Open hours: Mon to Sun - 7 am to 3 pm
Open hours: Mon to Sun - 7 am to 3 pm
There’s just something about a weekend getaway to the beach that resets your soul. You travel light, leave the deadlines at home, and swap your screen time for sand between your toes. The ocean has a way of easing things out, and Waihi Beach is such a place where time almost seems to stop, especially for you.
But here’s the thing about a beach getaway: You still want good food. None of that rushed, plastic-wrapped stuff you reluctantly grab at a gas station. You really need to feel like it’s a holiday. A place where the vibe is chill, the food is fresh, and you don’t have to wear a button-up to enjoy a nice meal.
If you’re taking a weekend at the beach, here’s a hidden stop around Waihi Beach locals will quietly swear by – and it might become your new favourite fresh restaurant Waihi Beach too.
There is no formula for the ideal weekend, but if there were, it might look something like this:
Waihi Beach gets that. It’s small enough to be intimate but lively enough to keep things interesting. Whether you’re visiting solo, with a romantic partner, or you’re up for a family trip, the town has a rhythm of its own, low-key yet never boring.
You’ve had your morning swim. Perhaps strolled to Orokawa Bay, or sunbathed under a book. And now the hunger kicks in. Not hunger hunger, you know — the kind you work up at the beach. In such moments, locals and regulars won’t hesitate to direct you to one place: The Porch Kitchen and Bar.
It’s not flashy. It’s not a shouty “tourist trap.” But that is precisely why it is something special.
Located smack bang in The Village at Waihi Beach, The Porch Kitchen and Bar is one of those places which feels like it’s been around long enough to know what people want—but still gives enough of a shit to get it right every single time.
It’s your beachside “living room,” if you will. Casual but cool, alive with conversation for weekend brunch, and vibrating with music come sundown.
You can’t help but feel that you are in a place where the food comes with stories, the coffee is taken seriously, and a local musician is probably setting up for an evening set.
And let’s face it, we all love menus that we can read without translating. The Porch keeps it uncluttered, innovative, and crowd-pleasing:
Regardless of whether you grab lunch solo, share plates with friends, or are tasked with feeding a family with varying tastes, the local favourite fresh restaurant Waihi Beach – The Porch offers a side of comfort with a gourmet flourish.
What distinguishes The Porch is not just the menu but the presence of being. It’s morning sun streaming through broad windows. It’s kids munching waffles while their parents sip wine. It’s listening to a story retold over a second cup of coffee with a laugh for punctuation.
And in the evenings on weekends, after the live music has started and the crowd has settled in, it becomes something more, part restaurant, part gathering place, part summer memory in the making.
Two decades serving happy customers, The Porch Kitchen and Bar has been serving Waihi Beach’s locals and visitors alike for close to 20 years with quiet confidence that it is one of the beachside community’s favourite spots. It’s not reinventing the wheel,” Ms. Wilson continued, “instead, it’s a group run by people who know hospitality, who know beach culture, and who are not trying to make this experience something unique and different, they are just trying to make it right.
And that’s likely why regulars keep coming back.
Open Hours
Sunday-Thursday: 08:00-15:00
Friday and Saturday: 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Which you can do: Pop in for breakfast before the beach, refuel mid-hike or drop by for dinner on a laid-back weekend evening with live music in the background. The Porch is licensed as well, so yes, your favorite wine or craft beer goes perfectly with those sliders or salads.
Traveling with a group? Occasion to celebrate something special? The Porch also accepts reservations for parties and events, birthdays, corporate gatherings, weddings or simply a family reunion by the ocean.
And if you must have catered food with honest flavor and none of the fluff, they do that as well, with the same local produce, the same careful preparation, and the diner-like friendly service.
As always, the sea is the main attraction at Waihi Beach. But in addition to the swims and sunsets, plan for great food and great company. Don’t make do with takeaway sandwiches or the nearest run-of-the-mill café. Go where the locals go. Eat where the regulars eat. Hear the stories behind the food.
And if you’re wandering down Wilson Road with the comforting scent of brewing coffee followed by the buzz of that Sunday morning silence, you’ll know you’re at The Porch Kitchen and Bar.
No rush. No dress code. Just food worth remembering.
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