The Oyster Inn opened in Oneroa village in 2012 and has since become a fixture of Waiheke life, a beachside bistro on Ocean View Road with three guest rooms and views across the bay. It is about 35 minutes by ferry from downtown Auckland, close enough for a day trip built around a long lunch, while the sunny verandah and the bar suit a quick glass of wine just as well. The rooms borrow from the old Kiwi bach, with tongue and groove detailing and exposed rafters, and a private space called the Pearl Room hosts gatherings away from the main floor.
Oysters are the obvious opener. They come from the Te Matuku farm on the island, arrive every day and are shucked to order, then served natural with mignonette, dressed with sambal and chives, or beer battered with wasabi mayonnaise. A handful of classics dates back to the first year and has never been taken off: line caught fish in batter with triple cooked chips and house tartare, a smoked kahawai mousse with pickled onion, celery and sourdough, and a mac and cheese billed as a local favourite, with double smoked bacon for anyone who wants it. The style is relaxed coastal bistro cooking, honest and uncomplicated, letting the ingredients do the talking.
Starters roam further, from chicken karaage in soy chilli caramel and king prawn toast with curried coconut sauce and curry leaves to Bass Strait octopus with XO, trevally crudo with gochujang and pickled daikon, and Fiordland venison carpaccio with tonnato cream. Larger plates include Fiordland crayfish linguine in a crayfish bisque, market fish pan fried with seaweed butter and Coromandel mussels, a truffled mushroom risotto and sirloin with green peppercorn sauce and shoestring fries. Where possible, produce comes from the inn’s garden, a plot once kept by a local artist, where chefs harvest kale, beetroot and herbs and the bar team picks garnishes for cocktails.
The wine list makes a point of Waiheke, with island producers such as Man O’ War, Passage Rock, Poderi Crisci, Stormwood and Tantalus sharing space with Champagne, Chablis and well known names from around New Zealand. Cocktails carry island touches too, including a Waiheke Bramble made with Jardim gin and a Waiheke Old Fashioned, alongside spritzes, several margaritas and mocktails such as a PG 13 Singapore Sling. Taps pour Sawmill and Urbanaut beers, and the coffee is Allpress. Desserts keep things simple with choux buns in salted caramel sauce or a dark chocolate cheesecake, and guests staying the night have breakfast included with their room.
Address: 124 Ocean View Road, Oneroa, Waiheke Island 1081
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