If you’re looking for the best restaurants in Te Anau, with great food and friendly service, you’ll find our top 8 places listed here.
We live in New Zealand and have visited Te Anau on more than a few occasions. We discovered these quality Te Anau restaurants during these visits and want to them share with you.
Te Anau is known as the gateway to the Fiords and a popular place to spend a few nights while exploring Fiordland National Park.
For a small town, there is a decent selection of cafes and eateries to choose from, covering a range of cuisines and dietary requirements.
Whether you’ve just arrived after a long drive or are coming back from a day of adventure in Milford Sound, or the more remote and charming Doubtful Sound, these popular restaurants will have you refuelled in no time.
Pro Tip: Be sure to check opening days and times ahead of your visit to ensure they fit with your itinerary and are open during the time of year you will be traveling. Some businesses and restaurants in Te Anau close during the winter months of June to August.
Best Restaurants in Te Anau
1. The Ranch Bar & Grill
111 Town Centre Off Milford Crescent
Open for Lunch and Dinner
Dine in one of Te Anau’s most popular restaurants. This family-owned restaurant is a staple in Te Anau offering hearty meals and a cozy atmosphere. It’s a favorite amongst locals and a popular place for tour groups to stop for a bite to eat on the way back to Queenstown.
For this reason, we recommend making a booking if you want to be guaranteed a table. They are open late which is great if you will be out exploring Fiordland for most of the day. Being a small town, many businesses close early so its good to have a few options that are open late.
We enjoyed all the dishes we’ve tried here, but the lamb shank was one of the best we’ve had. They also have an epic dessert menu that is worth saving room for.
Overall great food, generous portions and reasonably priced. It’s no surprise visitors come back to eat here multiple times during their stay in Te Anau.
2. The Fat Duck
124 Town Centre
Open for Lunch and Dinner
A fun gastro pub with an extensive menu and live music on Saturday nights. The Fat Duck is one of the top Te Anau restaurants for a social atmosphere.
They offer a vegan menu in addition to high-quality mains and classic pub fare of steaks, burgers, fish and chips, pasta and salads.
You can choose to sit in either the bar or restaurant section. Both are casual, but the bar area can get pretty lively!
We highly rate the Salmon and creme brulé, the fish and chips were ok too. It was cooked well just a little thick on the batter for our preference.
Prices are a bit higher than other restaurants in the area for smaller portions, so possibly not the best value option. But if you want good pub food in a vibrant atmosphere, this is it.
3. Ristorante Pizzeria Paradiso Da Toni
1 Milford Crescent
Open for Dinner
Amazing wood-fired pizza cooked in a stone oven right in front of you. The food was excellent as was the service.
We arrived back in Te Anau around 9pm, after a day of exploring all the great places to stop along the Milford Sound Highway. We decided to hike to Lake Marian for our final stop of the day. Needless to say, we were exhausted and famished by the time we got back to Te Anau.
As we rolled into Te Anau town center it was pretty dark with most places closed for the day. We were just about resigned to having granola bars for dinner when we saw the lights on at Pizzeria Paradiso. Thankfully, they were still open and kind enough to squeeze us in before the kitchen closed.
We had a margarita pizza, salad and sticky date pudding for dessert and everything was delicious. The pizza was cooked to perfection. Now I can’t visit Te Anau without having one of their pizzas.
It’s a popular restaurant in town, and best to make a booking to ensure you don’t miss out.
4. Sandfly Cafe
9 The Lane
Open for Breakfast and Lunch
Our go-to restaurant in Te Anau for breakfast and great coffee.
The service is consistently good and we’ve enjoyed all the dishes we’ve had so far, from the pancakes and poached eggs to the big breakfast. But a must-try is the cheese rolls.
This simple dish is unique to the Southland region, sometimes referred to as ‘southern sushi’ and a local food you should definitely try when visiting New Zealand. The Sandfly Cafe is said to have the best cheese rolls in Southland!
There is a nice outdoor patio for the warmer months and the prices are reasonable. Mid-morning can be super busy so we recommend getting here early or late morning to avoid the busiest time.
5. Redcliff Restaurant & Bar
12 Mokonui Street
Open for dinner
One of the most highly-rated restaurants in Te Anau popular with the locals. Redcliff Restaurant & Bar offers a great bar and well-cooked contemporary New Zealand dishes.
Here you can enjoy fine dining in a quaint and cozy early settler’s cottage with exceptional service. The venison and fish are top-notch. Highly recommend it, but really the food is good all around so you can’t go wrong.
It’s one of the more expensive options on our list, but well worth it for the high-quality dishes prepared from fresh and local ingredients.
If you prefer a more casual night out, the Redcliff Bar has a snack menu with an extensive beer and wine list and live music on certain nights of the week.
6. Thai Anau Restaurant & Take Away
120 Town Centre
Open for Dinner
Generous portions and good-value Thai food. Thai Anau has a spacious restaurant to dine in or you can order your food to take away.
The pad thai was delicious and the serving was huge, we could have shared one order between us. The service was great and the food was prepared promptly.
They were very kind and accommodating when we arrived late (again), just before closing. We ordered takeaway to eat back at the motel. Just what we needed after a big day exploring Milford Sound and completing the day walk to Giant Gate Falls.
Overall, it was an easy, delicious and satisfying option after a long day.
7. Ditto
92 Town Centre
Open for lunch and dinner
A small restaurant offering good value for money. Ditto offers pan-Asian fusion street food made with fresh ingredients.
It’s modern and funky perfect for sharing. Prices are reasonable and the food is delicious. Try the bao buns!
A must-try for a quick and delicious meal that won’t break the budget. If it’s a nice day, we recommend grabbing it to go and finding a nice spot by the lake for a picnic lunch.
8. The Church
23 Waiau Street, Manapouri
Open for lunch and dinner
Ok, so this one is located in Manapouri, a 15-to-20-minute drive from Te Anau but worth a visit if you are heading in that direction.
We stopped in here for lunch after a Doubtful Sound cruise and it was so full of character, we had to include it on this list. To be fair the menu is basic and the food average, but we enjoyed the unique atmosphere and friendly service.
The Church is a pub set in an old Presbyterian Church built in the late 1800s. You’ll see characteristics of the original building in the shape of the windows and doors, but inside is a rustic and cozy pub with open fires, plenty of seating and rock music playing (at least that’s what was playing when we were there which made us laugh).
Where to Stay in Te Anau
Te Anau is the closest town to Milford Sound offering a range of accommodation and amenities. Therefore, it’s a popular base from which to explore both Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound, not to mention all the incredible walking trails to explore and fun things to do in Te Anau.
For a small town, there are a ton of accommodation options to suit a range of budgets. Here are our recommended places to stay in Te Anau.
- Fiordland Lakeview Motel and Apartments: Great value for the price. Nice affordable luxury motel across from the lake » Read reviews on Trip Advisor
- Radfords on the Lake: 5-star luxury accommodation right on the lake. Great location but close to amenities » Read reviews on Trip Advisor
- Aden Motel: Good budget option. Peaceful location just outside town centre with on-site playground. Great for families » Read reviews on Trip Advisor
Conclusion
So there you have it, our top 8 restaurants in Te Anau. We hope you have a chance to visit some of these popular Te Anau restaurants. With so many great options you may need a second or third visit to try them all!
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Heather is a travel enthusiast living in New Zealand with her family. She writes about living in and enjoying travel to New Zealand.