Wai Kitchen
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.
- Brunch
- Dog-friendly
- Gluten-free options
- Kid-friendly
Red Crab bar and Thai restaurant
from 351 Google reviews
About Red Crab bar and Thai restaurant
Red Crab sits on Ocean View Road above Oneroa Bay, and it's the kind of Thai restaurant you'd build a whole Waiheke day around, with a deck looking out over the water and a menu that draws on Thailand's four regions. It's from the team behind Mai Thai, Thai Street and Grasshopper, and the kitchen's got Thai chefs and uses locally sourced ingredients, so the flavours stay light, fresh and balanced, plus there's a dine-in menu and a bar for cocktails and wine.
You can come for lunch or dinner from noon, book a table if you're bringing a group, or order takeaway if you'd rather eat elsewhere. Start with curry puffs, because they're the crisp little parcels that keep turning up, add prawn cakes or money bags for the table, then share a whole snapper, a duck curry, the Choo Chee prawns or a pad Thai, and try to sit outside on the deck where the bay view is the main event.
- Gluten-free options
- Kid-friendly
- Sea or water view
- Takes bookings
- Outdoor seating
What diners say
Written from 358 Google reviews, every one we could get, on 12 November 2026. Rated 4.0 from 351 Google reviews.
Overall verdict
The view and the best Thai dishes make Red Crab an easy yes for a long lunch in Oneroa, and it feels like the sort of place locals keep coming back to rather than a one-off holiday stop. It isn't flawless, with service and consistency letting it down at times, but the setting and a well-chosen main still make it worth the trip.
Dishes people recommend
The dishes to order are curry puffs and prawn cakes to start, then pad Thai, whole snapper, duck curry or Choo Chee prawns. The curry puffs are crisp little parcels, the whole snapper makes a proper centrepiece, and the pork belly is a generous plate if you want something richer.
Service
Service is warm and helpful when it goes well, with staff adjusting dishes for gluten-free or vegan needs and keeping the mood friendly at lunch. The other side is a brusque welcome or a long wait, and those moments can sour the evening.
Atmosphere and setting
The setting is the real draw, with a deck and dining room looking over Oneroa Bay, the beach and the water. The best tables are outside or by the window, where the view opens up and the room stays quiet enough for conversation over lunch.
Value for money
Value is decent rather than amazing, with generous curry and stir-fry portions at moderate prices, and the lunch specials are the easiest way to eat well without spending much. Some dishes, particularly the salads, feel steep for what arrives, so order carefully and share a couple of plates.
Best for
Best for a long lunch, a family meal or an easy dinner with friends, especially when you can sit outside and let the bay view do the work. Birthdays and groups work well, kids are welcome, and takeaway is a good fallback if you'd rather eat elsewhere.
Common complaints
Watch out for slow service and uneven food when the restaurant is busy, with long waits for drinks and mains and the odd dish arriving bland, salty or short on chilli. The welcome can also be blunt to the point of rude, so book ahead and ask about wait times if you're on a schedule or celebrating something.
How we checked this
Every fact on this page was checked on 8 November 2026 against Google, Red Crab bar and Thai restaurant's own website and 358 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
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