You'll find 87 places to eat on Waiheke Island, from vineyard long lunches and Oneroa cafes to beach fish and chips, takeaways and bars, with kid-friendly, dog-friendly and gluten-free spots all sorted.
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The first three places in each part of the island, and which of them are open right now.
Winery restaurants · Oneroa · $$$
★ 4.5 from 1,532 Google reviews
The last stretch of Church Bay Road brings you out on a ridge above the Hauraki Gulf, with vines dropping away below and the Auckland skyline across the water, and it's the kind of view that stops you mid sentence.
Cafes · Oneroa · $
★ 4.8 from 944 Google reviews
The coffee hits you before you've picked a seat, and there's a seat for every mood: a small terrace out front on Ocean View Road, a bar top facing the street, and a few tables inside where the road noise drops away.
Seafood · Oneroa
★ 4.5 from 1,395 Google reviews
You'll be looking out over Oneroa Bay from the verandah, and on a good day a dolphin or two goes past while you work through oysters that were in the water off the Te Matuku farm that morning.
Ostend · $
★ 4.6 from 327 Google reviews
You'll find it in the small run of shops on Belgium Street in Ostend, a takeaway counter turning out pizza, kebabs and fried rice for pickup or delivery right across Waiheke Island.
Burgers · Ostend · $
★ 4.9 from 223 Google reviews
A little burger caravan sits on Putiki Road in Ostend, right beside the RAW market, with outdoor tables and a menu that runs from smash burgers to tacos, chips and thick shakes.
Cafes · Ostend · $
★ 4.6 from 212 Google reviews
The view from your table is a car park and the back of the PlaceMakers building, which tells you everything about what this place is: a cafe that puts its effort into the food rather than the scenery.
Pubs and bars · Onetangi · $$
★ 4.8 from 947 Google reviews
You can lose a whole afternoon on these four acres without moving far from your table, starting with lunch under the trees and finishing with a beer flight, a whisky tasting and a turn in one of the golf simulator bays.
Pubs and bars · Onetangi · $$
★ 4.2 from 2,107 Google reviews
With your feet still sandy from Onetangi Beach, you cross The Strand and settle in at a table that looks straight back out over the water, because that view is the whole reason this place has been part of the island since 1987.
Pubs and bars · Onetangi
★ 4.3 from 1,594 Google reviews
The driveway climbs off Onetangi Road between vines and olive trees, and it finishes on a hillside veranda looking across a valley where horses graze on the far slope.
Pubs and bars · Surfdale
★ 4.3 from 290 Google reviews
This family-run spot on Hamilton Road in Surfdale does thin-crust pizzas and slow-cooked curries, and that combo is exactly why you'll want to stop in on your way through.
Cafes · Surfdale
★ 4.7 from 147 Google reviews
Bisou sits on Miami Avenue in Surfdale, a short drive from the car ferry and about half an hour's walk from Oneroa, and it's the sort of small French-leaning cafe you build a morning around.
Cafes · Surfdale
★ 4.9 from 70 Google reviews
You'll spot this little cafe floating at the Waiheke Marina on Donald Bruce Road in Surfdale, a short hop from the car ferry and a world away from a standard island pit stop.
Winery restaurants · Eastern Waiheke
★ 4.5 from 1,379 Google reviews
You reach the far north-eastern end of Waiheke by a long, winding gravel road, by the Explore ferry straight into Man O' War Bay, or by boat onto the beach, and that journey is part of the day out.
Winery restaurants · Eastern Waiheke · $$$
★ 4.5 from 370 Google reviews
Drive to the quiet end of Waiheke, down a gravel road that feels like it leads nowhere, and you arrive in a valley that looks a lot like Tuscany: gardens, vines on the hills, ducks and geese on the lawn and a restaurant looking out over the whole thing.
Pubs and bars · Eastern Waiheke
★ 4.6 from 196 Google reviews
You drive out past Onetangi, along Orapiu Road towards Stony Batter, and leave the hop-on hop-off crowds behind at a working vineyard with vines running down towards a view of Te Matuku Bay and the Hauraki Gulf beyond.
Waiheke Island has 87 places to eat, spread across Oneroa, Ostend, Onetangi, Surfdale and the quiet eastern end, and they run from a long vineyard lunch with estate wine to a paper parcel of snapper carried down to the sand. You reach it on a 35 minute ferry from downtown Auckland, and the eating follows the water, with 33 places in Oneroa, 24 in Ostend and 16 in Onetangi, while Surfdale has 7 and Eastern Waiheke 4. Start with Te Matuku oysters on the verandah at The Oyster Inn and you'll understand the pace, which is sunny, coastal and built around the view.
The vineyard restaurants are where you go for Waiheke's long lunches, with estate wine, set menus and views back across the Hauraki Gulf. Mudbrick Vineyard and Restaurant sits on the ridge with a Michelin-starred restaurant and the relaxed The Archive Bar & Bistro alongside it, both pouring wine from the property's own vines. Casita Miro serves tapas built on its organic garden, Tantalus Estate has a Michelin-starred kitchen above a cellar door and brewery, and Stonyridge Vineyard puts on a set lunch among the vines. Man O' War Vineyards ends a scenic drive at a beachfront cellar door, Poderi Crisci is the Italian long lunch in Awaawaroa Valley, and Passage Rock Wines & Restaurant opens its small room at weekends.
Know what you feel like? Here are the first three of each, with every one a click away.
Cafes · Oneroa · $
★ 4.8 from 944 Google reviews
The coffee hits you before you've picked a seat, and there's a seat for every mood: a small terrace out front on Ocean View Road, a bar top facing the street, and a few tables inside where the road noise drops away.
Cafes · Palm Beach · $$
★ 4.5 from 593 Google reviews
Arcadia is at the western end of Palm Beach, on Palm Road, a thirty-second walk from the sand.
Cafes · Oneroa
★ 4.5 from 407 Google reviews
It's the cabinet that gets you first: 24 freshly churned flavours at any one time, twenty of them permanent classics and four new specials every week, all made from scratch in their own production kitchen with local milk and fruit picked in season.
Cafes · Palm Beach · $$
★ 4.5 from 593 Google reviews
Arcadia is at the western end of Palm Beach, on Palm Road, a thirty-second walk from the sand.
Burgers · Ostend · $
★ 4.9 from 223 Google reviews
A little burger caravan sits on Putiki Road in Ostend, right beside the RAW market, with outdoor tables and a menu that runs from smash burgers to tacos, chips and thick shakes.
Cafes · Oneroa
★ 4.8 from 200 Google reviews
Follow the smell of hot batter down Ocean View Road in Oneroa and you'll find a silver vintage caravan with a small crowd waiting at the window, which is exactly what a crepe stand should look like.
Pubs and bars · Onetangi · $$
★ 4.8 from 947 Google reviews
You can lose a whole afternoon on these four acres without moving far from your table, starting with lunch under the trees and finishing with a beer flight, a whisky tasting and a turn in one of the golf simulator bays.
Cafes · Oneroa · $
★ 4.8 from 944 Google reviews
The coffee hits you before you've picked a seat, and there's a seat for every mood: a small terrace out front on Ocean View Road, a bar top facing the street, and a few tables inside where the road noise drops away.
Pubs and bars · Onetangi · $$
★ 4.2 from 2,107 Google reviews
With your feet still sandy from Onetangi Beach, you cross The Strand and settle in at a table that looks straight back out over the water, because that view is the whole reason this place has been part of the island since 1987.
Winery restaurants · Oneroa · $$$
★ 4.5 from 1,532 Google reviews
The last stretch of Church Bay Road brings you out on a ridge above the Hauraki Gulf, with vines dropping away below and the Auckland skyline across the water, and it's the kind of view that stops you mid sentence.
Winery restaurants · Eastern Waiheke
★ 4.5 from 1,379 Google reviews
You reach the far north-eastern end of Waiheke by a long, winding gravel road, by the Explore ferry straight into Man O' War Bay, or by boat onto the beach, and that journey is part of the day out.
Pubs and bars · Onetangi
★ 4.3 from 1,594 Google reviews
The driveway climbs off Onetangi Road between vines and olive trees, and it finishes on a hillside veranda looking across a valley where horses graze on the far slope.
Fish and chips · Surfdale · $
★ 4.2 from 140 Google reviews
On Miami Avenue in Surfdale, a couple of minutes' walk up from the beach, this bakery opens at six on weekday mornings and seven on weekends, and shuts by mid-afternoon, so it's made for breakfast, smoko and lunch rather than dinner.
Cafes · Ostend
★ 5.0 from 52 Google reviews
The croissants coming out of this Ostend oven are the sort people compare to a good French bakery, and more than one local will tell you they're the best on the island.
Bakeries · Ostend · $$
★ 4.6 from 65 Google reviews
At 30 Belgium Street in Ostend, this is the sort of bakery you build a Waiheke day around, with loaves, buns and pizza made from scratch and a cabinet full of sweet things.
Cafes · Palm Beach · $$
★ 4.5 from 593 Google reviews
Arcadia is at the western end of Palm Beach, on Palm Road, a thirty-second walk from the sand.
Cafes · Oneroa · $$
★ 4.0 from 591 Google reviews
The view hits you first: Oneroa Bay, the boats below and, on a clear day, Great Barrier Island on the horizon.
Cafes · Ostend · $
★ 4.6 from 212 Google reviews
The view from your table is a car park and the back of the PlaceMakers building, which tells you everything about what this place is: a cafe that puts its effort into the food rather than the scenery.
Fish and chips · Ostend · $
★ 5.0 from 104 Google reviews
A walkway slips through beside the Woolworths in Ostend and comes out on Putiki Road, where a small kiosk has built a serious reputation for fish and chips, the best on the island and, for plenty of eaters, the best they've had anywhere from England to Melbourne.
Fish and chips · Surfdale · $
★ 4.2 from 140 Google reviews
On Miami Avenue in Surfdale, a couple of minutes' walk up from the beach, this bakery opens at six on weekday mornings and seven on weekends, and shuts by mid-afternoon, so it's made for breakfast, smoko and lunch rather than dinner.
Fish and chips · Onetangi · $
★ 4.3 from 80 Google reviews
Onetangi Beach has its own store a few steps back from the sand at the end of Fourth Avenue, and it's where a Waiheke day tends to start: coffee and something from the cabinet before your swim, fish and chips once you're out of the water.
Burgers · Oneroa · $
★ 4.8 from 808 Google reviews
You'll find this little burger shop down an alley off Ocean View Road in Oneroa, a short walk from the beach and an easy stop on a Waiheke day trip.
Burgers · Ostend · $
★ 4.9 from 223 Google reviews
A little burger caravan sits on Putiki Road in Ostend, right beside the RAW market, with outdoor tables and a menu that runs from smash burgers to tacos, chips and thick shakes.
Burgers · Oneroa · $
★ 3.8 from 84 Google reviews
The view is the main draw, and it's a good one: from the outdoor tables on Ocean View Road you look out over the bay at Oneroa, with the village walkway behind you and the water out in front.
Japanese and sushi · Oneroa · $
★ 5.0 from 158 Google reviews
There's a little sushi counter in the middle of Oneroa village, a short walk from the beach, where you'll find some of Waiheke's freshest fish and a very easy lunch.
Japanese and sushi · Ostend · $
★ 4.8 from 42 Google reviews
You pick your base, your protein and your sauce, and the Nami bowl comes back loaded with prawn, salmon, chicken or tofu alongside whatever vegetables and pickles are in the cabinet that day, which makes for a filling lunch that keeps you going all afternoon.
Japanese and sushi · Onetangi · $
★ 4.6 from 38 Google reviews
A panko-fried tube of rice, filled and rolled tight so you can eat it one-handed on the way to the sand: that's the hand roll, and it's what has you pulling over on Onetangi Road.
See every cuisine on Waiheke Island
You'll find most of Waiheke's cafes on Oneroa's village strip, with Ocean View Road running down to the beach. Akito Eatery opens early for Turkish eggs and shakshuka, Island Frenchie bakes its own bread from 6.30am beside the bus stop, and Wai Kitchen looks over the bay with eggs Benedict on the menu. Fenice Cafe & Restaurant runs from breakfast through to late with pizza and pasta, Island Gelato Co. Waiheke scoops 24 flavours by bus stop number 3, and Oneroa Sushi is the small counter for a quick roll near the sand. In Ostend, Ostend Pizzeria keeps the oven going into the evening, Cappadocia deli Turkish serves mezze and iskender on Belgium Street, and Carpark Cafe & Bar Waiheke opens at 7am on weekdays for pies.
The beaches and takeaways are how a lot of Waiheke days actually get eaten, with sand, paper wrappers and no need to book. Charlie Farley's sits a few steps off Onetangi sand and opens for coffee and breakfast, which runs until 11, Three Seven Two is across the road with Te Matuku oysters and whole flounder, and Arcadia is at the western end of Palm Beach. TOO FAT BUNS hands out gloves with its Man Bun down an alley off Ocean View Road, The Local serves beer-battered snapper above Oneroa Bay, and Little Oneroa Takeaways is a minute from Little Oneroa Beach. The 3 Fishes cooks its catch to order in Ostend, and Dragonfired waiheke parks its pizza van in Little Oneroa Reserve.
If you're bringing kids or dogs, or you have dietary needs, Waiheke makes it easy, with 48 kid-friendly places, 39 dog-friendly ones and more than 20 each for vegan and gluten-free options. The Heke on Onetangi Road has a kids' menu, play equipment and a gluten-free pizza base, and Wild Estate keeps children busy with a playground and lawn games. Vino Vino Restaurant & Bar on the Oneroa beachfront handles groups of ten to sixteen with vegan and gluten-free options, and tibs food shack runs a dedicated gluten-free kitchen with vegetarian, vegan and keto plates. Floating Cafe KOKO at the Waiheke Marina bakes everything gluten free, rice bagels included, with a pontoon swim deck for the kids.
Booking ahead is the thing to sort before you cross, especially for dinner, weekends, holidays and any group, and it pays to know who opens on Mondays and who stays open late. Charlie Farley's and Fenice Cafe & Restaurant run into the evening, Waiheke RSA on Belgium Street stays open late and welcomes visitors signed in by a member, and Red Crab bar and Thai restaurant is a good last stop before the ferry but shuts on Mondays. Wai Kitchen is closed Wednesday, Arcadia opens Wednesday to Sunday, and Carpark Cafe & Bar Waiheke trades weekdays only, while Waiheke Ostend Market fills the War Memorial Hall on Saturday mornings.
Book ahead for dinner, weekends, holidays and any group, and sort a table before you cross on the ferry. The Social Waiheke takes bookings for dinner Wednesday to Sunday, and Paulie's Kitchen takes bookings inside the Surfdale bowling club, while walk-in spots like TOO FAT BUNS and Nippy Bites suit a casual feed.
SOHO Family Vineyards Cellar Door + Eatery on Onetangi Road has a deck over the vines for a long lunch, and Bistro Allpress at Gordons Road serves seasonal food among olive groves with a feasting menu for groups of 12 or more. Both sit close to the hop-on hop-off bus route, so you can build a slow afternoon without driving.
Plenty of places open on Mondays, 52 in total, including Te Motu Vineyard on Onetangi Road and Batch Winery & Thomas Estate on Carsons Road. Te Motu runs cellar door tastings from 12pm to 5pm every day, and Batch serves lunch from 11am to 5pm in summer and 4pm in winter, so you can plan a Monday around either without checking again.
The Middle Restaurant and Bar Waiheke Island in Surfdale has a garden where kids can run while curries, pizza and ribs come out, and Mily's in Ostend is a dog-friendly food truck cafe with Argentine pastries and Atomic coffee. There are 48 kid-friendly places and 39 dog-friendly ones on the island, so there's room to pick somewhere close to where you're staying.
There are plenty, with 23 gluten-free places and 21 vegan ones across the island, including The Loft in Ostend and Lily and Lotus concept store & Cafe on Belgium Street. The Loft runs a vegetarian kitchen with a gluten-free cheese scone, and Lily and Lotus cooks dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan food from family recipes, so you can eat well without settling for one token dish.
