Pātaka Kai Restaurant & Bar is a distinct public dining venue within Te Puia, open for lunch and dinner rather than serving only private events or attraction packages. Its glass-lined room and balcony look across the geothermal valley, placing the landscape at the centre of the experience. The restaurant is large enough for groups yet still gives individual diners a clear sense of place. Entry is through Te Puia’s main entrance, and advance booking is worthwhile for anyone planning a meal around a visit or a particular service time.
The hāngī buffet is the heart of the menu. Chicken, lamb, pumpkin, kūmara and stuffing carry the earthy, gently smoked character of the cooking method, while corn and watercress soup and rewena add further local texture. Pork-rib boil-up with kūmara, cabbage, watercress and potato provides another substantial expression of slow cooking. Rather than presenting hāngī as a single plate, the buffet lets diners compare meats, vegetables, breads and accompaniments and return to the combinations that appeal most.
Beyond the hāngī, the selection is designed to give a group genuine breadth. Prawns, raw fish with coconut, oysters, salmon and mussels bring several seafood preparations to the table. Salads and vegetables keep the meal balanced, while tofu and vegetable curry or vegetarian noodles offer composed plant-based choices rather than relying solely on side dishes. Fried chicken, venison and ribs can also appear in the wider lunch or dinner spread, creating a buffet that moves between Māori flavours, familiar comfort food and lighter options.
Dessert continues the connection between familiar forms and local ingredients. Steamed pudding and pavlova sit beside mousse and kawakawa ice cream, allowing diners to finish with something warm, airy, creamy or herbal. The scale of the room, the deck and the buffet make Pātaka Kai particularly useful for families and larger parties, but its public lunch and dinner service also works for smaller tables. The strongest experience comes from allowing time to sample the buffet gradually while taking in the restaurant’s unusual geothermal outlook.
Address: Te Puia, 20 Hemo Road, Rotorua 3010, New Zealand
Moved or closed? Tell us: Moved·Temporarily closed·Permanently closed
Pataka Kai Restaurant Menu
Buffet Brunch
Buffet Brunch Menu. Please note: This is a seasonal offering. Buffet Brunch will run from 3–5 April and then every Sunday until 27 September 2026. $60. GF – Gluten Free / DF – Dairy Free / VE – Vegan / V – Vegetarian. All menus rely on availability of seasonal produce and are subject to change.
Homemade bakery
A selection of homemade breads, Danish pastries, cinnamon coconut buns, croissants V
Cream filled fried doughnuts drizzled in blackberry & kawakawa compote
V
Fried-bread portions with golden syrup & butter
V
Chia seed coconut granola, yoghurt, fruit compote
V
Fruit salad
GF, DF
Traditional kiwi pavlova
GF
Mānuka smoked Caesar salad with rēwana croutons
Sweet chilli shrimp pineapple salad
Gourmet potato salad with garlic beans and boiled eggs
GF
Buckwheat and broccoli with dried fruit and toasted cashew
GF, DF
Roasted beetroot with caraway horopito
GF, V, DF
Coleslaw
GF, V
Buttermilk fried chicken
Fluffy pancakes with maple syrup
Mānuka smoked bacon with horopito mustard glaze
GF
Shiitake mushroom dumplings with dipping sauce
V
Fried eggs / Scrambled eggs
GF, V
Creamy miso mushrooms
GF
Smoked sausage
Chef’s homemade seafood boil
Cajun spiced garlic butter sauce with seafood, corn and boiled eggs
Vegetarian stir-fried noodles
DF, V
Creamy garlic and watercress potato bake
GF, V
Hot smoked NZ king salmon with hollandaise sauce
GF
Sticky BBQ pork ribs
GF
Hāngī Buffet Lunch
Hāngī Buffet Lunch Menu. $60. Tea and coffee are included with the buffet. Additional drinks are available for purchase. GF – Gluten Free / DF – Dairy Free / VE – Vegan / V – Vegetarian.
Corn and watercress soup
GF, VE
Rēwena breads
contains gluten
Mixed mesclun, red onion, cucumber, tomato, and condiments
Make your own salad bar. VE
Steamed medley potatoes and beans salad
GF
Roasted Beetroot and green olive salad
GF, DF
Mānuka smoked bacon caesar salad with rēwena croutons
Cabbage, carrot, and watercress coleslaw
Whole cooked prawns on ice
Hāngī chicken
Rēwena bread stuffing
Hāngī minted lamb with gravy
GF
Mānuka smoked ham
GF
Garlic and watercress potato bake
V
Pork rib boil up with kūmara, cabbage, watercress and potato
GF, DF
Vegetarian fried noodles with cabbage and watercress
VE
Tofu and vegetable coconut curry with steamed rice
GF, DF, VE
Pātaka Kai buttermilk fried chicken
Steamed pudding
V
Hot vanilla custard and whipped cream
V
Soft serve kawakawa ice cream
V
New Zealand pavlova with whipped cream and seasonal fruit
V
Chocolate mousse
V
Chocolate cream puff profiteroles
V
Fresh seasonal fruit salad
V
Hāngī Buffet Dinner
Hāngī Buffet Dinner Menu. $103. Tea and coffee are included with the buffet. Additional drinks are available for purchase. GF – Gluten Free / DF – Dairy Free / VE – Vegan / V – Vegetarian.
Kūmara watercress and sweet corn soup
GF, V
Fresh baked rēwena bread and fried bread
Smoked karengo caesar salad with maple bacon, tossed with fresh cos lettuce and rēwena croutons
Make your own salad bar.
Steamed medley potatoes and beans salad
GF
Cabbage, watercress and carrot coleslaw
Mixed mesclun, red onion, cucumber, tomato and condiments
GF, DF, VE
Broccoli and buckwheat salad
GF, DF, VE
Roasted Beetroot and green olive salad
GF, DF
Shrimp coriander salad with sweet chilli dressing
GF, DF
Chilled whole prawns
Marinated raw fish with cucumber, red onion, fresh lemon and coconut cream
GF, DF
Chilled oysters
Hāngī chicken
GF
Hāngī minted lamb with gravy
Hāngī pumpkin and kūmara
GF, DF, VE
Rēwena bread stuffing
Mānuka smoked ham, kawakawa brown sugar glaze
GF
Braised sticky pork ribs
GF, DF
Wild New Zealand venison with merlot caramelised baby carrots and onion
GF, DF
Garlic and watercress potato bake
GF, V
Creamed kanga with parmesan horopito and smoked sea salt
GF, V
Vegetarian stir fried noodles with cabbage and watercress
V
Steamed basmati rice
GF, DF, V
Tofu vegetable coconut curry
GF, DF, V
Steamed half shell mussels in a creamy sauce
Mānuka smoked king salmon
GF, DF
Fruit salad
GF, DF
Steamed pudding
V
Hot vanilla custard
V
Chocolate mousse
GF
Mixed berry long cake
V
Soft serve kawakawa ice cream
V
Blackberry and kawakawa compote
GF, DF
Pavlova with whipped cream and seasonal fruits
GF
Chocolate covered cream puffs
V
Crème Brûlée
V
Christmas Lunch Buffet
Christmas Lunch Buffet Menu. GF – Gluten Free / DF – Dairy Free / VE – Vegan / V – Vegetarian. Tea and coffee are included with the buffet. Additional drinks are available for purchase.
Seafood chowder
GF
Corn and watercress soup
GF, V
Rēwana fried bread
Hot garlic mini rolls
Served with watercress chilli pesto and butter
Chilled oysters and prawns with lemon
GF
Seared tuna ahi poke bowls
GF
Ika Mata ceviche
GF, DF
Shrimp salad with creamy cocktail dressing
GF
Smoked green-lipped mussels
Christmas turkey salad with cranberries, apricots and glazed walnuts
GF
Broccoli and buckwheat salad
GF, DF, VE
Poke sweet potato, pumpkin and coconut cream salad
VE
Moemoe salad
eggs, baby spinach, onion, watercress, mustard and mayonnaise GF, V
Roasted beetroot with green olives, fennel and sun-dried tomatoes
GF, DF, VE
Coleslaw with spicy horopito dressing
GF, V
Grilled bacon
Additional condiments
Parmesan cheese
Additional condiments
Pickles
Additional condiments
House-smoked salmon with brown sugar and chilli glaze
GF, DF
Lamb and watercress sausage
Asian steamed dumplings
Steamed buns with dipping sauce
Maple-glazed ham
Pātaka Kai Cajun seafood boil
a selection of seafood, corn, potatoes and boiled eggs in a Cajun garlic butter sauce
Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with Merlot caramelised onions and baby carrots, served with horopito gravy
GF, DF
Twice-cooked sticky glazed pork ribs with Asian greens
GF, DF
Garlic and watercress potato bake
V
Butter chicken with steamed basmati rice
GF
Thai green curry tofu with char-grilled vegetables
VE
Vegetarian fried noodles
V
Mac and cheese with bacon
Children’s Station
Buttermilk fried chicken
Children’s Station
Belgian waffles with toppings
maple syrup, chocolate fudge, peanut butter and jelly. Children’s Station
Fish bites and fries
Children’s Station
Pavlova with passionfruit compote
Steamed pudding with vanilla custard
Chia seed coconut pudding with fresh summer berries
VE
Chocolate-dipped cream puffs
Chocolate mousse
Trifle cups with layers of sponge, fruit and vanilla custard, topped with summer berries
Yule chocolate log filled with kawakawa and vanilla cream
Caramelised kūmara brûlée
Fresh fruit salad
Christmas fruit pies
Kawakawa soft-serve ice cream
A selection of New Zealand cheeses
Cheese Selection
Tea and coffee
Beverages / Inu. Tea and coffee are included with the buffet.
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