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Mama Cod Restaurant – Nelson

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Gin bar
Share plates
Amazing cocktails
Show cases Nelson cuisine

Mama Cod – formerly the Cod & Lobster Restaurant

We love our home town Nelson, and recently wanted to spend a lazy afternoon catching up on olden days while enjoying a glass of wine and some nibbles. Consequently we chose Mama Cod Restaurant famed for its largest collection of Gin selection in New Zealand. Housed at 300 Trafalgar Street in Nelson, this chic Restaurant is only a stone’s throw from the famous Christ Church Cathedral.

We have heard great things about Mama Cod from multiple sources, some who had visited it recently and have been intending to visit it to check it out. The following is our experience about this pop-up eatery and all you may want to know about the place.

Bookings:

The restaurant offers online bookings for Lunch and Dinner. You may also reserve by calling up the restaurant directly, and walk-ins are entertained based only on table availability. Although we took no such chances and made online booking for a table of two.

The Décor:

The beautiful old stone building in grey and white, which actually started out it’s life as a dentistry practice, is full of character and offers both outdoor and indoor sitting arrangements. The ambience inside is a mix of classy and casual with painting and graphics adorning the walls. The black and white framed images of octopuses- reflect on their command over seafood.

The Drinks:

The drinks selection lives up to the fame the restaurant boasts of – ‘The largest Gin selection in New Zealand’. There is a wide selection of wines both red and white which you can order by the bottle or glass, a range of Whiskies and an astounding range of cocktails. From the Gin Bar’s Tiki menu we chose Missionary’s Downfall , a white rum based Tiki classic invented by Don the Beachcomber in the 1940’s, and a Saturn 18– an award winning Gin Tiki cocktail invented by bartender J. “Popo” Galsini.

The Food:

The menu is extensive with each item on the menu having multiple sub-options that spoils you for choice. For the starter we obviously selected the Oysters –and then went for the roasted cauliflower & cheese croquettes which we shared between the two of us. For the main course it was Ora King Salmon and Beer battered blue cod with thrice cooked chips. Each item was served in good portions, lived up to the restaurant’s reputation of distinct taste and textures.

We are totally sold on this restaurant’s food, ambience and the drinks it offered without burning a hole in your pocket or purse. We spent a little over two hours at the place without even realizing it. Loved the experience. For the uninitiated the restaurant also offers vegan fare, kids menu as well as a Canape Menu!

8.6Expert Score