TOP 10 BEST Restaurants in New Zealand - Updated November 2024

Karen Barker

Angel Thompson

Ernest Atutahi

The Old Forge Kitchen

Wheelchair Accessible

"Found by chance thanks to a 'Food nearest me' map search while working in Elstow Waihou. What a great find! Great coffee and if there was an award..."

Vicki

"We enjoyed the food they served. Every year, they cater to the Te Aroha Vets. And every time it's happening, we make sure we attend because of the..."

Kuya Jaja and Skye's Kulitan

"This is an excellent Cafe, the food is outstanding and the service was warm & friendly. The hash sticks were a favourite. We are looking forward to..."

DV Sea Yah

"Great menu, lovely staff, delicious food. The Forge is consistently a great place to stop and enjoy wonderful food in a beautiful setting. The staff..."

Debra Kay

"Delicious food, well presented and excellent service. Serving sized perfect for 3 courses and the deserts are great, recommend the cheesecake. It's..."

Bart Dinger

"Dined here twice in the last six weeks. Didn't have reservations for our lunch group of eight. Was really busy but they rearranged tables to fit us..."

Diane Dinger

"We went to the forge for my daughters birthday brunch. Excellent service, nothing was too much trouble. Lovely and spacious, great for a larger..."

Justine Walker

"Have been for brunch and dinner and both times the food, service and atmosphere was..."

Angela McCann

"Couldn't fault our meals. Hash stack for hubby and sweetcorn fritters with bacon for me. Presentation awesome. Very quick to get out. Lovely hot tea..."

Sharron Haldane

"Have never been there before. They have an outdoor area (& shade). They have also put up their xmas tree for those having early end of year xmas get..."

Tina Earney

"Popped in for a coffee and cake on the run. The staff were very accommodating and friendly. Lovely spot and would like to go back for..."

Jean-Paul Lassale

"I utilised the room upstairs for my mum's memorial and it was the perfect size and lovely and private 🌹 thank you to Teena for the use of the..."

Charmaine Ward

"Stopped for a cuppa on the Te aroha to Matamata bike trail. Has bike parking. Plenty of car parking. Caters for events and seem very well organised..."

S&R Pickett

"Helpful staff nice food but servings are large for oldies like us. Should have asked for half size. Enjoyed..."

Mike Triggs

Fez Kebab

Wheelchair Accessible

"Great customer service, I wasn't totally focused on ordering my meal and the lady was very patient with me. I ordered a Large Lamb Kebab and it was..."

Brandon Reihana

"Friendly folks running the restaurant. Great value, as well as my kabob, was absolutely loaded with meat. Would return when in the..."

Mark T

"Fantastic pizza with a really generous ratio of toppings. The kebabs were huge but the kids wreckon the salad to meat ratio was too high lol. I..."

Eddie Tukuitoga

"Delicious and cost-effective! We paid 50d for everything, and it was enough for 3 hungry people to have for both breakfast and dinner. Loved the chip..."

Moyi Guo

"Great meal. One I couldn't finish. Was super delish too. Comfortable seating and waitress was lovely. Only let down was that it took a long time to..."

Angel Burnett-Ashwin

"Big weekend in TeAroha and we were after something different. The food was spectacular and so was the premises. Very clean and..."

Bruce Roy

"Massive kebabs with heaps of filling. Honest and friendly staff. Quaint little Cafe. Highly..."

K Dean

"Great place to grab a bite on our way through town. Kebabs were very tasty and we got most of our order..."

Amanda Peterson

"Great place to eat. The chicken kebab and BBQ Beef pizza flavours were..."

Mitchel Frost

"We were served our meals very quickly by friendly staff and the decor was unique. The portion sizes were massive for the price so the value for money..."

Ian D'lima

"Food is amazing! So fresh and tasty definitely try theire pizzas and rice dishes! The baklava is..."

jamie de wet

"Great place been there a few times, take aways tonight. Well done..."

Gary Holmes

"Friendly staff and excellent food and service been there many..."

Chris Melrose

"Good quality food ,delicious and value for..."

Rebala Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy

"This is the best spot in Te Ahora to grab a bite or meal! Food is delicious and freshly prepared and the owner is very nice. I would recommend this..."

Oliver Watts

"One of the best chicken and mushroom pizzas we've ever had in NZ - yum - generous cheese! And I mistakenly left my handbag on the chair and it was..."

Marion Kroukam

"Great place to stop in for a bite to eat. One of the best kebabs I've had, and brilliant service. Decor is a little shabby, but the food and service..."

daniel lamb

"The size of these meals are enormous and very reasonably priced. I would definitely eat there again EXCEPT they were serving unmasked customers and..."

Lu Taylor

Villa Nine Health & Coffee Shop

Prawns and Bacon Salads

Buckwheat Pancakes and Bacon

"Pleasant surprise in Te Aroha. Possibly the best breakfast muesli I’ve had anywhere in the world. Great staff, friendly and efficient. Food and..."

Justin Whyte

"Set in a delightful villa, complete with veranda, this is a must for tasty whole food and truely delightful raw slices, some of the best in the..."

Vicki

"Everything was great. Staff, food, coffee and vibes. Especially loved the unique exterior and eye-catching interiors. Lovely..."

Young Min Lee

"I stopped I for a coffee and a bite to eat while I did some work. The staff were really nice, the food looked amazing, there were different options..."

Charis Work

"Excellent café, beautiful food and coffee. Staff are very professional and friendly. Highly recommend this..."

Chrissie Tegg

"Muffummnnd ssomnup IP deallumnmpsh... gulp! Sorry mouth was full of awesomeness. I couldn't stop eating before telling you how great the chicken..."

Sky Heighway

"A great find, friendly cafe with shop attached, lots of gluten free and healthy options. Best French toast I’ve ever had and yummy slices and..."

Henry Barfoot

"Feels like a home orchard.Rustic outdoor seating. A whole lot of💟 has gone into this gorgeous little health coffee shop. The food is as divine as..."

Charmaine Baker

"An absolutely brilliant find in this gorgeous country town, the whole Cafe is gluten free. They do bring in a range of non-GF on their busier days......"

Ian-LJ Plant (The Kiwi Planties)

"Just discovered this cafe, what a fab quirky place. Staff lovely. Food and coffee yummy. We will be back!!!!!! Highly..."

Ann Rogers

The Grand Tavern - Te Aroha

Caesar Salad with Pawms Scallop

Fish burger

Steak and Fish Burgers

Scrambled eggs

Chocolate Fudge Pudding

Wheelchair Accessible

"We really enjoyed our meal (lamb shanks and prawn pasta) and service was prompt. Great value meal, with a glass of wine. Nice decor but would have..."

Dianna Carlen

"First time in the refurbished Grand. Looking very flash. Shrimp cocktail to start, lamb shank for a main. Big meals couldn't eat it all. Great wait..."

Gary Holmes

"Good old fashioned pub grub, inside a traditionally 'grand' setting. Really reasonably priced food and drinks, in a comfortable, clean and tidy..."

Karen Gill

"We were part of a large group booking. Our meals were very nice and the service was great. Excellent..."

Deb Newton

"Food was well presented, tasted good and great value for money. Service was polite and prompt. Atmosphere was warm and homely even on the bleak day..."

Erin Elder

"Lovely staff, good atmosphere, friendly people and most of all..very nice kai, recommend chicken schnitzel, fettuccine, the loaded wedges and steak,..."

June Baker

"Awesome food, beautifully decorated restaurant. Lovely waiter, couldn't have been nicer! Fast..."

Colin Stewart (Corvettecolin)

"Good pub grub and nice pub atmosphere. Fish & steak burger with chips good value for..."

Becs Illingworth

"Great food, they were very busy on this occasion so service was a bit slow but can fault rhe food at..."

TheBkh1

"Just had lunch at The Grand Tavern today, my partner had the Surf and Turf and I had the Curry of the day the day, I asked for Indian Spicy not Kiwi..."

Tarewa Paetai

"Our local was holding a private function when we got there, so this was the nearest alternative. Built in 1945. Place had some history. They served..."

Mike Smith

"Had the best dinner at The Grand Tavern - Te Aroha 😋 food was absolutely Devine 💯 and delicious good for price also bloody cheap . Lovely..."

meljay babymumma

"First time eating here. Great service and friendly atmosphere. Those ribs were amazing and the lamb shanks were awesome. Great way to treat our Mum...."

Wendy Ritchie

"The restaurant has changed alot the food was very nice and the service was great will go there again..."

Chris Melrose

"The food was amazing, great atmosphere and service. Will definitely be..."

Marty Potaka

"Food was great, public bar nice and warm with the fire..."

Lyn Miller

"Lovely meals with excellently big portions. Price is great for what ya get. Bar is in the restaurant and pool table or pokies in the other rooms,..."

Skitz “Zac” Zion

The Grand Tavern - Te Aroha

Wheelchair Accessible

"We really enjoyed our meal (lamb shanks and prawn pasta) and service was prompt. Great value meal, with a glass of wine. Nice decor but would have..."

Dianna Carlen

"First time in the refurbished Grand. Looking very flash. Shrimp cocktail to start, lamb shank for a main. Big meals couldn't eat it all. Great wait..."

Gary Holmes

"Good old fashioned pub grub, inside a traditionally 'grand' setting. Really reasonably priced food and drinks, in a comfortable, clean and tidy..."

Karen Gill

"We were part of a large group booking. Our meals were very nice and the service was great. Excellent..."

Deb Newton

"Food was well presented, tasted good and great value for money. Service was polite and prompt. Atmosphere was warm and homely even on the bleak day..."

Erin Elder

"Lovely staff, good atmosphere, friendly people and most of all..very nice kai, recommend chicken schnitzel, fettuccine, the loaded wedges and steak,..."

June Baker

"Awesome food, beautifully decorated restaurant. Lovely waiter, couldn't have been nicer! Fast..."

Colin Stewart (Corvettecolin)

"Good pub grub and nice pub atmosphere. Fish & steak burger with chips good value for..."

Becs Illingworth

"Great food, they were very busy on this occasion so service was a bit slow but can fault rhe food at..."

TheBkh1

"Just had lunch at The Grand Tavern today, my partner had the Surf and Turf and I had the Curry of the day the day, I asked for Indian Spicy not Kiwi..."

Tarewa Paetai

"Our local was holding a private function when we got there, so this was the nearest alternative. Built in 1945. Place had some history. They served..."

Mike Smith

"Had the best dinner at The Grand Tavern - Te Aroha 😋 food was absolutely Devine 💯 and delicious good for price also bloody cheap . Lovely..."

meljay babymumma

"First time eating here. Great service and friendly atmosphere. Those ribs were amazing and the lamb shanks were awesome. Great way to treat our Mum...."

Wendy Ritchie

"The restaurant has changed alot the food was very nice and the service was great will go there again..."

Chris Melrose

"The food was amazing, great atmosphere and service. Will definitely be..."

Marty Potaka

"Food was great, public bar nice and warm with the fire..."

Lyn Miller

"Lovely meals with excellently big portions. Price is great for what ya get. Bar is in the restaurant and pool table or pokies in the other rooms,..."

Skitz “Zac” Zion

Taj Indian Restaurant

Wheelchair Accessible

"Such a gem! Lovely staff made us feel very welcome, gave some great recommendations and then knocked it our of the park with fresh naans, and some..."

Steve Hillier

"Beef saagwala - the rice was very well cooked., the food was hot and the service quick. The flavour of the beef saagwala was not as strong as I have..."

KPW735 Toyota86

"Highly recommend Taj Indian Restaurant - we had chicken Madras and paneer makhani and both were absolutely delicious. Medium spicy was just perfect..."

Joy Conway

"Fantastic Indian food, great service - what more could you want. We really enjoyed our tasty meal - everything was delicious. Thank..."

F MAC

"The food was delicious and each dish is plenty for one person. Staff friendly and attentive. The best butter chicken, good curry, not pricey and..."

Annie Chartrain

"Cosy, air conditioned restaurant for dining in or you can order takeaway. Excellent service from friendly staff. Good wine list with a selection of..."

Cilla Parsell

"Every meal we ordered was totally delicious and the heat of the curry perfectly balanced. Visit the Taj restaurant if you want a well priced meal..."

Alster inNZ

"Beautiful food..and really..."

Allan Fernandez

"The meals were really good, the service excellent, the place bright and clean. I know I will enjoy my meal there so I try to eat there whenever I'm..."

Nirie Reddy

"Throughly enjoyed our time at Taj, highly recommend . We had the lunch special , butter chicken and added garlic cheese naan, $17.00 and we were..."

Selina Cameron

"Great food every time we..."

Mick Burdon

"This is the best Indian I have had in years. I recommend pairing the delicious meals with the mixed pickles. I will 100% be ordering..."

Jordan

"Thanks Taj Indian Restaurant for a great birthday evening dining experience. The lamb nawabi and lamb korma were delicate and tasty. Garlic naan..."

Geoffrey Dodd

"Taj has some of the best Indian food we have ever tasted! We are originally from Auckland, and spent many years trying different Indian restaurants...."

Heidi L

"I have eaten at a lot of Indian restaurants in the past and this is definitely one of the better ones. The restaurant is very clean, the staff are..."

Aaron Gill

"I was visiting from Timaru, came in last night with my mum, aunt and uncle. Service was a bit slow but the meal was worth the wait, loved our..."

Brenda Ferguson

"Wonderful food, great service and a clean and comfortable space to dine in. Cheers, we'll be..."

Clayton Smith

Austins Bar And Bistro

"Delicious food, friendly and helpful staff, and a pleasant atmosphere. Then there was the cute factor of a very sleepy cat..."

Aaron W

"Just finished cycling the rail-trail (brilliant!) and we thought we deserved a little drink. Stumbled on this place and couldn’t be happier. Lovely..."

Andy Smith

"Stopped on our way home 😊 for a coffee. Gr8 place Gr8 service. Busy place...."

Peter Langley

"Pleasant environment but better to sit towards back door if you prefer quiet, and there are a group in the bar. Happy with the menu, and great to..."

Colleen Connolley

"Went for queens birthday lunch on Sunday for two of us. Great service. The southern chicken as starter was beautiful and huge. The chicken salad..."

Anna Dawe

"Good yummy food and the best tasting smoothie I've had. I'll go back every time I'm in Te..."

Glen Ogilvie

"My husband and I were just driving through town and we heard the live music so decided to stop and have a late lunch. This was the best pub we found..."

Amanda McDonald

"Loved the guiness beers, the live music band and atmosphere. It's really pumped with prices that are good for drinks. The meals could be larger for..."

Skitz “Zac” Zion

"Great atmosphere, fabulous service , good wine and food prices. Recomend "Sausage and Mash" local sausage not precooked real mash pots and gravy made..."

John Payne

"Friendly lovely staff. Good live music & nice place to relax with..."

Katze McCarthy

"The best restaurant in the town Te..."

Hugo Huang

"A nice cozy place with a great..."

Mohd. Imaduddin

"This is a cosy little pub, cafe and restaurant housed in lovely historic bank building on the main street. It has a warm convivial atmosphere and..."

Ian Coppins

"Family friendly, welcoming with great food. What more can you ask for?! Popped in on Saturday evening to watch the rugby, a couple of dads, a couple..."

Phillip Dunn

"The food is fresh made, service excellent and the owners on site with a chat and hello for everyone. Great place to stop in for a cuppa and a read of..."

Teresa Kenyon

"1 word... AMAZING! Service, food, drink, venue, entertainment in the form of sports on screen and from time to time a small performance from a local..."

Lukey J

Te Aroha Bakehouse & Cafe

Big Breakfast with Scrabble Eggs Bacon Toast Sausage Tomatoes

Kiwi Breakfast with Fried Eggs Bacon Hash Brown Toast

Café

Seating

Wheelchair Accessible

"The world's biggest sandwich. It's like getting salad between two slices of bread. This place also has the world's best cheese cake, and the..."

Steven Miller

"Tasty, classic bakery kai with excellent service. Loved the banana pancake! After eating I found my car had a flat battery. When I asked them for a..."

Jon Coles

"Seafood bun is Ginormous! Great..."

watty Tipene

"Delicious pies with soft pastry and great sauce inside! Friendly staff and reasonable..."

Shane Koetz

"A beautiful fay in a beautiful historric township, made better by afternoon tea and food. The refreshments made an exhausted traveller willing to..."

Atene Tikitiki-O-Rangi Karauria

"I love the coffee here and the mussels and the potato topped pie is the simply the best. Actually everything is fresh an hot and delicious. The place..."

Donna Cowsill

"What a great place to stop off for food they have a good variety and there is plenty of parking right outside..."

Len Mattson

"I had never been here and I was pleasantly surprised. Really large range of food with some healthy options. Well presented and clean cabinets...."

Kate Scott

"Great assortment of confections and freindly..."

Gerf Mate

"Food was okay. Coffee was awful. Tasteless and was not a double shot. Kids can't make..."

Lew Kennerley

"The food I purchased was so delicious and fresh. I will definitely go back there. Big thumbs up from me..."

Amy Hodder

"Great service and food. I got a steak meal here and it was delicious. Better than the steak meal I had at the grand tavern Te Aroha, not to..."

Olsen Ia

"We were served a hot steak, eggs and salad with chips and asked for a Flat white including hot chocolate and enjoyed the meal. To finish off for..."

Harry Marii

"Nice food, great service.absolutely the best apricot slice....oh....so yummy..."

Ken Foster

"Excellent food. Fresh and very affordable. Was good we had a choice to either sit inside or..."

Rosemary Garaway

"Stopped in today on way to Paeroa. Got a yummy Lava cake. Omg had to stop in again on way home to buy some more. So yummy. Fantastic friendly young..."

Selena Kinkelaar

"good honest servjce and..."

Repiling Specialists

Ironique Cafe And Bar

82/100 (1141 ratings)

Orange and Date Scones

Small Double Shot Flat White with a Pastry

Fish & chips

Fish & Chips

Omelette and Waffles

Bacon and Scrambled Egg

Chocolate Ice Cream Dessert

Soup of the Day

Caramel Latte

Grilled Chicken Salad

Ice Cream

Burger

Salt and Pepper Calamari

Iced Chocolate

Table Decoration

Pesto

Kids Chicken Burger Meal

Wheelchair Accessible

"Popped in here randomly for brunch. Happy with the choice. Good vibe and atmosphere, clean too! Staff were really friendly and polite and the food..."

Victoria Wright

"My wife and I came here for dinner a few weeks ago for dinner to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, followed by the spa baths. What a wonderful..."

Raymond Harper

"Best Coffee in town, great setting, and wonderful..."

Diane Cooper

"Beautiful atmosphere inside Ironique as it has wood and iron everywhere - very tasteful. It seats a great many people, has an outside area and the..."

Christie

"We stopped in for lunch today. The lady who served us was lovely. The place was really busy. Our food arrived super quick not even 15 minutes. We had..."

Renee Werder

"Lovely roast veggies and good coffee. The atmosphere was the only thing that was not 100%. Staff were discussing why someone was closing their..."

Lesley Ann Boshoff

"Cozy and charming cafe located in the Main Street. Visited this Saturday on the Easter Holiday and was nice and easy to order. We had ice cream and..."

Mauricio Kimura

"Have really enjoyed meals and service every time. Also nice to get a good hot..."

Karen Powell

"A lovely stop, but take the ti.e to go see the Adrian Worsley Gallery around the corner. You will be wowed at the iron work..."

Wilma Millar

"Very nice furnishings and menu, my mother enjoyed her cheese and pineapple and red onion toasted sandwich and the ginger crunch was lovely with..."

Angela Parlane

"Stopped in for a coffee and pie on my way thru Te Aroha and Jesus christ that was the best pie I've ever had in my life- thank you Chef!! And my..."

Emma Twidle

"Quaint cafe with pleasant staff and good service. Plenty of street parking and easy access. Tea and a slice for..."

Brian Murphy

"Lovely food and damn fine coffee! The cheese scone was fluffy and tasty! Veggie pie was amazing!! Would recommend to a..."

Andy Smith

"Te Aroha is a special place to visit, and the Ironique Cafe is perfect for a good cup of coffee. Good menu to chose from , value for..."

Robert Turner

"Hot Coffee, Hot Delicious Eggs bene ,Great Friendly Service.Highly..."

Kelly D

"We had an omelet for breakfast - it was fantastic. This time o have been here for breakfast over the last year and I highly recommend..."

Raphael Kruger

"Super nice restaurant with really good burgers, also the vegetarian options were great. Family loved..."

Marc Althoff

"Beautiful food (Chicken Hollindaise) & super friendly..."

Cheryl Ann Blake

"Unfortunately haven't tried the food but coffee was ok. However, it's so worth going there just to see how the place is decorated. It has this cabin..."

Natalia Khobotova

"Great local Cafe. I had a perfect flat white and my partner had a slice and cold drink. We sat outside and enjoyed a quiet reflective start to the..."

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Donna

Will Smith

Doughnuts & Deadlifts

Kathy Ashton

Debz Archer

Alster inNZ

Jemma Walkley

Marie Riddle

Heather Barber

Lu Taylor

Jacqui Edgar

Jason Grainger

Grateful Blessings

heather barber

Olsen Ia

Doug Mitchell

Shaun Metcalfe

Chris Melrose

Vladimir Poletaev

Adam Lutzbauer

Kurt

Lucy Barclay

Tyrone Mapp

Stephanie Boyle

Alexa

Ben

Erchie Artiaga

Lisa Carr

Tian Wang

neda pirouz

Vicki Semmens

Areej Arif

Bryan Spondre

Denise Barber

Marco Salmoni

Zongjian He

Peter Kinley

June NZ

Nicky Burne

Alster inNZ

Eve Kinane

Jan Whitt

Karen Barker

Angel Thompson

Ernest Atutahi

Vicki

Kuya Jaja and Skye's Kulitan

DV Sea Yah

Debra Kay

Bart Dinger

Diane Dinger

Justine Walker

Angela McCann

Sharron Haldane

Tina Earney

Jean-Paul Lassale

Charmaine Ward

S&R Pickett

Mike Triggs

Brandon Reihana

Mark T

Eddie Tukuitoga

Moyi Guo

Angel Burnett-Ashwin

Bruce Roy

K Dean

Amanda Peterson

Mitchel Frost