Hopgoods on Trafalgar Street has been Nelson's serious dinner restaurant for nearly two decades. The cooking is broadly modern European with a strong reliance on local produce — Tasman Bay scallops, Marlborough lamb, regional cheeses — and the wine list leans hard on Nelson and Marlborough whites.
The room is small and the tables fill early on weekends. Booking is sensible. Two courses with wine sits in the upper-mid range for New Zealand; this is somewhere you go for an evening, not a quick stop between activities.