10 great places to eat close to Auckland
With winter setting in there’s nothing better than sitting down to a sumptuous meal with family and friends.
And it’s even better if combined with a trip out of town to see what the region around Auckland has to offer.
Here are 10 recommendations for great restaurants, cafes and pubs within a 100kms drive of Auckland.
All have a different character, flavours and some are steeped in history and tradition.
And there are plenty of activities to fire up your appetite, whether you are heading north, south, east or west.
And remember, don’t drink and drive and it’s best to have a designated driver.
Puhoi Pub, Puhoi, State Highway 1 (44 kms or 45 mins drive north)
Puhoi, meaning “slow water” in Maori, is one of only two ethnic villages in New Zealand, the other being Akaroa, on the Bank’s Peninsula, 75kms outside Christchurch, in the South Island.
The village is at the gateway to the popular Matakana coast wine country region with its many vineyards and beaches, a favourite weekend haunt for Aucklanders throughout the year.
Originally settled in 1863 by people from Bohemia, a region now part of the Czech Republic, Puhoi village retains much of its character and culture, which is on display in the Puhoi Historical Society’s Bohemian Museum and the Puhoi Town Library. This will be one of the smallest libraries you will ever visit!
Puhoi is also famous for its cheese and visitors can stock up their pantry at the Puhoi Valley Café and Cheese Store.
At the centre of the village is the Puhoi Pub, one of the last historical pubs left in the Southern hemisphere.
It has a great menu and varieties of craft beer and local wines on offer.
But the pub is also a museum in itself and you will want to spend some time looking at the photos and memorabilia.
Sated, you will leave filled with a sense of nostalgia, and some great food from the excellent bistro and its daily specials.
Brick Bay Farm, Sandspit (65 kms or 1 hour’s drive north)
Brick Bay Farm is a unique experience combining a sculpture trail walk, a winery and The Glass House Kitchen Restaurant, with views of the bays and Kawau Island beyond.
Originally a family farm, the name Brick Bay comes from the typical small Kiwi beach to the east, that’s fringed by Pohutukawa trees.
A brick works was established here in the 1840s using local clay and even today at low tide you can see some old discarded bricks.
The community of post office, store, hotel and a camp for gum diggers has now gone, along with the Kauri forest that once stretched down to the water’s edge.
The Brick Bay Sculpture Trail was established in 2007 and winds through native forest, past small lakes and vineyard rows, on boardwalks and paths.
Along the way there are around 45 carefully chosen sculptures showing the very best of contemporary NZ sculpture. All are for sale, so they change frequently after being sold.
The sculpture trail is a great way to build an appetite before returning to the Glass House Kitchen to enjoy a coffee, a glass of wine or a platter of great food from a menu full of local produce.
Leigh Sawmill Café, Leigh (80 kms or a 1 hour 10 min’s drive north)
Leigh by the Sea is a small coastal village that boasts one of the best marine reserve snorkelling and diving in the North Island.
Even in winter, with a wetsuit you can swim with the brightly coloured fish before heading to the Leigh Sawmill Café for lunch or dinner. Equipment is available at The Octopus Hideaway or Goat Island Dive.
But if it seems a bit cold to go in the water try the Goat Island Glass Bottomed Boat for a trip around the island reserve and a view of everything under the water, but staying dry.
As its name suggests the Leigh Sawmill Café has a past as playing a central role in the local logging industry, when the hills around were clad in Kauri.
The Café comes into its own in summer with a large garden for outside dining but with an impressive open fire it’s also cosy in winter.
And with a micro-brewery attached you could find yourself settling in for a while especially if you want to take advantage of the Sawmill’s gig guide.
Leigh is a great base for discovering the wider local area. Some of the activities on offer include: horse riding on Pakiri Beach, tramping in the beautiful Tawharanui Regional Park or the wandering around the Matakana Farmer’s Market.
And if you want to stay longer, there’s always the Sawmill’s Boutique Accommodation, which is just a few paces from the restaurant.
Bracu, The Simunovich Olive Estate, Bombay (40 kms or 45 min’s drive south)
Named after the Croatian Adriatric island of Brac, where the Simunovich family olive growing heritage started, Bracu is now billed as Auckland’s finest country restaurant.
The Kauri Villa restaurant is nestled on the edge of the Simunovich Olive Estate among a vast olive grove that produces virgin olive oil, as well as many skin care and beauty products that follow recipes passed down the generations of the Simunovich family.
The experience is one of the best combinations of fine restaurant dining in a relaxing atmosphere, and Bracu has been recognised for its quality with local awards from the likes of Metro Magazine and Cuisine.
Head Chef Mikey Newlands and his team offer both a la carte and degustation menus, with seasonal offerings from the Estate and locally grown produce.
Here you can really relax over a long lunch or dinner, taking in the views across the olive groves and rolling pastures of the Bombay Hills.
But there’s more than just a restaurant.
For those who want some excitement, the estate has partnered with Beretta, the 500 year old gun manufacturer.
Beretta at Bracu offers claybird shooting, air pistols, archery and even knife throwing, as a group, corporate or team building experience.
Villa Maria, Vineyard Café, Mangere, Auckland (25 kms or 25 min’s drive south)
In 1961, George Fistonich leased five acres of land from his father, planted an acre of vines and started a journey as one of the founding fathers of New Zealand wine.
In March 2015, this journey of passion, determination and vision was celebrated with Villa Maria being named the fourth most admired wine brand in the world, by Drinks International, and the only NZ winery to be in the top 10 list.
In the early 60s, the Villa Maria Ihumateo vineyard was rural with little around but pasture and the small township of Mangere.
Just a few kilometres from Auckland International Airport it is now a tranquil haven within the bustle of the airport hinterland.
The Vineyard Café is open for lunches daily with an a la carte menu, platters and of course an extensive wine list.
A visit is a chance to soak in the atmosphere and history of being at the centre of the relatively youthful, but world standard, New Zealand wine industry.
Riverhead Tavern, Riverhead (26 kms or 25 min’s drive west)
At 153 year’s old, the Riverhead Tavern is believed to be New Zealand’s oldest riverside tavern.
Nestled in the upper reaches of the Waitemata Harbour it is steeped in local history and played a part in the development of early New Zealand, with thousands using the wharf and hotel on their way north, before roads and rail were built.
In 2010, the building was extensively renovated and reopened with the Landing Restaurant and the Portage Neighbourhood Bar serving fresh New Zealand food with flair, great beers, local wines and fine coffee.
It might be close to the City but here you will feel a world away – and if you prefer, you can even arrive on the Riverhead Ferry from downtown Auckland.
Provenance, Matua Valley Eatery and Store, Waimauku, (32 kms, 30 mins drive west)
This day-time eatery is a great place to stop before heading off to explore the west coast beach of Muriwai, famous for its gannet colony, or head north to all the adventure pursuits on offer in the Woodhill Forest.
The restaurant has a menu full of simple dishes designed to show off fresh produce sourced from local farms and suppliers. Many of the ingredients come from the restaurant’s own kitchen garden.
Provenance Eatery and Store is part of the very successful HIP Group, which has cafés in and around Auckland in St Heliers, Kohimarama, Takapuna, Britomart, Grey Lynn and Parnell, and in the Bay of Plenty at Waihi Beach.
It also runs the Matua Valley Farm and The Butchery, which supply produce to its cafes. So a visit to Provenance will put you at the heart of some of the best food on offer at cafés around Auckland.
Worth a visit!
Piha Beach Café, Piha, West Auckland (40 kms, just under an hour’s drive west)
You can’t visit Auckland without visiting a beach for brunch or lunch, so for something a little more down to earth try the Piha Beach Café, situated next to one of the most famous strands in the land.
Serving wholesome organic food and Kokako coffee, this is an ideal spot to stop before, or after, a beach walk, surf or tramp through the sub-tropical forest covering the hills along the coast.
Piha is one of New Zealand’s most famous surf beaches. With black sand and pounding Tasman surf it can be moody, misty, mysterious and wild – perfect for a winter’s walk before cosying up to a warm drink back at the Piha Beach Café.
Piha is also next door to Karekare Beach, the backdrop to the Oscar winning 1993 film, The Piano, starring Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill and Ana Paquin.
Equally dramatic to Piha, if you visit, you will stepping on to a movie set.
Turanga Creek, Down to Earth Wine Bar and Cellar Door, Whitford (28kms or 40 mins drive east)
Whitford is a rural community that’s just outside the city boundary so it’s become a haven for large properties and lifestyle blocks. It’s close to beaches and on the way to regional parks such as Omana and Duder, and walks in the Hunua Ranges.
Turanga Creek is just across the road from the Whitford Park Golf Club and is proud to be 90% organic with “vegetables from the garden, lamb from the fields, eggs from the chickens and wine from the grapes.”
And if wine and cheese is your favourite, the organic cheeses come from The Cheese Barn and Wholesmoked NZ.
Open for lunch, apart from Fridays when it’s also open late for pizzas, Turanga Creek was the first winery to be certified organic in Auckland, in 2011.
Vin Alto, Clevedon, (40 kms, 40 mins drive south-east)
Vin Alto combines Italian inspired hospitality, with a vineyard, olive grove and a deer farm – probably the only place in New Zealand to do so!
It is the realisation of a dream for Enzo Bettio and his family, with a boutique winery dedicated to Italian style wines, combining old world charm with new world flair.
The wine varieties produced include Pinot Grigio, various blends of Montepulciano, Barbera and Merlot as well as Amarone and Ripasso style wines.
Enzo has been at the forefront of the introduction of Italian grape varieties, which are becoming increasingly popular.
Vin Alto runs Enoteca Sunday Lunches throughout the year.
The concept of Enoteca dates back to Roman times when a country wine bar would serve local wines with small plates of regional food or fresh produce from the farm.
This would be prepared in the Enoteca kitchen by the family or wife of the host, very often using old family recipes and methods. The wine always remained at centre stage however, and the food was there to make them shine.
This special tradition has been brought to Vin Alto by Enzo and his family. Winter Sunday lunches will take place on 21st June, and the 16th and 23rd August.
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Whether at the start of a longer trip to New Zealand, using up time at the end or just wanting to find a great place to eat outside town, a trip out of Auckland for a meal is a great way to spend a day.
But if you are planning on having a drink with your meal, make sure you have a designated driver.
To have more to spend on your meal try hiring a cheap car rental from a company like New Zealand Discount Car Rentals.
From its Auckland International Airport base, daily rates start at $14.95 for a short term rental and could be as low as $9.95 a day for a minimum of 40 days.
And with a large fleet of high quality vehicles from small hatchbacks to people movers you will find a car and rental period that suits your plans.
Remember we drive on the left side of the road. Please drive safely and enjoy the hospitality New Zealand has to offer.