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A Taste of Tairāwhiti’s Food Trucks: Your Guide to Gisborne's Best

Food truck in a carpark with the road in the background.
Story Gisborne
Gisborne’s food truck scene is bursting with flavour, creativity, and community spirit, offering everything from authentic Greek souvlaki to indulgent desserts, handcrafted pizzas, and real fruit ice creams. Whether it’s at a private or public event, parked up by the beach in summer, or simply going with the flow, Gisborne’s food trucks sure know how to serve up delicious dishes that reflect both the diversity of global cuisine and the abundance of local Tairāwhiti ingredients.

Neighbourhood Cantina

Building exterior of Neighbourhood Cantina.
Place Gisborne
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Neighbourhood Cantina is a Mexican restaurant that has quickly become Wainui’s “local” and, thanks to Gisborne’s compact nature, a go-to spot...

Tahu

A view of the beach from inside Tahu restaurant Gisborne.
Place Gisborne
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Located on the shores of Midway Beach with sweeping views looking out across the breathtaking coastline, Tahu stands out in Gisborne’s restaurant scene for many reasons.

Sunshine Brewery

The white exterior of The Sunshine Brewery Gisborne.
Place Gisborne
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A couple of streets back from Waikanae beach, the sun shines down on New Zealand’s oldest independent brewery.

The Works

The brick interior of The Works in Gisborne.
Place Gisborne
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As soon as you pull up to The Works, you know you’re in for something special.

The WorkShop

A pink cafe counter inside The Workshop Gisborne.
Place Gisborne Editor's Pick
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Strap yourself in.

Smash Palace

A group of men sitting around a high table in a pub.
Place Gisborne Editor's Pick
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Smash Palace serves as a reminder of why bars and pubs were created in the first place.

The Village Berry

A refrigerator full of organic produce.
Place Gisborne
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Most of us can only dream of having a supermarket alternative like The Village Berry in our neighbourhood.

Neighbourhood Pizzeria

A close up of a large pizza on a table.
Place Gisborne
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Beyond slinging exceptional dough, a pizzeria must above all be fun – and luckily Neighbourhood Pizzeria in Gisborne has an oversupply of this key ingredient in stock.

Neptunes Pizzeria

The red and green exterior of Neptunes Pizzeria Gisborne.
Place Gisborne
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A slice of magic (and really good pizza) awaits down Gisborne’s main drag. Neptunes Pizzeria was never destined to blend into the Gladstone Road streetscape.

Zephyr Wainui

A bright and light cafe interior.
Place Gisborne
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Walking into Gisborne's Zephyr is like walking into a ray of sunshine. That’s the only way we can describe it.

Flagship Eatery

A cafe with a brick wall and large ceilings.
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This contemporary cafe could be easily stealing the show in any big city across the globe – but it’s quite happy to be stealing the hearts of locals right here...

Curbside Kitchen

The sunny exterior of Curbside Kitchen in Gisborne.
Place Gisborne
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As soon as the clock strikes 7am in Gisborne, Curbside Kitchen’s coffee machine kicks into gear with a throng of regulars stopping by for their daily brew before work...

Highway 35: The Slow Road to Something Special

Road runs alongside the coastline, the waves on the beach meet the sand.
Story Gisborne
The route north from Gisborne is more than just a road, it’s an experience, unfolding through landscapes as striking as they are diverse. State Highway 35 is a ribbon of tarmac draped along the Pacific Coast, curving past surf breaks, sleepy bays, and tiny townships where the welcome is as warm as the sun. Rich in Māori culture and framed by pristine natural beauty, this is not a drive to hurry. If possible, it’s a journey to linger over, one stop at a time.

Mr Clifton's

A 'Mr Clifton's' sign on a glass window.
Place Gisborne
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There are several places you can grab your daily brew in Gisborne, but few serve just coffee – and serve it as spectacularly as Mr Clifton’s.

Siduri Wine Bar & Deli

Wood panelling on the walls inside a dimly lite bar.
Place Gisborne
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Walking down Peel Street in Gisborne, you don’t necessarily expect to stumble upon a petite and polished wine bar – but you’ll be delighted to find...

Raglan Roast Gisborne

The sunny exterior of Raglan Roast Gisborne.
Place Gisborne
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As soon as the first light touches Gisborne, the Raglan Roast coffee machine is up and at ‘em, ready to wake up the town with strong brews.

Crawford Road Kitchen

The black and glass exterior of Crawford Road Kitchen Gisborne.
Place Gisborne Editor's Pick
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The reality of a small town is that dinner options are more limited – but that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing, especially with Crawford Road Kitchen...

Fresh and Local in Gisborne: Tairāwhiti's Food Producers on Show

Store with a table in the middle with plenty of fresh produce and other products.
Story Gisborne
In sunny Tairāwhiti Gisborne, food is more than just what’s on the plate. It’s also about the hands that sow, tend, harvest, bake, press, pour and shape it. A tumultuous few years (featuring both a global pandemic and multiple severe weather events!) have seen an already closely knit region band even more tightly together to survive and thrive.

Bollywood Indian Restaurant

The exterior of Bollywood Indian Restaurant in Gisborne.
Place Gisborne
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Every town needs a reliable Indian restaurant that they can depend on for delicious food and warm service. In Gisborne, it’s Bollywood Stars.