A conversation with Love Taupō’s Patrick Dault and Hare & Copper’s Andrew Wood.
Better known for mountains, lakes and adventure, the Taupō district has quietly emerged as one of New Zealand’s most exciting culinary destinations. What makes its rise remarkable is not just the quality of the food, but the way it’s delivered: world-class cuisine without pretence.
Patrick Dault, General Manager of Love Taupō, sums it up neatly as “unpretentious sophistication”. The region’s dining scene favours warmth and authenticity over formality, offering exceptional food in spaces that feel relaxed, local and unmistakably Kiwi.
National Recognition, Local Impact
In 2025, two Taupō restaurants — The Bistro and Embra — each earned two hats in New Zealand’s premier restaurant awards. With only around 32 two-hat restaurants nationwide, Taupō’s showing is extraordinary for a district of its size.
The Bistro is celebrated for its seasonal, flavour-driven approach, while Embra delivers modern Kiwi cuisine informed by French and British technique. Three more local venues — Brantry Eartery, Plateau Bar & Eatery, and Hare & Copper — feature in the Cuisine Good Food Guide, reinforcing Taupō’s growing reputation.
“These awards aren’t just about individual businesses,” Dault says. “They reflect the standard of our whole hospitality community.”
Beyond Fine Dining
Taupō’s food story isn’t limited to top-tier restaurants. The district offers a broad and confident dining landscape, from casual lakeside venues to international cuisine.
Venues like Two Mile Bay Sailing Club — described by Dault as New Zealand’s only Mediterranean beach club — and Lionel’s deliver atmosphere as much as flavour.
At Jimmy Coop's, a circular farm-to-table ethos sees beer hops feed the cattle that eventually become the burgers served alongside house-brewed beer. “People might think it’s just a burger joint,” Dault says, “but there’s a story and a lot of savoir-faire behind it.”
Hare & Copper: Wilderness on the Plate
On the southern shores of Lake Taupō, in Tūrangi, Andrew Wood has created something distinctly regional at Hare & Copper. The share-plate restaurant draws inspiration directly from its alpine surroundings, with wild game at the heart of the menu.
“Below the mountains, beside the river — it made sense to put that wilderness on the plate,” Wood says. Wallaby, venison and tahr have all featured, transforming unconventional proteins into refined, approachable dishes.
A bold decision to remove beef and lamb entirely was initially a leap of faith. “I jumped off the cliff and hoped,” Wood admits. “But people embraced it.”
The style is deliberately relaxed. “We want people comfortable — like they’re at home,” Wood says. “Casual, casual, casual.”
Recognition, Team and Growth
Hare & Copper’s inclusion in the 2024–25 Cuisine Good Food Guide marked a significant milestone. “To be judged alongside the best in the country — it means a lot,” Wood says.
He credits a loyal team for much of the success, including long-standing front-of-house staff who have been with the restaurant since opening nearly six years ago. “That kind of commitment is special.”
The next chapter is already underway. Wood and his wife have taken over the former Creel Café and historic Joe Frost Tackle Shop, founded in 1923, planning a daytime eatery that preserves the building’s heritage while filling a gap in the local market.
A Central Plateau Culinary Shift
Wood sees Taupō as part of a wider Central Plateau movement, with high-profile chefs relocating inland in search of lifestyle and creative freedom. He points to Jeremy Rameka, who closed his three-hat restaurant Pasifika in Napier to open at Kākahi near Taumarunui.
“On a per-capita basis,” Wood says, “there might be more hats in the central plateau than Auckland.”
More Than a Stopover
For Dault, food has become central to Taupō’s identity. “These restaurants show Taupō as a lifestyle destination — not just an overnight stop,” he says. Visitors now come to immerse themselves in the community as much as the landscape.
As tourism returns to pre-COVID levels, Taupō’s hospitality scene continues to mature — sophisticated but never showy, ambitious yet grounded.
Whether it’s two-hat dining, wild game by the mountains or lakeside Mediterranean vibes, Taupō delivers. The region has proven that great food doesn’t need pretension — just passion, skill and a strong sense of place.
“There’s a huge experience and story behind every one of these eateries,” Dault says.
