From the simple to the sublime, Waiheke’s cafes and restaurants have you covered

Waiheke is spoilt for choice in terms of cafes/restaurants, so you should find something to meet your needs. To avoid disappointment though you may wish to ring ahead, as in winter/off peak periods some places are closed, and during summer/peak periods the more popular restaurants can be heavily booked.  Don’t forget too that many of the vineyards have fantastic restaurants too. Here are a few of our favourite eateries:

Oneroa Village:

Oyster Inn, 124 Ocean View Rd, Ph: 372 2222 www.theoysterinn.co.nz

Great décor with a buzzy vibe, this place serves tasty wines, small bites and more substantial mains – all of which are great examples of fresh NZ fusion cuisine. It’s a bit pricey but the two owners (Andrew and Jonathan) are super friendly and we just love it. They often have live music up there too, which makes a great night out even better.

Fenice Italian café/restaurant, 122A Oceanview Road, Ph: 372 8711 www.fenice.co.nz/

Italian home-made food (including fresh pasta made daily), open from breakfast until late, located in the heart of the village. A good choice in winter too, as they have a big open fire place which fits really well with the cosy restaurant atmosphere.

Wai Kitchen, 1/149 Ocean View Road, Ph: 372 7505 www.waikitchen.co.nz

Set on the top level above Red Crab, this restaurant serves a varied menu in a great location. It also has a bakery on the ground floor in case you want some fresh baked goods to go.

Cove ‘Bites & Brews’, 149C Ocean View Rd, Ph: 372 8209 http://www.dcbrewing.co.nz/OurFood.aspx

Next to the Red Crab (see above), this is a great casual, bistro-style place with craft beers and reasonably priced yummy ‘surf n turf’ type platters (they do mains as well). We’ve been a few times and highly recommend it.

Red Crab, 149 Ocean View Rd, Ph: 372 9185 www.redcrab.co.nz
This is a reasonably priced, newish Thai restaurant in the centre of the main Oneroa village/shops. It has a set lunch which is great value and has a nice view of Oneroa beach and the sea – so try and get an outside table if you can. They also do takeaways.

Little Oneroa/Surfdale:

Stefanos, 18 Hamilton Rd, Surfdale, Ph: 372 5309 www.stef.co.nz

A family run Italian restaurant that’s popular for its pizzas and it’s BYOW. They also offer gluten-free options on request.

Dragonfired, Little Oneroa beach, Ph (021) 922289  www.dragonfired.co.nz

This is a mobile restaurant serving really nice organic, macrobiotic and cheap eats from a caravan. From pita pockets, to calzones, to wraps, to a polenta platter, to woodfired pizzas, it’s all good. And best of all, it’s based on nearby Little Oneroa beach downhill, so you can be eating your lunch/dinner whilst sitting on the grass verge/sand on a rug looking out to amazing sea views. It can get super busy in summer so it may pay to phone them with your order and then wander down 30 minutes later when it is ready … or just stroll down, order and chill out …  Note: During non-summer months it’s best to give them a call to check if they are open (e.g. in Winter, their hours are usually only Fri/Sat/Sun 1030am-730pm).

Little Oneroa Fish & Chips, Little Oneroa Beach, Ph:  372 3288

A relatively new but ‘kiwi old school’ fish and chips joint on Little Oneroa beach. They do fish, chips, sausages, burgers, fritters and all that classic stuff you’d expect at really reasonable prices. We love this new addition to Little O – as it means you can take your newspaper-encased pack of goodness down to the beach/grass verge and eat great kiwi tucker in a superb location. Our local tip – if they are doing the fresh snapper, go for it, it’s pricer than their standard fish but at $5.60 (at time of writing) it’s still almost half the price of the competitors in the village or at Palm Beach.

Further afield:

The Shed (Te Motu Vineyard), 76 Onetangi Road, Ph: 372 6884 www.temotu.co.nz/the-shed

The 10 minute walk up their ‘bumpy’ driveway is definitely worth it. Chef Bronwen Laight  produces fantastically fresh, simple and modern dishes (mid ranged in price) in the most beautiful of settings – overlooking a natural amphitheatre/valley attributed with producing some of NZ’s finest red wines. Te Motu also has ‘The Terrace’ – where you can have wine tastings and lite bites (in case you are not in the mood for a full meal).  Call +64 372 6884 to enquire about current opening hours, tastings and restaurant bookings.

Casita Miro, 3 Brown Rd (Miro Vineyard, Onetangi) Ph: 372 7854 www.mirovineyard.co.nz

A fantastic tapas restaurant serving great wines and fresh food in a beautiful setting. This place has won numerous awards and deserves its reputation.

Te Whau Vineyard and Restaurant, 218 Te Whau Drive, Ph: 09 372 7191 www.tewhau.co.nz

Situated on a superbly elevated peninsula with unbeatable views, this is another ‘fine dining’ vineyard restaurant serving exceptional fresh seafood, nice wines but with prices to match.

Poderi Crisci, 205 Awaawaroa Road, Awaawaroa Bay, Ph: 372 2148 www.podericrisci.co.nz

The food, wine, olive oil and ambiance (set in a rustic Italian vineyard surroundings) are top notch. It is a fairly long drive from but for a fine dining/a special occasion, the drive (and the whole experience of course!) is likely to be worth it. Local’s Tip: Go on a Sunday for the ‘Long Lunch’ (approx $80 per head) – they only do a ‘degustation’ menu which means you don’t have to think about what to have, you just sit back and they bring out course after course after course … Given its popularity, it’s highly recommended you book in advance.