Highwater Eatery Menu

Highwater Eatery approaches its Cuba Street setting as both a restaurant and a wine bar, with an open kitchen anchoring a room of exposed brick and locally made ceramics. A Spanish Pira oven makes charcoal a defining part of the cooking rather than a decorative detail. The kitchen works closely with seasonal New Zealand produce and makes much of its food in house, using pickling, smoking, curing and fermenting to draw more character from ingredients before they reach the grill or plate.

Dinner can begin with compact dishes that move between the coast, pasture and garden. Oysters are offered with either yuzu-kosho vinegar sorbet or miso butter, while nori karaage comes with mussel emulsion and ginger daikon. Lamb ribs pick up sweetness and spice from pear and Szechuan honey. Burrata with tamarillo and walnut, snapper crudo with mussel escabeche and beef tartare show how fruit, acidity and preserved flavours are used to give richness a sharper edge.

The larger plates continue the seasonal approach without settling into one narrow style. Ricotta gnocchi offers a pasta-led course, while moki is matched with clams and mussels for a concentrated seafood combination. Angus bavette and Advieh-spiced lamb shoulder bring the charcoal oven and warmer seasoning to the centre of the meal. Changing vegetables, sides and desserts allow a table to build around those mains rather than treating every course as a fixed individual sequence.

Several menu formats make the restaurant adaptable. A chef's menu can hand the progression to the kitchen, with pescatarian, vegetarian and vegan versions available, while an express option suits a shorter dinner. Saturday has its own brunch and lunch rhythm, moving through eggs, Persian lamb, a vegetable bowl, a chicken sandwich and house spaghetti. That breadth lets Highwater retain the detail of an evening restaurant while remaining approachable for a relaxed daytime meal.

Address: 54 Cuba Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011, New Zealand

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