A lot has changed in the Havelock North dining scene over the last year, so I just came down again and visited a couple of new places. Still got more to try but they’re not all open every night!
Hawkes Bay is my childhood stomping ground, and Havelock North is a little village that punches above its weight for eating, drinking and being generally merry.
Here’s my ever changing list of places to eat in Havelock North (in no particular order) that I try and get to each time I visit, which is about three or four times a year, and most are within walking distance.
Pattie & Brioche
Fresh to the Havelock North scene (as of March 2025) is a bites and brews dining situation, Pattie & Brioche. Their combination of gourmet burgers and craft brews sits nestled on Joll Road amongst other eateries mentioned earlier.
Their casual vibe makes it an ideal spot for easy dining and social gatherings. Below you’ll be introduced to the Brioche bun maker (Ya Bon) a little further down.
You can enjoy burgers, bites & brews for lunch on Friday to Sunday or dinner Tuesday through to Sunday.
Mijita
Mijita brings the vibrant flavours of Latin America to Havelock North. Their tapas-style menu features dishes like picanha skewers and mushroom tacos, with a cocktail list that includes mojitos, margaritas, and pisco sours.
The plates are simple but absolutely delicious. My favourite dish was the Ceviche which was served with banana chips – highly recommend giving this a try!
The restaurant’s colourful decor and lively atmosphere make it a must-visit spot. Or start your night here with a cocktail, and head to one of the other’s on this list for dinner.
Open 6 days a week, closed Tuesdays. Oh and they also do takeaways.
Ya Bon Table
If you’re after some fresh pastries, you can’t go past Ya Bon Table located on Te Mata Road next to Westpac and the famous Wardini Book Shop.
This beautifully light space is a French bakery and patisserie, offering fresh baked pastries, sandwiches, excellent espresso, and a selection of imported French cheese and local artisan products.
Their doughnuts are deliciously fluffy with different filling options, which I enjoyed along with my chai latte. They also have a great range of breads including brioche buns, which were perfect for home-made burgers later that night! These are the famous burger buns that Pattie & Brioche use for their burgers.
Ya Bon Table is open Wednesday through to Saturday 7am – 2pm. They also have a cafe in Hastings. Be sure to be in quick to get your fix of fresh bread or sandwiches.
St Martha
St Martha is another incarnation in the cafe next to Advintage at 4 Donnelly Street. They share the same car park. I popped in with neice as its reputation precedes it, and was not disappointed. I’d also sent friends there the day before who said they’d really enjoyed their eggs brekky.
We had already had a coffee at Lot 2, the next cafe on this list, so shared an Island Time smoothie (she’s from the Cayman Islands, so it seemed splendidly appropriate), and one of these soft ginger kisses filled with cream cheese. Mmmm.
They are open for breakfast, brunch and lunch, weekdays 7.30am to 2.30pm and weekends 8.30am to 2.30pm. They also catering for private events, if you’re looking for someone to do your food for your next party 😉
Lot 2
Lot 2 opened in August in 2023, but it’s one of the newest cafes in Havelock North. It’s small and intimate, located on Joll Road in a new development which also features Pattie & Brioche, Mary’s, Piku, and around the back Alessandros, The Workroom Cafe and Mijita.
I ordered a chai latte, as I was coffee’d out from Hawthorn earlier (see below). They make their own chai powder on site and I especially loved the locally made pottery cups for my chai latte with the little thumb indents.
It serves lovely cabinet food and a full breakfast and lunch menu by day, and doubles as a restaurant by night with Middle Eastern, Southern East Asian, Indian, and Mediterranean cuisine. If you’ve ever enjoyed their Indian dosas at the Hastings Farmer’s Market, this is their cafe. They also do private catering for your next event.
Birdwoods Gallery & Cafe
Located about 3km from Havelock North, this is one of three Birdwoods Galleries around New Zealand (including Parnell and Arrowtown).
The Havelock North cafe is set in the original church hall of St Peter’s in Waipawa, built in 1894, and has long been a favourite of my family for a few reasons. 1) They have excellent food and 2) they also have lots of room for four generations to sit or run around the outdoor sculptures – and shop at the lod fashioned sweet shop!
You enter through the gallery which has an eclectic mix of African and New Zealand art and gifts for sale. To your right is the cafe counter with some delicious cakes and slices in a cabinet, but they also have indoor and outdoor cafe seating.
Outside, two marquees are set in the vast garden which is dotted with sculptures and a pond and makes for a great place for kids too. One is smaller so is a popular spot for our family birthday lunches or coffees as we can pre-book it out.
I last popped in with mum and my cousin Kate. I had the seafood chowder (below), which was delicious, but upon tasting Kate’s mushroom soup I had plate envy! Then we decided we could split a homemade custard square three ways…
Next door is a dinky, old fashioned sweet shop too to spend some pocket money. It would pay to book a table here as it is very popular.
Smith and Sheth
Start your evening here with a glass of wine and live music of a balmy evening.
This wine bar, owned by Steve Smith and Brian Sheth who make Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah from grapes selected from around New Zealand, is hidden behind Malo (which also makes this list – see below), under Porter’s Hotel.
It is small with a cosmopolitan vibe.
There is indoor and outdoor seating including a couch corner, a large high leaner and a row of small tables along a bench seat covered in sheepskins.
Their own CRU selection is very reasonably priced by the glass (from about $14), despite me hearing otherwise.
Smith and Sheth is a lovely place to meet friends and even nibble through the snack menu, but with so many other great dining options all within walking distance, we just had a couple of glasses and were off.
Open Wednesday to Sunday, midday to 9pm.
Hawthorne Coffee
This is the spot I walk to every morning from my mum’s place when I’m staying for the best coffee in the Bay. And can I insist you try the savoury scone? Oh my.
Hands down the best place for a coffee in Havelock North is Hawthorne Coffee Roastery and Espresso Bar. They have their own roastery here, which you can smell cooking most days, and their coffee beans are sold all over New Zealand.
A quick tip for the locals is the takeaway window on the right hand side, or grab a table in the Hawkes Bay sun and catch up with friends.
You won’t find much of a food selection here apart from some scones and pastries, but it’s the coffee everyone comes for – every day! Hawthorne is right next door (same building) to Deliciosa.
Mary’s
Probably the tiniest restaurant in Havelock North, Mary’s is a sister of Craggy Range, the fine dining vineyard restaurant about 10 minutes drive out of town (see below). Named after Mary Peabody, wife of Craggy Range founder Terry Peabody.
Craggy Range chef Casey McDonald launched a pop-up burger restaurant after the first lockdown and it went so well, Mary’s was permanently born in the heart of the village. Yes it does serve a burger, but also a melt-in-the-mouth steak, pork belly and other winter warmers.
It has closed in the small dining space outside, so no need for the heaters and rugs when the weather is chilly.
Craggy Range
For a special occasion, or just because you deserve it, dinner (or lunch) at Craggy Range Winery is sublime.
It’s very popular so I suggest you book ahead. But if you’re coming for lunch, arrive a little earlier to sit on the veranda with a glass of wine and gaze over the pond and lawn sculptures to the back of the mighty Te Mata Peak.
At dinner time, they serve the most divine warm bread with homemade butter – and that’s with compliments while you peruse the menu. They grow a lot of their veges and herbs on site.
These pics are examples of our recent mains: Steaks and duck with a side of roasted potatoes with garlic dressing and brussel sprouts with buttermilk dressing and dill. We ordered the beef eye fillet medium rare and it came with black celeriac puree, ox tongue and pine nut crumb with a little kick of mustard. Wonderful.
We did manage to sneak in a bite of a couple of the desserts: poached meringue with rhubarb and brown sugar cream with lime curd and a burnt honey and dulce (caramel) layer cake.
Open 7 days for lunch and dinner
Piku Japanese restaurant and cocktail bar
There’s a new complex housing several restaurants and a cafe at 15 Joll Road and it’s quite the attraction!
I love Piku for its fresh Japanese cuisine. There are two areas, inside (bookings are advised) or outside where you order at the cocktail bar, but the menu is the same.
We nabbed a table outside (Havelock North was busy thanks to the Mission concert that weekend) and started with salty, tasty edamame (soy) beans and a glass of wine.
All their plates are designed for sharing, so we went for the tempura chicken with a side of blue cheese dip and a side of hot chilli (which wasn’t too hot at all – in small doses!)
Then we loved the slow cooked beef cheek on a miso kumara mash. Devine! We looked at the dessert menu, but decided that was enough. On my latest visit we popped in for lunch – sushi roll and a glass of wine.
Open 7 days for lunch and dinner.
Pixie
I love the light and airy decor in this tiny restaurant which started out life up on Joll Road as a breakfast takeaway with a few tables outside.
Now it is on Napier Road with indoor seating (and some outside tables still) serving delicious and healthy (!) breakfast bowls and smoothies, plus great coffee and a cabinet of sweet treats and lunch items.
I’ve eaten here several times, but my last visit was on a chilly wintery morning so the warm vanilla, chia and coconut oats porridge bowl and Black Doris plums with coconut yoghurt did the trick.
Emma had one of the smoothie bowls (or get it blended into a drink) with frozen blended raspberries, banana and coconut milk, granola and a raspberry chia compote.
St George’s Restaurant
This lovely restaurant is a bit of a hidden gem as it’s not within walking distance of Havelock North village, and while it’s been there forever, it seems to be the place people say “oh I must try St George’s again”.
And try you must! Award-winning head chef Franky grows 90% of his veggies and produce in his on-site organic garden and each plate is created with such care, not to mention delicious combos of ingredients and flavours.
Try not salivate as you scroll through our meal there. Three of us had the fish of the day (tarakihi) which was filled with salmon mousse and my brother declared the beef tartare with a raw egg yolk and crispy kumara chips to be sensational.
Deliciosa
This place is great summer or winter with outdoor seating and bean bags on the slither of lawn road side, or behind a thick velvet curtain to make it cosy when the overhead heaters are on. They also have inside seating and it’s a rustic kind of restaurant that I just love.
They specialise in small plates. Try the crispy bites of pork belly on fennel and apple slaw, get the Southern style chicken pieces with watermelon.
We love the prawns with coconut and chilli, and they usually have a lamb that I hope everyone wants to tuck into. Of course you order any dish just for yourself!
Wright & Co
I like Wright and Co, up Joll Road, for a morning flat white and brunch. This is the go-to and that of my family who live in Havers like to do together.
Lots of great food in the cabinet plus a menu from the kitchen. Tables are inside and outside on a lovely Hawkes Bay day.
A busy and bustling meeting place for friends and family. Oh and they forgot our coffees last time I was there and offered me a full refund with apologies. That was unexpected and says a lot about them too.
Pizza at Pipi
The iconic bright pink building is hard to miss on Joll Road, but whatever you do, don’t miss it. Original owner Alex (below) has sold it, but we had takeaway pizzas there recently and they were good.
It’s open from 4pm till 10pm every night and is the closest thing to a real fair dinkum Italian experience you’ll find in these parts. You help yourself to beer and soft drinks from the old fashioned fridge and they just add up the empties.
Their meatballs on pasta is sweetly delicious and the pizzas generous in size. The last time I went I had fish pie with a mashed potato top, but had a nibble of the above pulled pork pizza and ruled that superb!
They also have a truck and if you follow them on Facebook you’ll find where they’ll be to go and grab one on the run.
Alessandro’s
If you can’t get into Pipi, or you don’t fancy the loud buzz that comes with this energetic place, Alessandro’s Pizzeria is almost opposite, around the back of Mary’s and behind Piku.
It was a bit of an undiscovered gem in the old location down Joll Road, but now it’s buzzing with indoor and outdoor seating blending into Piku’s outdoor seating.
They make a Neapolitan style pizza from Naples with a sourdough pizza base and pop them in the wood fire for 60-90 seconds and serve it hot.
They can do gluten free pizza too. You’ll also find a page of pasta dishes, like lasagne and meatballs, but it’s the pizza everyone comes for.
Malo
Pronounced May + Low (after the two guys who built it), this restaurant is in the Porters Hotel in the heart of Havelock North (once the Happy Tav for you former locals!). Walking distance from every eatery on this list (ok, not Craggy!)
It’s got a reputation for being fancy, so we had my husband’s 50th there. I have to say, I think my meal was the dish of the night.
I recently went back for a late lunch/afternoon snack and a glass of wine with my brother who was visiting from Cayman Islands and sister, and my eyes spotted this delicious duck liver parfait profiterole. It’s on the dinner menu, but chef said he’d do it at 2pm!
Today we all chose from the day menu (apart from the aforementioned profiteroles) and it was kingfish krudo for Richie and Vietnamese pancake for Pip with a glass of something local.
Mamacita Mexican
This kid on the block arrived late 2013 and my family waited for a table in the busy throng to wrap our laughing gear around their delicious small plates.
You won’t find piles of nachos, but the ribs, fresh cerviche, pulled pork tacos and other little plates of spicy delights have made this one of my faves in Havelock North.
Prices are small too – we ordered two plates each and with a jug of sangria and other drinks for those weren’t persuaded by the chilled red wine, we were out spending $35 each.
Namaskar Indian Restaurant
If you love a good Indian, this restaurant just beside Wright & Co is great. It’s open 7 days and I’ve added it to this list after eating here when I last visited with my family. As is usual for Indian restaurants, we shared several dishes and polished each one off!
Update: the next time I came down we got takeaways from here. Yum!
For more info on Havelock North, click onto www.villageinfo.co.nz.
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