Best places to wine and dine in the Wairarapa
Dine among the vines in Martinborough, enjoy colourful cuisine in Greytown, and visit Featherston's speciality cheese shop for the best cheese scone of your life
Saint Sebastian
109a Chapel Street, Masterton
Housed in a brilliant sky-blue Art Deco building, Saint Sebastian is hard to miss. Inside, the menu makes the most of Wairarapa’s finest produce and kaimoana and uses a hand-made approach to produce simple and modern food that caters for a range of dietary requirements. Nab a spot on the sunny deck, order some sharing plates and enjoy.
The Clareville Bakery
3340 SH2, Clareville, Carterton
Multi-award-winning artisan bakery and café, The Clareville Bakery is worth driving from Wellington for! Operating out of a converted church, Clareville puts its success down to fresh produce, artisanal craftsmanship and hard work. This is the place to experience your best-ever Kiwi pie – if you’re lucky they might have made a batch of their award-winning lamb cutlet and kumara pies.
Clareville also make excellent bread and if you have room post-pie, their crème patisserie-filled cronuts (a doughnut-croissant hybrid) also deserve an honourable mention.
The Screening Room Cinema & Eatery
435 Queen Street, Masterton
A state-of-the-art cinema with an eatery or a contemporary eatery with a cinema – either way, The Screening Room Cinema & Eatery in Masterton combines the best of both worlds. The eatery’s menu is based around small tasting plates which are designed to be shared and the flavours and ingredients reflect local seasonal produce that's available.
Go for brunch, lunch, dinner, coffee and cake or a glass of local Wairarapa wine and some tapas. A movie afterwards is optional but recommended.
Union Square
Memorial Square, Martinborough
Set in the quaintly idyllic wine-making village of Martinborough beside the grassy, oak-tree lined town square and inside the historic old hotel on the corner, is Union Square is a bistro-style restaurant by Michelin star-winning chef Adam Newell.
Surrounded by farmers and makers of incredible produce and products, including award-winning olive oil and cheese, the restaurant doesn’t have to go far for many of the top-quality ingredients used in the kitchen.
Rated in Cuisine’s top 100 New Zealand restaurants in 2018 and 2019, this restaurant is as popular with out-of-towners as it is with the locals.
The White Swan
109 Main Street, Greytown
Now a stately presence on Greytown’s quaint country village main street The White Swan began life on the other side of the Remutaka Hill in Lower Hutt. In 2002, the large wooden building was cut down into six pieces and relocated on the back of a truck to Greytown, where it was expertly put back together (minus one piece that fell off the back of the truck on the way over!)
In classic country hotel style, The White Swan combines a hotel, bar, and restaurant. The restaurant serves up the best of Wairarapa’s seasonal and local produce, matched with wine from the region for both lunch and dinner. Cosy up and dine inside during the cooler months or enjoy the sunshine on the deck.
C'est Cheese
19 Fitzherbert St, Rimutaka Hill, Featherston
The first stop after driving over the Remutaka Range for all cheese lovers: Featherston's cheesemongers C'est Cheese. Owner Paul Broughton offers something for every set of tastebuds: from cumin-flecked gouda to French-style blues. C'est Cheese also stocks New Zealand salamis and exquisite local olive oils, as well as fresh sourdough made by a local bakery.
If you time your visit for mid-morning, you might be lucky enough to score one of C'est Cheese's incredibly good cheese scones, fresh and warm from the oven.
Pinocchio Restaurant & Bar
38 Main Street, Greytown
Relocated from Martinborough, Pinocchio carries on their reputation of excellent food and service in a prime location on Main Street in Greytown which has previously home to Saluté.
Pinocchio has a menu to suit a range of tastes, with the option of tasting menus, express lunches and a menu for the little ones. Popular dishes from Pinocchio Martinborough including their confit duck and beef cheek are still on the menu and as delicious as ever.
Head along for a drink at the beautiful bar and enjoy some bar snacks or book in for a meal.
Moy Hall
1 Martins Road, Martinborough
With a tasting room and outdoor dining space set in amongst the grapevines on the family-owned vineyard, Moy Hall is a not-to-be-missed experience.
Pop-in for a tasting of their handmade wines that reflect the quality of the grapes grown on the family's eight-hectare vineyard in the heart of the Martinborough Terrace. Or if you have time, stay and enjoy lunch and a bottle of wine as you gaze out at the vineyard. Moy Hall have a casual menu of delicious small plates for sharing with feature local lamb, seafood, olive oil, herbs and seasonal salads and which cater for a range of dietary requirements.
Mesita Wine Bar
14c Ohio Street, Martinborough, Wairarapa
Tucked away in a secluded corner of Martinborough’s town square, Mesita takes their name from Spanish to mean ‘little table’ and is where you will find diners enjoying wine with friends on small tables.
Pouring local Martinborough wines, as well as some international drops, the food menu takes its inspiration from Latin America. It’s a relaxed spot and the perfect place to finish off a day of exploring Martinborough.
Finom Kitchen
31 High Street North, Carterton
Finom (pronounced 'fee-nom') is Hungarian for dainty delicious delicacies. Head chef Sarah takes her inspiration from her partner's Hungarian background, bringing a slice of Europe to the Wairarapa.
Specialising in European-inspired sweet treats and seasonal vegetarian fare, Finom creates elegant food from scratch that looks as good as it tastes.
Be in the KNOW
Subscribe to get fortnightly updates on what’s fresh, new and happening in Wellington
You may unsubscribe in the footer of all emails from WellingtonNZ. For more info, read our enews terms