North Island, New Zealand Food Guide: 10 European food Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Taupo

February 1, 2020 Natalie Tallman

Find out what European restaurants to try in Taupo. This adrenaline-pumping city offers an abundance of skydiving, jetboating and bungee jumping. Discover the marvels of Orakei Korako thermal park, featuring caves, hot springs and boiling mud pools. Gaze across Lake Taupo to see the spectacular volcanic mountains of Tongariro National Park, and make sure to visit Huka Falls, one of the great watery wonders of New Zealand.
Things to do in Taupo

10. Dixie Brown's

38 Roberts Street, Taupo 3330 New Zealand European, Soups, New Zealand Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Late Night Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Waterfront +64 7-378 8444 http://www.dixiebrowns.co.nz
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Overall Ratings

4 based on 2485 reviews

Dixie Brown's

Reviewed By Ray B

When coming to Taupo, we never go anywhere else. Dixie Browns is consistently Excellent, the Staff, lovely décor, location right across from the Lake, great selection to choose from, and everything we have tried on the Menu is always Beautiful.Thank youHello Thank you for taking the time to post a review on Dixie Browns of Taupo.What a lovely review. We must admit it is a little source of pride for us that we have so many out of town regulars who will always call in to see us when they are passing.We hope to see you again in the near future.Have a lovely dayKind RegardsThe Team @ Dixie Browns

9. Edgewater Restaurant

243 Lake Terrace Millennium Hotel & Resort, Taupo 3330 New Zealand European, New Zealand Dinner Reservations, Seating, Parking Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Table Service, Full Bar, Waterfront [email protected] +64 7-378 5110 http://manuels.co.nz
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Overall Ratings

4 based on 234 reviews

Edgewater Restaurant

Edgewater, our signature lakefront restaurant, located in the Millennium Hotel & Resort Manuels Taupo. In this elegant Taupo restaurant, the food is as fabulous as the views over the lake. Savour its award-winning local and international cuisine, crafted

Reviewed By RichardBrenda

Freinds who live in Taupo booked this for the 4 of us - our treat for letting us stay with them! Had drinks in the bar overlooking the lake as the sun went down and then moved to the restaurant for dinner. Wine waiter Lynn - a Scouser who's lived in NZ for 45 years and worked at Edgewater for 23 - was a quirky delight and the other staff were super friendly (Trinity that means you!). My wife and I chose the fish of the day - Hapuka, served with green thai curry sauce and pilau rice which was plate-emptyingly delicious - and our friends both had the salmon which they enjoyed just as much. The poached starwberry dessert was rather odd - light on strawberries, heavy on the "green sponge" - but tasty and the dessert wines were delicious. When the sun went down the staff opened the blinds and we could enjoy the lake in all its evening splendour before we left.

8. Vine Eatery & Bar

37 Tuwharetoa Street Taupo Central, Taupo 3330 New Zealand European, Wine Bar, New Zealand, Contemporary Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Late Night Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Street Parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Wine and Beer, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music [email protected] +64 7-378 5704 http://www.vineeatery.co.nz/
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Overall Ratings

4 based on 1155 reviews

Vine Eatery & Bar

Our talented chefs invite you to indulge in the dishes that have inspired our Mediterranean & NZ influenced menus. Our extensive tapas menu is designed to be shared, and we also offer a full a-la-carte menu for those wanting a more NZ traditional approach

Reviewed By lih1965

An amazing experience from start to finish. Couldn't recommend The Vine highly enough & especially Lee who was just outstanding. I had contacted The Vine to organise my Partner's 60th Birthday celebration dinner, we were travelling to Taupo with friends & family to celebrate the special event & it was my partner's request the dinner be held at The Vine after a day of fishing on the lake, due to a great experience we had there last year on our previous trip to Taupo.All communication was completed via email as we live in Australia. I couldn't fault any of it. The amazing Lee replied to all my emails very promptly & nothing was a bother. We were a group of 10 & dined in the Vintage room with a previously agreed upon set menu. The food was outstanding, the service was incredible, even down to having a Happy 60th Birthday menu printed for us (which I neither asked for nor expected & was a very special treat!). We had our own waiter (apologies, his name escapes me!) who was amazing, helpful & kept very busy going up & down the stairs with not a word of complaint.They happily cooked one of the trout which had been caught that day & served it as part of our entree, including on the menu ''One amazing Taupo Trout''! How Lee managed to do this with such short notice is testament to the amazing level of service we experienced.Of course it was cooked to perfection.I couldn't recommend The Vine highly enough. Everyone in our group thoroughly enjoyed the evening with not a negative from anyone!Lee, you were awesome, as was all of the staff we dealt with that night.Thank You for making a very special occasion a truly memorable experience!

7. Piccolo Licensed Cafe

41 Ruapehu Street, Taupo 3330 New Zealand Cafe, European, New Zealand, International, Deli Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch, Drinks Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Free Off-Street Parking, Wine and Beer [email protected] +64 7-376 5759 http://www.taupocafe.co.nz
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Overall Ratings

4 based on 374 reviews

Piccolo Licensed Cafe

Reviewed By Vix0001

Popped in just for a hot chocolate as I’d already decided where to eat lunch. Hot chocolate was delicious, just what I wanted. The staff were kind and helpful, and didn’t rush me out after I’d finished. Excellent free WiFi too. I’ll be back for their sandwiches another day!

6. The Steak House Taupo

17A Tongariro Street, Taupo 3330 New Zealand Steakhouse, European, New Zealand Dinner, Late Night Reservations, Seating, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service +64 7-378 6788 http://www.facebook.com/steakhousetaupo
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Overall Ratings

4 based on 334 reviews

The Steak House Taupo

The Steak House Taupo welcomes tourists, families, couples, corporate groups and local residents alike. We are committed to creating a culinary destination the people of our town can be proud of. One that showcases New Zealand's finest produce, delivers g

Reviewed By Brookeymoo

Worst service we have ever had! We were greeted for our 8pm booking for 4x people. After 15 minutes of waiting we were asked if we wished to order mains, after explaining we would like to order drinks first & a few backwards and forwards between the staff we, we ordered a round of drinks... we then waited another 10 minutes before our wrong drinks were delivered (gin & tonics instead of rum and Coke’s), then sent back... delivered wrong again, told that the glass of wine was no longer available and they had “forgotten to take it off the menu”... told that the glass of wine only came in a bottle after confusion on what we had ordered... then 4th time lucky our drinks arrived. Within that time 6 different staff approached asking if we wished to order food. After ordering mains, we were informed that the kitchen had run out of potatoes and our mains would be changed with no offering of a change in menu item. Food then arrived 20 minutes later with an extra un-ordered side of fries that we were then charged for??Food was good, however the transparency on the menu was a let down. 2x mains were not listed as being served with side salad therefore causing us to spend extra money on a side of veges that were not needed and then went to waste.In total we had 7 different staff serving us which meant no consistency. Upon leaving after 2 hours of mostly waiting around we explained to the staff at the counter we were not happy with the service she smiled, laughed and said “aw no, that’s no good”.Service was a real let down & ruined the experience of what could have been a great evening. I have freshly returned to The Steak House and am terribly sorry to hear of your experience.I am majoritively based on the bar in return and believe your drinks shall be correct first time from now. I hope we have the chance to improve your thoughts with us.I would like to break down some of these issues. Firstly we have got a red wine on our menu in which was misprinted (We didn't forget to remove it from the menu). We believe to have found an appropriate replacement for this in which we offer at the same price. I believe this to be the reason behind the first confusion. All of our wines clearly state on the menu if they are available by the glass or only by the bottle to make it easy to decide for all our guests I am not sure how this confusion arose with wine glass/bottle availability.As for 6 people asking if food is ready to be ordered, that consists of our whole team. Along with my other Manager we have re organised the way in which our systems work to ensure this does not happen again, I agree that feels to be pressuring in which I hope none of our guests feel they are pressured into a fast order.When our potato dish runs out (we are a busy restaurant this does happen on our busy nights) When this happens we are rather limited on options this then defaults to chunky cut Steak House fries instead which should have been stated, I am happy to offer a side of garden salad over a potato dish at no charge or mash potato instead with no surcharge if this is the case.As for transparent menus I see no signs of this, the only meals we have that include salads by default are our early bird options, these clearly state that they come with a side of salad. I know it has been a while since you have dined with us, I would love to hear what parts of our menus are confusing so I can rectify them for the future.I would love for us to have another chance to rectify any problems you had on the night as I see us to have a great system now with a great team and think we can exceed expectations.Thank you for taking the time to leave an honest review to help fuel my thoughts on how to improve things here at The Steak House I truly appreciate it.I hope to see you all again,Kind Regards,Alex

5. Plateau

64 Tuwharetoa Street, Taupo 3330 New Zealand European, New Zealand, Contemporary, Gastropub Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Drinks Parking Available, Street Parking, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service [email protected] +64 7-377 2425 http://www.plateautaupo.co.nz/
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Overall Ratings

4 based on 694 reviews

Plateau

Located one block from the lake, Plateau Bar + Eatery in Lake Taupo is an award-winning New Zealand meeting place that serves the finest craft beers and kiwi inspired food. Since 2004, it has been nationally recognized by Hanz for its excellence in lamb a

Reviewed By kentoni2018

Our Daughter said to go to the Plateau Restaurant for Lunch and so Mum and I went, The restaurant has a great Vibe and wonderful staff, Great choice of Tap Beers and we sat in a booth which was great.Food was cooked so well, I had shoestring chips to start, they got cold very quickly, which was not the staff or Chef's fault we were to slow.We will definitely go there again and recommend anyone to try.

4. The Bistro

17 Tamamutu Street Taupo Central, Taupo 3330 New Zealand European, New Zealand Dinner Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Street Parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Free Wifi, Reservations, Accepts Credit Cards, T [email protected] +64 7-377 3111 http://thebistro.nz/
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Overall Ratings

4 based on 1102 reviews

The Bistro

The Bistro is a small family owned restaurant focused on simple clean flavours and honest tasty food from fresh local produce, all in a relaxed causal setting to provide our guests with moments that last a life time.

Reviewed By VAFamily33

We will add to the many great reviews of Bistro. Dynamite food from the amuse bouchée through dessert, everything was spot on. Kids menu was familiar food, just done better, and my kids gobbled it up. Our appetizers (carrot plate & beet salad), and entrees (fresh catch & scotch fillet) stand up amongst anything we have ever had. All in a very nice but relaxed atmosphere. Service was great too. Cannot recommend highly enough!Thx Bistro for the perfect ending to our holiday weekend!!

3. The Brantry

45 Rifle Range Road, Taupo 3330 New Zealand European, New Zealand Dinner Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Private Dining, Seating, Parking Available, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service [email protected] +64 7-378 0484 http://www.thebrantry.co.nz/
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Overall Ratings

4 based on 793 reviews

The Brantry is located in a 1950's town house tastefully renovated to create a special ambience for any dining occasion. The low ceilings, large open fire and timeless decor gives a sense of style that owners Prue and Felicity are proud of. The food is de

Reviewed By P5975GYdavidt

Had a tremendous meal tonight at this great restaurant across the road from our hotel. I had the prawns, lamb and chocolate fondant while my wife had the beets, beef and pannacotta. All of our choices were delicious. Brandon was a great host for us. The meals were quite affordable as well.

2. Piccolo Licensed Cafe

41 Ruapehu Street, Taupo 3330 New Zealand Cafe, European, New Zealand, International, Deli Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch, Drinks Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Free Off-Street Parking, Wine and Beer [email protected] +64 7-376 5759 http://www.taupocafe.co.nz
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Overall Ratings

4 based on 374 reviews

Piccolo Licensed Cafe

Reviewed By Vix0001

Popped in just for a hot chocolate as I’d already decided where to eat lunch. Hot chocolate was delicious, just what I wanted. The staff were kind and helpful, and didn’t rush me out after I’d finished. Excellent free WiFi too. I’ll be back for their sandwiches another day!

10 Things to Do in Taupo That You Shouldn't Miss

1. Bistro Lago

80-100 Napier Road, Taupo 3379 New Zealand European, New Zealand, Contemporary Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Late Night Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Waterfront [email protected] +64 7-376 2319 http://www.bistrolago.co.nz/
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Overall Ratings

4 based on 559 reviews

Bistro Lago

From lake, land and ocean, our seasonal New Zealand a la carte lunch and dinner brings the region's best offerings to your plate. Located at the elegant Hilton Lake Taupo, boasting stunning lake views and guided by the expertise of celebrity Chef Gareth S

Reviewed By Fiona M

We had a family dinner at Bistro Lago. The menu has an excellent selection, they had a great kids menu. Ingredients were fresh and of a high standard. Staff were professional, friendly and attentive. The restaurant is situated in a beautiful old building and has a lovely ambience. This Bistro is suited to a wide range of diners- from couples to families. They also have a nice bar.Thank you for leaving us this amazing review! Our Chef works hard to source local fresh produce and meat to deliver tasty meals. I hope you are able to join us again soon! Sincerely, Carlee IgoniwariRestaurant Manager

Top 10 restaurants in Taupo, New Zealand

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