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. There are gardens and lavender and rosemary hedges to wander, plus a resident cat called Mud who collects pats from anyone passing.
You've got two ways to eat: the flagship Mudbrick Restaurant does a three-course a la carte for $130, a five-course tasting for $185 and a seven-course for $220, and the Archive Bistro is the laid-back one, with a garden terrace for sunny afternoons, a fire and panoramic windows for colder nights, and walk-ins welcome, so if there's no table you can start with a tasting or a drink at the rooftop bar.
The cellar team runs the tastings, or you can take a self guided walk through the grounds and vines, and carrying your glass up the hill to the bean bags is a fine way to lose an afternoon. Book the restaurant ahead, flag any allergies when you do since the kitchen adjusts most dishes with notice, and if you'd rather not move there are cottages on the property for the night.
Written from 1,570 Google reviews, every one we could get, on 12 November 2026. Rated 4.5 from 1,532 Google reviews.
Book it for a big occasion and you get what you came for, because the view, the room and the cooking are all excellent, and you'll be planning a return before dessert is cleared. It costs a lot and the odd plate isn't perfect, but the whole operation is put together with real care.
Oysters are the thing to order first, sweet and fresh, with the house focaccia and Waiheke olive oil alongside. The lamb and the eye fillet are the reliable mains, the scallops and the market fish suit anyone eating lighter, and the chocolate dessert is the usual finish.
When it's good the waiters know the menu and the wine list and will steer you to a pairing that works. Birthdays and anniversaries get a glass of bubbles and writing on the dessert plate, though at busy times you can wait a long while for a drink or stand at the door ungreeted.
The view is the whole point, with the Hauraki Gulf and the Auckland skyline laid out below and the sunset pulling every head to the windows. The restaurant slides its glass doors open in the evening, there's a fire for winter, and the bean bags up among the vines are made for long, slow afternoons.
It's priced like an occasion, with the restaurant at $130 for three courses and $220 for seven, and drinks and sides mount up fast, so come expecting a proper spend. The cooking mostly justifies the price, though the portions can feel small against it.
It's built for the big stuff: anniversaries, milestone birthdays, proposals and weddings are what fill the booking book here. Groups are well looked after with set menus for twelve or more, and a long lunch in the bistro suits a celebration that rolls into the afternoon.
Check before you ferry over, because the restaurant closes for weddings and private events, and at peak times you can wait a long while for a table or a greeting. Tastings sometimes arrive as four wines in one unrinsed glass, and the complaint that recurs most is of being treated differently to the table next to you.
Every fact on this page was checked on 8 November 2026 against Google, Mudbrick Vineyard and Restaurant's own website and 1,570 of its Google reviews. The photo is from the eatout library, not taken here, and no venue pays to be listed or ranked. Something out of date? Tell us
Oneroa
★ 4.6 from 321 Google reviews
The walk up from the Matiatia ferry takes about half an hour, or five minutes in a cab, and at the top of Church Bay Road you find the Archive on the relaxed side of Mudbrick, with vines running downhill, the Hauraki Gulf spread out in front of you and Auckland's skyline across the water.
Winery restaurants · Oneroa
★ 4.0 from 1,183 Google reviews
The ferry from Auckland takes about 35 minutes, and from Matiatia it's a two-minute drive or a 15 to 20 minute walk along the coastal track to a hilltop, where the restaurant's floor-to-ceiling windows look out over the Hauraki Gulf and the Auckland skyline across 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.
French · Oneroa · $
★ 4.9 from 186 Google reviews
Doors open at 6.30 in the morning, which tells you plenty about how Oneroa treats Island Frenchie: it's a breakfast and lunch cafe first, and an early ferry or a day at the beach both start better with coffee and something baked here.
Italian · Oneroa · $$
★ 4.5 from 1,020 Google reviews
Start your day with eggs benedict and a flat white on the terrace, then come back at night for a glass of Waiheke red beside the fire, because Fenice runs from 8.30 in the morning until late, seven days a week.
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.
