Unsplash© Unsplash
Unsplash

The Foodie Guide to Dunedin

© Unsplash

The Dunedin Food Guide

Do you like to experience a city through its tastes? Then this foodie guide to Dunedin is for you. Dunedin is a city brimming with local artisans keen to show their crafts, with brewery to chocolate factory tours available. Not only that, but you’ll find an array of dining experiences, from food trucks to load up on the street eats to high tea at New Zealand’s only castle. Let us guide you through the foodie experiences, the restaurants and the accommodation with facilities for foodies in this complete foodie guide to Dunedin.

8 Things to Do in Dunedin for Foodies

  • Tour the Speight’s Brewery with beer tastings and a two-course meal
  • Check out the Emerson’s Brewery
  • Browse the Otago Farmers’ Market
  • Join a chocolate factory tour
  • Drink real cow’s milk
  • Indulge in high tea at Larnach Castle
  • Grab some cheap eats around the city
  • Treat yourself to some fine dining

For more information on each activity, head to our 8 Things to Do in Dunedin for Foodies.

Unsplash© Unsplash

Food Activities in Dunedin

Dunedin isn’t just about eating out, it’s about getting more involved with food and drink tours. Here are some of our top picks!

Brewery Tours in Dunedin

If Dunedin was the “capital” of something, other than being the Scottish capital of New Zealand, it would have to be beer. The city is home to not one but two breweries! One of which is New Zealand’s oldest operational brewery, Speight’s Brewery. To show you have the good stuff is made, Speight’s offers brewery tours, making for a fun and affordable way to spend an hour in the city. We recommend their Brewery Tour & Ale House Lunch experience, with a tour of the brewery complete with pouring your own pint in the Tasting Room. The tour then concludes with a two-course meal accompanied by a glass of your new favourite beer. Find out more about the tour on Viator and Tripadvisor.

Craft beer is more your style? Then check out Emerson’s Brewery. The beer brand offers a behind-the-scenes look at a 5,000l (1,321-gallon) brewery and 1,200l (317-gallon) workshop to show you every step of the beer-making process. At their Taproom, find your next favourite beer with their tasting trays, as well as munch on sharing plates and mains.

Food Tours & Tastings in Dunedin

Lucky enough to be in Dunedin on a Saturday morning? Head down to the Otago Farmers’ Market where you can browse around 65 stalls of local produce, home baking and artisan goodies. The event usually includes buskers, coffee and breakfast stalls for a village-like ambience that’s not to be missed! Find the market at the Northern car park at the Dunedin Railway Station.

Learn how artisan chocolate is made at the OCHO Chocolate Factory. Discover how cacao is turned into chocolate bars, where you can taste the difference between cacao grown across the South Pacific Islands. Of course, there will be plenty of opportunities to buy some gifts for friends back home (or yourself) after the tour. Learn more about the OCHO Chocolate Factory tour on Viator and Tripadvisor.

Ever tried real cow’s milk? Local farms around Dunedin give you the opportunity to try fresh milk that hasn’t been homogenised or standardised. Stop by the Windy Ridge Dairy in Benhar to pick up some milk presented in old-fashioned glass bottles. Alternatively, visit Holy Cow down Reynoldstown Road for traditional-style milk from their small herd of Jersey cows.

Unsplash© Unsplash

Best Restaurants in Dunedin

Dunedin has an overwhelming array of eateries, from cheap eats to fine dining. Here are some of our top recommendations when it comes to eating out in Dunedin.

Cheap Eats in Dunedin

Food trucks are a big thing in Dunedin, appearing at all of the local events, as well as popping up in locations around the city. Citizens – Street Food for the People, is set in a funky Bedford Ambo truck serving Asian-Mexican fusion favourites, like Bao buns, burgers, tacos, rotis and more. Get the uni-street-eat experience by picking up some steamed buns from The Dumpling Lady often found at the University of Otago campus. And for a taste of Kiwi seafood – and a stable location – head to The Fish Hook on George Street for local tarakihi, groper and blue cod and chips. Need more recommendations? Check out The Top Cheap Eats in Dunedin.

Fine Dining in Dunedin

For a more upmarket sitdown dining experience, try popular restaurants like Moiety at 42 Queens Gardens. Although they advertise themselves as “definitely not fine dining”, their impeccably-presented plates of New Zealand-style surely cuisine begs to differ. They specialise in local fish and venison dishes, with a couple of thoughtful vegetarian options. Alternatively, Bracken on Filleul Street gets you into the Scottish spirit of Dunedin with its decor and farm-to-table cuisine. Finally, Bacchus Wine Bar at The Octagon is an award-winning restaurant with delightful beef and lamb dishes paired with local wines and whiskeys.

NZPocketGuide.com© NZPocketGuide.com

Alternative Things to Do in Dunedin

There’s certainly more on offer in Dunedin than just food! Complement your foodie visit to Dunedin with one of the city’s must-do activities.

Other Things to Do in Dunedin

  • Spot sea lions, seals, penguins and more on the Elm Wildlife Tour (more info on Viator and Tripadvisor)
  • Visit the Otago Museum
  • Learn something new at the Toitu Otago Settlers Museum
  • Take a tour of the 35-room mansion, Olveston Historic Home (on Viator and Tripadvisor)
  • Do a Maori stargazing tour on the Otago Peninsula with Horizon Tours (on Viator and Tripadvisor)
  • Walk to magnificent arches at Tunnel Beach
  • Hit the mountain biking trails

For more ideas, see our 10 Dunedin Must-Dos.

Sources:

The information in this guide has been compiled from our extensive research, travel and experiences across New Zealand and the South Pacific, accumulated over more than a decade of numerous visits to each destination. Additional sources for this guide include the following:

Our editorial standards: At NZ Pocket Guide, we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure accurate and quality content.

About The Author

Laura S.

This article has been reviewed and published by Laura, the editor-in-chief and co-founder of NZ Pocket Guide. Laura is a first-class honours journalism graduate and a travel journalist with expertise in New Zealand and South Pacific tourism for over 10 years. She also runs travel guides for five of the top destinations in the South Pacific and is the co-host of over 250 episodes of the NZ Travel Show on YouTube.

Was this article useful?

Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter