Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
In Marlborough visit a winery restaurant—there's no better way to ensure that your meal suits what you're drinking. Cloudy Bay clams are harvested here, salmon and Greenshell mussels are farmed in the Marlborough Sounds, and local crops—besides grapes—include cherries and garlic. In Kaikoura try crayfish. The region is named after this delicacy (In M?ori, kai means "food" and koura means "lobster"). Nelson is also famous for seafood, in particular scallops, and for fresh produce and, yes, for wine. On the West Coast, try the local delicacy whitebait fritters—a sort of omelet filled with the whitebait—tiny, young eel-like fish netted at river mouths as they migrate upstream in late spring.
Some restaurants in more remote tourist regions close in winter (June through August); others may curtail their hours. In summer, all doors are open and it's best to make reservations. If a restaurant is open on a major holiday, it may add a surcharge to your bill.
Year-round, the restaurants and cafés around the glaciers and other remote spots can be quick to close their doors at night. Arrive by 8:30 (it's sometimes even earlier in winter) or you might go hungry. Some of the smallest towns, including Punakaiki, settlements in the Marlborough Sounds, and parts of Golden Bay, have few cafés and no general stores, so bring your own supplies.
Be it coffee and French pastries for breakfast, mussels and clams with a glass of wine for lunch, or a full à la carte dinner, the European chef and owners at Raupo will indulge you. Meals are light, healthy, organic, and locally sourced when possible. The restaurant is of a striking glass, wood, and stone design, and it sits on a small bend in the Taylor River. You can sit on the terrace in summer or cozy up to the fireplace in winter. The mezzanine floor offers a more private dining experience.
Good food and good coffee is served every day in a welcoming, rustic setting. It's hard to find, tucked around a corner, so it's mostly frequented by locals and those in the know. They have plenty of classic baking in the cabinet, and standard kiwi fare like nachos and burgers, on the menu. There's plenty of room and free Wi-Fi, with hours extending a touch in summer.
Sprawling gardens make the perfect surrounding for this rambling, 160-year-old, colonial cottage where the menus are built around organic produce, which is all sourced locally, including from the Riverside Community, which owns and operates the café and its own farm. Menu choices range from stylish restaurant fare to French bistro-style with a range of salads and cakes. Sit indoors or on the big verandas, and enjoy the artwork that surrounds you. If you're interested in the workings of this community, established in 1941 by Christian conscientious objectors, you're welcome to take a closer look. The café sits right by the Great Taste Cycle Trail.
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.
Serving up the usual café fare with a modern twist, Sime’s Kitchen offers plenty of exciting fusion dishes for those who want to branch out. A few minutes' walk north of the town and worth the trip, the kitchen here is known for using its own honey and in-house-stoneground whole meal bread. There's a big focus on letting the fresh and seasonal local ingredients shine here. Get in there early, as they usually close at 3 pm. On sunny days, snag a table on the veranda.
This waterfront restaurant is at the marina with a large deck overlooking the main boat ramp and working port area. The menu features local seafood but offers a range of other options, including daily specials. A good selection of wine, craft beer, and cocktails.
The bistro-style menu here includes the signature whitebait (seasonal September through to November) and blue cod, along with the usual steaks, lamb, salmon, and mussels. In addition, the ales of the famous southern brand, Speight's, flow in the stylishly restored interior with shiny, bold copper vents contrasting against the wood and brick decor. There are also bar snacks and a kids' menu. The restored brick building, opposite the town's railway station, is one of Greymouth's originals.
Set in the old Tākaka movie theater, this long-running institution is synonymous with the alternative feel that is Golden Bay. The breakfast and lunch menus are substantial and wholesome, or you can choose from the extensive cabinet range. There's usually a good curry on special, and their famous curly fries are a must. There's plenty of room to find a table, even at the height of summer. Eat indoors or out, and you’ll be joined by all walks of the local community.
