Top Restaurants in Franz Josef
Top Things to do in Franz Josef
Top 10 restaurants in Franz Josef, New Zealand
The quaint West Coast, South Island town of Franz Josef is named after the Franz Josef Glacier. Which in turn, legend has it, is named for a girl whose lover died in a fatal fall. She cried so much that her tears pooled, eventually freezing into a block of ice. The magic of this fable isn’t lost on the town or the tourists who flock to the tragically romantic site.
Things to do in Franz Josef
1. Blue Ice Cafe
Overall Ratings
4 based on 727 reviews
Reviewed By Barry C - Glenview, Illinois, United States
A decent menu with vegetarian options and a large selection of small plates. My wife had the lamb shank which was very good. I ordered the Cervena venison which is highly rated. Why buyer beware? Just because it's labeled Cervena does not mean you are getting a premium cut. I have had non-Cervena venison that you could cut with a fork, this you could not. The menu said it would come medium rare, it was way overcooked. They remade the dish, by the time I got it my wife was practically done with her meal. It was still a bit overcooked but I was not willing to wait again. They offered to give me a dessert on the house which was nice but I did not want dessert. On my bill I had a $7.65 discount for "overcooked". When I mentioned that they were going to give me a $15 dessert for free, they altered the bill to give me a $15 discount. Most good restaurants would just comp my meal.
2. The Landing
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1 reviews
Reviewed By Stu151 - Wickford, United Kingdom
Nice location, perfect to sit at an outside table on a nice day.
Menu choice is much as you would expect, salads, pasta, burgers, pizzas etc. Our food was fine, good quantities of reasonably cooked food.
Franz Josef is small, and has a limited number of restaurants – because of this prices are above average.
Good range of local/international beers.
3. Alice May
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1 reviews
As warm and welcoming, as a traditional English Carriage House. The white walls and exposed rafters are adorned with riding tack, farm tools and other historic artifacts. While the wooden floors, wagon wheel bar stools and open fireplace add to the warmth.
Reviewed By SuzieLee71 - Brisbane, Australia
We had a lovely dinner in this cosy, country-style restaurant - my husband ordered the Akaroa salmon and I ordered the monkfish. Both meals were cooked and presented beautifully and even though it was very busy, our food was served quickly. The staff were all very friendly and chatty.
4. Monsoon Bar & Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 449 reviews
Monsoon bar and restaurant will quite possibly be your favourite bar in NZ, with roaring fires & regular DJ's. We carry a large range of New Zealands finest beers and wines. The Monsoon restaurant will satisfy your hunger whatever your budget with all you can eat pizza nights, backpacker meal deals and a specially created ala carte menu specially designed by our head chef Ronald Lacanilao who has created a menu of mouth watering local delicacies to treat you after a hard day glacier exploring. Monsoon: it rains... we pour...
Reviewed By John B - Uk
Super helpful, lovely food and a good selection and didn't even have to wait long for it ?only bad thing was the garlic bread was lacking the garlic !!!! Over than that will defo head back there
5. Full of Beans
Overall Ratings
4 based on 759 reviews
Recently refurbished and re-named
Reviewed By twogotravelling_22 - United Kingdom
We stayed in Franz Josef for two days and ate here twice for breakfast & a light bite before dinner. It's not much to look at and I made a snap judgment about the quality but the pancakes with fruit & maple syrup were without a doubt the best breakfast of my trip! They were fresh, the portion was extremely generous and surprisingly well presented.
The staff were friendly and chatty and whilst it wouldn't be my first choice for dinner I can thoroughly recommend if you're looking for a nice cafe with good hot chocolate!
6. King Tiger Eastern Eating House & Bar
Overall Ratings
4 based on 821 reviews
We Bid You Welcome To Kingtiger Our Philosophy Is That Even A Simple Meal Can Become A Feast When Taken With Friendly Companywe Present To You A Menu Carefully Chosen To Include Dishes From South & East Asia. We Offer You The Opportunity To Sample The Merits Of Both, To Seek Your Own Destiny, Selecting Either A Known Favourite Or A New Taste Experience.join Us For A Voyage Of Discovery
Reviewed By hellypardz - Dorset, United Kingdom
Aftere a disappointing reastaurant meal the night before, we decided to try something more exotic and so headed for this restaurant.Really enjoyed all our food(there were four of us, all with different tastes) but a particular highlight was the chocolate naan bread-what a brilliant idea!
7. Snake Bite Brewery
Overall Ratings
4 based on 910 reviews
Asian Street Food and Kiwi Favourites. Experience a variety of authentic dishes from Southeast Asia. Beer is what we unashamedly love. Some of NZ's best Craft Beers in stock. Start the day with a hearty breakfast. Served from 7:30am We bake our own pies, cakes and slices daily.
Reviewed By tanyaandsteve
Nice convivial atmosphere- staff helpful, unusual and eclectic menu.Nasi Goreng was delicious.I would definately recommend a visit.
8. The Glasshouse Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 35 reviews
With stunning glacier views the Glasshouse Restaurant provides casual ala carte dining designed for families and leisure guests. Open for buffet ora la carte breakfast from 6.30am to 10.00am as well as a la carte dinner(plus salad bar) from 5.00pm to 9.30pm, daily.
Reviewed By walkalot4ever - Central Oregon, Oregon
It appears the restaurant or part of it also goes by the name Canavans, and this review is for the main dining area at the Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier. We had two dinners and two breakfasts here. Most everything we tried for dinner was good, but the portion sizes were small. This included the chicken tortilla entree with eggplant, the crepe entree, the kiwi pavlova, the steak, the salmon with vegetables & mashed potatoes, the crepes with fruit & ice cream dessert, and the sorbet. The one item we did not like was the caprese salad. The buffet breakfasts were good with a good selection.
9. The Gallery Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By deskjet2 - Bournemouth, United Kingdom
This place has a nice location and the restaurant and Terrace are stylish.
It also has a captive audience from the hotel, of which it is part and with visitors to the gallery during the day.
However, you cannot serve steak as a main course with just a few sliced onions, with no sauce and not a single potato or vegetable for this price! If ever? Everything is extra!
We also had the 'chicken stir fry' which was the strangest that I have ever had! It was a 'casserole' of overcooked chicken in a mess of soft onions, gravy, cabbage and broccoli. No capsicums, no Chinese veg or spices, or anything crispy and it had never been anywhere near a Wok.
The service was excellent, but the food is a big letdown.
10. The Canopy Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 38 reviews
Reviewed By bsum73 - Hilton Head, South Carolina
A very unique approach to dinner with their on table buffet of dining specialties. They were done very well. No complains, but I would have preferred more options.Good day bsum73, Thank you for your feedback and personally meeting the kitchen team and I, your feedback on the day definitely showed your appreciation you had experienced with us at Te Waonui's Canopy Restaurant Kind Regards Executive Chef Andrew Hayward-Swain
