Best family-friendly restaurants in New Zealand

Check out eateries the whole whānau will enjoy. Photo / Supplied

Anna King Shahab rounds up some top spots to gather the whānau for a joyous and reka (delicious) midwinter feast.

Te Waipounamu

Serving Southland since 1983, Invercargill's

The Homestead

looks a bit fancier after a big refurb in 2019 but the warm hospitality hasn't changed. Highlights include meats cooked over the smokestack, kids menus so good the grownups might feel envious.

You can't go wrong rounding up the troops to gather at Emerson's Taproom in central Dunedin. Boost the endorphins with a brisk walk along the esplanade at St Clare, before snuggling up in the indoor Esplanade to feast on woodfired pizzas, pasta and more.

In Arrowtown, Little Aosta is fast becoming a family favourite with pizzas, pastas and more, with chef Ben Bayly's expertise behind things, and La Rumbla's Spanish-inflected fare and warm welcome will see you right.

Overlooking Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown, Sherwood's array of woodfired flatbreads are served up in no time to quell rumbling tummies, and everything that follows is bound to impress, not least thanks to the host of produce from the onsite organic garden that graces the menu. The duck sausage and blackfoot pāua pasta are unmissable.

Nestled on the edge of an orchard next to Lake Dunstan in Cromwell, the Stoaker Room has made a name for its "barrel cuisine" – a plethora of local produce steam-baked, steam-grilled, or smoked in oak wine barrels throughout the day. Treat your whānau to the Butcher Feast, which feeds 4-6.

A long lunch at a long table at Gatherer Wholefoods & Bar in Hokitika comes in at a reasonable $45 per person for a menu of Mexican-inspired vegetarian sharing plates. Think kūmara and mushroom tacos (the tortillas are made here), cashew nut cheese, and 24-hour brined and spiced cauli.

A fitting setting for a Matariki gathering – at the Dark Sky Project the lakefront at Tekapō, Dark Sky Diner specialises in South American fare, from empanadas to hearty grilled meats. After a dessert of panqueques – dulce de leche-filled crepes - and a digestif, head out to see if you can sight Matariki, the seven sister stars also known as Pleiades.

In Hurunui, Black Estate is a mint spot for a long family lunch. Savour top local produce before gathering round the woodfire with a glass of the stunning Home Pinot Noir while you gaze out over the vines that made it. Amberley's Brew Moon is a right cockle warmer: 16 taps including some fascinating seasonal beers, great local wine, and woodfired pizzas straight out of the oven.

Arrowtown's Little Aosta is an ideal spot for family gatherings. Photo / Sam Stewart

Rug up and pack your picnic blankets for a kaimoana beach feast. Kaikoura Seafood BBQ cart is perched on Kaikōura's Fyffe Quay. Order meals of crayfish, scallops, salmon, mussels, grilled fish or prawns (they come with salad, rice, and garlic bread) – or go for seafood platters to graze from. Unbeatable value for beautiful fresh seafood cooked with care.

Muscle in to score a table at Mussel Inn in Golden Bay and you're in for a ball; after all, the folks here point out that the tables are "good to dance on", and there's often live music to do that to. You can't miss the famous steamed mussels, nor the mussel chowder – and the beers brewed here.

Te Ika a Māui

With a name chosen because of its meaning, "A harmony between people and groups", Concord is the perfect pick for a family gathering in the capital city. Inspired by "European bistros of the 20th century", the dining room is plush with velvet and gold, and the menu is pleasantly unpretentious – start with shrimp cocktails and oysters and move on to burgers, and steak sandwiches – or consider the hearty "Plats Principaux", which come with salad and bottomless fries. Bottomless fries!? Sold.

The boutique, family-run Crab Farm Winery is a popular lunch spot, and is also open for dinner on Fridays – a roaring fire pit sets the tone. Pretty-in-pink Pipi is always a fun time with its effusively warm service and elegant yet comforting food.

In New Plymouth, perfectly made pasta keeps everyone happy at State Pasta – that, and the promise of gelato from the inhouse gelateria if those plates are cleaned up to your liking. Dixie Brown ticks all the boxes in Taupō – hearty fare bound to warm you all up on a chilly winter's night.

Look out over the Pōhutu Geyser over a family lunch at Pātaka Kai, at Rotorua's Te Puia. The buffet hāngī is excellent – succulent meats and tender veges pulled from the steaming pit just before serving, plus an array of other dishes – and can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner, or there's an a la carte menu. Whatever you do, save room for the steamed pud.

After a hike up Mauao and some beach frolicking, retire to The Rising Tide in Mount Maunganui, where the forty or so beers, ciders, and gin cocktails on tap are just as impressive as the steady stream of steaming baskets that emerge from Johney's Dumpling House – impossible not to have a great time here! A respite of good old-fashioned Kiwi pub hospitality, One3One is a top pick in Paeroa – slow-cooked lamb shank with mash for the win.

The Rising Tide in Mount Maunganui boasts family-friendly dishes, and gin cocktails on tap for the grown-ups. Photo / Supplied

Ima means mother in Hebrew, and at Yael Shochat's downtown Auckland restaurant Ima Cuisine you'll all be deliciously, abundantly mothered, starting with mezze island moving on to grilled and slow-cooked proteins, salads, and Arab spiced rice. A wee secret is that Shochat's legendary hot cross bun graces the dessert menu in bread and butter pudding form.

Arab Mint Tea and delicious desserts are on the menu at Auckland's Ima Cuisine. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Groups of six or more can book in at newish Ponsonby hotspot Lucky 8. The kids will love selecting from the menu via QR code; the order goes straight to the kitchen – and with all dishes and almost all the drinks clocking in at $8 a pop, you won't be too worried if they go a bit crazy on the ordering. Having hosted countless family gatherings since 1986, Prego's classic Italian fare and warm, honed service never gets old.

New Auckland hotspot Lucky 8 lets diners order via QR code. Photo / Supplied

Never mind how large your group is, the good folk at Waipū Pizza Barn always make you feel welcome and somehow manage to get the generously topped woodfired pizzas flowing out of the kitchen in no time.

Take the ferry over to Russell, where there's a rollicking good time to be had for all ages at The Duke of Marlborough. Join the throng at the bar for a pre-drink while the kids fossick on the beach, then settle in for a candlelit dinner – anything from the ocean is particularly excellent here. Paihia-side, Charlotte's Kitchen goes all out with its huge pork knuckle (made for sharing), and sumptuous seafood platter.

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