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…
Must-see restaurants in The East Coast
Hastings & Around
OMG! Baked in a 100-year-old oven, the organic, gluten-free, vegan, paleo-friendly, dairy-free loaves produced at this bakery/cafe are seriously high…
Hastings & Around
Blur the lines between breakfast, lunch and dinner at Havelock North's best cafe, inside a former post office infused with stylish retro Kiwiana decor…
Gisborne
'We cut lunch, not corners' is the motto at Frank & Albie's, a neat little hipster place on Gisborne's main drag (check out the old art-deco leadlighting…
Napier
Seemingly always busy when everywhere else is half-full, Hunger Monger is a funky seaside seafood diner with sheepskin-covered seats, quirky tablecloths…
Hawke's Bay
Halfway between Waipawa and Hastings, this retro cafe-gallery in a 100-year-old, aquamarine-coloured church serves excellent coffee, smoothies and…
Gisborne
One of Gisborne's best restaurants, the Marina offers casual bistro-style lunches and formal fine-dining dinners, all with a Gallic accent. The building…
Gisborne
Serving pizzas out of a converted shipping container north of the river, Neighbourhood Pizzeria draws loyal locals for the East Coast's best pizzas…
Hastings & Around
Bright pink with candy stripes, chandeliers and mismatched furniture, cheeky Pipi thumbs its nose at small-town conventionality. The food focus is on…
Napier
Operated as a Kiwi diner serving steak and seafood for many decades, the National Cafe was reopened in 2017 by descendants of the original Greek owners. A…
Gisborne
Alongside the Gisborne Wine Centre, this bistro combines culinary smarts and international flavours with an interesting harbourside locale. Good-value…
Napier
Recently judged NZ'S top restaurant by Cuisine magazine, Pacifica showcases chef Jeremy Rameka's affinity with kai moana (seafood) and traditional meats…
East Cape
This well-run pub with cracker ocean views is a cornerstone of the community, keeping everyone fed and watered (good burgers), and offering visitors a…
Hastings & Around
Occupying a high-ceilinged heritage building – formerly the HB Electric Power Board – our favourite Hastings cafe serves up sophisticated breakfasts and…
Gisborne
The creaky old grandeur of the Poverty Bay Club for gentlemen (1874) is reason enough to visit; appealing counter food, all-day brunch, pizzas, blackboard…
Hastings & Around
This authentic American barbecue joint a couple of kilometres north of Hastings conjures up a Mex-Tex rancho vibe with Spanish hacienda architecture,…
Napier
Bistronomy is proof that NZ's regional restaurants can create high-end cuisine just as well as the spiffy eateries in Auckland, Wellington and…
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…
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…
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?…
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…
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…
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…
Napier
Welcome to Hapī, where virtuous vegan flavours are also damn tasty, and earnest staff make meaningful eye contact. Breakfast bowls packed with açai, chia…
Napier
One of Ahuriri's top options, Milk & Honey combines ocean and boardwalk views with versatile day-to-night menus. Hawke's Bay beers and wines do their…
Napier
This stellar subcontinental outfit should really be charging more for its dishes than it does. Factor in one of the city's best selections of local Hawke…
Napier
Pizza by the slice (or the whole big disc) comes hot and fresh from this great little art-deco nook, with a skinny wedge of a window seat and punky retro…
Napier
We mourn the loss of our favourite Napier hippie cafe, but its buzzy and welcoming replacement is a more modern interpretation of East Coast cafe life…
East Cape
A rather stately two-storey timber pub by the pier, serving hefty meals such as pork chop with apple sauce and offering accommodation ranging from grassy…
Gisborne
Inside the restored Union Steam Ship Company building (hence USSCO), this place is all class. Kitchen skills shine on a highly seasonal menu featuring the…
Hastings & Around
Great things come in small packages at this rosy little tapas bar. The kitchen delivers sassy, locally sourced edibles such as pork belly with pomegranate…
East Cape
Heaven is a tub of homemade macadamia-and-honey ice cream from this blue nut hut, accompanied by views along one of the most spectacular parts of the…
Gisborne
Pop quiz: how many cafes are there in the Western world called 'Zest'? Plenty. But unoriginality aside, this is one of the East Coast's better cafes,…
Napier
The fab old Union Hotel has ceded part of its territory to Three Doors Up, a stylish restaurant serving classic fare such as risotto, eye fillet steak and…
Hastings & Around
At the bottom of an old art-deco office building, mostly full of lawyers, is this tidy little eatery with retro interior design, funky lighting,…
East Cape
Opposite Morere Hot Springs is this casual, good-time barbecue joint, plating up tangy ribs, beefy burgers and tender brisket, alongside breads, pickles…
Hastings & Around
There's nothing suburban about this winery restaurant on the suburban backstreets of Hastings. The warm, wood-lined dining room is a worthy setting for…
Gisborne
Artisan bakers with killer pies, wholesome bread, delicious pastries, soups and cookies, and friendly staff, all made on-site (except the staff)…
Gisborne
In a lovely old corner shopfront overlooking the river (part of the 1928 Bates Buildings), Just Thai does just that – excellent Thai curries with lots of…
