White sand beaches, sunshine and surf, it’s all to be found in the Western Bay of Plenty but head to the coastal hub of Tauranga and Mount Maunganui and it soon becomes clear that locals are not short of a restaurant or two. Creative minds have always been drawn to the area, a happy by-product of which is a bounty of excellent eateries. We’ve rounded up some of the best.
Just across the road from the golden mile of Mount Maunganui Beach is Tay Street Beach Café. A favourite among locals, the café has been open since 2009, serving ‘Tay versions’ of Kiwi cuisine.
“Tay is more of a destination and not a walk by,” says owner Hamish Robinson, “so those in the know come to Tay.” Open all day, seven days a week, the menu offers simple, fresh flavours. “We serve dishes that let the ingredients talk. And, we’re straight across from the surf so we have a lot of seafood on the menu.”
The proximity to the beach means customers often stroll inside in beach shorts, bikinis and jandals, which only adds to the informal, laid-back vibe at the café. Good booze is also abundant at Tay, which has an impressive selection of craft beers as well as a wine list formulated with the help of Roger Farrell at Bay Wines. CORNER OF TAY STREET AND MARINE PARADE, 07 572 0691.
Macau has brought new life and great cuisine to The Strand, part of Tauranga’s on-going waterfront rejuvenation. Macau is the brainchild of well-known local couple Kirsty and Joseph Goddard, who have been the force behind most of the area’s best eateries over the past decade, including Astrolabe and Tay Street Beach Café. Macau was inspired by Kirsty’s trips to New York, where she fell in love with David Chang’s Momofuku, and Nobu New York.
“The concept is something Joseph and I have wanted to do for years. We were approached by developer Terry Scott to create a restaurant for him and that was that,” says Lisa.
Macau
Open since September, Macau serves pan-Asian contemporary cuisine. Chef Mark Pietersen has included Korean, Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Macanese dishes on the menu; Kirsty’s favourite is the ramen soup.
The Goddards enlisted the help of Chris Stevens from ctrl SPACE ltd to design the interior, and sourced furniture and lighting through Bangkok-based interior designer Brigid Eyley-Grigg. The result is a sumptuously elegant space that comes alive at night. 59 THE STRAND, TAURANGA CENTRAL, TAURANGA, 07 578 8717.
Elizabeth Café and Larder
Another husband and wife duo making their mark on the hospitality scene in the Bay of Plenty is Andrew Targett and Annemarie Cambie of Elizabeth Café and Larder. Located in an award-winning space, designed by Wingate + Farquhar, the interior is a mix of industrial steel and warm timber with graphic art and an intricate panelled roof. This busy café just outside the town centre is hugely popular with Tauranga’s corporate population and is the place of choice for a working lunch.
Elizabeth Café and Larder
It’s also open for dinner Thursday and Friday nights where head chef Targett serves a pared back menu of smaller and larger plates. During the day, breakfast and lunch feature classic and Asian flavours, and noticeable Mexican influences from Targett’s time collaborating with chef Isaac Weston from Tex-Mex London restaurant Canyon. The team at Elizabeth Café make their own bread and pastries on site and source ingredients locally where possible. 247 CAMERON RD, TAURANGA, 07 579 0950.
At Satori Lounge you’ll find a unique fusion of Japanese cuisine and South American style. Owner Lisa Wilson says the restaurant is modelled on sushi restaurants in Chile and Peru, where an abundant supply of fresh seafood, coupled with a fondness for inventive flavours has created a unique brand of South American-style sushi. At Satori, which has a Chilean chef and wait staff, the most popular rolls are the hot versions, which are coated in tempura or panko crumbs and then fried.
The team at Satori Lounge / Photo by Rachael Stanway.
“We don’t have anything sitting in a cabinet. Everything is made to order, including the rice, which is made fresh at each service,” says Lisa. The lounge vibe comes courtesy of the warm wood interior with pops of lacquered red, and a DJ booth playing funky tunes by night. 309 MAUNGANUI RD, MT MAUNGANUI, 07 575 0979.
Phil’s Place is still serving good food despite its somewhat chequered past. Named after its owner, Tauranga-based AC/DC rocker Phil Rudd, Phil’s Place is under new management in the form of dynamic hospo duo Joanne O’Keeffe and Penny Oxnam. Keen to reinstate Phil’s vision of a seaside restaurant serving unpretentious locally-sourced food, they have been doing just that since April 2013. Its location on Tauranga Bridge Marina has uninterrupted views of Mount Maunganui and keeps the customers flocking in. 101 TAURANGA BRIDGE MARINA, TAURANGA, 07 574 4147.
Main Beach
Astrolabe is a Mount Maunganui institution. This gastro bar is famous for its friendly formula of food, beer and atmosphere, and has been a go-to destination in the Mount for over a decade. Recently refurbished as a Mac’s Brewbar, the restaurant is resplendent with 1970’s Kiwiana decor, and the dining area feels like your grandparents’ house when you were growing up. The outdoor patio features Kiwi kitsch at its best, with green Astroturf, string lights and a vintage caravan concealing a bar. The food is ‘gourmet pub grub’ with pizza, burgers and ribs as well as tasty grilled meats. 82 MAUNGANUI RD, MOUNT MAUNGANUI, 07 574 8155.
If it’s atmosphere you’re after, the warm, cocooning interior of Post Bank is the place. Situated in the historic Post Bank building, its book-lined walls, fireplaces stacked with logs, kitsch rugs, artwork and red-velvet booths make dining at Post Bank feel like an invitation to a private library in a bygone era. It’s the perfect place to settle in for an evening of fine food and flickering candlelight. Outside it’s just as charming, with a courtyard overflowing with hanging flower baskets, lush plants and glowing lanterns. 82 MAUNGANUI ROAD, MOUNT MAUNGANUI, 07 575 4782.
Barrio Brothers is one of only two Mexican restaurants in the area (the other is The Flying Burrito in Tauranga and is under the same ownership) and provides the kind of bustling, lively atmosphere that you want from a neighbourhood Mexican restaurant. While some of that buzz can be credited to the “best Margaritas in town”, the rest is down to chef Sam Fitzgerald’s contemporary take on Tex-Mex. Their corn tortillas and sauces are made fresh in-house and the menu incorporates seasonal changes, like fresh scallops when available and a daily special to keep customers guessing. “Yes we serve a burrito,” says general manager Josh Fitzgerald, “but it’s damn good!” 101 MAUNGANUI ROAD, MOUNT MAUNGANUI, 07 574 9447.
Frenchman Freddy Brignone brings a taste of southern France to Otumoetai with Gold Mela, a cosy bistro serving superb brunches on Saturday and Sunday and dinner from Wednesday until Sunday. For breakfast you can expect house-made brioche, house-smoked salmon, carved leg of ham and freshly made hollandaise for eggs Benedict. By night the menu teeters on the border of France and Italy with traditional French fare such as escargot, duck à l’orange and handmade pastas and gnocchi. Magnifique! 100 GRANGE RD, OTUMOETAI, TAURANGA, 07 576 3940.
For a café with an organic and raw bent head to George, where “food-obsessed” young couple Claire and Luke McCartin serve tasty, simple and fresh food, plus coffee and sweet treats.
“We want our food to be fresh and the best quality we can achieve,” says Claire. “I bake with our chooks’ very happy and organic eggs, we use organic cream and milk and lots of fresh fruit. Our chicken, ham and bacon are all free range. We don’t use anything artificial.”
Melbournite Claire and New Zealander Luke are now juggling a five-month-old baby and their newest venture – Japanese restaurant Mr Myagi. Located in a 1920s house in an alley behind Maunganui Road the space is so special, it was the catalyst for the restaurant.
“We hadn’t thought of doing a Japanese restaurant until this space came up, and then it was all go,” says Claire.
Mr Myagi follows the same organic and free-range principles as George and is already proving a hit. GEORGE, 91 OCEAN BEACH RD, OMANU, 07 572 5069. MR MYAGI, 147B MAUNGANUI RD, MOUNT MAUNGANUI, 07 575 8882.
