Christchurch & Canterbury
Pan-Asian flavours with a strong Japanese influence are the focus at Super, with the fun ambience further enhanced by bright and colourful anime…
Must-see restaurants in New Zealand
Taupo
Championing NZ artisan producers and importing specialities from abroad, this grocery on the town fringe is a fruitful stop for those looking to stock up…
Rotorua
This superfriendly cafe is away from the hubbub, with awesome lake views. All-day breakfasts are headlined by a 'mumble jumble' of roast kumara (sweet…
Kingsland & Mt Eden
The leafy terrace of the Garden Shed is a convenient and relaxing spot after exploring the view-friendly summit of Mt Eden nearby. Tasty comfort food…
Viaduct Harbour & Wynyard Quarter
Good Luck Coconut's blending of Pacific and Asian design and flavours really suits the overall vibe of the city, especially when combined with briny…
Hawke's Bay
A surprisingly good little cafe on the riverside road in Wairoa. Expect great omelettes and chilli-beef nachos, pots of local honey for sale, local beers…
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
Free-range this and organic that punctuate the menu at this cool slice of culinary style that looks like it’s dropped in from Auckland or Melbourne…
Parnell & Newmarket
There's definitely no shortage of places to buy sushi around Auckland, but &Sushi definitely stands out from the competition with innovative and artfully…
Coromandel Peninsula
The Beach Hotel's interesting menu includes spiced beans and chorizo with poached eggs for brunch and a terrific fish burger with hand-cut chips for…
City Centre & Britomart
Ebisu specialises in izakaya, a style of drinking and eating that eschews Japanese formality, yet doesn't involve food being flung around the room or…
City Centre & Britomart
Named after the Hebrew word for mother, Ima's menu features an array of Israeli, Palestinian, Yemeni and Lebanese comfort food, along with meat pies and…
Taupo & the Ruapehu Region
Wind back the years with a dainty selection of sandwiches, scones and other sweet treats with high tea in the Chateau's elegant lounge. Ask for a spot by…
Coromandel Peninsula
With courtyard seating for summer brunches and a burnished-copper bar for later in the night, Manaia is the most cosmopolitan spot on the Tairua strip…
Napier
This stylish new bar and eatery below Criterion Art Deco Backpackers does easy-going bar food (burgers, pastas, beef short ribs and a mean crispy pork…
Queenstown
This swish lakefront restaurant is one of the flag-bearers of Queenstown high-end dining. Despite that, it doesn't come across as sniffy, especially at…
Timaru
Despite its unassuming exterior, this split-level restaurant does a jolly good job of creating a Japanese vibe. Sit in the downstairs dining room or at…
Ponsonby & Karangahape Rd
One of the excellent cafes and restaurants in revitalised St Kevin's Arcade, Bestie is a perfect refuelling stop after trawling the arty and vintage shops…
Ponsonby & Karangahape Rd
Everything on the menu is prepared raw and uncooked, but is still tasty and healthy. Tuck into dishes studded with acai berries, chia seeds and organic…
Blenheim
Dining at Herzog's cellar door offers two options. Select a three-, five- or seven-course degustation menu in the more formal restaurant – wine matches…
Blenheim
A shopfront for a local fair-trade and organic coffee roaster, this cool little cafe is all leadlights and lampshades. Cooked breakfasts include the usual…
Bay of Plenty
It may not look promising from the outside but this colourful little Indian restaurant serves curries that rival even the lime and orange walls for zing…
Rotorua
Chiselled into the corner of a supermarket across the highway from Skyline Rotorua, Tea & Happiness has just three tables but 100% devotion to plant-based…
Gisborne
The long-winded sign above the door reads, 'The World's Farthest East Mexican Restaurant' – surely 'Most Easterly' would have had a better ring to it?…
Rotorua
The love child of Venezuelan-born owner Sarah, this Latin American cantina, adorned with sombreros, guitars and salt-and-pepper shakers made from Corona…
City Centre & Britomart
With tables spilling into the fairy-light and flower-strewn space at the centre of Britomart, this chic cafe is as fresh and effervescent as the sparkling…
Hastings & Around
This all-day cafe enlivened by blue butchers' tiles segues to a hip bistro from Thursday to Saturday night. Try the Thai-influenced breakfast curry bowl…
Bay of Islands
Located beside a pond studded with ducks, backed by bush and overlooking the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, the Whare Waka (Boathouse) is a top spot for good…
Nelson Region
Long-standing Jester House is reason alone to take this coastal detour, as much for its tame eels (friendly critters that like to be hand fed) as for the…
Wellington
Wellington has a bunch of great Malaysian diners, but Little Penang, in a resolutely scrappy area near the bottom of Cuba St, steals the show with its…
Auckland
Head along Tamaki Dr to this classy eatery with harbour views. No bookings are taken, but the switched-on crew soon find space for diners. Look forward to…
Coromandel Peninsula
This charming wooden church is Hahei’s swankiest eatery. A concise seasonal menu of European-influenced mains could include slow-roasted beef cheeks with…
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
Formerly the National Hotel, this heritage space is now one of the Waikato's best restaurants. Sit outside for a leisurely lunch of confit duck leg or…
Gisborne
East Coast sunshine often floods Flagship's heritage space, a relaxed location for breakfast or lunch. The rancheros eggs with chorizo and chilli is a…
Auckland
Of Auckland's bustling night markets, held in a different suburban car park each night of the week, the Henderson market is the most convenient for…
Hamilton
Part of the emerging dining scene across the river in Hamilton East, Rocket Espresso lures caffeine fiends to gather at communal tables strewn with foodie…
Hastings & Around
Hotel restaurants can be hit-and-miss, but moody Malo at Porters boutique hotel hits the right notes. Harnessing sassy interior design (polished boards,…
Gisborne
Nooked away above a beloved, age-old independent bookseller (since 1905) in a lovely heritage building, this simple cafe offers a small but sweet…
Coromandel Peninsula
The closest Whangamatā comes to fine dining is this stylish and compact space just back from the town's main street. Mediterranean and Asian starters like…
Christchurch & Canterbury
This motel complex offers comfortable chalets overlooking bird-filled gardens (doubles $140 to $160), but it's the up-and-coming culinary hub that's the…
Marlborough Region
A spot perennially popular for its quayside location, dependable food and Havana coffee. The likes of salami sandwiches and sweets are in the cabinet,…
