18 Best Restaurants in Upper South Island and the West Coast, New Zealand

The food at this all-day café is great (a huge breakfast menu, burgers at lunch, beef rib eye, and lamb cutlets for dinner) but the scenery steals the show. If the weather plays ball you'll be able to enjoy a memorably stunning view: an amphitheater of mountains (Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman) and, in the foreground, tall kahikatea forest. Lunches include salads, curries, risottos, burgers, and bagels while evening has the classics: pork belly, rib-eye steak, salmon, lamb leg, and pastas are served.

Named Best Café in New Zealand 2023, enjoy breakfasts of French toast, eggs Benedict bagel, or asparagus bruschetta. This is also a shop and produce market, located in a former church, so stock up for your holiday travels from the food market. Or you can just chill over a wholesome lunch like the excellent slow-roasted lamb burger. There's also an interesting kids' menu, and you can indulge in the cakes and gelato anytime. Beverages include fresh brews from the Townshend Brewery next door. Weekend dinners in summer feature music performances.

The owners spent years restoring this old pub, and now the place hums with activity and tasty food like angus beef burgers and homemade lamb pies. Bar snacks and baked goods are offered all-day and dinner steps up with a stylish à la carte menu. Riders from the local cycle trail will be staying here; there's also a great local scene with live music and community events.

The Māpua Wharf setting complements the food, and you can watch the boats go by while dining on quality produce (organic when possible) washed down with Nelson wines, ciders, and craft beers. All bread is baked in-house, the coffee is great, and the menu serves a mix of small and large plates. You can dine inside or outside. Once an apple packing shed, this restaurant utilizes its waterfront location perfectly. 

Head here for huge menu of quality New Zealand dishes and a bar that can carry you to the wee small hours of the morning. This place can become a late-night party spot during the tourist season. Franz Josef is small enough to walk from most accommodations to dinner, but if you do want a courtesy car, these people bring out their very own stretch Hummer (for dinner only).

South American and Mediterranean influences are paired with top Marlborough wines and craft range beers at this prime waterfront spot with a laid-back atmosphere. Cortado, a family-run restaurant, prides itself on its sustainable practices.

This old bank building is loaded with local character in its current guise as a cheerful pub and gathering spot. If the coal-mining heritage of this town interests you, you will enjoy the memorabilia and photos on display. They serve good Kiwi food here, from brunch to light meals to kids' meals to stone-grill steaks and seafood. The meals are hearty, and it's a very kid-friendly spot. There's a big covered courtyard for summer dining.

Inspired by the flavors and vibrancy of South East Asian street food and hawker markets, the menu at this busy restaurant is designed to be shared, so the dishes are sent out from the kitchen when ready. Start the evening with a glass of sparkling sake or one of their cocktails, inspired by Old Shanghai and Singapore. There are three dining options—the raised Chef’s Dining area and Chef’s Dining Room. Both can be booked (sittings at 6 pm and 8 pm). The rest of the space is more casual. 

Sitting outside Le Café on the waterfront you can look right down Queen Charlotte Sound and watch the local boats and the big Cook Strait ferries coming and going. Staffers source organic, local, and free-range foods wherever possible—your fish was probably landed on the wharf at the end of the street and, if it's beef, lamb, or pork, they reckon they know the farmer. Casual meals, coffee, and baking are available all day before dinner kicks in; that's when the tempo at the bar picks up and live acts perform regularly.

Regional, artisanal produce is showcased at this upbeat, all-day café that’s been around for more than 20 years. Wholesome breakfasts, lots of in-house baking, and a tasty lunch menu are the stars here. Try the Nashville Hot Chicken. You can dine in the spacious indoor areas or on the terrace, and enjoy the changing exhibitions of emerging local artists.

A little café open daily, Pancake Rocks serves a full breakfast, lunch, and (in summer) dinner menu. This place is famous for it all-day pancake stacks and gourmet stone-oven pizzas, the cabinet food is delicious too. There's also a small gallery/gift shop here, selling quality New Zealand souvenirs, including jewelry. The staff copes well given the hordes that can arrive here.

In a two-story Victorian waterfront hotel overlooking Ingles Bay, one of Kaikōura's most dependable eateries serves traditional (albeit updated) New Zealand pub fare with an extensive local wine list and craft beer. The bar serves cheaper lunches and pub snacks if you're just looking to graze. Courtesy coach to and from Town Centre by arrangement.

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.

This contemporary-style wine bar and restaurant (with a wine shop next door) offers evening dining with tapas plates and some larger main courses, including special meat cuts. The menu changes weekly to encompass the freshest and most seasonal produce. The wine list is one of the largest you'll find in any Marlborough eatery, while cocktails and craft beers are also in good supply. On summer nights the tables spill onto the public square outside—grab a beanbag for comfort.

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.

Experience quality, classic New Zealand fare in a setting with grand views of the Southern Alps and Tasman Sea. Whether it's meat, fish, shellfish, or vegetables, this place delivers, and also matches its food with the local West Coast brew, Monteith's. The restaurant sits on a river terrace a couple of miles out of Hokitika, alongside a small number of accommodation suites. On summer evenings you can sit outside; inside you can peruse photos of the Blue Spur Goldfields, located here in the 1860s.