Anawhata Beach is a restaurant at Anawhata, in Waitakere City on Auckland's western coast, holding a 4.6 Google rating. Eating out beside a west-coast beach is a different proposition from dining in the suburbs. Places this far off the beaten track usually keep short, seasonal hours, since they cannot rely on passing trade, and menus tend to be brief and built around what is fresh rather than long lists of everything. Weather matters too, as a rough day can thin the crowd or close a kitchen entirely. The regulars' habit is to check opening times before setting out, arrive outside the midday rush, and treat the drive through the ranges and the walk to the sand as part of the meal. Out where the road ends above Anawhata's black-sand shore, a restaurant rated this well is reason enough in itself for the drive through the ranges.