36 Best Restaurants in Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

It might be way out in the bush, but this restaurant could stand proud in any big city. Dine inside or out, beneath the trees, and watch the chefs in the open kitchen adding wood to the pizza oven or creating contemporary cuisine with organic-farmed beef and lamb and vegetables straight from the garden. For flavor and innovation, try the chef’s choice of three seasonal tasters. This is a great option for family dining---there’s so much space and a little playground---and it’s actually only about 10 minutes away from either town, Waihi or Paeroa. Accommodation is available too, from $180 per night.

There’s a vintage retro feel at this unassuming café that belies the amazing fresh-baked goods produced within. Expect pastries, breads, cakes, panini, and other sandwiches, and some truly fantastic cakes like the passionfruit curd cake. "Sammies" and lots of vegetarian options are on the menu, the coffee is consistently good, and tea lovers can choose from a list of organic, loose-leaf flavors. The place is loved by the locals and if you eat in you’re likely to get to know them at the big communal tables.

In addition to great food, this restaurant has a community-hub feel thanks to live music sessions, poetry readings, film nights, and a summer sculpture symposium. The dinner menu reaches beyond standard café fare, and there's also a great range of classic breakfasts and fresh baked goods. Be sure to check the on-site shop Eggstras for quality deli items to take on your journey. The café is about 1 km (0.6 mile) from the Whitianga ferry landing.

This contemporary steak house in Mount Maunganui has an industrial chic interior with a black, white, and wood design, and a menu that showcases some of beef. Choose from Scotch fillet, Wagyu fillet, or ribeye on the bone; you also get to select your own elaborate steak knife. The fire and embers of the closed Mibrasa oven gives the dishes a charcoal flavor. Meat aside, the menu also features excellent fish and vegetable options, as well as an extensive wine list featuring top New Zealand wineries.

Like many places to eat on the peninsula, this casual café does a roaring trade with mussels and seafood. But lots of Kiwi café foods are also here, like full breakfasts, salads, and pizza, while the dinner menu serves all the classics. Quiches, cakes, and sandwiches are handmade every day, and the coffee is fair-trade. You can enjoy your food and drinks indoors or alfresco. Nothing is deep-fried.

Mellow jazz might be playing in the background, local art graces the walls, and the retro couches and armchairs are great spots to chill out and enjoy a coffee, which is freshly roasted every day in the café. Snack options include egg and bacon rolls, sandwiches, cakes, and slices. Alfresco dining is available as well.

Homemade slices and scones are among the decadent favorites at this central Whakatane café. However, sandwiches and savory pies are other options, and you can order from a full breakfast and lunch menu for something cooked freshly on-site. Indoor and outdoor seating is available.

At the base of Moutohora (Whale Island) Sanctuary Tours, run by Ngati Awa Tourism, this breakfast and lunch spot is right by the water. The café serves a full Kiwi breakfast menu, with omelets, eggs, and french toast, and also a range of fresh-baked pastries to go with your coffee.

Named for the origins of one of the owners (the other is from Thames) this café is as cool as you would expect being that it's Melbourne inspired. The high stud ceiling and communal courtyard create a welcoming space to enjoy a diverse menu with dishes ranging from falafel to bao buns and paella. There's also a great selection of pastries and cakes. Café Melbourne is part of The Depot, a restored heritage building home to a number of small specialty stores worth browsing post coffee.

This restaurant bills itself as a "modern day hearth," inviting diners to take a seat at the bar and watch the chefs at work next to an open fire. Located inside the lobby of a former cinema, Camina serves Spanish-inspired dishes that are designed to be shared. The menu features all things grilled, from cabbages and market fish to hefty slabs of steak with smoked tomato butter. 

Mediterranean food and ambience are the focus at this quiet restaurant tucked away on the edge of town. The finest local produce, organic where possible, is matched with quality international and local craft beers and wines.

The tropical-inspired courtyard of this restaurant adds a welcome splash of color to Thames, and the menu has a lot of good options. Choose from small sharing plates or tacos with creative fillings like lamb tzatziki or crispy cauliflower.

Located right on the beachfront, the views at this coastal chic café are hard to beat. Floor-to-ceiling windows take full advantage of the café's beachside position, so you can watch the waves roll in whether seated inside or out. The menu covers all the New Zealand favorites, from eggs Benedict for breakfast to fish and chips, pizzas, and burgers for lunch. In the evening, you can order the likes of squid linguine or sous vide lamb.

Within one of the few hotels remaining from the gold rush days, you'll find classy pub grub in a convivial atmosphere. The Grahamstown Bar & Diner (GBD) is the main restaurant bar, serving everything from lunch to bar snacks and pizzas to evening main courses. On weekends, it gets pretty packed late night thanks to music gigs. Down the back is a more casual bar with pool tables; upstairs, there are some basic but clean and excellent-value accommodations.

The food and the view will vie for your attention here, as you dine on contemporary New Zealand cuisine. The menu is created largely from local artisan produce, and you can admire Tauranga Harbour from the stunning waterfront location. The quite pricey à la carte menu encompasses starters or starters to share as well as light meals that can be appetizers depending on the size of your appetite, mains, and desserts. From the grill, meats come with a choice of butters and sauces. Reservations are recommended, particularly if you want a spot on the over-water balcony.

The meat and produce in this café and store all come from the owner’s very own farm, Kairaumati Hereford Stud. The meat is processed on-site, the sausages are made from an old family recipe, and the free-range eggs, honey, vegetables, jams, and pickles are all homegrown. For lunch, there’s a range of burgers (regarded widely as the best on the peninsula), toasted sandwiches, hot chips, muffins, and cakes, plus real fruit ice cream. You can dine in the garden, then pick up some farm-fresh meat and condiments to enjoy later.

The Bayfair Shopping Centre may seem an unlikely place to find one of the area's most innovative restaurants, but this is well worth seeking out. Izakai combines Māori ingredients and cooking styles with Japanese cuisine, so you'll find hāngi-style pork belly and watercress with ramen; squid with horopito (a peppery native herb); and creamed paua (local shellfish) and prawn gyoza (dumplings). The centerpiece of the restaurant is a long curved bar, but you can also sit at high tables near the window or in a more intimate booth-like setting.

This café’s small shared plates feature an eclectic fusion of Asian and classic European flavors with a strong Kiwi touch. Try the ostrich tataki (seared) or tuna fillets with beetroot, orange, and horopito (a pepper-flavored native plant). Sit inside in candlelight or under the trees in the buzzy garden with the locals.

Found in the tiny village of Kūaotunu, this rustic seaside restaurant started out as a caravan and is now a lively spot where you can enjoy wood-fired pizzas, seafood, and local organic coffee. Over the summer months, there's often live music and regular barbecue nights, adding to the community feel. There's also a café and art gallery adjacent to the restaurant. 

This spacious, centrally located café-restaurant can get busy with both visitors and locals. Breakfast kicks off at 10 am with all the standard Kiwi options. Salads, burgers, and fish-and-chips come on the menu for lunch; dinner is still casual but with slightly more upmarket fare with a good range of lamb, steak, salmon, pork, and vegetable dishes on offer. If you arrive during the day, pop into the adjacent Manaia Gallery, which sells jewelry, art, and crafts.

The high prices set this restaurant apart from other local options, but then again so does the food: in the open-plan kitchen, nationally renowned chef Stephen Barry fuses quality indigenous meats, seafood, and produce with Pacific Rim flavors. À la carte menu choices range from small tapas to share and appetizers (which can also be requested in a slightly larger portion size) to full main courses. For those who inevitably want a taste of all the desserts, there's a tasting platter. The street-side restaurant looks out onto Mauao (Mt. Maunganui).

Just off the road but with a backdrop of fruit trees, this is a fitting place to stop for breakfast or lunch in an area known for its fresh produce. A tasty vegetarian choice is the "herbivore" (grilled portobello on a potato rosti stack with house beans and whipped avo). Standard fare like loaded wedges, burgers, and "fush and chups" (a gentle jibe at the Kiwi accent) can be found here, too. Dine inside, or take advantage of the park surroundings and settle at an outdoor table.

The standout restaurant in town showcases local produce, shellfish, fish, lamb, and beef. Lunch easily segues into dinner in the sheltered courtyard or in front of the fire, depending on the season. Service is swish and prices are up there, but you get what you pay for. All-day brunches and light lunches are also served.

The spacious, airy dining area at this restaurant, with its large windows and wicker and wood decor, has been carefully designed to evoke a country picnic—while still feeling as stylish as you would expect from a central Tauranga establishment. Picnicka's menu is designed to be shared, with a range of plates that use local produce cooked over a wood fire, or served fresh; choose from dishes like barbecued cos lettuce, fresh market fish, and spiced lamb skewers.

Located on a corner of Whangamata's main street, this café is perfectly positioned to catch the morning sun. This makes it an ideal spot to grab coffee or breakfast either outside in the sunshine or inside the airy, wood-accented café. Lunch is served from 8 am to 2 pm, and features the classics (mushrooms on toast and Turkish eggs) alongside more creative options, like the loaded toast with buttermilk fried cauliflower, hummus, and haloumi.

Hidden down a side street (look for the sign on the main street), you'll find this gourmet home-cooking surprise. This café gem serves breakfasts, muffins, scones, cakes, and shortcakes alongside build-your-own bagels and counter "sammies" crammed with choices of grilled meats, haloumi, and vegetables. The focus is on free-range, organically grown ingredients. Set in a 1914 heritage building that was originally a bank gold refinery, they also offer a boutique one-bedroom accommodation, the Refinery Guard’s Cottage, and an adjacent open plan Miner’s Cabin. Prices are from $99 per night.

Put a slightly upscale yet still casual restaurant in a popular local hotel, with a waterside location in a vacation town, and you've got this can't-miss dining spot. There is casual pub dining in the bars, but Salt, with its alfresco dining by the palm-edged marina, is the star. The menu changes with the seasons, sometimes offering free-range pork belly with marinated prawns, seafood bouillabaisse, or grass-fed eye fillet. Bar snacks include lots of fresh seafood such as Coromandel mussels. Reservations are recommended in summer.