In Franz Josef
If you've decided to do your own cooking, head for Fern Grove Food Centre, Main Road (tel. 03/752-0177), open from 7:45am until late, especially for fresh bread and Mrs. Mac's famous meat pies. The Blue Ice Restaurant & Bar, Main Road (tel. 03/752-0707), serves pizza, is fully licensed, and gets raves for the best cafe atmosphere in glacier country. It turns into a party venue as the night wears on. Beeches Café & Bar, Main Road (tel. 03/752-0721), is a more expensive option with reasonably good food, a big wine list, and all-day service.
The Alice May, Main Road (tel. 03/752-0740), has cheap family dining with lots of steaks and the best chips in town, in quantities to satisfy the biggest appetite. The Landing, Main Road (tel. 03/752-0229), is a popular sports bar serving pizza, snacks, and platters. It's nothing fancy, but service is good (mostly) and it's a good value-for-money option; it's open daily in summer 10am till late, and in winter 4 to 10pm.
In Fox Glacier
The Fox Glacier General Store, Main Road (tel. 03/751-0829), sells everything from foodstuffs and hot meat pies to camping supplies, hardware, and boots. It's open daily from 8am till late. Alpine Guides Hobnail Café, Main Road (tel. 03/751-0005), right next to the Alpine Guides booking office, has a constant traffic of eager adventurers. It's open for breakfast, lunch, and all-day snacks, and the simple timber-tabled interior is always bustling and sunny.
Café Neve, Main Road (tel. 03/751-0110), has a terrific range of pizzas along with delicious counter food and dinner dishes such as venison osso buco served on a kumara (sweet potato) mash with steamed vegetables. Another possibility is the traditional West Coast whitebait omelet with fresh herbs. It's open from 8am till late and is definitely one of the nicest options. Matheson Cafe, Lake Matheson Road (tel. 03/751-0878), has a fabulous aspect beside the lake, a nice "woody" interior, and great-value light meals. Take a walk around the lake first to work up an appetite.
Cook Saddle Café and Saloon, Main Road (tel. 03/751-0700), is a Tex-Mex favorite with backpackers. It has good ambience in true eclectic West Coast style -- a trophy head here, an animal skin there. Venison burgers, Boss Hogg ribs, and Texas T-bone all speak of a slightly displaced sense of geography, but if a full stomach and a good night are your intention, then you've come to the right place. The Plateau Café & Bar, corner of Sullivan Street and State Highway 6 (tel. 03/751-0058), is a nice spot in the Glowworm Forest Building, open for lunch and dinner daily with homemade baking all day.
