This summer you’ll want to take visiting friends and relatives to Taranaki’s top eateries and bars … but how do you know which ones are the best?
Entries for the Taranaki Food and Drink Awards were announced in November at a Monday night function held for hospitality businesses and their staff.
Businesses were nominated by the public, with finalists and winners then voted on by the local hospitality industry themselves.
“It’s pretty cool for local hospitality businesses to be recognised by their peers like this,” say the organisers, Rachel Church, Chris Robinson and Zak Wilkinson.
The only category chosen by public vote was ‘People’s Choice’.
Winners for the 14 categories came from right round the region so no matter where you are these holidays you’re never far away from excellent food and drink.
WILD PEAR KITCHEN (Winner — Best Cafe + People’s Choice)
“You guys are in a league of your own. No one competes.”
This comment from a customer on Facebook says it all for Taranaki’s Best Cafe and People’s Choice winner, Wild Pear Kitchen.
This plant-based organic wholefoods cafe offers food so tasty and good for you that customers have no guilt in returning regularly.
Offering fresh, flavoursome super-foods cookery that caters to healthy eaters, vegetarians, vegans or simply those with dietary restrictions.
Make sure you leave space for one of their legendary WPK smoothies or milkshakes (plenty of alternative milks available).
BUTLER’S REEF (Winner — Best Regional Establishment)
Butlers Reef is all about keeping it local.
Great food, good drinks, and even better people.
“Our team’s passionate about creating a place where everyone feels at home, whether you’re here for a meal, a gig, or a catch-up on the back lawn,” says manager Will Rowlands.
“We’re proud to champion Taranaki’s best produce and suppliers, and we reckon that our genuine community spirit and family-friendly atmosphere is what make Butlers Reef truly special.”
SUSHI NINJA (Winner — Best Ethnic Dining Experience)
“It is great to see a lot of people are going to Japan now and realising Japanese food is not just sushi and trying things like ramen,” say owners Sophie and Ken, who opened Sushi Ninja eighteen years ago.
“We have had ramen on the menu since opening but it is so popular now we have a whole page on the menu dedicated to ramen.”
‘Izakaya’, or sake bar dining, is Sushi Ninja’s main concept. It involves ordering a variety of dishes to share while enjoying your favourite beverage.
“It is a fun way to dine-out with friends and family trying many dishes,” explains Sophie.
Sushi is still on the menu but don’t expect the kind of sushi you can buy in plastic trays.
“The image of sushi in New Zealand is that it’s casual, cheap and takeaway,” says chef Ken. “However, in Japan it is a more special thing to go out and eat freshly chef-made sushi so we’re bringing it back to its authenticity.”
ELIXIR (Finalist — Best Viiiiibe!)
Like the friend you’ve had for years, Elixir Cafe is the BFF of cafes. Welcoming, uncomplicated, reliable, and you can go months without seeing each other but when you do, you just pick up where you left off.
The menu has stayed pretty much unchanged for the 20 years since Elixir opened in February 2006. Eggs Benedict with home-made Hollandaise, waffles, Smashed Avocado on Toast, Mince on Toast and the ever-popular Chicken Bacon Sandwich.
“It’s pretty much our best seller every single week,” says owner Sue Katene. “We sell hundreds!”
A finalist in the Best Viiiiiibe category, Elixir Cafe offers a great mix of seating options with booths, tables and chairs plus sheltered outdoor benches. Right on the main street this is the classic bustling cafe full of colour, banter and smiles with great food, coffee and music.
INCAFE (Finalist — Outstanding Producer + Best Supplier)
Joop and Carmen Verbeek are on a mission to make some of the world’s finest certified organic coffee available — and they do it all from their premises in Bell Block, Taranaki.
Their coffee beans are directly sourced from sustainable crops with farming practices that sequester carbon, avoid chemicals, and maintain biodiversity for future generations.
InCafe coffee is traditionally drum-roasted here in Taranaki and offers exceptional flavour, fair prices and climate-positive practices from crop to cup.
RICE Bar and Eatery (Finalist — Best Ethnic Dining Experience)
They have only been open a year, yet RICE Bar & Food has already made an impact, making the finals for Best Ethnic Dining Experience.
“Despite New Zealand’s tough economy, we’re humbled to have served over 25,000 guests this year,” says Thomas Begemann, who owns RICE with Titan Khamphronsri.
“Our menu brings modern Thai-inspired cuisine to life with shareable, modest-sized dishes that capture the communal spirit of Thai and Asian traditions.”
Gather with friends or family, pass around plates bursting with bold flavours, textures, and aromas, and let every bite spark connections and stories. Add to the fun with creative cocktails crafted by talented mixologists.
LITTLE FED (Finalist — Best Cafe)
It’s something you don’t expect to find in a suburban shopping centre. The Little Fed cafe is a lot bigger than it looks from the outside with cafe seating, an outdoor courtyard and a funky time-travelling lounge straight out of the 70s.
A vast array of tantalising food, great coffee and smiling easy-to-chat-with staff create a cosy welcoming atmosphere.
They have a great offering of gluten free baked goods, including filled buns, and daily specials on cooked meals — follow them on Facebook and you’ll soon discover why they were chosen as a finalist in the Best Cafe section.
SUNNY (Winner — Best Barista)
If you’re on the hunt for that perfect coffee these holidays, make a point of calling into Sunny Coffee Caravan at 99 Molesworth Street (on the Eliot St corner, in the Freedom Furniture car park). Owner Rachel Colson has just been crowned Taranaki’s best barista.
She’s been operating Sunny Coffee Caravan for almost three years now, after deciding to take a break from her healthcare profession. She bought the family caravan, fitted it out and now has a permanent spot in the Freedom Furniture car park.
Open most weekday mornings from 6.30am to midday Rachel urges people to follow her on social media as on awful rainy days she doesn’t open —Sunny by name and sunny by nature.
THE HOUR GLASS (Finalist — Best Bar, Best Restaurant + Best Viiiibe)
New Plymouth’s cool little wine bar has had a big year.
Not only a finalist in three categories at the 2025 Taranaki Food and Drink Awards, owner Jenna Sisson was chosen in the Top 20 of New Zealand’s Sommeliers and The Hour Glass was listed in the Top 200 in Cuisine Magazine’s 2025 Good Food Guide.
With the biggest collection of champagne in town and a wine collection of over 600 varieties, The Hour Glass also has a mixologist to create their classic range of cocktails.
The new light and flavourful summer menu is rich in locally sourced fresh produce, mostly tapas style. The “back room” has sliding glass doors along with fans that create a welcome breeze and haven from the heat.
Intimate and bougie, The Hour Glass embodies that classic wine bar/speakeasy feeling.
With Jenna’s enthusiasm and experience permeating through her team, The Hour Glass is a vibrant welcoming space to chill out.