Dining at Wai is ultimately about one thing, and one thing only, enjoyment.
Something that can either be done alone or with good company, matched with or without wine.
Our food is prepared with much love and respect to create an enjoyable dining experience. Our kitchen philosophy is simple, we use the freshest hand selected ingredients from suppliers the length and breadth of New Zealand, and with time, attention, and craftsmanship produce simple delicious food.
"with food this good it's easy to overlook the water"
The kitchen at Wai makes everything from start to finish. Breads, stocks, sauces, hand rolled pasta, mince, pastry, ice cream and sorbets all evolve into the menu you see today.
But most importantly we enjoy the simple pleasures of cooking good food.
Bon appétit
Martin James (Head Chef/Owner)
Alex Boyes (Owner)
Jan Rae-Robertson (Owner)
Megan James (Owner)
Martin James, Co-Owner-Chef, takes care and time to source the ingredients for his dishes. With his creative kitchen team the dishes are put together with flare and attention to detail to evolve into the Menu you see today.
Some ingredients are rare, some from exotic places, some are uniquely New Zealand in orgin and flavour, but all are the BEST quality we can find.
All dishes on our Winter Menu are matched with a specific handpicked wine match. Please ask for our recommendations or select from our extensive wine list. We look forward to welcoming you to Wai this Summer.
French - Local Cuisine
Queenstown, Central Queenstown