Big Fig Wanaka — Restaurant in South Island

The best Resturant we visited this trip! Big Fig Wanaka is a vibrant and popular lakeside café and restaurant known for its delicious slow-cooked meals served fast, featuring a Middle Eastern twist, fresh salads, and a strong focus on healthy, flavorful food. Located on the Wanaka lakefront, it offers a casual, friendly atmosphere with both eat-in and takeaway options, making it a favorite spot for locals and visitors alike. The menu features a variety of shareable plates where you can choose from slow-cooked meats like lamb meatballs, beef cheeks, and chicken shawarma, alongside an array of tasty vegetarian and vegan sides such as zaatar parsnips, butter beans, roasted potatoes, and fresh salads. Portions are generous and well-priced, with options for small, medium, or large plates, allowing diners to customize their meals according to appetite and preference. The vegetable dishes are fresh, vibrant, and well-cooked. We especially enjoyed the cakes, having tried the orange with dark chocolate, carrot with polenta, and banana cake. Big Fig also serves expertly brewed barista coffee and offers a lively, buzzy ambiance with limited seating that turns over quickly. While the restaurant is busy, especially during peak times, the efficient counter-service and friendly staff keep the experience smooth and welcoming. The café’s commitment to sustainability and use of locally sourced ingredients further enhance its appeal. Big Fig Wanaka is an excellent choice for anyone seeking wholesome, flavorful food with a Middle Eastern flair in a relaxed lakeside setting. Its combination of fresh, healthy dishes, generous portions, and warm atmosphere make it a must-visit dining destination in Wanaka. We strongly recommend Big Fig for its outstanding food quality, variety of options including vegan-friendly dishes, excellent value, and inviting...

We were looking for a place for dinner and was walking around the city to find a place. This place was quite busy most of the time with lines waiting for food. Most of the other places were busy so we opted to come back here to grab some takeaways. We were quite lucky when we came back because there were tables available so we decided to just eat there. You pick the size, look at the blackboard on the side of the counter, and the number of options for each size. We got the large one at $27 with 6 options. You get 1 protein (meat) and the rest are vegetables or salads. There was a fair selection of items and they all did look quite nice. I tried both the meatballs and the beef cheeks and both were amazing, particularly the beef cheeks. The vegetables and salads were also quite tasty. I really enjoyed the kumara gratin and the mejaddarah, spiced rice with lentils. Even with all the nice reviews, I didn't expect it to the that nice. The portion was actually quite decent too. The place was busy while we were there with lines the whole time. The tables did free up but got full quite quickly. They also did hot drinks like a cafe and did have special drinks like ginger hot chocolate. There was self-serve water on the side of the counter. The place did have a bit of seating inside and outside of the shop but it was mostly full the whole time so timing and luck are important if you were...

Probably favorite place for food that I visited on a recent trip to the South Island. Located on Wanaka's waterfront, the restaurant is kind of small - there were very long lines here that went out the front door at times on a weekday at around 6:30 PM. Nice casual vibe - I think they were playing alternative rock when I was there. I paid $29 NZD for a large plate, which had 6 servings of food, though I was stuffed after dinner. Allergens/suitable diets (e.g. NGA for no gluten added, DF, VG and etc) were clearly labeled on signs. Had the chicken tagine, some sort of bean stew and double servings of both the shaved broccoli salad and kale quinoa salad. Food was a bit greasy and salads were a bit overdressed, so it's not exactly healthy, but the food was delicious and tasted fresh! I really liked the fact that they had a pastry case and the top shelf was dedicated to gluten-free pastries - they offered 4 and not every option was vegan! I had some sort of five spice cake (about $6 NZD) and it was very moist and good. Bonus was the still/sparkling water on tap and it was complimentary and highly...