Wanaka Restaurants to Try
Visiting the South Island of New Zealand and wondering what all you can add to your itinerary? Well if you are wandering north of Queenstown, here are three Wanaka restaurants to get you through breakfast, lunch and dinner!
The Rabbit Hole
Now this first one is neither a Wanaka restaurant or in Wanaka, but since I usually drink my breakfast, I’m including it. The Rabbit Hole is in Cardrona, New Zealand, but it’s on the way to Wanaka from Queenstown, which makes it the perfect place to stop coming into or going out of town! The Rabbit Hole isn’t your usual coffee shop either. It combines coffee, a cute shop and a mini skate park! See their Facebook page here to see when they are open and their special skate days.
Things to Know Before Visiting The Rabbit Hole
- Bring Your Own Travel Mug – They stopped using single use cups, even though they usually can be recycled, because they still aren’t the best option for the environment. Even if the coffee cart says they have them, they don’t. So don’t ask, trust me! 😉 Another option, if you aren’t in a rush, is to sit down and use one of their mugs. That what we did and it was nice just to relax and slowly sip one of their excellent lattes!
- Ask Before You Skate – It says it, so just be sure and respect it! Also, the skating area is only open while the coffee cart is open.
Address: 2348 Cardrona Valley Road, Cardrona
Packing List – Below are the top four things I would recommend making sure you have in your bag for your trip to Wanaka, New Zealand! If you are interested in what else I packed, click here to see my Amazon packing list.
Water Bar Wanaka
If Ben and I aren’t sharing, I think I typically pick the better meal. This time, may have been different though. While my fries were really good, my wings were really different. Not a bad different, but seeing Ben’s jerk chicken bowl had me wishing I had gone with something more healthy feeling. He said it wasn’t really spicy, but it was good. One of the best things about Water Bar (besides the fact that you have a view of the water) is that they have a lot of beers from local breweries! I had Boundary Rd Brewery’s cider and Ben also tried one of their IPAs. His was good and mine tasted like apple juice, so we were both happy!
Address: 145 Ardmore Street, Wanaka 9305
Booking.com
The Cow
The Cow is known as a “Pizza & Spaghetti House.” We took the advice of a 2016 Yelp reviewer and ordered their garlic bread (NZ$9.50, US$6.30). For our dinner, we went with the Bolognese Pizza (NZ$31.90, US$21.16). Checkout their menu here for more options.
I would like you to also take the advice of that 2016 Yelp reviewer and get that bread! It was so good! After starting with that we had high expectations for our pizza. Unfortunately it was a let down. The crust was great, but the bolognese topping was just too much sauce and meat. We would have loved to give them another shot and tried a different pizza, but we just didn’t have enough time in Wanaka. The Cow also has a location in Queenstown if you’d like to give it a try when you’re there.
Address: 33 Ardmore St, Wanaka 9305
I know this short list is being posted during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start planning a trip now! Pin one of the below images for when you’re ready to start planning and need recommendations for Wanaka restaurants!
Need more suggestions for your own trip to New Zealand? Click here to view all the posts I will share from my trip to New Zealand.
