We walked for a while along the banks of Lake Taupo, before we settled on the Lake House for dinner, located centrally in town, right across the street from the Lake which allowed for beautiful views of the lake. The large terrace wasn't very busy, but there were only 2 or 3 servers, for both inside and outside, so it took an awfully long time for someone to come and take our order. My husband ordered the lamb rump and I went with the roasted lamb salad. My lamb was roasted to perfection, and combined with the feta cheese and a delicious dressing, this salad was absolutely scrumptious. The lamb rump was also cooked to perfection, but it was kind of drowning in sauce. Just too much of it. Water is served free here in New Zealand, but just don't ask for ice in it. Most places don't have it. Also, count on getting just one napkin and make do with it. The wait staff was friendly, but kind of timid and not very attentive to the customers. At the end of our meal, we had to wait again a considerable time for the bill to come. Even trying to get the attention of the wait staff turned out to be a chore. It would have been nice for someone to come by our table to ask how our meal was and if we needed anything else. In short, nice view, tasty food, but mediocre service. I couldn't really give more than 3 stars for that. read more

Lake House - The view from the restaurant. - Cafes Near Me - Taupo, WKO

See all

I was looking forward to this place. Bunch of drunk kids where idling there when we got there. Service was awkward. The chocolate fondue is not to be taken. Waitress over sold it. It doesnt worth 20$ at all. Get some whitakers and fruits from the grocers and enjoy that one at home. It was suppose to be dark chocolate. It was chocolate syrup with few sad piece of banana and pear, marshmallow and brownies. Everybody I asked afterward for a good place to eat told me they could have warned me about this place.i guess next time I wont trust the other famous website I checked on... Bartender was good though. His service was good and his attitude as well. I enjoyed the beers. read more

Lake House - Glass is half empy or half full? How do you judge a less than okay meal for 60$? - Cafes Near Me - Taupo, WKO

Beer flight $15, kids meal $15 with drink and ice cream sundae, and outdoor seating facing the lake make this spot a wonderful tourist spot mixed with friendly service. Pizzas, burgers, and an assortment of local proteins and local craft beers make this place a great lunch or dinner spot. The lamb salad was tossed with a Mediterranean yogurt dressing which was fresh and light. The burgers and hot stone dishes looked fantastic, but I wasn't in the mood to cook. Big groups can eat here as there are plenty of big bench outdoor seating with umbrellas. After sunset, it gets chilly and you may venture inside. read more

See all

TLDR: Skip the fish and chips here, but absolutely come here for the beer. If you're looking for a spot right by Lake Taupo for craft beer, Lake House is an excellent option. Craft beer seems to be starting to have a presence around Taupo, and Lake House seems to be one of the places to get some of the best offerings on tap. While the number of taps available is quite small, maybe anywhere from 6-8 beers, there are bottles and cans available as well. In case you can't decide on what to get from the tap list, you fortunately have options. In case you want to commit, you can get a large pour, or you have options for a small pour, or get a tasting box. The tasting box consists of four taster pours, which gives you the option of variety. When it comes to the beer itself, I would look to get beers from the Lakeman Brewing Co (which is very local being brewed in Taupo) or Deep Creek Brewing Co. My personal favorites from Lakeman was the Big Hairy (pale ale). Some of my favorites from Deep Creek were Brewtiful Haze (New England IPA), Misty Miyagi (New England IPA), and HoppyMcHopFace (double IPA). As far as food is concerned, I can only speak on the fish and chips. Maybe it was a bad batch, but it was mediocre at best. I would not recommend getting the fish and chips. Service was pretty good here, even during peak hours. With the weather as nice as ever, you do have the option of sitting outside and there are plenty of tables outside that have a great view of the lake. If not, there is a good amount of seating inside. Overall, a solid place to go to for craft beer with some of the best that New Zealand has to offer. read more

Great pub food. I had the chowder which was served in a co loaf stuffed full of seafood. Yum! Great sunny outdoor space for a Sunday brunch read more

Lake House - Lunch by the waterfront - Cafes Near Me - Taupo, WKO

Popped in for mothers day lunch. Had the lakehouse burger and lamb salad. Free chocolate fondue! Probably the best burger we had in NZ - need to come back for stone cooking which looks (and sounds) so so yummy. Don't forget to beer! read more

The hot plate Lamb was one of the best pieces of meat I've ever had in my life. Only thing knocking this down one start is that the service was really terrible. I thought more than once that I had maybe been forgotten (even though the place was mostly empty). read more

good service, very friendly attentive staff. nothing to write home about, but what you should expect. a breath of fresh air after spending a few days in Rotorua. good focused craft beer selection from some of the smaller breweries in NZ. food is almost modern (this coming from a Californian), maybe a decade behind but the flavors work nicely and food is prepared well. presentation is clean. I just can't escape that balsamic drizzle and dot. oh well. killer location, all in all a great experience. read more

Lake House - crostini with venison, walnuts, and blue cheese - Cafes Near Me - Taupo, WKO

We went here looking for local craft beers and we found them! We found a decent draft list of a variety of styles even though it was a bit short at 5 taps for a gastropub. I had the stone slab lamb rump which was delicious and easy to cook. It comes raw on a hot stone which allows tasting the meat at different levels of 'doneness'. My date had the cajun jerk sandwich which was fantastic. The mix of spicy and sweet flavors were well executed. The prices seemed reasonable for NZ which is to say they are more than I'm accustomed to from the States. Finally, the view of the lake and sunset was stupendous. I will definitely recommend this restaurant to a friend visiting the area. read more

Vacationing in Taupo with my wife and looking for a place to eat. Menu looked decent and I was excited to try the craft beer selection. Unfortunately that never happened. After being seated (we seated ourselves per the direction of the first server we spoke with), and ignored for an extremely long time we finally flagged down a waitress who asked if we would like menus. Yes please. We wait again. After no one returned to take our order much less even look our way we gave up. Maybe we should have sent up a smoke signal. Granted they were busy, but IMO you're never too busy to completely ignore guests. Because then they write 1 star reviews. My advice - go on a slow night and if they look busy, go somewhere else. read more

This place is really good, I was looking for a good dinner and beer on a rainy Sat afternoon and found this place. I tried the pizza along with a couple of the different beers and it was all really good. I would go back again if I was ever in Taupo. The staff was all very friendly too which made service good! read more

Fun place, with outdoor area overlooking the lake. Menu had good choices, albeit not really for vegetarians. The staff all seemed to have different dispositions - our server, a Canadian young lady, was great. read more

Nice place with a great, buzzing atmosphere and excellent service. Ribs were delicious as was their pizza. Would definitely recommend a visit. read more

Lake House - Riiiiibs! - Cafes Near Me - Taupo, WKO