Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty Restaurants

There are many dining options across the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty. You can buy everything from fruit from roadside orchard stalls and take-out fish-and-chips joints to cafés serving sandwiches and espresso coffee, right through to fine-dining affairs. Even when restaurants are formal in appearance, diners and hosts tend toward a relaxed country-casualness. Restaurant owners make a point of using the region's abundant resources: the fish is likely to have been caught that morning from a nearby bay, and shellfish are from local mussel and scallop farms. A huge community of artists lives in the region and their work is likely to be for sale even though it adorns restaurant walls.

Dinner service begins about 6 pm in the winter and around 7 pm during the summer months, though many places have "all-day menus." In peak season most places keep serving until at least 9 pm. For many restaurants reservations are a good idea, especially in the summer around the Coromandel. In winter, phone ahead to check if the restaurant will stay open.

Sort by: 6 Recommendations {{numTotalPoiResults}} {{ (numTotalPoiResults===1)?'Recommendation':'Recommendations' }} 0 Recommendations
CLEAR ALL Area Search CLEAR ALL
Loading...
  • 1. UMU Café

    $$

    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 pies, 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.

    22 Wharf Rd., Coromandel, Waikato, 3506, New Zealand
    07-866–8618

    Known For

    • Fish and mussel chowders
    • House-baked cakes
    • Fair-trade coffee
  • 2. Babinka Restaurant and Bar

    $$

    A delightful blend of cuisines can be found here, from authentic curries from Sri Lanka and India to modern New Zealand classics, including seafood specialties and quality steaks. There’s also a breakfast menu, and local and imported beers and wines from the bar.

    62 The Strand, Bay of Plenty, 3120, New Zealand
    07-307--0009

    Known For

    • <PRO>refreshing mango lassi</PRO>
    • <PRO>relaxed ambience</PRO>
    • <PRO>house-baked desserts</PRO>

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed 2--5
  • 3. Café 4u

    $$

    Salted-caramel, white-chocolate, and creme-custard donuts are among the decadent favorites at this central Whakatane café. However, sandwiches and savory pies are other options from the cabinet, and you can order from a full breakfast and lunch menu for something cooked freshly on site. The small lemon meringue pies are snapped up quickly, too, but you'll always have something to choose from in the house baking line.  Indoor and outdoor seating is available.

    93 The Strand, Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
    07-308--6549

    Known For

    • Central location close to shops
    • House-made cereal for breakfast
    • Great coffee

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner
  • 4. Go Vino

    $$

    This café’s small shared plates feature an eclectic fusion of Asian and classic European flavors with a strong Kiwi touch. Try the tea leaf salad, Burmese-style, with roasted soy beans, peanuts, kawakawa (a pepper-flavored native plant), cabbage, and tomato; ostrich and beef cheek; or the braised octopus with nectarines. Sit inside in candlelight or under the trees in the buzzy garden with the locals.

    19 Captain Cook Rd., Waikato, 3591, New Zealand
    07-867--1215

    Known For

    • Great pizzas
    • Selection of fusion dishes
    • Dessert platters

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Tues. and Wed.
  • 5. SixfortySix

    $$

    This café boasts of being the friendliest place in town, and the day-long crowds support the claim. Inside, you'll find good coffee, fresh pastries, and a paper roll menu (as they call it) listing fresh, wholesome breakfasts and lunches like house-smoked salmon, salads, and classic burgers. Dinner is served in December and January and over long weekends. There's a generous selection of gluten- and dairy-free options, too. It's the sort of place where surfers might be seated alfresco next to older folks out for a balmy afternoon coffee.

    646 Port Rd., Whangamata, Waikato, 3620, New Zealand
    07-865–6117

    Known For

    • Spiced breakfast bircher museli
    • Quality Kokako roast coffee
    • Alfresco dining

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner Wed.--Fri.
  • Recommended Fodor’s Video

  • 6. White Island Café

    $$

    At the base of Moutohora Island Tours, run by Ngati Awa Tourism, this place specializes in breakfast and lunch. The café opens up from 7 am to 2 pm, and its right by the water, as good an excuse as any to try the delicious seafood chowder with its mix of prawns, calamari, fish, and mussels. Also recommended is the potato and kale soup with red roasted almonds. The café serves a hearty Kiwi breakfast and also specializes in fresh-baked pastries.

    15 The Strand E, Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, 3120, New Zealand
    07-308–9588

    Known For

    • Great coffee
    • Selection of egg dishes
    • Tasty scones

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner

No Restaurants Results

Please try a broader search, or expore these popular suggestions:

There are no results for {{ strDestName}} Restaurants in the searched map area with the above filters. Please try a different area on the map, or broaden your search with these popular suggestions:

Recommended Fodor’s Video