We like the element of surprise, it is part of the journey of a set menu restaurant. So you won’t find our menus published online or a website full of pictures. However, essential information you may like to know is laid out below in the form of FAQ’s. Please contact us if there’s something else you would like to know.

FAQs

What is Pasture all about?

We’re a very small, open-kitchen restaurant. We serve one set menu that is designed for the season and driven by our wood-fire, fermentation and time. Our philosophy is to work with whole animals, seafood, and line-caught fish. We practice our own preservation, charcuterie, dry-aging, baking and cheesemaking.

We equally invest time and creativity into our beverages in order to offer alcoholic or non-alcoholic matches. Our drinks list celebrates provenance & minimal intervention producers. 

We have a chef’s counter restaurant in order to share how we cook and create your dishes. We're called Pasture because we are inspired by the New Zealand landscape. We are owner-operated, with Ed Verner and his team as your hosts.

Do you accommodate dietaries?

Unfortunately, we have a limited range of changes we can make to our menu as our concept is to work with whole animals and seafood, as well as make everything possible in-house. We can accommodate some allergies, but we are not a suitable restaurant for vegans, vegetarians. However, we are suitable for pescatarians who are willing to omit one or two courses. For questions around dietary allergies or restrictions (e.g. pregnant diners or coeliac/gluten free guests), we kindly ask that you contact us to discuss your booking. We will confirm what accommodations/omissions can be made with our current menu. Please note our menus will usually always contain dairy and seafood including mollusc and shellfish. Please understand that we may not be able to serve you a full menu if omissions are the only option for us.

How long does a menu take?

Your meal with us will be around 3 hours. Your menu will conclude in our lounge where you can choose to stay longer and will not be rushed on by us. We ask guests to arrive promptly for their seating.

What is a "chef's counter"?

A chef's counter means you are directly engaged with the kitchen. Our high chairs are directly in front of where we cook and create your dishes. Please note we do not have tables and guests are seated alongside one another. This is especially important for groups of 3+ guests to note in terms of holding conversation. If you are coming as a social group to have a long overdue catch-up, we may not be a suitable restaurant to choose because of our seating arrangement and our set menu format.

Will my dinner be affected if I am late for my reservation?

Yes, as you will join the menu in progress, and we are unable to remake prior dishes. Our seating times are 5.15pm, 7pm and 8:30pm - we kindly ask our guests to arrive promptly for their seating time at the entrance to Boxer, our sister bar/restaurant, at 235 Parnell Road.

Do you have a waitlist or cancellation list?

Yes! Please add your contact details online for the date and time you wish to join us. If something comes up, we will be in touch as soon as we can. If you want to be on a last-minute list for any dates, please email book@pastureakl.com.

How much does a menu cost?

We work with small-scale suppliers and change the cost of our menus according to what we receive each week from our network of fishermen and growers. Our menus are generally costed from $320 to $375 per person for an elaborate tasting menu depending on ingredients and menu length, with drinks additional. Please feel free to contact us should you want to enquire about the price of your booking, within one week of your booking. This includes New Zealand Goods and Services Tax, but not a service 'tip'. For drinks you can choose your own or trust our pairings. We have our drinks match from $205pp and our handmade non-alcoholic drinks from $17 per glass.

Why do you take deposits for reservations?

We have a unique dining model for New Zealand and our booking policy is a reflection of this. With our tiny restaurant and small team we dedicate our time to preparing for our guests and not trying to fill tables. We understand plans change and we support our guests to transfer bookings if ample notice (over one week) is given or if a waitlisted table can take cancelled seats. Your table's deposit will be deducted from your bill on the night you dine with us.

What is your cancellation policy?

Cancellation must be through your Tock Dashboard or sent in writing to eat@pastureakl.com, and receive a response from us. Cancellations are non-refundable and apply to the whole table or reducing the number of guests in your party. If you need to transfer your reservation to a future date and give us notice of at least one week from your booked time, we will do our best to fill your seats and transfer your booking with your deposit, but this cannot be guaranteed.

Your evening at Pasture is carefully planned by our team of chefs, the expensive ingredients being prepared on the day and for the specific number of guests booked. To avoid waste, it is essential we receive at least 48 hours notice of any cancellation or reduction in numbers. This must be made by email to eat@pastureakl.com and acknowledged by us.

Failure to do so will incur a cancellation fee of the current menu charge less the deposit already taken, per person. No-Shows on the night will also incur the cancellation fee as described above.

Any cancellations or reduction in numbers for bookings of 4 guests or more, within one week prior to the booked date and time, will also incur the cancellation fee as described.

Do you take walk-ins?

We welcome you to email us or Instagram message us for last-minute queries or register your interest through Tock's waitlist function for the date you want to join us. We’ll be in touch if a seat opens up! For a more casual or last-minute experience, we recommend trying for a booking or walk-in spot at our sister location next door, Alpha.

Is there a dress code?

There is no dress code, please come as you feel comfortable. You will be seated on high chairs with a backrest and a footrest for the duration of your menu at our open-kitchen. You will then move to our lounge, seated on a banquette with low tables. We do not have conventional table seating.

Where do I park?

Parnell has free street parking after 6pm. A paid carpark near us is located at St Johns, 244 Parnell Rd. Parnell is a popular neighbourhood and street parks can be scarce during peak times. Please allow time for your travel as arriving late will impact our service.

Do you allow corkage?

We have created an award-winning drinks list that complements our cuisine and offers our diners something exciting and creative from local producers. We do not offer corkage.

DO YOU WRITE ON PLATES AND BRING SPARKLERS FOR BIRTHDAYS?

We love knowing that Pasture has been chosen as a place to celebrate something special. We will always try to acknowledge your occasion in our unique way, so let us know the details of your occasion at the time of booking. We may sing to you, but it will probably be a track from the '80's and be a spontaneous event.

Can we bring our child/children?

In our experience Pasture is not an ideal environment for children under 12 as our menus take time. If you know that your child will enjoy Pasture and the experience as we offer it, then that's cool with us. If you have an infant, please know that our restaurant is very small and very intimate and a menu can take 3 hours. Please discuss with us in advance.

Can we take photos/videos?

You are welcome to take photographs but please bear in mind, we didn’t design Pasture around instagram lighting! .

Buyouts

All buyouts (groups of 6) will incur a 10% surcharge.

VOUCHERS

Vouchers are available for any amount and can be purchased and picked up from Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm to 3pm at the restaurant. All vouchers are non refundable.

SUPPLEMENT

We are a unique dining model from both the operations and diners perspective. While different models work for different restaurants, adding an optional supplement of $25 per person to each bill is part of our initiative to create better work-life balance for our chefs. If you do not wish to take part for any reason, you can simply let us know and we will remove it from the bill. We understand that our restaurant is a special occasion for many diners and would hate to have such an additional sum put you over budget and keep you from joining us.

Life at Pasture

Our team’s work/life balance is extremely important to us. At Pasture, our team of fine-dining chefs enjoy a four day work week so they have more down time for friends/family. With the opening of Alpha we are able to rotate our staff throughout each of our spaces (Boxer/Pasture/Alpha) so they can develop different skills and enjoy extra evenings off. An international rarity in the world of fine dining. Due to our unique service fee structure, we’re able to compensate our staff far above NZ living wage, above international industry standard wage, and provide an environment with hours far below international standard for fine dining.

We provide our own mentorship and skill-building for our team as well as provide outside experts to strengthen our team (from wine experts and internationally acclaimed chefs to certified performance coaches) to help our team to grow their skills across many avenues, maintain their physical and mental health, and grow as human beings and chefs.

We are passionate about giving back to our community through charitable giving (with organizations such as the New Zealand Mental Health Foundation), community workshops and events.

We are committed to continuing to strive for innovation in the kitchen. Not solely as innovation on the plate also as innovation in our culture as a kitchen and team.

Have additional questions?

If you have additional questions about Tock or your reservation, please visit the Tock help page.

If you want to talk to someone at Pasture please email us team@pastureakl.com.