3 Best Restaurants in Golden Bay and Takaka, Upper South Island and the West Coast

Swing by the Mussel Inn for a quintessential slice of Golden Bay life: music, craft beer, and darn good pub food. Locals come for the live music (most evenings in summer), mussel chowder, steamed mussels, or wild goat ragu, washed down with house-brewed beer and ciders. A favorite is the Captain Cooker—brewed first from native manuka leaves by Captain Cook to combat scurvy on his ships.  With rough sawn timber, handmade furniture, outdoor fire pit, and a big rambling garden, it’s very much a "Kiwi woolshed meets Aussie farmhouse" feel here. 

This café and pizza place makes some of the best cakes and pastries in the area, many of which are also gluten-free and vegan. Outdoor seating is both on the main street and out the back, in a shady garden. The pizza menu is excellent, which can be ordered takeaway or dine-in—although the dinner menu is otherwise quite limited. They also host some great local artists' exhibits, so be sure to check out the walls inside. 

At the top of the township, this groovy little bar and restaurant transforms into a packed music venue almost every weekend, year-round. Relax by the open fire on rustic furniture outside with a hearty burger and pint of craft beer. The space is quite small and can get crammed when busy, but they serve an extensive list of local beers on 12 taps. The food focus is on local, sustainable and ethical, and you’ll find a small menu that delivers on its big words such as wild, vegan, spear-caught and free-farmed. Try the Jamaican wild goat curry.