Where to eat out in Old Bar

Dining out at the best cafes and bistros.

Quiet coastal villages at the end of quiet coastal roads tend to accumulate treasures often overlooked by travellers. Old Bar has a wealth of prized eateries that raise the bar of dining pleasure and will surely delight you. Here are some suggestions to tempt your tastebuds, the next time you dine out in Old Bar and Manning Point.

Blowfish Café, Old Bar

A beachside café famous for giant burgers and their twist on Mexican street food including crunchy pork belly tacos, chorizo hot dogs, chicken quesadillas and pork chimichangas.

Try the Mexican loaded fries: Mexican beef on a bed of fresh hot chips with shredded cabbage, pico del gallo, American cheese sauce, sriracha hot sauce and topped with sour cream, guacamole, fried jalapeños and house tortillas. Está delicioso!

Mexican loaded fries at Blowfish Cafe, by the beach at Old Bar.

Buyi Espresso Bar, Old Bar

Excellent coffee is their fame, together with tasty baked goodies from Palms Artisan Bakery showcased here, so you know you’ll never go wrong.

You may need an extra cinnamon scroll with that second ristretto or maybe try the financier (yes, it's really called that: a French moist almond tea cake shaped like a little gold bar, direct from dazzling Paris.)

Cinnamon scrolls and French financiers (to eat, not borrow from) at Buyi Espresso in Old Bar.

Flow Bar, Old Bar

A quintessential coastal café with live music, it’s the perfect place to enjoy a scrumptious breakfast, lazy lunch, sunset dinner or drinks on the deck. The food is deliciously seasonal and it’s hard to move past the irresistible tapas, pasta and salads.

But maybe the gourmet pizzas are calling you, afterall they’re named after music gods: the Blondie, the Meatloaf, the Morrissey plus lots more to rock your boat.

Spicy corn fritters for breakfast at Flow Bar, in Old Bar.

Old Bar Village Cafe

At this much-loved local cafe, traditional or contemporary... you decide. Try the burger with the works for a reminder just how good Australian-style burgers are (yes, with beetroot and stacked high) or sample modern Australian deliciousness with grilled salmon on a salad of quinoa, pistachio and dates.

Always leave room for something sweet, try the lemon and pistachio cake.

Pescatarian? Try the delicious grilled salmon on a salad of quinoa, pistachio and dates, at Old Bar Village Cafe.

Sai Thai Table & Tea, Old Bar

This authentic Thai eatery has a sister restaurant in Napier NZ that’s winning awards, so you know the goodness runs in the family. Here you’ll enjoy fine fusion cuisine, Thai street food and Thai comfort food too.

Be tempted by the crispy mushrooms or green spicy mussels, the crispy pork belly with broccoli and salted soya bean, or the salmon slow cooked in red Thai curry.

Hot tip (and not just for vegans and vegetarians): the chef’s own creation of caramelised tofu... blended Thai and Chinese flavours create crispy silken tofu dressed in a sweet homemade, caramelised, five-spice sauce, paired with white wine vinegar, fresh chilli for bite, and topped beautifully with the bitter sweetness of crispy garlic. Yum!

Caramelised tofu: a delicious blend of Thai and Chinese flavours, only available from Sai Thai Table at Old Bar.

The Tav', Old Bar

This coastal pub lets the good time roll with live music and surprisingly gourmet options that sit happily next to pub favourites of juicy steak sandwiches, Sunday roasts and schnitzels topped with every flavour and colour.

The menu has plenty to keep everyone happy: the kids, your old-fashioned friends and your new-fashioned ones too. When you’ve tasted all the favourites, try something different: the sous vide lamb rump or house-made char siu pork or fresh tuna Nicoise cooked pink.

Delicious Sunday roasts become traditional again, at The Tav in Old Bar.

The Waterbird, Manning Point

It’s perched over the water so seafood is featured of course. The food compliments the stunning views and there are themed dinners too. Come for the Spanish omelette breakfast but stay for the seafood platter for a lunch bonanza. Hot tip: crab cutlets.

Crab cutlets from The Waterbird at Manning Point.

Tasty takeaways

Sometimes you just need the right food, quick and easy, to eat on the run or in the park: sandwiches, pies, fish & chips, pizza, or your favourite Chinese cuisine. Here are some more great choices around Old Bar: