There are twelve places where the sand is a few steps from your table, and the standouts are Charlie Farley's on Onetangi Beach, Three Seven Two across the road for a long lunch, and Man O' War Vineyards for the setting.
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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 · $$
★ 4.2 from 2,107 Google reviews
With your feet still sandy from Onetangi Beach, you cross The Strand and settle in at a table that looks straight back out over the water, because that view is the whole reason this place has been part of the island since 1987.
Onetangi · $$
★ 4.4 from 992 Google reviews
You step off the bus at Onetangi and there it is, a glass-walled dining room looking straight out over the sand and surf of Onetangi Beach, with the sea right in front of your table.
Onetangi · $
★ 4.6 from 621 Google reviews
You get off the bus at Onetangi, cross The Strand, and there's the beach in front of you and a white-clothed terrace between you and the sand.
Pubs and bars · Oneroa · $
★ 4.4 from 812 Google reviews
The deck looks straight over Oneroa Beach and the bay, close enough that you can watch the water change colour while you decide between a glass of Waiheke chardonnay and an Argentine malbec.
Cafes · Palm Beach · $$
★ 4.5 from 593 Google reviews
Arcadia is at the western end of Palm Beach, on Palm Road, a thirty-second walk from the sand.
Pubs and bars · Oneroa · $
★ 4.8 from 268 Google reviews
You'll spot the sandwich board on Ocean View Road in Oneroa before you find the bar itself, because Aperitivo sits down a flight of steps, around a corner at the back of the alley, with a balcony that looks straight out over the water.
Japanese and sushi · Oneroa · $
★ 5.0 from 158 Google reviews
There's a little sushi counter in the middle of Oneroa village, a short walk from the beach, where you'll find some of Waiheke's freshest fish and a very easy lunch.
Cafes · Oneroa · $$
★ 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.
Takeaways · Oneroa · $
★ 4.3 from 271 Google reviews
Just a minute's walk from the sand at Little Oneroa Beach, on Goodwin Avenue, this is the kind of takeaway you build a beach day around, with a menu that runs from snapper and chips to burgers, hot dogs and deep-fried Moro bars.
Pizza · Oneroa · $
★ 4.8 from 53 Google reviews
Wood smoke, bare feet and a pizza box carried across the grass to the beach: that's lunch at Little Oneroa Reserve, where a food truck parks beside the playground and cooks wood fired street food from late morning.
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.
At Oneroa, the deck at Vino Vino looks straight out over the beach and the bay, and Arcadia sits a minute's walk off the sand at Palm Beach. Ki Māha gives you big sea views from the deck right across from Onetangi Beach.
For fish and chips with a view, The Local is down the stairs in Oneroa with a deck over the bay, and Little Oneroa Takeaways is less than a minute from Little Oneroa Beach. Dragonfired parks its wood-fired pizza van in Little Oneroa Reserve, a few steps from the sand, and Beach Store sits just as close to Onetangi Beach. Red Crab has a deck over the bay in Oneroa village, and Oneroa Sushi is a short walk from the sand when you want a quick roll before the ferry.
Charlie Farley's, Ki Māha, Three Seven Two, Vino Vino, Arcadia, Red Crab and Dragonfired all take bookings, and Man O' War is worth reserving ahead for lunch or a tasting, especially for groups of 12 or more. The Local, Little Oneroa Takeaways, Beach Store and Oneroa Sushi are counter service, so you order and then find a seat.
The Local in Oneroa does beer-battered snapper and has a deck over the bay, Little Oneroa Takeaways is less than a minute from Little Oneroa Beach, and Beach Store at Onetangi switches to crumbed fish and chips in summer. Charlie Farley's also does fish and chips a few steps off Onetangi sand.
