Willowbank Restaurant forms part of Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Harewood, giving food and drink a distinctive place within a day spent exploring the park. The public cafe operates during the reserve's daily opening hours and serves a range of hot and cold food and drinks. Its location makes it a practical pause between animal encounters rather than a separate trip away from the attraction, while the private restaurant also gives the same site a more formal evening dining identity for booked events.
The daytime experience is designed around the needs of reserve visitors. Highchairs are available in the cafe, and the main building has accessible facilities, while free off street parking keeps arrival straightforward for families and groups. Visitors can settle in for cafe food or bring a picnic for one of the reserve's designated areas, so a meal can be fitted naturally around the paths, enclosures and scheduled wildlife experiences.
The cafe's approach to everyday service includes several practical waste reduction measures. Takeaway food uses paper and cardboard packaging with wooden cutlery and sugarcane straws, coffee arrives in reusable tins that are collected and refilled, and used grounds are bagged for customers to take home for their gardens. Willowbank also gives preference to local confectionery suppliers and ingredients with more considered palm oil sourcing, connecting the food operation to the reserve's wider environmental focus.
For private evening occasions, Willowbank Restaurant shifts into a different style of service. Guests can begin with drinks and canapes on the restaurant deck before moving inside for a two or three course plated dinner, with exclusive use available for organised functions. That combination of a relaxed daytime cafe and a dedicated private dining setting allows the venue to serve both casual reserve visits and celebrations without losing its close connection to Willowbank's wildlife surroundings.
Address: 60 Hussey Road, Harewood, Christchurch 8051, New Zealand
Been to Willowbank Restaurant? Be one of the first to rate it.
+ Log your visit
