This is a list of some of the best places to find good food in New Zealand. We got a chance to try these during our working holiday in New Zealand.
Ready, go!
Note: The places are not ranked in order of how delicious the food is.
Places with good food in the North Island, New Zealand
#1 La Cigale French Market, Auckland
Note: There are two locations. The newest one is in Britomart and that one is only open on Saturdays from 8am to 1pm. The one we went to was in Parnell.
We’ve gone here a couple times and we really insist that the carrot cake by the Turkish lady (near the wine shelves) is worth trying. It’s chock full of nuts and seeds and topped with a perfect cream cheese icing.
The seafood paella sold outside is not bad too. Would not recommend the crepe unless you like them soggy.
It’s too easy to spend $20-50 dollars here when you’re surrounded by freshly prepared food and crispy pastries. Hold on to your wallet!
Want more things to do in Auckland?
La Cigale French Market, Auckland
Opening times: Saturday from 8am to 1.30pm and Sunday from 9am to 1.30pm
Official site (menu): http://www.lacigale.co.nz/french-market/
Nearby attractions: Auckland Domain Park and Auckland War Memorial Museum (7 min drive), central Auckland (11 min drive), Wynyard Quarter (15 min drive)
#2 Burger Burger, Auckland
Pricing is around $20 per person for a burger with kumara chips on the side. Decent portions for the price. Good ambiance too.
There are a few branches in Auckland:
Burger Burger Newmarket, 3B York St, Newmarket, Auckland 1023
Burger Burger Ponsonby, 4 Brown St, Ponsonby, Auckland 1011
Burger Burger, 40 Hurstmere Rd, Takapuna, Auckland 0622
Note: Ponsonby is the one in the city center
Burger Burger, Auckland
Opening times: Everyday from 11.30am to 9pm (Extra 30 minutes for Fridays and Saturdays)
Menu favorites: bunless vegan wrap, beef and cheese burger, kumara chips, Old Smokey burger, lamb burger
Official site (menu): https://burgerburger.co.nz/
Nearby attractions (for the central branch): Sky Tower (8 min drive), Auckland Domain Park (8 min drive), Wynyard Quarter (9 min drive), Mount Eden (9 min drive)
#3 Sal’s pizza, Auckland (and Christchurch, South island of New Zealand)
We like the Manhattan pizza – half a pizza (it is very large still) cost us $19. The pizza in item #1 is better but Sal’s pizza is a chain store and you can find it pretty much everywhere in Auckland. Wanna try more flavors? They have a half and half deal which it what it sounds like. You get to select two different flavors of pizza.
There are many branches around Auckland.
Official site (and menu): https://www.sals.co.nz/
Menu favorites: garlic knots, pepperoni, half and half
More on things to do in Auckland
#4 Thai Flavour, Auckland
This small takeaway store in Te Atatu peninsula (Auckland) is run by a friendly Thai couple. They serve large portions of tasty (MSG-free) Thai stir-fry dishes with rice. We usually share 1 dish between two of us (typically less than $15)
Opening hours: Not stated but they were open in the evenings whenever we passed by
Official site (menu): No website
Note: 18 minutes drive from Auckland central
We kind of made a detour just to try the pizza here:
#5 Lukes Kitchen, Kuaotunu (Coromandel Peninsula)
And besides the hot water beach, I’d count this as a highlight in our Coromandel trip.
The pizza is excellent. Just make sure you come before the lunch crowd does ?. Paid a total of $48.5 for two large wood fired pizzas. There is outdoor and indoor seating in this beach-shack themed cafe. Ask for their special of the day if you want to try unusual flavors.
Lukes Kitchen
Opening times: Varies each month; Check the website link. Usually open from 11am until late at night.
Menu favorites: Garlic pizza, fish and chips, mussels, chips, etc
Official site (menu): http://www.lukeskitchen.co.nz/
Nearby attractions: Kuaotunu Beach (2 min drive), Otama beach (6 min drive), New Chum beach* (20 min drive)
*for New Chum beach, you need low tide to access the best part. Allow around two hours to explore it.
#6 Ti Tree Café, Waihi (Coromandel Peninsula)
Also in the Coromandel Peninsula region:
This was our gold in Waihi town (pun definitely intended). We randomly walked into this café for brunch seeing that its many occupants were all local residents.
We had the big breakfast set but it was the cheese and pesto scones (that we ordered separately) that stood out. With coffee, that came round to $32.5 for both of us.
Ti Tree Cafe, Waihi (Coromandel Peninsula)
Opening times: No website but I’m pretty sure it’s open for breakfast and lunch time
Menu favorites: scones, eggs benedict, seafood chowder, coffee, muffins, salad
Official site (menu): No website
Nearby attractions: Martha Mine (1 min drive), Waihi Beach (12 min drive), Karangahake gorge (12 min drive)
#7 By the Lights, Hastings
For the tasty and affordable fish and chips. It’s a takeaway shop but they have a few tables for sitting at.
Warning: If you get the $15 set, be prepared for the enormous serving size. I think 3-4 people could share it happily.
By the Lights, Hastings
Opening times: Not stated
Official site (menu): No official website
Nearby attractions: Hastings Art Gallery (3 min drive), Arataki Honey (12min drive), Te Mata Peak (19 min drive)
#8 The Local, Waiheke Island
Also for the crispy fish and chips, this small café serves burgers too. The beef burger with the sweet onion relish and beetroot slices is rather delicious.
The weird thing is:
You have to pay extra if you want tartare sauce to go with your fish and chips.
Cost us $24 for a burger and fish with chips.
Ambiance is good. It overlooks the beach. Limited seating though.
The Local, Waiheke Island
Opening times: Monday is from 11am to 4pm; other days are usually from 11am to 8pm (1 hour extra at night on Friday and Saturday)
Menu favorites: fish n chips, burger, salad, snapper, $20 beer and fish n chips deal
Official site (menu): http://thelocalwaiheke.co.nz/
Nearby attractions: 8 min walk to Oneroa Beach
More on things to do in Auckland
#9 Chocolate Fish Café, Wellington
We read some reviews on TripAdvisor for this one and everyone seemed to recommend the fried squid or the seafood chowder.
And true enough, the chowder is delicious:
The portion is large and you get slices of crisp bread to go with it. The salmon and cheese bagel is good too but the portion is very small, even for my standards.
For the chowder, 1 cup of coffee and the bagel, we paid $37.
Chocolate Fish, Wellington
Opening times: Everyday from 8am to 5pm
Menu favorites: black pudding, seafood chowder, whitebait fritters, chocolate milk shakes, cake
Official site (menu): https://www.chocolatefishcafe.co.nz/
Nearby attractions: Weta workshop (9 min drive), Mount Victoria Lookout (16 min drive), Cuba Street (17 min drive), Wellington waterfront (19 min drive), Lambton Quay (21 min drive), Wellington (21 min drive)
More on What to do while in Wellington, New Zealand
Places with good food in the South Island, New Zealand
#10 Columbus Coffee, Frankton (Central Otago)
There are a few branches of this affordable café all around New Zealand. They are usually situated inside the garden center of a Mitre10 (pronounced mighter not meter). We like the particular branch in Frankton (near Queenstown) for the spinach and feta rolls. The macaroni is not bad, either.
Paid $31.2 for a large cappuccino, 1 spinach and fetta roll, 1 sausage roll and 1 large macaroni.
Note: Not all Mitre10s will have this cafe branch
Columbus Coffee, Frankton branch
Opening times: Everyday from 7am to 4pm. On holidays, it opens from 8am to 4pm.
Menu favorites: Coffee, eggs benedict, cheese scones, pork and fennel sausage roll
Official site (menu): https://www.columbuscoffee.co.nz/cafe/columbus-mitre-10-mega-queenstown
Nearby attractions: Lake Hayes (10 min drive), Queenstown (12 min drive), Queenstown hill hike (13 min drive), The Remarkables Ski Area (32 min drive)
#11 The Kitchen, Cromwell (Central Otago)
Another good spot for breakfast, this café sits across the big fruit sculpture in Cromwell. Our favorite bite here was the sausage roll served with tomato relish. The bacon and egg roll (or Tuscany-something) is not bad either.
Cost us $20.5 for both including a cup of coffee.
The Kitchen, Cromwell
Opening times: Everyday until 2.30pm (they don’t state the opening time)
Menu favorites: carrot cake, eggs benedict, coffee, salad
Official site (menu): n/a
Nearby attractions: Cromwell Heritage Precinct (4 min drive), Cromwell Lookout (5 min drive), Goldfields Mining Center (8 min drive), Roaring Meg Lookout (13 min drive), Clyde Dam power station (19 min drive), Queenstown (53 min drive)
#12 Glenorchy Café, Glenorchy
This cafe is at a very strategic spot. It’s walking distance from the picturesque old wharf and lagoon walk in Glenorchy. At high season, it might be tricky to get a seat.
In winter, we didn’t have a problem finding a table:
You can sit outside in the garden with the scenic backdrop, birds and sandflies. Or inside in the cozy interior.
What we ordered:
The soup of the day that we got was potato and leek soup. And it was amazing. They garnish it with herbs and pumpkin seeds. The bread is made in-house and compliments the soup perfectly. The BLT is pretty good too.
$31 for the soup, coffee and the BLT.
Glenorchy Cafe or The GYC, Glenorchy
Opening times: Not stated
Menu favorites: berry crumble, sandwich, soup, savory scones, cake, salmon, pizza, coffee, wedges, ham
Official site (menu): No official website
Nearby attractions : Glenorchy Old Wharf (1 min drive), Glenorchy Lagoon Walkway (1 min drive), Glenorchy-Paradise road (9 min drive), Mount Alfred walking track (12 min drive), Queenstown (47 min drive)
#13 The Portsider, Port Chalmers
We stopped in Port Chalmers for this restaurant. My partner was disappointed but I thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
We had the vegetarian risotto and the beef burger. Both lean towards the bland side but that is how I prefer my food.
The risotto is creamy with tender stalks of asparagus and cheese flakes on top.
The beef burger (with onion relish) is rather small but they use ciabatta instead of ordinary buns. The burger is accompanied by crisp chips and a yummy salad with vinegar dressing.
The meal cost us $40.50 for the two mains.
The Portsider, Port Chalmers
Opening times: Open everyday until 10pm
Menu favorites: steak, risotto, fish n chips, salad, fish of the day, selection of beers
Official site (menu): https://www.portsider.co.nz/
Nearby attractions: Mount Cargill walk track (12 min drive), Dunedin (16 min drive)
#14 The Rocks, Invercargill (Southland)
They have a “Fish of the Day” deal daily. When we went, it was blue cod on top of potatoes and baby spinach with a creamy cheese sauce, served with salad on the side. You can choose either starter size or main size.
Besides this, we got the seafood chowder too.
Unless you like your chowder really rich, we actually would recommend the one in item #9 Chocolate Fish Café, Wellington of this list, instead.
Cost us $41.5 for the chowder (large) and fish (starter). No drinks.
This restaurant is rather popular with locals during dinner time though so make sure you get an early seat. It can be a long wait for the food (around 20-30 minutes). Romantic ambiance – Think, candlelit dinner.
The Rocks, Invercargill
Opening times: Closed on Mondays and Sundays. Open on Tuesdays to Fridays from 10am to 2pm and again at 5 to 9pm. On Saturdays, they open 1 hour later.
Menu favorites: garlic prawns, venison, bluff oysters, chowder, banoffee pie, fish
Official site (menu): https://shop5rocks.com/
Nearby attractions : Southland Museum (108 Gala Street, 5 min drive) Demolition World (8 min drive), Bill Richardson Transport World (8 min drive), Queens Park (9 min drive), Bluff (26 min drive)
Conclusion
Eventually, you’ll get tired of camp cooking (to save money) in New Zealand. So when you do decide to splurge on the local eats, make sure you do your research first. We’ve done the work for you in this post. These are the all places in North and South Island New Zealand that we have noted for their delicious food. =)
What do you wanna try (with regards to food) most in New Zealand? Leave a comment below.
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Till then, here are some other articles you might find interesting:
1 month self drive itinerary from the north to south island of New Zealand
Starting van life in New Zealand – what you need to know
Taking the Interislander ferry service to cross from North to South New Zealand
