NEW PLYMOUTH

MONICA’S EATERY

Monica Brewster left her fortune to the gallery that bears her name. So does its restaurant, a big, light-filled space facing the street, and featuring dishes inspired by local, seasonal produce and a wine list that sings . monicaseatery.co.nz

BILLOW

Breadmakers Rosie Sargisson and Jeff Fong fired up their ovens in the former Christchurch container shop in 2017, another of the city’s artisan heroes. Their trademark is naturally leavened crusty sourdough. shop.billow.co.nz

MS WHITE

Sometimes you can’t beat a pizza and beer (only sometimes?). You can’t beat that combo here: sit at a trestle table and choose from Nico Vogliotti’s 15 Neapolitan-style pizzas and 40 craft beers on tap or in bottle. mswhite.co.nz

LITTLE GLUTTON

When they call their menu ‘Asian kung-fusion’, you know it’s gonna be fun. When they add that it’s casual and always ready to party, you’ve got enough reasons to visit this mainstreet hotspot. littleglutton.co.nz

SOCIAL KITCHEN

The historic Salvation Army Young People’s Hall has been sensitively remodelled into a very social kitchen. Constantly busy, the concept is communal dining and sharing plates. social-kitchen.co.nz

FORK N KNIFE

Fine dining time, and Nouvelle Plymouth won’t disappoint. Jeremy and Brittany Webling’s Fork N Knife offers creative New Zealand cuisine using as much locally sourced produce, wine and beer as possible. forknknife.net

SHINING PEAK BREWERY

Taking its brand from the maunga of Taranaki, Jesse Sigurdsson’s brews lean heavily on local ingredients and are washed down with Freddie Ponder’s excellent menu. shiningpeakbrewing.com

BEGIN DISTILLING

Jo and Dave James use Kiwi botanicals and pure water from the slopes of Mt Taranaki to make their award-winning Juno, ‘Aotearoa’s goddess of gin’. Tour the distillery, taste and buy, or find it in local bars. junogin.co.nz

OZONE

Taking real coffee from Taranaki to the world, Ozone hit the ground here in 1998 and has cafés in Auckland’s Grey Lynn and London, and online sales around the planet. Naturally, it’s the best place in town to get coffee. ozonecoffee.co.nz

ITCH WINE BAR

The Snug Lounge does amazing things with dumplings, wontons, sashimi and bao buns, as do the bar staff with cocktails. At Itch, in the same building, the bar offers one of the city’s best wine and cocktail experiences. itchwinebar.co.nz