Restaurants in Rotorua

In 2014, Cherrise Karaitiana, an employee of Abracadabra, was named "Rotorua Barrista of the Year", and it reflects the quality of the java you'll get if you stop by for breakfast. But this purposefully exotic restaurant, with its almost Moroccan decor, and rooms themed by color, is…

I only have to type "fresh market fish on lemon and scallop risotto" of "venison eclairs" for my heart to skip a few hungry beats. Mention espresso and Kahlua crème brûlée with mascarpone and I wonder why I’m not actually at this celebrated restaurant right now. Consistently voted…

Capers Epicurean serves up an impressive array of salads, pies, and cakes. And that’s just the "cabinet food" (what Kiwi's call pre-prepared meals). The menu also comes up aces—crispy skin salmon fillet and stuffed eggplant roulade are just two favorites. Parents should know that…

Yes, it's a counter restaurant where you order your food and then head to your table to wait for it to be served. But the word "epicurean" isn't an overstatement. Real care goes into the selections, whether you head by for a freshly cooked breakfast of eggs and sausage or pick from…

The Fat Dog is bright, colorful, cheerful, and it attracts everyone from businessmen to truck drivers, tourists to local grannies. The food is tasty and cheap, the portions massive, and kids will love old favorites like nachos, pies, and big sticky cakes. (There are toys to keep the…

As fresh and bright as a squeezed lime, this modern cafe turns out consistently delicious breakfasts and lunches. At the start of a day, we'll come for the blueberry and custard brioche—but that’s usually just the beginning.  Beef bourguignon with mashed potatoes and ciabatta is a…

A friendly, unpretentious cafe that does excellent wood-fired pizzas along with more complex dishes (we'd say go for the pizza). It's a pleasant place for a casual meal, and generally the service is quite speedy.

Good coffee and delish wood-fired pizzas make this a great lunch stop. And if you don't find what you're looking for here, there are plenty of other cafes at this end of Tutanekai Street.

Though most come here for Urbano's hearty brunches, the soups and salads at this smart little bistro are also worth a visit at lunch. Need something even lighter? They serve well-brewed, fair-trade coffee with sweet treats of all sorts.

Sometimes it's the simple pleasures in life that count, like the sandwiches, savories, and cakes you'll enjoy at this unpretentious little cafe. The service is kindly and the food hits the spot. Either eat on site, or even better, spread out a picnic away from the crowds—free-range…

Comfort food is the name of the game here and hundreds of peckish diners have stopped here over the years for cold drinks, milkshakes, ice cream, hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and waffles.