Wanaka Restaurants

This Kashmiri and Indian restaurant is great, the flavours of the dishes are wholesome and full.

A lot of Indian restaurants can taste the same but not this one, the chef does a great mix of herbs and spices to give each dish an amazing flavour. The usual mix of mild, medium and hot, but be warned, the flavours added make each dish taste that little bit hoter.

The restaurant serves up a menu with all the typical Indian dishes but with a couple of unique Kashmir region dishes. The restaurant is a mere 5 min walk from downtown along Ardmore street towards the puzzling world maze past the Aspiring Hotel and Bullock Bar.

The restaurant is fully licensed and is also BYO which makes things a lot cheaper when you can bring your own nice bottle (or two) of wine.

This is one of the best Indian restaurants I have eaten in. You should visit and enjoy the flavours!

Favorite Dish: Kasmiri Kofta - either in starter (entree) size or main, this dish is an amazing serving of spiced and herbed lamb mince, potatoe and onion balls pan fried and served with onion and tomato - absolutely delicious.

A great shist rock and timber beams decor serving some of the best pizza you will find.

It has a nice little bar area and when the open fire is roaring in Winter, its superb. It also has a nice outdoor area for summer and the many pleasant evenings Wanaka experiences.

It also has a pasta / spagetti menu and a full array of wines & beers and the serving staff are usually young, overseas folk in for skiing or other holiday work. Very friendly laid back place.

Favorite Dish: The pizza's are to die for! Try "Her Majesty's Pleasure".

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When the Cardrona Hotel first opened its doors way back in the 1860s, it was one of four hotels in what was then a booming goldrush town. Now it is one of the little town's last survivors of those times, and those who come to drink at its bar are no longer thirsty miners and stockmen but skiiers and tourists. After many years of neglect and even closure, the pub was restored in the 80s and totally refurbished in 2002 and has become a popular stopping point along the scenic Crown Range Road between Wanaka and Queenstown and the hub of the town's apres-ski life in winter. I've no doubt it's all somewhat more refined these days, but the old pub still has lots of charm, and the addition of a lovely garden set out with tables and benches made it a great place to stop on a fine, and only slightly chilly, Autumn day for a long Sunday lunch.

Favorite Dish: New Zealand's famous for its lamb and a dish of meltingly tender double cooked (roasted then braised in red wine) lamb shanks served with buttery kumara (orange sweet potato) mash was just the thing to set MrL's taste buds salivating. More lamb for me - but mine was lamb and mint sausages served with flavoursome onion gravy and more of that kumara mash.
Sticky date pudding for afters was tempting, but we couldn't even manage to share one between us - next time ...

Simple, hearty food, the sort of thing you expect from a pub - well cooked, generous portions all served up with a great New Zealand smile.

This is a great breakfast / lunch or late afternoon dining place. Serves tasty, filling modern food and is BYO. It does a mean coffee as well.

It is not open in the evenings or night, except it does have extended hours in the peak of summer.

Has a great spot with a courtyard looking down Lake Wanaka and is right in the middle of town.

Missy's (despite the rather twee name) is as stylish as anything you would expect to find in the city or Wanaka's big neighbor, Queenstown. The views from the balconies and the wide windows are spectacular, and the food - and the service - live up to the promise of all this style. It's certainly right at the top of the tree as far as Wanaka's fine dining experiences go.

As Missy's was a new arrival in town since our last visit to Wanaka, I have only the one visit to base an opinion on. There's no doubting the food was delicious and we certainly couldn't fault the service. It's a pity they're not open for lunch - once the sun goes down (and it did that early in Autumn when we were there) the glorious view is gone, but I've no doubt, on a long summer evening, the outside tables would all be packed.

Favorite Dish: I can never resist rabbit; accompanying fresh house-made tagliatelle it was an entree listing the night we were there, but the restaurant was happy to serve me a larger portion as a main course. Delicately flavoured with thyme and white wine - it was delicious.

MrL orderied pork, the crackling looked and tasted perfect ( well, I had to have a little taste, didn't I? Who can resist that golden, salty crunch?)

Both dishes went beautifully with a bottle of local Chard Farm Pinot Noir and set us up well for a slow walk up the hill to our bed at Te Wanaka Lodge.

Missy's menu changes regularly to take advantage of what is best and seasonal.

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No visit to Wanaka is complete for us without a visit to The White House. Owner Pete Scott's intention is that his dinner guests should feel as if they are guests in his own house, so there are only a few tables set out in a couple of rooms in a distinctive white and blue Art Deco house that sits in a garden behind a high white wall. Oriental rugs on the wooden floors and a blazing winter-time fire add to the scene - and with bookings for 4 being the maximum and plenty of space between tables (which Pete actually has had bolted to the floor so his "no groups policy cannot be hijacked), you can really settle in for an evening of good (and interesting) food, a great choice of wine and, likely as not, some good conversation with Pete - a traveller, book lover and all round interesting character.

Tables are set out in the secluded garden in the summer - perfect for Wanaka's balmy twilit evenings.

Favorite Dish: The emphasis here is on Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours, with something of a wholefood touch - lots of vegetables and salads, pulses and grains along with quality meat , fish and seafood - vegetarians and vegans can expect something far more interesting than the usual selections they find on restaurant menus, though serious carnivores may feel there's something lacking. Everything is seasonal, locally sourced wherever possible, and of utmost freshness. House-made bread is a feature, and puddings are positively decadent.

The wine list is very extensive and includes the very best of New Zealand's wines, all of which are available by the glass. Boutique beers are also available.

We've been eating at Relishes for more than 10 years now, and have never yet had a both a meal and an evening we haven't enjoyed thoroughly. Friendly staff, a warm and welcoming slightly rustic atmosphere (but not self-consciously so), and a menu featuring local produce - well prepared and presented, innovative but not pretentious, make Relishes justly popular with Wanaka locals and visitors alike. you'd be well advised to book, especially at peak times.
Our visits have always been at Easter time - chilly evenings making the big log fire a welcome feature.

Favorite Dish: There have been so many good meals over the years - it's hard to choose one above another, but the venison is always good, lamb of course and there have been some excellent fish dishes that have produced appreciative lip-smacking. Good vegetable accompaniments, delicious soups and starters and memorable puddings have all featured in their turn. Servings are ample but not overlarge, so you can be sure you'll enjoy every morsel.

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We arrived to town late on a Sunday night and very hungry. The Bombay Palace was just about the only place open and the staff welcomed us. Situated upstairs in a small shopping mall right in the centre of town, the atmosphere was great.

We shared a Bollywood banquet for 2 and absolutely loved it.

Favorite Dish: We had a tatse of just about everything with the bollywood banquet and highly recommend it.