2 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.