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The Top Cheap Eats in Tauranga & Mt Maunganui

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Where to Get a Cheap Meal in Tauranga and Mt Maunganui

The best way to save money on food when backpacking in New Zealand is always to cook your own food at your self-catering accommodation. However, some deals in Tauranga and the suburb of Mt Maunganui are too good to resist! If you’re going to treat yourself to eating out in Tauranga, make sure you get the most for your money with these cheap eats in Tauranga and Mt Maunganui!

We’ve found some irresistible weekly and daily deals on food from all over the city, from classic Kiwi burgers to Mexican delights! There are deserts to treat yourself and good hearty meals for a hangover cure. We have also listed most fast food joints in the city for those times that you are in a rush!

But remember, cooking for yourself is always the cheapest option of keeping yourself fed, so check out our Travel Recipes section and Food section for inspiration.

5 Foodie Experiences in Tauranga and Mt Maunganui

We’ll get to the cheap and cheerful stuff, but if you are looking for a more rounded foodie experience in Tauranga to make you, well, more rounded, then check out these activities:

  • Do a wine tasting at Mills Reef Winery, 143 Moffat Road, Bethlehem
  • Food, craft and design works can all be found at the Little Big Markets, Coronation Park, Mt Maunganui, Saturdays 9am-2pm
  • Get some fresh produce from the Sunday Morning for the Farmers Market in the Phoenix Car Park, Mt Maunganui, 9am-1pm
  • Then get some more fresh produce at the Tauranga Farmers Market takes on 5th Avenue, Saturday 8am-12pm
  • Often described as the best fish and chips in Tauranga, check out Bobby’s Fish Market on 1 Dive Crescent.

See more foodie experiences in the 9 Things to Do in Tauranga for Foodies.

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Cheap Eats in Tauranga and Mt Maunganui – $10 and Under

Burgers and Pies in Tauranga and Mt Maunganui

You can always rely on New Zealand for some affordable burger deals. Head to Astrolabe Brewbar, 82 Maunganui Road, for NZ$10 burger, beer and chips every Tuesday! You can also enjoy craft beers from this Mac’s Brewbar too.

More cheap eats can be enjoyed when you venture down the coast to Papamoa.

Papamoa Beach Tavern, 20 Domain Road Papamoa, does NZ$10 beer, burger and fries every Monday after 4pm.

Finally, Dixie Browns is reasonably affordable across the board with lots to offer in the NZ$15-$25 price range, but if you want to go for something dirt cheap, ask about the chicken cranberry pie with salad or mash potato for NZ$9.90.

Beyond New Zealand

For street food from all over the globe, head to Our Place, 91 Willow Street. Among the 37 shipping containers, you can find NZ$5 “Taco Tuesdays” at El Cartel, NZ$12 dumplings and drink on Thursdays at Johneys Dumpling House and more.

Mexicali, a Mexican restaurant on 203 Maunganui Road, does NZ$10 taco salads every Monday, NZ$3 tacos on a Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, NZ$10 Nachos on a Thursday.

St Pierre’s Sushi (Bay Central Shopping Centre and Fraser Cove Shopping Centre) does daily deals of NZ$5.70 for an 8-pack of sushi.

Fast Food in Tauranga and Mt Maunganui

Fast food restaurants exist. You need no introduction to McDonald’s (Bayfair Shopping Centre,420 Maunganui Road and Corner Cameron Rd & Eleventh Ave), KFC (1010 Cameron Road and 145 Newton Street), Wendy’s (1032 Cameron Road), Subway (Fraser Cove Shopping Centre), Burger King (Fraser Cove Shopping Centre and 209 Maunganui Road) – all of which have meals for under NZ$10.

For Kiwi flavours, check out BurgerFuel, 330 Maunganui Road and 602/610 Cameron Road, with burgers starting from NZ$5.90.Need we also mention the NZ$5 pizzas from Domino’s (Cameron Road and Bayfair Shopping Centre) and Pizza Hut (340 Cameron Road and 1/332 Maunganui Road)?!

One More Thing to Mention…

Complete your beach experience in Mt Maunganui with a famous Copenhagen Cones, 14 Adams Avenue. All ice creams are under NZ$10 so that classes as a “cheap eat”, right? Match your experience with something from our 10 Free and Cheap Things to do in Tauranga and Mt Maunganui article.

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Cheap Eats in Tauranga and Mt Maunganui – $11-$20

Treat-Yourself Food!

Head to The Hop House, 297 Maunganui Road, for NZ$15 ribeye steak every Wednesday. Or if you want to treat a special someone, check out the two-for-one cocktails and waffles at Astrolabe Brewbar, 82 Maunganui Road, every Thursday.

Not only does The Clover, 80 Willow Street, offer affordable build-your-own burgers but irresistible student deals such as NZ$13 burger and fries!

Lunch Deals You Can’t Miss!

Looking for something for lunch, head to India Today on The Strand for NZ$11.50 curry lunch deals every day between 11am-2pm.

Grab a beef, fish, chook (that’s “chicken” in Kiwi speak) or veg burger with chips and a soda for NZ$12 every day between 11am-2pm at the Papamoa Beach Tavern, 20 Domain Road, Papamoa.

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Cheap Eats in Tauranga and Mt Maunganui – $21-$30

Big Meals for the Hangover Cure

The perfect hangover cure: get down to CBK, 20 Spring Street, for an all-day breakfast. NZ$24.90 will get you bacon, sausages, potato pave, creamy mushrooms, spinach and toasted soutdough.

Get yourself a warm Western-style meal at Lone Star on The Strand. Daily deals and vouchers are displayed on their Grab a Meal website. Otherwise, you can often get burger deals for around NZ$25.

A popular gourmet pizza joint is The Pizza Library (314 Maunganui Road and 254 SH2 Bethlehem) for weird and wonderful toppings.

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.

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