offered a perfect mix of vibrant veggies and flavorful meats, made for sharing and savoring. The atmosphere had that rare warmth that makes you want to stay just a little longer, and the service was attentive, genuine, and kind. Perfect for a long lunch or an easygoing dinner — highly recommend.

FAVOURITE RESTO IN WELLY. before visiting kisa, i’d never actually tried middle eastern food only those drunk kebabs in the middle of courtenay place (iykyk, if that even counts). this was my first time trying real authentic middle eastern dishes and omg… every single one was delish. i had no clue what to order, so just picked a few different things off the menu and everything was worth trying. i usually don’t eat lamb bc i don’t like the flavour, but they totally changed my mind the lamb skewers were insanely good, so flavourful and full of umami. ⭐️HERE IS THE RECOMMENDATION ⭐️ TARAMASALATA (the lime oil was so flavourful) 9.7/10 HUMMUS (loved the crispy chickpeas) 9.4/10 MUHAMMARA (creamy with a nice walnut taste) 9.3/10 SPICED WILD GOAT MINCE LAHMACUN FLATBREAD (wasn’t sure what to expect but wow probably the best dish i’ve had this year. never liked lamb mince before but the combo with the flatbread was amazing please order this) 9.8/10 FRIED BRUSSEL SPROUTS (omg the woodfired flavour!! i used to hate brussel sprouts but hell yeah so flavourful, a must order) 9.7/10 NOHUTLU GARLIC PILAF (never say no to pilaf loved this as a side with lamb skewers, perfect duo) 8.5/10 CHARCOAL LEEKS (yum with the almond dip) 9.1/10 MOZZARELLA BÖREKS (like mozzarella sticks with a crispy thin layer great starter) 8.2/10 SMACKED CUCUMBER (garlic yoghurt cucumber, not too special but good as a side) 8.0/10 LAMB PIRZOLA (tried 3 different skewers on the menu and this was the best the meat just melts on your tongue, so soft, perfectly grilled medium-rare. love you chef) 10/10 FLANK STEAK ŞIŞ KEBAB (a bit firm but still tender enough, and the smoked butter with two sauces made it so good) 9.4/10 LAMB URFA KEBAB (classic lamb kebab flavour, really good meat just didn’t love the whole tomato on yoghurt part. still flavourful overall) 9.1/10 TA'AMEYA FALAFEL 9.4/10

Best meal I've had in New Zealand! Every dish we had was so delicious!! This place is cozy and really cute. The staff was really nice. We started out with the muhammara, which is a bit spicy, but really good. The pita bread was yummy. We split the lamb shoulder, which was superb! For dessert, we split the pumpkin ice cream sandwich. Man, was that the best! I can't rave about this place enough - one of the best restaurants in the world!!

WOW! I found this on a "top places to dine in Wellington" article and it did not lead us astray. We were worried about getting a seat here since it seemed so popular for dinner, but we went early and snagged a bar spot at the chef's table - right in front of the kitchen glass. Honestly, this is the best spot in the house! The menu had us drooling from the start - we ended up asking our waitress for some recommendations, and she didn't lead us astray. For dips and spreads, we got the lor cheese and the hummus - both incredible. I LOVE that they have gluten free flatbread available! And it was to die for. For mezze, we shared the lamb kebab and smacked cucumber. The kebab was a small portion but so well seasoned and the best lamb we had on our trip. The cucumber had a delicious punch and was the perfect pairing. Everything we ate here was unreal - and our waitress' service really helped us navigate the menu.

Had a great dinner on Friday night with a group. We had made a reservations and were seated immediately. Our server was quite attentive and took our food and drink orders in a timely fashion. He was also really helpful in recommending the right volume of food to order for our group, as well as drink pairings. For five adults, we ordered three dips (with pita), 3 small plates, and two large plates. It felt like the right amount, we might've been able to order one fewer small plate. The dips were all super tasty and the pita was really hot and fresh. The small plates were also great, the fried brussels sprouts were a true stand out. the Large Plates (market fish and the falafel) were both delicious, but our meal was a little bit marred by the fact that one of our small plates (the charred cabbage) and one large (the falafel) came out probably 20 minutes after the other things. Since half of our group was vegetarian and half were not, this meant that the fish eating folks were done with their meal like 20 minutes before everyone else. We left those folks to pick on a dessert while the vegetarians finished up. For dessert, we tried the lemon tart and the chocolate labneh cheesecake. The lemon tart was..properly tart - would order again. That cheesecake was definitely unique, but had kind of an unexpected sour taste that I'm not sure I would recommend. Overall, the food and service were great and I'd be happy to eat here again, but it might be better in a smaller group with fewer items ordered so everything could come out in closer proximity.