Must-see restaurants in New Zealand

  • Tantalus Estate

    Tantalus Estate

    Waiheke Island

    Up a winding driveway framed by grapevines, Waiheke's newest vineyard restaurant and tasting room channels an Iberian ambience, but the savvy and diverse…

  • Saan, Ponsonby.

    Saan

    Ponsonby & Karangahape Rd

    Hot in both senses of the word, this super-fashionable restaurant focuses on the fiery cuisine of the Isaan and Lanna regions of northern Thailand. The…

  • Hayes Common

    Hamilton

    Journey across to Hamilton East to this bustling eatery in a former garage. Thoroughly unpretentious, Hayes Common's versatile menu stretches from…

  • Refinery

    Coromandel Peninsula

    Get pleasantly lost in the Refinery, a spacious showcase of 1960s and 1970s Kiwiana style including a turntable where customers are encouraged to play the…

  • Sidart

    Ponsonby & Karangahape Rd

    No one in Auckland produces creative degustations quite like Sid Sahrawat. It's food as both art and science but, more importantly, food to fire up the…

  • Rock-It Kitchen

    Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula

    Around 3km from town adjacent to surf beaches, Rock-It Kitchen combines rustic decor – it's housed in an old woolshed – with the area's best food. New…

  • Nanam

    Auckland

    Modern Filipino food is the star at Nanam in the North Shore suburb of Takapuna. Dine on innovative updates of traditional Filipino food that made UK chef…

  • Whistling Frog

    Fiordland & Southland

    Colourful and fun, the Frog is the best dining option in the Catlins, offering craft beer on tap and crowd-pleasing meals, often garnished with flowers…

  • Church Hill

    Fiordland & Southland

    Top-notch nosh is prepared at this friendly restaurant, making use of home-grown veggies, house-made pasta and Stewart Island/Rakiara seafood, such as…

  • Amisfield Bistro & Cellar Door

    Queenstown & Wanaka

    Put yourself in the very capable hands of the kitchen wizards at this stylish vineyard bistro; simply inform the waiters of any dietary restrictions or…

  • Fergbaker

    Queenstown

    The sweeter sister of Fergburger bakes all manner of tempting treats – and though most things look tasty with 3am beer goggles on, it withstands the…

  • Riverside Market

    Christchurch

    Central Christchurch's new essential destination for travelling foodies is this superb multi-level market combining fresh produce stalls with…

  • Aosta

    Queenstown & Wanaka

    Everything at this elegant restaurant is designed to be shared, from the cicchetti (Venetian-style bar snacks) to the pasta and substantial secondi (mains…

  • Federal Store

    New Plymouth

    Crammed with retro furniture, superpopular Federal conjures up a 1950s corner-store vibe. Switched-on staff in dinky headscarves take your coffee requests…

  • Fleur’s Place

    Dunedin & Otago

    There's a rumble-tumble look about it, but this tin-and-timber fishing hut houses one of the South Island's best – and most popular – seafood restaurants…

  • Ms White

    New Plymouth

    Sharing a fairy-light-draped courtyard with Snug Lounge, seductive Ms White serves trad wood-fired Italian pizza and a bedazzling range of 40-plus craft…

  • Chop Shop

    Queenstown & Wanaka

    Perhaps the tables are a little tightly packed, and the open kitchen does take up half the space, but we're splitting hairs. This place is uniformly…

  • Luke’s Kitchen

    Coromandel Peninsula

    Luke’s Kitchen has a rustic surf-shack ambience, cold brews including hyper-local craft beer from Kūaotunu's tiny Blue Fridge Brewery and excellent wood…

  • Wharf Road

    Coromandel Peninsula

    Bringing cosmopolitan cool to Coromandel Town, Wharf Road offers the opportunity to ease into another day equipped with excellent coffee, interesting…

  • Gerome

    Parnell & Newmarket

    Greek cuisine is rare in Auckland, but Gerome's modern interpretation of traditional Hellenic flavours make it one of Auckland's best restaurants…

  • Giapo

    City Centre & Britomart

    That there are queues outside this boutique ice-cream shop even in the middle of winter says a lot about the magical confections that it conjures up…

  • Mister D

    Napier

    This long, floorboarded room with its green-tiled bar is the pride and joy of the Napier foodie scene. Hip and slick but not grossly unaffordable, with…

  • Clareville Bakery

    The Wairarapa

    On the highway just north of Carterton, this excellent little bakery-cafe makes famously good sourdough bread, lamb-cutlet pies, steak sandwiches and…

  • Terra

    Bay of Islands

    Muted colours give way to sea views at this new upstairs seafood restaurant across from Paihia pier. The seasonal menu is largely seafood focused (who can…

  • Cazador

    Auckland

    The Persian heritage of the Lolaiy family combines with game meat and foraged ingredients at Cazador. Decor such as stuffed animal heads is largely…

  • Alpino

    Bay of Plenty

    The sea air might easily be Mediterranean at this new restaurant that has brought quality Italian cooking to the Mount. All the accents are Italian, from…

  • Gemmayze St

    Ponsonby & Karangahape Rd

    Located amid the restored heritage architecture of St Kevin's Arcade, Gemmayze St presents a stylish update on Lebanese cuisine. Mint, orange blossom and…

  • Logan Brown

    Wellington

    Deservedly ranked among Wellington's best restaurants, Logan Brown oozes class without being overly formal. Its 1920s banking-chamber dining room is a…

  • 5th Street

    Christchurch

    Global influences punctuate the shared plates menu at this recent opening south of the city centre. The honey- and chipotle-fired chicken goes well with…

  • SnakeBite Brewery

    Franz Josef Glacier

    SnakeBite's flavour-packed meals awaken taste buds after their long slumber through the West Coast's lamb-and-whitebait menus. Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai…

  • Earl

    Christchurch

    Mediterranean flavours are presented with flair in Earl's spacious dining room. Combine slow-cooked lamb and smoked yoghurt with a quinoa salad or mix it…

  • Azabu

    Ponsonby & Karangahape Rd

    Nikkei cuisine, an exciting blend of Japanese and Peruvian influences, is the focus at Azabu. Amid a dramatic interior enlivened by striking images of…

  • Harry's Hawker House

    Nelson

    Step into a dimly lit room imbued with the glamour of old Shanghai and order a Singapore-style cocktail before delving into a menu filled with delectable…

  • Beach Road Deli

    North Island

    Stocked with home-baked goodies (chubby muffins, bagels, pastrami-stuffed baguettes), this bijou deli and wood-fired pizzeria is heaven-sent for the…

  • Oxford

    Timaru

    This sophisticated corner restaurant honours its 1925 building with stylish monochrome decor and a feature wall commemorating the day Timaru went bust…

  • Batch

    Fiordland & Southland

    Large shared tables, a relaxed beachy ambience, and top-notch coffee and smoothies give this cafe its reputation as Southland's best. Delicious counter…

  • Fairlie Bakehouse

    Christchurch & Canterbury

    Famous for miles around and the top-ranking reason to stop in Fairlie, this superb bakery turns out exceptional pies, including the legendary salmon and…

  • Three Seven Two

    Waiheke Island

    Referencing the first three digits of Waiheke phone numbers, Three Seven Two's oceanfront location includes an outdoor deck and a shaded rear courtyard…

  • Cassia

    City Centre & Britomart

    Occupying a moodily lit basement, Cassia serves modern Indian food with punch and panache. Start with a pani puri, a bite-sized crispy shell bursting with…

  • Storehouse

    Taupo

    Taupō's coolest cafe is just outside the town centre, filling an old plumbing store over two warren-like levels. Indoor plants drape over warehouse beams…