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We've compiled the best of the best in Raglan - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
At this buzzing corner café, surfers—here for the great coffee and free-range food—cram the couches and Formica tables beneath walls decorated with hanging plants, surfboards, and Raglan beach scenes. The menu is huge and the meals hearty, starting with breakfast at 8. Dishes have diverse influences, with miso mushrooms chili crunch rice firm favorites. There's also a selection of organic beers, wines, teas, smoothies, and juices.
This restaurant is actually a short walk from the beach, but the atmosphere is right, if a little kitschy. Seafood is predominant on the menu (try the seafood chowder or beer-battered fish-and-chips), but there's also an extensive selection of wood-fired pizzas. The menu matches everything with a beer or cider from the Waikato-based Good George Brewery, but you can also order wines and cocktails. Sit yourself down on a swing chair or around one of the wooden picnic-style tables and check out the colorful artwork, surfboards on the wall, hanging pot plants, and "street" signs to other famous surf places like Bora Bora and Waikiki.
Iso is a favorite with locals as well as the visiting surf set. The restaurant has a seasonal menu with European-inspired fare such as pasta and tapas, paired with wine or locally brewed beer. The friendly staff will explain the market fish and "butcher's block" specials, and they're usually good. The liveliest atmosphere is in the street fronting room (it's got the bar) but for a more intimate time, there is an area out the back.
This waterside restaurant has big windows, big views, and big tasty menus. Brunch is served every morning, and dinner brings out the chef's creativity. For lunch, look for platters, flatbreads, burgers, and salads. Orca also has a casual bar, where you can watch the sunset over the harbor, play a game of pool, or listen to live music on weekends. Beers from Raglan's own Workshop Brewing Co. have pride of place at the bar.
Occupying a 100-year-old shearing shed, the funky, rustic Rock-it serves casual Kiwi fare and local Raglan Roast coffee. The menu is small but wholesome; try the all-day brunch, poke bowls, or burger for lunch, either inside or out on the huge deck. It’s 3 km (2 miles) from town on the way to Ocean Beach. It is open for dinner in the peak summer months.
