BUSY brunch spot on the main drive in Lake Tekapo but probably the one eatery with the best…read morequality. THANKFULLY, they give you an overestimation of wait times, at least for food, my Croque Madame (19.5 NZD) coming out very fast to the picnic bench just outside. FRESH ingredients and despite only having 1 egg, the free range egg was actually quite big with a mostly runny yolk. I did wish there was more bechamel sauce perhaps because it was a little dry. I practically almost finished this before the boy was able to fetch my Flat White for me, the baristas positively inundated by in-cafe orders alongside walk-up window ones. It was already quite crowded at 9AM on a Friday, so VERY popular, but with reason!

Best cafe in Tekapo…read more We stopped by for breakfast all 3 days we were in the area and our flat whites (one regular, one with soy) were consistently great. The muffin flavor rotates daily. We tried the banana caramel, chocolate and Nutella flavors and all were delicious (& not too sweet). The berry French toast is also delicious. We also tried the curried chicken wrap which was tasty, and minced meat pie which was decent. Service is great and staff is friendly. You are given a number if you decide to eat-in and the drinks are brought timely. The food may take awhile, but it's fine since you can sip on your drink in the meantime. Communal tables available with a fair amount of seating. Cute vibe. Lots of parking. Definitely our favorite spot.

Stopped in here for a quick bite on our way to Mt Sunday for some LOTR sightseeing. Located next to…read moreiSite which was convenient. Service was very friendly but it took awhile longer than expected to get our simple order of soup and nachos. Coffee was good. Soup wasn't bad according to the wife. Wife liked my nachos too but I thought they were kinda meh. More chili on corn chips than anything else with a strong tomato sauce taste. Overall decent meal. They also provide 50 mb of free wifi.

This place is an excellent view of the two main mountain peaks. The food is really good as well…read more Nice ambiance. Excellent hiking trails.

With Glacier views and a serene setting, Matheson Cafe is the perfect combination of delicious…read morefood, relaxing and ideal location. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, you really can't go wrong here. We opted for dinner and needed a reservation as it is a popular place in town. It was the perfect choice to see the sunset over the glacier. If staying in town for the night, this is the way to go. Food was just as good as the locals said it would be. Service was quick and our server was very attentive and checked in with us often. Everything here was fantastic. The only thing (not the cafe's fault) is the bugs around sunset and once the sun goes down are very annoying. After sunset, we along with the other guests at nearby tables all requested to move inside to enjoy the rest of our meal. They were use to this request and able to accommodate all of us right away.

Snacks with a world class view. You don't drive up that mountain for the cuisine but if you are…read morepeckish they have a selection of sweets, drinks/coffees and sandos that will satisfy.

I went here after doing a nearby hike, enjoyed the views of pastry and a coffee. It's a nice little…read morespot.

My Alpine Salmon Filet, local mussels, cauliflower steak and shoe string fries with house made…read morepaired with some great wine and beers. Bar opened at 4 with drinks and bites available restaurant opened at 5pm for the rest of the menu. Food came out hot and delicious.

A nice find in a beautiful town! The restaurant features an excellent preparation of the NZ staples…read more- beef, lamb, local fish - and a full bar. The staff is engaging and cheery: Millie was especially attentive and kind to us, ensuring we had a wonderful evening in Lake Tekapo.

Hands down, the best savoury scones in NZ! A great stop for those heading north to Christchurch.read more

Food was delicious. No wifi. Coffee was delicious we got a mocha, a flat white, and full breakfast,…read moreand a vegitarian one, overall everything was delicious. We have been van lifting it for the last month and it's always a welcome surprise to find a delicious breakfast when we decide to treat ourselves!

Great restaurant. Friendly staff and nice environment. Lamb rack, slow cooked lamb shoulder in…read moreMassaman curry sauce, and beef 2 ways were all very delicious. Smoked salmon chowder was also good.

Snakebite is named after their signature beverage, which is a 50:50 mix of their berry cider and…read moreusually a beer, selections from a lager to a Hazy IPA possible. Otherwise, they also have other alcoholic beverages along with some beers on taps. The freshies from Altitude Brewing -- namely the annual Hazy IPA, "Cones of Gratitude", brewed with Riwaka from Eggers Hops (ICONIC kiwi hop butt logo) -- was ordered in earnest, its dank, passion fruity notes savored to max effort. Probably my favorite NZ-style IPA to be had. I much preferred the Altitude beers on tap to the Snakebite concoction, the cider being quite natural, slightly fermented, and a little too funky. In addition to beers, food is to be had with pretty much every Asian cuisine under the sun. We had some Tumeric Chicken Kebabs which were a little dry and room temp though the peanut sauce was a yummy and required pairing. Prices are what they are for one of the few operating restaurants in the Franz Josef area. It served well for the afternoon downpour which made its appearance upon our arrival for lunch.

We enjoyed the cashew chicken and the Thai beef salad for a mid-afternoon lunch during a…read moreweather-induced power outage in the area. Both had fresh ingredients with just the right amount of spicy flavor. The portions were generous and filling. Atmosphere was cozy. Figuring out that we needed to order at the counter was a bit confusing, and gathering details about the drink offerings was a little harder than it needed to be. Overall, I recommend Snakebite as a place to try when visiting Franz Josef.

We happened upon this place by accident and I am so glad we did! All of the staff were very helpful…read moreand friendly, the food was amazing! We got the full breakfast which was a ton of food and very high quality. Their gluten free bread was the best I have ever had! Would definitely recommend stopping here for food if you are in the area!

Twizel be but a small, gateway town to Mount Cook/ Aoraki, but somehow this quality eatery exists…read more I think like most, we already had quite a bit of red meat up to that point, so the Asian inspired menu with chicken and fish was a pleasant sight. The eatery also houses Burkes Brewing Co. which is a part of the the NZ Ale Trail, so fresh suds poured from clean lines were had alongside our dinner. I ordered Fusion Fish & Chips (35 NZD; sake marinated battered fish, aurora sauce, and fries) and the S.O. a Chicken Burger (30 NZD; marinated fried chicken, nagoya sauce, mayo, tomato, slaw, and fries). We missed that the chicken burger was fried though somehow this came out a tad cold which tells me this was reheated. My Fish and Chips, on the other hand, came out piping hot. The batter was a little thicker on these bad boys (hence the fusion to English style fish and chips?) and the sauce more a tomato based creamy sauce than tarter sauce. I was ravenous so this was consumed in earnest. This came with a refreshing side of shredded cabbage, the aurora sauce serving as a good dressing for this. I'd say I was mostly a happy camper, though the boy probably not so much. Though our goal was to avoid red meat, we still ate heavy with all the fried food. Pricing was on the upper end, but there isn't much room for competition around so it is what is it.

Had lunch here with my wife and we both loved it…read more Service. Service was very good. Very quick, kind and responsive. Food. I had the curry chicken and it was fall off the bone. My wife had the prawn balls and noodle salad. She loved. Vibe. Vibe was very casual with both indoor and outdoor seating. Beer. Had 2 of the Whole Lotta Lettuce. It was the best IPA I have had in New Zealand. Very crisp and hoppy.