TRIO Restaurant
Uptown Waterloo's quiet high-water mark — tasting menus, a sommelier-built wine list and freestyle comfort cooking.
#5 of 27 restaurants in KWC
What it is
The evolution of the long-running King Street Trio: an intimate fine-dining room at Waterloo Square with a multi-course tasting menu, à la carte plates running from Wagyu to local produce, and a wine program assembled by sommelier-general manager Benoit Moulia with a particular love for France.
Why locals rate it
TRIO does special-occasion dining without the country-house drive: executive chef Sachin Kumar — who ran some of New Zealand’s most acclaimed kitchens before landing in uptown — cooks what he calls freestyle comfort, technique-heavy food that never forgets it’s supposed to be delicious. The consignment-focused wine list is full of bottles you simply won’t see elsewhere in the region, and the alternating-Wednesday theme nights (France one week, Mexico or Italy the next) give regulars a reason to keep returning.
What to order
The tasting menu with wine pairings is the full experience and fair value for what arrives. À la carte, follow the kitchen’s protein of the moment — and ask Benoit to pick the glass; that’s what he’s there for.
Insider tip
The two city lots off Regina Street are free after 5 pm — park there and take the walkway through to King. Theme nights book out; get on the email list if one of the cuisines calls to you.
Heads-up
Dinner only, Tuesday through Saturday, and priced firmly in splurge territory. This is a slow-evening restaurant — plan two-plus hours, not a pre-movie stop.
