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Throughout western North Island, provincial city restaurants and small, tourist-town cafés feature an overall sophistication you might not expect away from major urban centers: think wholesome and hearty fare, local organic produce, good espresso and loose-leaf teas, high-quality New Zealand wines, plus local craft beers. Counte
Throughout western North Island, provincial city restaurants and small, tourist-town cafés feature an overall sophistication you might not expect away from major urban centers: think wholesome and hearty fare, local organic produce, good espresso and loose-leaf teas, hi
Throughout western North Island, provincial city restaurants and small, tourist-town cafés feature an overall sophistica
Throughout western North Island, provincial city restaurants and small, tourist-town cafés feature an overall sophistication you might not expect away from major urban centers: think wholesome and hearty fare, local organic produce, good espresso and loose-leaf teas, high-quality New Zealand wines, plus local craft beers. Counter food is generally fresh salads, paninis, filled rolls, sweet or savory pies, and homemade soups.
Dinner menus in the higher-end restaurants include the chef's latest creations using high-quality New Zealand eye fillet of beef (beef tenderloin), fish, lamb racks, pork fillets, and chicken. The best chefs change menus regularly to focus on fresh regional and seasonal ingredients. You will also find Indian, Thai, Malaysian, Japanese, Mexican, Turkish, and Italian restaurants, even in smaller centers. "Smart-casual" is about as formal as attire gets.
Though this café shares premises with a property brokerage office, it's not your usual pie and sandwich workplace diner. At lunchtime, people from all over town descend on the Local, and you are unlikely to get a table to yourself if you don't make a reservation. However, there is usually space on the long communal table. Noodle bowls are a specialty here: choose your preferred type of noodle and add anything from tofu, portobello mushrooms, marinated beef, pork belly, or prawns, just for starters. Sliders (small burgers) are another menu favorite; the smashed avocado and feta slider is a popular vegetarian choice. It's about a 15-minute walk from the center of town, or a short drive.
240 Broadway Ave., Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui, 4414, New Zealand
At this buzzing corner café, surfers—here for the great coffee and organic, free-range food—cram the couches and Formica tables beneath walls decorated with hanging plants, surfboards and Raglan beach scenes. The menu is huge and the meals hearty, starting with breakfast at 8. Dishes hail from around the globe: Mexico, Thailand, and more. The dinner menu (Thursday through Saturday only) is seasonal and plates are designed for sharing. There's also a selection of organic beers, wines, teas, smoothies, and juices.
Just off the Square, funky Café Cuba is a perennially popular local haunt for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and after-show mingling. The menu is all classic, wholesome café fare, matched with laid-back background music. There are magazines and newspapers to peruse if you can focus with the happy chatter of locals all around.
Cuba and George Sts., Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui, 4410, New Zealand
Wholesome homemade food attracts both Taranaki locals and travelers to this character-filled village café housed in a circa-1878 butcher shop. The menu runs from breakfast through late lunch (i.e., 5 pm), with dinner only on Friday and Saturday nights. Midway between New Plymouth and Stratford, in the town of Inglewood, it’s a welcome spot if you’re on the road, heading to the mountain.
1 Kelly St., Inglewood, Taranaki, 4330, New Zealand
One of the newer eateries in town, Iso has established itself as a favorite with locals as well as the visiting surf set (it's connected to a surf shop). Bagels are a brunch special, along with the Ozone-brand coffee, but the restaurant really comes into its own in the evening when you can pick up a wine or locally brewed beer along with European-inspired fare such as tapas or pasta. But there are also burgers as well as a tasty Buddha bowl that combines brown rice and veggies. The friendly staff will explain the market fish and 'butcher's block' specials, and they're usually good. The liveliest atmosphere is in the street fronting room (it's got the bar) but for a more intimate time, there is an area out the back.
This waterside restaurant has big windows, big views, and big tasty menus. Brunch is served every morning, and dinner brings out the chef's creativity. For lunch, look for platters, flatbreads, burgers, and salads. Orca also has a casual bar, where you can watch the sunset over the harbor, play a game of pool, or listen to live music on weekends. Beers from Raglan's own Workshop Brewing Co. have pride of place at the bar.
Occupying a 100-year-old shearing shed, the funky, rustic Rock-it serves casual Kiwi fare and local Raglan Roast coffee. The menu is small but wholesome; try the all-day brunch, beef sliders, and soups for lunch, either inside or out on the huge deck. It’s 3 km (2 miles) from town on the way to Ocean Beach. It is open for dinner on Friday and Saturday only.
248 Wainui Rd., Raglan, Waikato, 3297, New Zealand
Wholesome, organic, and scrumptious food is served in a country café that’s set in the middle of a 2-acre herb garden. The herbs grown here are served fresh with your food and are also used in the natural healing products manufactured on site. The dining area is adjacent to a themed garden designed to keep children interested. It's just a 10-minute drive from the city, near the town of Ashurst.
88 Grove Rd., Palmerston North, Manawatu-Wanganui, 4470, New Zealand
Situated at Waitomo's General Store (which itself offers limited grocery items and souvenirs), this versatile eatery can serve as a café if you're just looking for a coffee with a scone or biscuit, but it also offers fresh cabinet-style food such as paninis and bagels that can be prepared on the spot, as well as a full menu for breakfast, lunch, and early dinner. Grab a comfortable and sunny spot near the window in the lounge-style seating area if you can, but there are plenty of standard tables and chairs. The outdoor deck is a good choice in the summer. Decor is fairly sparse, but there are some nice photos (for sale) of New Zealand landscapes on a couple of the walls. The eatery opens by 8 am each day.
15 Village Rd, Waitomo, Waikato, 3943, New Zealand
Join the locals at this cozy café, spread throughout the veranda, garden, and several intimate rooms of an old, mostly yellow villa. It serves a full breakfast/brunch menu with all the classics as well as wholesome, house-cooked lunches. It's located across the road from the river and a two-minute drive from the city center. The cafe caters well to vegetarians and vegans (try the haloumi stack with roasted kumara, wilted greens, and smoked capsicum [roasted red peppers]) but for meat eaters, one of the best things on the menu is the ginger beer pulled-pork burger.
17 Pitt St., Whanganui, Manawatu-Whanganui, 4500, New Zealand
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