At this point I was about 65% through my New Zealand adventure, so I needed a little break from all…read morethe delicious New Zealand food(#firstworldproblems). According to the ambiance, and our charming Filipino waiter, Kepler is mostly Chilean based cuisine using local ingredients...sure why not? $14NZ Tomato Pesto soup...I love a creamy tomato soup, have had many a bowl of it, but I will say this is the best in the world! Not sure what spices they add to it, but its got an extra zest that excites my taste buds. $35NZ Paella...I love paella, and I love seafood! And this was good and packed with fish, shrimps, and mussels. Though when ordering paella in New Zealand, don't expect it to be like Spain's paella. The rice was quite right, but still delicious and a ginormous serving of it all. $34NZ Seafood pasta...a nice creamy sauce and also packed with seafood. I think the paella was better, but the wife disagreed. Great place if you need a break from the traditional NZ cuisine. But don't bring sensitive vegetarians and vegans...sometime's they'll be roasting whole lambs over an open fire pit, which is right in the middle of the restaurant.

Kepler's Family Restaurant is a local establishment in the heart of tiny Te Anura serving an…read moreinteresting mix of seafood and local specialties in a clean an airy setting. We were visiting in January and made early reservations on a Friday for dinner. From the moment we walked in we were made to feel welcome and we received prompt and courteous service throughout our visit. To start we got the bread and dips--5 heartily slices of rustic bread with three spreads-olives/cheese, sun dried tomato/cheese and salmon/cheese. The toasted bread was enough for 6 people but very tasty. For mains my wife enjoyed the house special-slow roasted lamb (you can see this in action) which was fall off the bone tender with a nice light smoky flavor. I enjoyed the paella-also a big serving-that was prepared perfectly. They also have a decent wine list featuring many regional wines that we also enjoyed. Even though we were rather full, there's always room for dessert, right? Especially an old school baked Alaska flamed table-side. Yum! Recommended

On vacation in New Zealand and this restaurant was recommended by the owner of our b&b…read more The recommendation was spot on! The service was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. The food was excellent and was served quickly. All in all a great evening. I highly recommend this restaurant. You will not be disappointed!

Great food is found here. Good thing we had a reservation. The restaurant was packed and the line…read moreof people outside was very long. It is in an old house. The service is excellent. We loved our dishes (lamb and venison).

I thought the food was just okay until later that night (27 Nov 2025) I got violently ill. One of…read morethe specials was seafood linguini. Can't say for sure but I believe the mussels were bad. I got food poisoning from this dish. My wife had the gnocchi and she was fine. After dinner, we shared a gelato from another cafe so I know it was the seafood linguini that made me sick that night.

You'll need a reservation for this place. Good vibe, good food! We had the mussels, lamb and…read morevenison. All well prepared and tasty. Service was spotty- had to ask for our drinks after starters were served but drinks hadn't arrived. Kept needing to ask for items along the meal. The place was busy but not crazy busy.

Good Chinese food but not the best. Plus the service for us was really slow. And unlink Chinese…read morerestaurants in the states you don't get rice with your meal. I guess have to pay extra for it. We ordered the sesame chicken and the beef and noodles dish. Both meals came out fairly quickly and we ate them right away cause we were starving. The chicken was a little on the bland side but the beef and noodles were very tasty. The waiters never came to check up on us and once their brought us our food and tea, they never came back to even bring us some water. We had to try very hard to flag someone down to bring us water as well as the check when we were done eating. A big group left right before us so it really wasn't that crowded at all. I think they just didn't care about us. What was also strange was that the head waiter and another gentleman at a big table across the restaurant were literally screaming at each other. It was in Chinese so we couldn't tell why they were yelling but even in the US I have never encountered anything quite like it. We were happy to get out of the restaurant. I left it 4 stars because despite all of this the food was pretty good and the price was fair. There were not many food options in this town for dinner and it saved us from going to a super expensive high-end restaurant which we never enjoy.

Big spot for semi-authentic Chinese food…read more This is your classic colossal Chinese place- you'll find tanks with live lobster and plenty of large tables with lazy susans. It's popular with both Chinese and Western tourists, as the bilingual menu might suggest. That menu includes lots of meat, poultry, and seafood dishes, with vegetables and soups also on the list. Sichuan dishes are prominent, but there are also American Chinese deep fried classics. On to my food- I had the wonton soup, the small bowl which turned out to be a generous portion of broth and three large wontons. The soup was flavorful, although the little floating vegetable bits weren't great. The wontons were nice, ample and beefy. Also had the Chinese sizzling steak, which was nice and juicy but the sauce was a bit sweet. The Sichuan Chicken was good- spicy enough and well cooked. An ample portion of rice is provided when ordered. Service was decently fast though there were a couple mistakes and missed requests. 4 stars

Came here on a whim…read more Make a reservation. Very crowded. Back of the house and service was a tad slow for mains--probably because of all the people. Not bad. Just noticeable. Had the bruschetta and a calzone. Would 100% recommend everyone get the bruschetta it was awesome. The dough they used to make the calzone was probably the best I've ever had. It was really really good. As for the actual calzone, it was just ok. I think it had ham & mushrooms and cheese on the inside. Then they tossed marinara on top which made that part of the calzone mushy. The pizzas looked great.

We were a group of 14 getting dinner after a long day of sightseeing. The woman who took our…read moreorders was clearly stressed out. She came by once to take our orders but some of us weren't ready yet. When she came back a second time, she sternly told us we had to be ready with our order by the time she came to us. We placed our orders and got our food fairly quickly. I enjoyed my pizza margarita napoletana. The flavors were good and as expected in a margarita. It was large for one person, so I was able to save half for lunch the next day. . They also provide gluten free options, which was good for one of the people in our party because she is allergic to gluten. But her pizza wasn't sliced probably to prevent cross contamination. We were having a good time until all of a sudden we were rushed out. The person who made the booking was not informed that large groups are not allowed to pay separately. It apparently is stated on the menu, but I wish we were informed at the time of booking. And the woman who took our orders was not happy with that and told us to pay separately immediately. That dampened our experience. I understand that the restaurant business is stressful, especially since the pandemic has adversely affected the hospitality business. And maybe there are other things happening in her life that she's battling with. But she made me feel like me and my group were a burden. And that's not something anyone ever wants to feel. If you plan to dine here, I suggest looking at the menu online so you know what to order before you even enter the restaurant. I will say I enjoyed my pizza, so it's worth giving them a try.

My boyfriend and I recently traveled to New Zealand for vacation. I write this review about a…read moremonth late. We had gone in August, so it was still their winter season and by late night once we arrived and wanted dinner not too many places were open. We strolled through the town looking at menus of various restaurants and decided on this one. I suppose good thing about arriving late and their non-peak travel season is that there was no wait to be seated! ;) My boyfriend had wanted to try one of the beers. It sounded very yummy, but to our disappointed it was sold out. So no drinks but we went on and ordered food. We ordered a salad and a pizza. We ordered the Fiordlander just for the sake of being touristy and the ingredients sounded pretty good -- tomato sauce, mozarella, ham, pineapple, mushroom, and parsley. The salad was made of baby spinach, feta, tomato, pumpkin seeds, dried apricot and toscano vinaigrette. It was a simple salad but something about that dressing just made the salad so flavorful. Both were very delicious. We were quite happy with our choices!

My husband and I took advantage of the early bird special deal. This was a $60 meal for two which…read moreincluded soft drink, house wine or beer; garlic bread; medium pasta or pizza and dessert. We really enjoyed our Diverso pizza and Nonno pasta and the desserts (chocolate cake and tiramisu) were excellent. This is a incredibly great value deal and we were both really full!

An incredible spot in the very cute town of Te Anau. They have some seating outside but I actually…read morerecommend going across the street to the Te Anau Gardens for a beautiful view while you eat (obviously only if the weather is good). I've been obsessed with meat pies since I got to New Zealand and this didn't disappoint. We got 4 things: 1. Chicken Brie and cranberry (seasonal special) 2. Venison and plum sauce 3. Lamb and mint 4. Sausage roll The seasonal Brie and cranberry was by far my favorite with delicious Thanksgiving-esque flavors. Would strongly recommend in you swing by around when they have this. The lamb and venison were incredible. I particularly enjoyed the plum sauce making the venison incredibly tender. All 3 were on the heavier side which matches my palette, but maybe not yours! Side note: the sausage roll was fantastic. One of the better ones I've had in New Zealand!

Can't beat a little local spot for savory & sweet pies with a coffee after a night on the Milford…read moreSound! We popped in for a snack after our boat trip before the lunch spots opened. The meat pie was warm & delicious as was the dessert pie! Perfect size for take away & holding while walking the streets for browsing the local shops. There isn't inside seating, but outside picnic tables. Staff was kind!

Best food we ate in all of NZ! This unassuming little cafe tucked in the nook between a real estate…read moreoffice and the jade and shell jewelry shop is the real gem in town! We ended up coming here for breakfast one day, lunch another, and pre-dinner snacks another. My favorite thing I ordered here was the veggie stack for brunch/breakfast. They serve brekkie here until 11:30am and their poached eggs are where it is at! Their baked goods are also fresh, dense, and worth every cent. They change up their specialty scones daily at the front pastry container at the cashier. My favorite was the cheese scone - I had two of these in one day! When it's good, it's good! My friend enjoyed the fruit muesli baked slice as well as her ham and egg benedict. They have clean restrooms in the back, free WiFi, and a patio for smokers in the back as well. Service was good and free water is available with glasses in the cooler. I can't say enough about this place - what a great!

Delicious and super flavorful food in this cute little spot tucked away on the Main Street of this…read moretiny little tourist town. We got the Burger and chips as well as the OT Buttie. Both came out super quickly and we're so delicious and freshly made. Staff was super helpful and quick with our food. I will also say best Moccachino in all of Te Anau that I've had so far especially with a little bit of caramel.

At the time I'm reviewing this, the rating is a 3.2, which is surprising! We got pizza and…read morebruschetta from here, both of which were fresh and delicious, was it as good as the stuff you get in Italy? No. But we're in New Zealand, not Italy. The service is friendly, the ambiance is cozy and welcoming, and the food doesn't deserve to get ragged on as much as it has in these reviews. It was a touch on the greasy side, but still very tasty, and definitely good if you have a taste for Pizza! Go here without concern - it's a fine place!

Great pizza and salad, good beer and wine selection and good service. Very friendly staffread more

Great fast and easy Chinese food takeaway (there are 4-5 tables inside and picnic tables outside)…read morein Te Anau. Right on the main part of downtown, plenty of parking available. We got the combo fried rice, beef noodles, sesame chicken and curry chicken. Meat was tasty and tender, well cooked and flavorful. Don't forget to grab some soy and chopsticks when you checkout!

Lots of tourists come to Te Anau as part of their tour of the south island and mostly on their way…read moreto Milford Sound and/or Doubtful Sound. If you come to Te Anau in the spring as we did, you'd find that fewer numbers of the local eateries are open as there would be in the summer. We came to check out the Tip Top scoop selections and at the menu at this local dairy. Turns out it's not bad. They do have a pretty good Tip Top ice cream selection and while we enjoyed our cones one evening we noticed that a good number of people stopped in for take out (or as the New Zealanders say take aways). The next night we decided to give it a try. We ordered stir fry vegetables ($12 NZ), the special noodles ($14 NZ), and seaweed soup ($4 NZ). The owner is a couple with their young children. While we waited we watched numbers of people come in and pick up take out. Most of them got fried chicken or fish and chips. Some were obviously locals that were greeted warmly. Don't get me wrong, we were treated very well. As it is not a full restaurant, they don't have hot tea or drinks aside from those in the coolers. As such the rather lightly flavored soup served as a hot drink. There were good bits of seaweed, some carrots, and egg drop to make it interesting. The noodles were special perhaps because it had slices of BBQ pork, chicken, and imitation crab stick. The sauce was fine. The stir fry vegetable dish had broccoli, cauliflower, onion, carrots, and celery. Nothing special, the pieces were a too big, but after too many meals with chips as sides this was a really nice change. This place doesn't serve amazing Chinese food. Someone else will have to comment on the fish and chips and fried chicken, but it is a nice neighborhood place. The Chinese food is fine and the price is right. You can get ice cream for dessert!