Eat your way through Ohakune

For a small scenic village, Ohakune boasts an impressive range of eateries to enjoy after a full day’s skiing or mountain biking. Notwithstanding its reputation as the carrot-growing capital of New Zealand, you’ll find more to Ohakune fare, than locally grown produce. We’ve rustled up the best places to eat Ohakune-style food, whether it’s budget-friendly dining, a hearty brunch or something just a bit special.

Best cafés Ohakune

If you’re looking for a quick breakfast on the go, then Thorn is a weekend favourite, powering out piping coffee, tasty cheese toasties and Best Ugly Bagels like the Omega, stuffed with smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers. This tiny take-out spot caters for vegan, vegetarian, dairy and gluten-free preferences too.

If you’re after a more leisurely brunch accompanied by locally roasted coffee, head to the longstanding Utopia Café. Choose from a finely tuned menu including a light breakfast panini, blueberry pancakes or their popular big brekkie of streaky bacon, sausage, hash browns, mushrooms, baked beans and eggs. They do all their own baking from scratch including the famous Utopia carrot cake, so smuggle a slice for later.

If the mountain’s closed, drop into one of the best rainy-day places to eat in Ohakune. Browse the eclectic decor at the Mountain Rocks café and their gift selection as you await your food. With a menu ranging from hearty burgers to platters of green-lipped mussels and a lip-smacking seafood chowder bursting with prawns, there’s tempting options for even the fussiest of eaters. Check out the daily specials (often lamb shanks in winter) or go for savoury pie if you’re just after a gap-filling snack.   

Best sweet treats

Well before sunrise in winter, the busiest place in town is Johnny Nation's Chocolate Eclair Shop. There you’ll find bakers hard at work preparing hundreds of eclairs to satisfy cravings for this light, crisp delicacy, oozing with fresh cream and drizzled with chocolate icing. For over 75 years, this place has been producing puff pastry perfection and a tasty array of baked goods making this one of the tastiest Ohakune attractions.

Tastes of the Med

Discover little Italy in the heart of Ohakune by dining at Osteria, for the most authentic pasta, wood-fired pizzas and traditional Italian flavours. This team serve up rustic fare so treat yourself to their prawn spaghetti, pollo pizza or popular beef brisket matched with crispy croquettes. Wear your stretchy pants and save room for their classic creamy Tiramisu (which you won’t want to share). Dab hands at whipping up speciality cocktails accompanied by a great wine list, Osteria is a deserving contender for ‘Best Restaurant Ohakune’.

So too is the Cypress Tree. For over 13 years, this family favourite has produced mouth-watering dishes sourced from local game and produce. Small plates designed to share, like Ohakune carrots marinated in orange juice, cumin and feta whip dip or blue-cheese gnocchi, make this spot a hit for foody visitors. The bistro’s venison medallions with blackberries or the smoked brisket (with your choice of gourmet sauce) are both destination dishes which keep guests returning year after year.

Best Ohakune takeaways

When you’ve got a tribe to feed and a hankering for Kiwi-style ‘fush and chups’ then head to Captain Kune’s, one of the best value places to eat in Ohakune. Visitors rate this spot as having the perfect hot chips (crunchy yet fluffy on the inside), flavoursome battered fish, kid-approved hotdogs and runny egg-steak burgers.

The top-rated Blind Finch hamburgerie and bakery is iconic in Ohakune for their exotic gourmet burgers, pies and made-to-order sandwiches. Try the lip-smacking Saigon burger with its char sui buttermilk fried chicken, crackling, pickled carrot, chilli, Vietnamese slaw and coriander with a side of yummy truffle fries. This place is definitely a cut above your average city burger joint.

Guests often ask the team at the HobbitTM Motorlodge about their shortlisted best ‘places to eat Ohakune’. Restaurant opening hours may vary over winter, so they’ll advise what’s operating, where’s good fare and other popular Ohakune attractions too.