Where to eat in Piha
Eight food businesses, four sit-down restaurants, one running argument, and more reasons to stay for dinner in Piha than you might think.
The Piha food scene is small, but well-formed, especially once you know what's here and when. Some places are open year-round, seven days a week. Some run a reduced schedule through winter and some only operate in summer.
What follows is the whole picture - every food business in the village, what they do, when they're open, and which one to choose for which kind of day.
Here are three places you can rely on, regardless of the season or day of the week - every day of the year.
The Piha Store is the morning answer. Open 7.30am to 3pm, 364 days a year, closed only on Christmas Day. Coffee good enough that locals who could make their own at home choose not to. Homemade pies. A good range of cabinet food, reasonable number of groceries (a little more expensive than in town, but right here for you), and they cover all of the basics. No alcohol (West Auckland rules) and no cigarettes. There is a surf shop attached to it, for board and suit rentals as well as all of the essentials from hats, glasses, togs, towels and jandals (super important in summer if you forget and want to walk on the beach without getting your feet burnt). If you've got a walk ahead of you or just arrived in the village, this is a great place to orient yourself. Saturday mornings often are accompanied by live music.
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Surfside Bites & Brew is the south-end answer to a hunger pang. The restaurant operates within the Piha Surf Club building at 23 Marine Parade South, looking across the south end of the beach toward Lion Rock. Year-round, generally seven days a week. The burger and fries are the order most worth coming for (in particular the chicken burger - enormous and delicious); locals will tell you the same. Beers on tap, and a good selection of wines. During summer you’ll feel the buzz of the operational Surf Club and sometimes even the drama that can unfold too. It has a wonderful deck area to soak up the sunset. Also one of the four contenders in the village fish-and-chip argument. They do an exceptionally crisp hot chip.
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The Piha RSA is a surprising kiwi delight. Seven days a week, year-round, at 3 Beach Valley Road. Steak that holds its own against anywhere in the village (and in the city) - cooked to perfection. They have live music on weekends, a pool table, and a moment of silence is observed for the fallen at 7pm - which you must stand for, with respect and no hats inside. This place is the kind of proper local where you don't need to be a member, the prices aren't trying to impress anyone, and the conversation at the bar is part of the meal. The deck is a great summer time spot to look over Piha from.
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The destination dinner worth driving to Piha for.
Year round, but less frequent in winter.
Aryeh is the chef-led restaurant at Piha North, next to the Piha Store on Seaview Road. Lucas Parkinson, formerly of Ode in Wānaka, runs the kitchen - and the food earned a solid review from Jesse Mulligan and Viva. Lucas has focused on a simple, well formed menu that is also an experience - with varying sizes of participation available from 3 courses to 8. It is always seasonal, fresh, surprising and incredibly polished. This is an unexpected twist in Piha’s rugged exterior, an incredibly well run kitchen plating up impressive fare. Open year-round, full week in summer, Friday through Sunday in winter. The deck looks at Lion Rock. The wine list is taken seriously and there is a bespoke cocktail too. Bookings are recommended.
Whilst this is the most expensive option in the village, they do specials and other ways to justify the evening. This is a place worth booking a stay around if you want a particular kind of evening - the kind where the food is the reason, not the backdrop. Not every visit to Piha needs a destination dinner. When one does, this is what it looks like.
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Family friendly and great vibes, year round.
Different parts of the beach give you different sunsets.
Coastal Beach Diner - known to locals as "The Bowler" - operates from the Piha Bowling Club at the Piha Domain. Thursday to Sunday in winter, extended to a fuller week in summer. The food is well-judged bistro fare with an Indian twist; the setting is the Bowling Club green with Lion Rock behind it. Casual, family-friendly, and with a roaring fire in winter. Also one of the four fish-and-chip contenders.
Beats, coffee, good vibes, great kai.
A Piha institution.
Murray - A mostly-summer-season Mexican-inspired food truck run by a local family from the bones of what used to be Piha's fish and chip shop. Great food, great coffee, Daily Bread pastries, and a sound system and playlist for every occasion. Open Labour Day to Anzac weekend, with “cameos” across the year (like Kings Birthday Weekend and Matariki).
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Related: the anchor essay on what Piha is and why people return. Where to eat in Piha for the dinner-before and dinner-after questions. The Mercer Bay Loop for the elevated version. Where to stay in Piha for the overnight version.
Last reviewed: [date]. The light changes; the principles don't. If you're a Piha photographer and have positions or seasons we should add, we want to hear from you.
