5 Best Brunch Spots in Wānaka

Dietaries: vegetarian, vegan, GF options available.

Welcome to the locals’ second home. The all-rounder crowd pleaser. Scroggin is the unofficial office and meeting space for, well, everyone. Walk through the doors, and you’ll find a beautiful, hut-inspired design that feels like the backcountry – but with better coffee, a ridiculous cabinet, and an I-just-drooled-a-little seasonal menu. Scroggin nails the balance between hearty and refined, with fresh seasonal produce and a strong commitment to sustainability.

Dietaries: excellent range of GF and DF options.

Right on the lakefront, Relishes is a Wānaka institution. The menu mixes modern New Zealand flavours with international touches, from salmon eggs benny to edamame and avocado smash. The service feels like family, the lakefront views are always good, and the kitchen handles dietary needs with ease. And whatever you do, try their scones. We can’t technically say best scones in Wānaka without starting a few wars, but boy, they are up there.

Dietaries: wide range of veggie and vegan options.

If you haven’t heard about it, you’ve probably smelled it on your lakefront stroll. Big Fig needs very little introduction: they’re all about slow food, served fast, eaten faster. With a dedicated breakfast cabinet every inch as good as lunch and dinner, their hot cabinet is filled with slow-cooked meats, rich flavours, winter warmers, vibrant salads, and sweet treats that make the perfect post-brunch snack. Rumour has it you’re not a local until the Big Fig team knows you by name.

Dietaries: Vegetarian options available

Food truck staple turned established cafe staple, Curbside was the brunch spot to be at before it even had permanent fixtures. If you’re looking for the best bagels in town, look no further – Curbside has you covered. Salmon bagels, breakfast bagels, buffalo chicken bagels: you name it, they’ve probably got it, and it’ll probably taste even better with one of their specialty coffees.

Dietaries: vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options available.

If you know, you know. Federal Diner is a hidden gem tucked down a little alley off Helwick Street, Federal Diner is for those who know where to look – and locals have been taking full advantage of it for years. The menu mixes classic brunch plates with playful twists, legendary cheese scones, and a sunny courtyard with a warm, easy feel. Feels rude not to linger over a second (fourth) coffee when you’re at one of the best breakfast cafes in Wānaka.

These cafes might not make the list above on a technicality, but in spirit, they’re there. And they’re too good not to mention.

• Pembroke Pâtisserie (Albert Town)
  While they don’t *technically* have a cooked brunch menu, we promise you, their authentic French pastries, baked goods and savoury cabinet are so outrageously good, you won’t even notice.

“It’s just one plastic cup,” said five million people.

In Wānaka, sustainability isn’t a side dish, it’s the main event. It’s no secret we live in a beautiful place, and we’re big on doing our bit to protect it, preserve it, and make sure our mountain home stays this way for future generations. Even the smallest actions make a difference: like bringing your own keep-cup, or choosing to sit in rather than take-away.

Here’s a few ways that you can brunch in Wānaka sustainably, whether you’re a long-time local or you’re just passing through:

• Wānaka is well on its way to being single-use cup free. Instead, bring your own keep cup, or take a moment to sit and enjoy your coffee lakeside.
• Eat in when possible. You’ll both reduce unnecessary packaging, and you get to soak up the local community atmosphere.
• If you do need to grab food on the go, bring your own container. Most cafes are happy to fill them, and it’ll save the extra packaging.
• Top up your bottle at the natural spring on Ardmore Street instead of buying plastic water bottles.
• Walk or bike between cafés if you’re on a brunch crawl. Wānaka’s centre is compact, and it’s a great way to see the town a little slower.