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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.
From humble beginnings, this long-running institution has been revamped by new owners. Sustainably caught seafood is the star at this casual, friendly restaurant, with dishes ranging from a modest bowl of chowder to top-dollar half or whole crayfish dishes. Other menu offerings are equally appealing, like steak and vegetarian lasagna. A range of the finest Kiwi craft beers is also served at this indoor/outdoor eatery.
The locally farmed mussels are the stars in this quirky café although the other meals like fish, burgers, pastas, and salads, all served with local wines and craft beers, are also good. As for the mussels, you can order them steamed or grilled with amazing flavors and toppings. On sunny days, head to the courtyard out back.
