Best Café

Restaurants key icon.
Restaurants key icon.

Monday11:30 am – 8:00 pm.

Tuesday11:30 am – 8:00 pm.

Wednesday11:30 am – 8:00 pm.

Thursday11:30 am – 8:00 pm.

Friday11:30 am – 8:00 pm.

Saturday11:30 am – 8:00 pm.

Sunday11:30 am – 8:00 pm.

30 Stuart Street, Central Dunedin, Dunedin

03 477 8059

While suggestions of a BYO venue might send alarm bells ringing for some in Dunedin, Best Café is a Dunedin institution that has been on the scene since 1932 and is well worth a visit (and perhaps a return to your student days).

Best Café has undeniably stood the test of time. It exemplifies the old saying that simple food done well is the best food, serving some of the tastiest, freshest seafood in the country. It’s essentially a fish and chip restaurant straight out of the 1970s. Maybe even the 1950s. It doesn’t pretend to be anything else and it’s completely comfortable with the fact that it is kitsch. It’s all Formica tablecloths, vinegar in glass bottles, blackboard menus and coloured chairs that you wouldn't be surprised to find gathering dust in an old country town hall.

There are shrimp cocktails, whitebait fritters and ice cream sundaes with pink wafer biscuits and chocolate fish. It’s an ode to childhood for many. But the fish and chips are the real winner: the fish is fresh, the chips are hand-cut Agrias, and there’s free white bread and curled butter to get you going.

The drink selection is well thought out, but many opt to bring their own – corkage is only $6 for a bottle of wine and $2 per bottle of beer. The lineup of empties from BYOs over the years is surely a testament to the venue’s popularity.

Everything about the place is nostalgic and that’s what’s so charming about it.

Words by Abigail Egden & Photography by Naomi Haussmann

Information not correct? Report an error

Location

30 Stuart Street, Central Dunedin, Dunedin

Nearby Places

Estelle Flowers

A hand reaching for flowers.
Place Dunedin

Adding a touch of colourful botany to Moray Place, Estelle is a Parisian-style florist.

Otago Farmers Market

People milling about at the train station.
Place Dunedin
Markets key icon.

Whether you are five or 95, the Otago Farmers Market has something for everyone.

Moiety

A chef working in the kitchen.
Place Dunedin Editor's Pick
Restaurants key icon.

Moiety wows with a tasting menu that is refined and approachable all at once.

Vogel St Kitchen

Fish graffiti on the side of Vogel Street Kitchen, Dunedin.
Place Dunedin
Cafes key icon.

Vogel St Kitchen wins people over with its impeccable service, awesome interior and delicious food.

Similar Places

Common Ground Espresso

Staff working.
Place Dunedin
Cafes key icon. Goods key icon.

Pop in for a coffee and a look and leave with a bag of your favourite beans for home brewing.

Pequeño Lounge Bar

A staff member working.
Place Dunedin
Bars key icon.

Spanish for small, Pequeño lives up to its name.

Moiety

A chef working in the kitchen.
Place Dunedin Editor's Pick
Restaurants key icon.

Moiety wows with a tasting menu that is refined and approachable all at once.

Vogel St Kitchen

Fish graffiti on the side of Vogel Street Kitchen, Dunedin.
Place Dunedin
Cafes key icon.

Vogel St Kitchen wins people over with its impeccable service, awesome interior and delicious food.