Christchurch
Overlooking the pastel-coloured New Regent St strip, this elegant restaurant showcases locally sourced seasonal ingredients. Mainstays include modern…
Must-see restaurants in South Island
Fiordland & Southland
What's this? A beacon of gastronomic hope, beaming out good vibes along a desolate stretch of highway? This chipper, award-winning cafe grows its own…
Christchurch & Canterbury
This atmospheric Irish bar and restaurant is housed in Methven's lovingly restored old post office. Great food includes pizza, Irish stew and other hearty…
Dunedin
The crafty cooks here sizzle up famously good burgers from a kitchen in a retro caravan parked inside a cool warehouse space. There's tags on the walls,…
Wanaka
This curious restaurant is, well, yeah, in a house – a white one – looking as though someone dropped a casual eatery into the lounge room of an art-deco…
Queenstown
Since losing its original business in the Christchurch earthquakes, Tatsumi has brought its blend of traditional and modern Japanese 'tapas' to central…
Queenstown & Wanaka
Walking into Saffron is like stepping out of town, with its formal, clean-lined setting providing a contrast to Buckingham St's gunslinger appearance…
Nelson
Hopgood’s relaxed approach to service and gastro-pub feel seem a little at odds with the hefty prices, although the bistro menu (two/three courses $49/59,…
Christchurch
C1 sits pretty in a grand former post office that somehow escaped the cataclysm. Recycled materials fill the interior (Victorian oak panelling, bulbous…
Nelson Region
This fantastic cafe serves excellent breakfasts and lunches such as salmon hashcakes, lamb burgers, pies and some good vegan options, then stays open late…
Havelock
With a deck jutting over the water, this brasserie-style cafe serves plenty of seafood: fish and chips, steamed greenshell mussels, and a particularly…
Blenheim
This modish, mud-brick cellar door and bistro has a wide veranda and beautiful gardens with plenty of shade. The adventurous cuisine-straddling menu may…
Queenstown
After gaining Michelin stars for restaurants in London, New York and LA, chef-owner Josh Emett now wields his exceptional but surprisingly unflashy…
Queenstown
Disproving the rule that all tiki houses are inherently tacky, Blue Kanu serves up a food style it calls 'Polynasian' – Fijian kokoda (raw fish with…
Queenstown
At this ever-popular cafe, excellent home-style baking combines with great coffee and the sort of breakfasts that make bacon and eggs seem very passé –…
Nelson
Stellar cocktails and a vast array of gin make the corner bar an essential destination, but this heritage space also serves up excellent food. A concise…
Nelson Region
There's a huge menu to peruse at this highly fragrant restaurant, so cut straight to the house specialties, such as the venison yellow curry and the…
Havelock
Beyond cute, this baby-blue cafe has cloth bunting around the windows, potted succulents on the tables and a counter filled with scrummy baked goods…
Franz Josef Glacier
Voyaging from India to China via Thailand, this atmospheric restaurant matches piquant dishes with Asian-inspired cocktails, red-and-black decor, Chinese…
Dunedin
We wouldn't recommend walking to this sophisticated cafe at the top of Maori Hill, but luckily it's well worth the price of a cab. The fancy cafe fare…
Queenstown
Occupying a light-filled corner site near the gondola, Bespoke delivers everything you'd expect of a smart Kiwi cafe. It has a mouthwatering selection of…
Christchurch
You will find one of Christchurch's biggest and best cafes packed to the rafters most days. A compact shop selling fair-trade gifts jostles for attention…
Wanaka
As Wānaka as that tree, this local institution is where the town seems to congregate on a sunny evening for a liquid sundowner over excellent pizza…
Dunedin
Settle into a booth at this attractive brick-lined eatery, and order claypot rice or noodle dishes from the extensive menu. Japanese dishes include…
Queenstown
One of the Mall's more characterful and colourful restaurants, Caribe is a small nook dishing out quality tacos, quesadillas and burritos stuffed fuller…
Central Otago
Bounteous botanical displays dispel any lingering austerity in this stone courthouse building, dating from 1878. The counter groans under the weight of an…
Wanaka
Looking over the lake from an upstairs perch, the Landing is a stylish place where both menus and views change with the seasons. Expect local meats and…
Dunedin
The unpromising locale and kooky decor (including collections of toys and beer tankards) gives little indication of the seriously good food on offer at…
Queenstown & Wanaka
In a strip of old miners' cottages, this cute cafe serves up inventive creations – the likes of black rice ginger porridge, vegan Bombay bowls and dukkah…
Queenstown & Wanaka
From the amigas at La Rumbla comes Slow Cuts, dishing up fast food in slow motion. There are rotisserie chickens, burgers, ribs, smashed fries, a…
Christchurch
Thoughtful, seasonal vegetarian dishes are the focus at this petite restaurant on the edge of the Papanui Rd dining strip. The set five-course tasting…
Wanaka
One of Otago's best restaurants, Kika's menu is underpinned by modern Italian cuisine, served tapas-style in a casual dining space and enlivened by some…
Central Otago
Housed in a gold-rush-era general store, this stylish complex incorporates a bar, cafe-deli and restaurant showcasing the best local produce with dishes…
Dunedin & Otago
Artisan sourdough bread and simply enormous pies, croissants and pastries – all baked using German, Dutch and Kiwi traditions. Try a Kiwi favourite: the…
Banks Peninsula
Not only does this darling little corner shop sell fresh bread, organic local produce and groceries, it also does the best espresso in the village.
Central Otago
As well as making the region's most prestigious pinot noir, Mt Difficulty is a lovely spot for a leisurely lunch looking down over the valley. There are…
The Great Coast Road
Almost inevitably, pancakes are the pride of the cafe opposite the Pancake Rocks trail, heaped with bacon, berries, cream and other tasty toppings. Even…
The West Coast
Cashew-crumbed chicken and duck-leg confit feature on a Europe-tinged menu at Kumara's landmark hotel. There's also a quarter-pound of whitebait (in…
Fiordland & Southland
This friendly cafe, surrounded by food gardens, bees and a chook run, stands out for its homemade cookies, pies and truffles, and smoothies thick enough…
Fiordland & Southland
A heritage building and quirky backstory lift Buster Crabb above the ordinary. Named after a British navy frogman who was supposedly spirited away to join…
