This place seems to be the happening place to be. There are tables inside or outside seating. You walk in, place your order, pay then find a seat. They have complementary water bottles and glasses you pickup at the front door. We ordered the Cheeseburger and Crispy Lamb Salad. They were both ready good. read more

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Great vibe! Easy to order at the bar and find a spot outside (or inside if you prefer). Great beers on tap, and NA kombucha I really liked. We had the hummus and the crispy lamb salad, and they were both really tasty. read more

Comfortable enough at a picnic table in the shade with good service. The salads were fantastic--such a variety of fresh flavors! Happy to find Tiny (my favorite non-alcoholic beer) on the menu too. read more

Kai Whakapai - Cafes Near Me - Wanaka, OTA

We loved this place. Right in town so easy to walk to, lots of good brews, an upstairs seating area and delicious food options. The bao were great and pizza too! Highly recommend. read more

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Stopped here for beers a couple of times. Good tap selection and friendly folks. Great location along the lakefront. Lovely spot!

Went in yesterday 3rd and frequently dine here and have wines with friends. its good and they have extended however the staff seem stressed and the counter is in the middle of the main area of food coming out at one point nearly got a breakfast tipped on my husband as we were paying. still worth a stop in for the coffee though! read more

Yes! ! Need a good breakfast before you head out of town? This is your place! Fish of the day -delectable veggie bed and juicy fish, just perfect in every way Eggs Benedict -you can never go wrong with a poached egg, welsh muffin and hollandaise sauce, the smoked salmon was also very nice, not too salty like what we have in the states Self serve water and the food gets delivered to where you choose to sit. The atmosphere was a little dirty just because you have to grab a table as soon as someone leaves and the floors are littered with food bits because of fast cleaning. This place is busy so it does take a while to get your food (30 min for us) Overall, good food and you can't really go wrong with self serve water read more

Kai Whakapai - Smoked salmon eggs benny - Cafes Near Me - Wanaka, OTA

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This seemed to be the only good place open for breakfast at 8am in the area. We all enjoyed our food. Prices a bit high, as expected, but it was all good and service was nice, too. read more

Kai Whakapai - Cafes Near Me - Wanaka, OTA

This place was so good! We decided to give it a try because it was busy with what looked like a lot of locals, which is usually a good sign. I ordered the lamb salad and my husband ordered the open face steak sandwich. We were not expecting the quality and presentations of the dish! This was the best meal we had in New Zealand, and that saying a lot because NZ has some amazing eateries. This place is good for bigger groups and the staff are very friendly! read more

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Wanaka is an interesting little town and Kai Whakapai is a decent place to grab a bit. Had this. I think they're fish tacos. Can't be sure because it was over a year ago but apparently I liked it. read more

Kai Whakapai - Cafes Near Me - Wanaka, OTA

Excellent food reasonable prices. Great location . Varies menu . Recommended . Inside outside seating .

Kai is not what it used to be anymore! 6 years ago the locals would come around for a beer every arvo and sit together and catch up. Due to instagram this place is booming. The prices went up and it is often filled with tourists. And justifiably so! Kai has amazing food, so many delicious options! The staff is very friendly and everything comes out quick. Sitting by the lake front and enjoying seeing everyone stroll by is one of my favorite things about this place. Strangers share tables and start talking, enjoying their coffees and meals together. Still my favorite place in town! read more

Kai Whakapai - Bao Buns, large latte - Cafes Near Me - Wanaka, OTA

Came here for lunch and had one of the most delicious salads I've ever had in my life. Side of local Sauvignon blanc. Banana bread with honey that my friend and I shared. Ambience is casual. Wine selection is good. Smells like wood and crisp air, makes me love Wanaka. read more

Kai Whakapai - Banana bread with honey and zaatar - Cafes Near Me - Wanaka, OTA

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Absolutely love the local, happy and energetic vibes of this place. It always feels sunny here because of the people and energy. Loved their cappuccinos with the excellent views of Lake Wanaka. We tried their fresh baked items : Veggie frittata and ginger crunch and they were both delicious read more

Kai Whakapai - Great Lake Wanaka front views - Cafes Near Me - Wanaka, OTA

Wow, really delicious lamb and beetroot feta salad. Love the ambiance of the place, feels like a great local spot to relax by the lake. The breakfast hash cakes were okay, but still tasty. Service was great as well. read more

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Artisanal pizza sold here. If you want the greasy pizza from your high school cafeteria in the states this is not the pizza you want. Very delicious and I highly recommend trying this place out with a beer. Vegan / vegetarian friendly with very kind and patient staff. read more

Kai Whakapai - Vegan mushroom pizza - Cafes Near Me - Wanaka, OTA

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My second meal (porridge) was just what I needed to get me going for the day. The other day I had Eggs Bennie with smoked salmon was absolutely delicious! They had a DJ spinning records on Saturday night. The staff is very friendly, and they seem to be welcoming to families and pets. read more

Kai Whakapai - Cafes Near Me - Wanaka, OTA

Good tasting beers and pizza. Love the locationand good customer service. Love the freshly made thin crust pizza kaiwaia mn and meat lovers! So good! read more

Kai Whakapai - Cafes Near Me - Wanaka, OTA

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Had the pea falafel salad which was really good. Also had some hot lemon ginger drink which was great. This place is worth a visit and the location is great too, along the waterfront. read more

One of the very few restaurants in Wanaka that was open a bit late in the night! For a Wednesday night, this restaurant was bubbling with patrons, mostly young crowd. We got seated inside and after looking at the menu, we chose a Ginger Beer and Cajun Chicken Pizza. Pizza was served at our table and it was pretty big and sufficient for two of us. The chicken was yum - spicy! Loved the little dollops of cream cheese on the pizza. The crust was thin and crispy. Fabulous and generous toppings. Cheese was just right - not too much, not too little. Turned out to be one of the best meals that day and one of the best pizzas as well. Highly recommend dining at Kai Whakapai; you won't be disappointed. read more

AMAZING food. This is an understatement. We came hungry for breakfast on a Friday in early October. We got the Kai full breakfast and the ciabatta French toast. We also went for a muffin with raspberry apricot rhubarb, cappuccino, and tall dark. Everything was so so so good. Downstairs was busy, and while the outdoor seating was tempting, it was a bit cold, so we sat upstairs and enjoyed a gorgeous view of the lake and mountains. This place is conveniently next to the info site, and across the street from a scenic viewing photo point. Wish we could come here every day. read more

We were recently down in Central Otago for a week on holiday. In and amongst going to vineyards (highly recommend the Trust the Chef at Amisfield, but I'll get into that soon) and staples like Fergburger in Queenstown, you also need just a normal, decent food kinda place to go. And that's here. I'm pretty certain I ate at least three meals here, washed down with the excellent Wanaka Beer Works Brewski which they have on tap. The beer comes in large or small glasses - and I assure you the small is pretty big and at $5 it's a bargain for some delicious craft beer. However, if you're in the mood to DRINK, go for the large, I believe it's $7 and it may give you a bit of a booze blanket for those chilly winter afternoons/evenings. The pulled beef burger is simply a must. The first night AW and I were there, we nabbed a seat outside (directly under the outdoor overhead heating - essential) and decided to split a burger and fries. The beef, is slow cooked, melts in your mouth, and you just can't beat it. The asian-style slaw that accompanies it is delicious - fresh, packing a punch with its flavour and really complementing the burger. I liked that it was a slaw rather than your average lettuce, tomato and so on. A drizzle of sauce around the edge of the plate that's begging to be mopped up with your bread (or fries!) is such a treat, too. I can also highly recommend the mushroom risotto. Big, chunky bits of mushroom are littered through the dish - if you don't like mushroom, don't order this. The sweetness of the peas cuts through the dish, and the rice was perfectly cooked with the right amount of salty. I am salivating just thinking about it. I ordered a take away coffee from here as I ran my errands through Wanaka-town. That was not so great, but I am pretty fussy with my coffee. I don't really dig places that offer varying sizes of coffee cup either, but take that with a grain of salt because I realise I sound awful when I say it. I think this place is great. It's definitely got atmosphere as there are a number of drinking tourists there at any one time, and the inside is cosy and delightful with people bustling around everywhere. The view is spectacular, and the position is right on the corner for some good solid people watching and bumping into people you know / haven't seen in years. Have a beer, have some great food and just enjoy beautiful Wanaka. read more

Great place to come late night when you are somewhat lost and looking for a place for to have a beer. Cold beer. Whiskey. Friendly staff. Nuevo Reggae playing. Relax. Enjoy. By the lake. Be happy. read more

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Perfect Flat Whites and Cappuccinos. The breakfast here is amazing.The staff is really friendly and the whole place has a great vibe.

We stopped in for coffee and decided to have a little more. I had a toasted bagel with cream cheese and jelly. It was good and the coffee was great! Friendly staff and good music. It made for a good morning. We visited in Mar 2017 read more

What caught my eye was the fact that the name of this cafe doesn't really make sense in TE REO (the indigenous language of NZ). However, the coffee was absolutely amazing! Being a coffee snob myself I was stoked that they were serving SUPREME coffee which in my opinion is one of, if not the best coffee roast in the country. The salads were amazing and the service pretty sharp and friendly. The raspberry friands were also very tasteful. Odd: them table number holders were quite big heavy and an eye sore but.. Ah well. read more

It was a rainy day. We found this cafe is very busy, and thought it would be a good choice for lunch. Unfortunately the attitude of one waitress was very rude. The food was good though. 服务员态度非常差，可能太忙了。食物还可以。 read more

I yelped some places in Wanaka and honestly chose this place from its name. We walked in and they were playing the best music...I'm all about ambiance/vibes..so they made a good impression! They had a lot of drinks/beers to choose from and although the menu was small, we chose the burgers and they were SO GOOD! Juicy, delicious, flavorful. We ended up coming back here the next night for dinner because we were so impressed with the food! We got the curry and a pizza which were also amazing. Would definitely recommend this place! read more

Be sure to stop you're doing your time in Wanaka for a beer or coffee. The prices are reasonable, staff is friendly, and the atmosphere is second to none! Make sure you enjoy your drink or meal outside under the heaters during the winter to enjoy the tunes, scenery, and people walking along the street. read more

The most abundantly provisioned Veggie burger we have ever had. More like a very good salad in a bun. We usually add more ingredients to our burgers to increase their plant profile but this was totally not necessary. Delicious and nutritious. Staff are super friendly and genuinely nice. read more

Great spot for late night food. Every restaurant's kitchen was closed after 9 and Kai Whakapai offered a late night menu. We had a great salad and solid pizza. Plus they have great beer! read more

Awesome spot--very hip, great menu options (vegan, gluten free, etc), beer, and vibes. I highly recommend this restaurant, but be prepared for an unavoidable line. It's well-worth the wait! read more

Great service and amazing plate size. Seriously though you do not need a side when you order at this place. They do close outside seating at 10 PM so try to get a table inside if you are eating late. read more

Dropped in for a beer to kill a bit of time while with my son. Great selection of beers on tap (Brewski!), really cool vibe and plenty of quality food to choose from (the pizzas looked good). There was a great mix of people (families, tourists, locals, young, old), and great music. Looking forward to coming back to try the food. read more

We had brunch here in the first floor, cannot really see the lake view but the street view is good as well. Ordered the Kai full breakfast plus flat white - not bad but can't say it's that tasteful yet. read more

We had breakfast here. It was good - the bread they served with the breakfast veggie platter was wonderful, especially with the runnier guac on top. Nice atmosphere. read more

Breakfast for 2 adults and 3 small kids was fantastic. Great eggs, generous servings, perfect coffee. All packaged in some relaxed professional kiwi service. Well set up for the day. read more

Great food and atmosphere, efficient, and a place for the locals that know where the best service and happy hour is

Great food and great service! I went there on a very busy morning over New Years with a large group and their hard work meant we were not disappointed. The food came out very quickly and it was all great. Awesome selection of food and we loved being able to have breakfast in the late morning. The staff are all amazing also, I will be back again. read more

My breakfast would have been lovely when it was cooked, it's just unfortunate that it seemed to have been cooked 4 hours beforehand. Everything bar the dodgy sausages was cold, not recommended at all, the music sounded awful too, like "Ska and Ragga Hits!! 1993!", bad atmosphere, bad food and about as vacuous as the clientele with dodgy dreads and beanies. read more