Fiordland & Southland
Colourful and fun, the Frog is the best dining option in the Catlins, offering craft beer on tap and crowd-pleasing meals, often garnished with flowers…
Must-see restaurants in South Island
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Fiordland & Southland
Top-notch nosh is prepared at this friendly restaurant, making use of home-grown veggies, house-made pasta and Stewart Island/Rakiara seafood, such as…
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Amisfield Bistro & Cellar Door
Queenstown & Wanaka
Put yourself in the very capable hands of the kitchen wizards at this stylish vineyard bistro; simply inform the waiters of any dietary restrictions or…
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Queenstown
The sweeter sister of Fergburger bakes all manner of tempting treats – and though most things look tasty with 3am beer goggles on, it withstands the…
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Christchurch
Central Christchurch's new essential destination for travelling foodies is this superb multi-level market combining fresh produce stalls with…
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Queenstown & Wanaka
Everything at this elegant restaurant is designed to be shared, from the cicchetti (Venetian-style bar snacks) to the pasta and substantial secondi (mains…
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Dunedin & Otago
There's a rumble-tumble look about it, but this tin-and-timber fishing hut houses one of the South Island's best – and most popular – seafood restaurants…
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Queenstown & Wanaka
Perhaps the tables are a little tightly packed, and the open kitchen does take up half the space, but we're splitting hairs. This place is uniformly…
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Christchurch
Global influences punctuate the shared plates menu at this recent opening south of the city centre. The honey- and chipotle-fired chicken goes well with…
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Christchurch
Mediterranean flavours are presented with flair in Earl's spacious dining room. Combine slow-cooked lamb and smoked yoghurt with a quinoa salad or mix it…
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Fiordland & Southland
Large shared tables, a relaxed beachy ambience, and top-notch coffee and smoothies give this cafe its reputation as Southland's best. Delicious counter…
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Christchurch & Canterbury
Famous for miles around and the top-ranking reason to stop in Fairlie, this superb bakery turns out exceptional pies, including the legendary salmon and…
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The West Coast
To say this hip place is serious about sandwiches is an understatement. Everything's made to order and served on chunky slices of freshly baked bread,…
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Fiordland & Southland
Part tapas and cocktail bar, part chic fusion eatery, Louie's is a great place to while away an evening snuggled into a sofa or a fireside nook. The…
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Westland Tai Poutini National Park
At the start of the Lake Matheson Track, this cafe does everything right: sharp architecture that maximises mountain views, strong coffee, craft beers and…
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Dunedin & Otago
The most sophisticated kitchen in Ōamaru serves superb seasonal food in a heritage dining room painted black and filled with plants. Try dishes like 55…
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Akarua Wines & Kitchen by Artisan
Queenstown & Wanaka
This joint venture between Akarua Winery and Queenstown caterers Artisan features a restaurant inside a cottage originally built as offices for a flour…
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Christchurch
With so much to love, where to start? Perhaps with a cherry and pomegranate smoothie, a chocolate-fish milkshake or maybe just an exceptional espresso,…
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Dunedin & Otago
A riverstone fireplace and polished concrete floors set the scene for a menu that's modern without being overworked. Award-winning chef Bevan Smith…
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Queenstown
With a menu inspired by 'the things we've loved around our travels', this cafe brings to the table a cosmopolitan assortment of dishes: bacon butties,…
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Dunedin
Bracken's seasonal tasting menus offer a succession of pretty little plates bursting with flavour. While the dishes are intricate, nothing's overly…
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Queenstown
You can't eat closer to the water than at this excellent lakefront eatery where local is law: Cardrona lamb, Fiordland wild venison, Geraldine pork, South…
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The West Coast
Attached to an out-of-the-way but upmarket motel-style complex 4km southeast of the town centre, this restaurant delivers the best bistro-style fare in…
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Christchurch & Canterbury
Let chef-owner Giulio Sturla take you on a magical tasting tour with his renowned degustation menus, which champion all things local and seasonal. Dishes…
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Dunedin
This thriving market is all local, all edible (or drinkable) and mostly organic. Grab a freshly baked pastry and a flat white to sustain you while you…
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Fiordland & Southland
Located in a former Victorian schoolhouse, this excellent 'old-school' cafe puts the emphasis on local produce – free-range eggs, veggies from the garden,…
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Christchurch
Shared plates enjoyed around an elegantly curved bar are divided into Earth, Land and Sea and include innovative and playful dishes harnessing ingredients…
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Fiordland & Southland
Looking over Taramea Bay, Beach House is a stylish, comfortable cafe famous for seafood, especially its creamy chowder studded with juicy mussels and…
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Christchurch
Overlooking the pastel-coloured New Regent St strip, this elegant restaurant showcases locally sourced seasonal ingredients. Mainstays include modern…
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Fiordland & Southland
What's this? A beacon of gastronomic hope, beaming out good vibes along a desolate stretch of highway? This chipper, award-winning cafe grows its own…
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Christchurch & Canterbury
This atmospheric Irish bar and restaurant is housed in Methven's lovingly restored old post office. Great food includes pizza, Irish stew and other hearty…
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Dunedin
The crafty cooks here sizzle up famously good burgers from a kitchen in a retro caravan parked inside a cool warehouse space. There's tags on the walls,…
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Wanaka
This curious restaurant is, well, yeah, in a house – a white one – looking as though someone dropped a casual eatery into the lounge room of an art-deco…
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Queenstown
Since losing its original business in the Christchurch earthquakes, Tatsumi has brought its blend of traditional and modern Japanese 'tapas' to central…
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Queenstown & Wanaka
Walking into Saffron is like stepping out of town, with its formal, clean-lined setting providing a contrast to Buckingham St's gunslinger appearance…
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Christchurch
C1 sits pretty in a grand former post office that somehow escaped the cataclysm. Recycled materials fill the interior (Victorian oak panelling, bulbous…
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Queenstown
After gaining Michelin stars for restaurants in London, New York and LA, chef-owner Josh Emett now wields his exceptional but surprisingly unflashy…
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Queenstown
Disproving the rule that all tiki houses are inherently tacky, Blue Kanu serves up a food style it calls 'Polynasian' – Fijian kokoda (raw fish with…
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Queenstown
At this ever-popular cafe, excellent home-style baking combines with great coffee and the sort of breakfasts that make bacon and eggs seem very passé –…
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Dunedin
We wouldn't recommend walking to this sophisticated cafe at the top of Maori Hill, but luckily it's well worth the price of a cab. The fancy cafe fare…
