4 Best Restaurants in Stewart Island, Otago, Invercargill, and Stewart Island

At the heart of the menu is food of the sea, or kai moana. Stewart Island blue cod, salmon, mussels, oysters, crayfish, and paua (abalone) are all cooked to perfection and accompanied by fresh vegetables from the garden just yards away. A specialty here is muttonbird (when in season). This intimate little restaurant with a view out to sea is popular with both locals and visitors. It operates in conjunction with Church Hill Boutique Lodge next door.

Britt Moore runs this little, bright yellow establishment offering a nice selection of sweet and savory scones (try their cheeses ones), slices and cakes, along with your usual tea and coffee. It's a great place to stop and watch the world go by. Friendly and chatty staff.

Come here for good old-fashioned fish-and-chips wrapped in a newspaper. There isn't an ounce of pretense in this cheerful little place, which is little more than a trailer with a shelter tacked over close to the town's "skateboard park" (a wooden ramp). The owner has a mussel farm in Paterson Inlet, and the cod comes from the Halfmoon Bay fishery. Try the bacon-wrapped mussels or chef Hilli's divine mussel chowder. They also do great venison burgers.  

You can have a relaxed meal in the seaside restaurant or an even more relaxed meal in the bar at this popular local spot. Local seafood (including oysters), pizza, pasta, and steaks offer good value; seafood chowder is a popular choice, and if you give a 24-hour notice, you can try the crayfish. Reservations are strongly recommended in the busy summer season because there are so few places to eat in these parts. Renowned winter buffets draw the local crowd in on Tuesday night.