Obee's Waiheke

Start with the pāua and mussel fritter or a half dozen oysters, then get the mussels in white wine, garlic and leek, which have converted people who swore they didn't like green-lipped mussels. Fish and chips, with light crisp batter and chips fried in lard, is the other order that comes up constantly, and crayfish from the live tanks with garlic butter is the celebration plate. Pizza runs Thursday to Sunday, and the gelato caravan next door ends the meal.

The owner works the room and will happily talk you through how a dish is cooked, and the staff are warm with big groups and families. It slows down when the room fills, so settle in with a drink.

Every table gets a slice of the view, inside or out, with the outdoor seats looking down over Oneroa beach and across to the Coromandel. There's a shaded garden and a beer garden, so it stays relaxed rather than formal, and dogs are welcome. The heated toilet seats get their own mentions.

Prices are modest for the island, and people are pleased to find somewhere this good that doesn't cost winery money. A few small plates have felt light for the money, the prawns and raw fish especially, so order the mussels or the fish and chips if you're hungry.

Families do well here, with room outside for kids to move and dogs under the table, and so do groups, whether it's six for brunch or a work meeting. Birthdays and honeymoons get the same easy treatment, and a long lunch that ends at the gelato caravan is the obvious plan.