Southland, Family Restaurants

  • The Saucy Chef

    The Saucy Chef

    The Saucy Chef provides a delicious menu with something for everyone.  The interior design offers a warm, inviting setting with large booths and two separate dining areas.

    An open gas fire adds to the ambience of the restaurant and there are a range of quirky features that attract the eye and add to the unique makeup of this restaurant.

    The menu provides an option for all tastes from the specialty fish dish, which is changed regularly, to the very special Hereford beef to the vegetarian delight. All tastes are catered for and the dessert menu is to die for with a range of decadent dishes to tempt even the staunchest of diet conscious diners.

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  • Paddington Arms

    Paddington Arms - Invercargill

    English-style pub, children welcome. Hearty Southland food with roast dinner and especially good gravy, a speciality. Two course children's menu available (includes a roast beef option). Indoor and outdoor dining, courtesy coach available.

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    Ziff's Cafe and Bar - Invercargill

    Our goal - “A great atmosphere, excellent service and meals that would satisfy the hungriest customer”. It includes two of the largest steaks that we can purchase, our most popular meal a crispy chicken salad, seafood chowder (described by many as the best) and several venison dishes – “Southland grown and the best you will ever taste”. We offer a children’s menu, all day snacks and coffee and in/ outdoor dining. Highchairs are available. Fully licensed.

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  • The Batch2

    The Batch Cafe

    Take a bite of local cuisine masterminded by our talented guys in the kitchen - choose from our brunch menu served from 7:30am until 11:15am or feast on delectable delights from our lunch menu from 11:30am 'til 2:30pm. Need something on the run? Grab a bite to eat from our cabinet - all made fresh for you each and every day.  Hospitality NZ Cafe of the year 2012 , 2013, 2014 Hospitality NZ Supreme overall winner 2013

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    The Cabbage Tree Restaurant and Outpost Tavern - Invercargill

    Very popular restaurant in a country setting but just minutes from Invercargill and courtesy shuttles available. Open from breakfast through to dinner with LOTS of attention to the kids! Child-friendly facilities include varied children's menu, separate children's indoor area with TV and Playstation and children's outdoor space with spring-free trampoline, outdoor toys and lots of grass to run around on.

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  • Zookeepers2

    Zookeepers Cafe

    An Invercargill institution; join the colourful, Bohemian, zany Zookeepers for breakfast, brunch, snacks, treats or lunch, open 7 days.

    Seating is informal and relaxed. Patrons can enjoy their snacks or meals and drinks either on the various seated areas outside, downstairs inside or on the mezzanine level.

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  • South Sea Hotel

    South Sea Hotel - Stewart Island

    Find out what’s going on at one of the locals’ favourite hang outs! Comfortable bar and restaurant, serving full meals, bar snacks and takeaways. If you haven’t caught any yourself, don’t miss trying the Stewart Island blue cod. Menu also includes groper fillet, scallops, rib eye steak, venison, salmon, chicken and crayfish, to guarantee you a taste of the South! Children’s menu and high chairs are available. Fantastic views and just 3 minutes walk to beach and ferry.

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North Island

South Island

Map of New Zealand
  • Auckland
  • Central Otago
  • Bay of Plenty
  • Christchurch
  • Coromandel
  • Dunedin
  • Gisborne
  • Fiordland
  • Hawkes Bay
  • Marlborough Sounds
  • Manawatu
  • Nelson & Golden Bay
  • Northland
  • North Canterbury
  • Rotorua
  • Queenstown
  • Taranaki
  • South Canterbury
  • Taupo
  • Southland
  • Waikato
  • Wanaka
  • Wellington
  • West Coast
  • Whangarei
  • Bay of Islands
  • Tauranga
  • Gisborne
  • Hamilton
  • Napier
  • Kapiti
  • Palmerston North
  • Whanganui
  • New Plymouth
  • Arrowtown
  • Te Anau
  • Akaroa
  • Ashburton
  • Hanmer
  • Kaikoura
  • Methven
  • Mt Cook
  • Oamaru
  • Tekapo
  • Timaru
  • Abel Tasman
  • Motueka
  • Nelson Lakes
  • Blenheim
  • Picton
  • Catlins
  • Gore
  • Stewart Island
  • Central Plateau
  • Invercargill
  • Cromwell
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Westport
  • Glenorchy

Our favourite destinations…

Auckland destination2

Auckland

New Zealand’s economic heart and biggest city is also an exciting family visitor destination, situated on a sunny harbour with city beaches just minutes away from the CBD. Orientate yourself by heading down to Viaduct Harbour, wandering the waterfront, checking out the super yachts or enjoying the waterfront restaurants. Nearby is the must-visit Sky Tower along with excellent and kid-friendly museums and tons of exciting activities!

Wellington

Wellington is New Zealand’s capital. Here you will find New Zealand's parliament buildings, including the 'Executive Wing', more well-known as 'The Beehive' due to its distinctive shape. Another icon to look out for is the Wellington Tram, which was the main means of public transport between 1878 and 1964.

Christchurch

With a population of around 400,000 Christchurch, in Canterbury, is the South Island ’s largest city, yet much of it has the feel of a small town. Perhaps that’s why it’s known as the Garden City but with the expansive Hagley Park, Botanic Gardens, Port Hills, River Avon and numerous beaches the city certainly has an open, relaxed feel that’s hard to beat.

Queenstown

With its well-deserved reputation as New Zealand’s activity adventure capital you’ll never run out of activities and things to do in Queenstown, but you may run out of time! With breathtaking scenery, activities and festivals, cafes and restaurants, skiing and snowboarding, shopping and wineries, this lakeside alpine resort rates as one of the world’s top vacation destinations for all ages and seasons.

Rotorua

Rotorua sits on the shore of Lake Rotorua, one of sixteen lakes in the area formed by hundreds of thousands of years of eruptions from the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The area is renowned for its geothermal activity and top of any activity list is to see the bubbling mud pools that are around the region for yourself. The Waimangu Volcanic Valley offers a first hand insight into the devastation caused by the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera and is a great place to discover steaming volcanic craters and bubbling, spitting  pools of mud!

Nelson and Golden Bay

The Nelson and Golden Bay regions, at the top of the South Island, boast enviable sunshine hours, glorious sandy beaches, safe swimming spots, lots of wildlife to look out for, and Abel Tasman National Park - an absolute must to explore, on foot, by kayak, your own craft or watertaxi.  Nelson is home to a vibrant arts and crafts community with a fabulous Saturday market, and is close to award-winning wineries and family-friendly bike tracks to take you around the coast.

Hawkes Bay

Napier was rebuilt after the 1931 earthquake and is now known as NZ's Art Deco City.  The Art Deco influence has created a unique city – nowhere else can you see such a varied concentration of art deco style. With over 2,200 sunshine hours a year, Napier is a year-round holiday destination with countless activities to entertain the kids – there's days of entertainment on Marine Parade alone, plus numerous other family-friendly trips and activities.  Add to that the beaches, walks and flat cycle paths, outdoor cafes and entertainment, and you have a perfect holiday destination!

Northland

Beautiful, unspoiled beaches, fishing, historic gum fields, kauri forests – the Far North has it all. With subtropical temperatures, it's often known as ‘the Winterless north', with warm, humid summers and mild winters.
Gateway to the Bay of Islands, Paihia is a pretty, lively beachside town and a perfect base for your family holiday. It’s your start point for Bay of Island adventures including day cruises, sailing, kayaking, swimming with dolphins and reef or wreck diving.