Tika Restaurant, Café & Catering is a Māori-owned business at 30 Nelson Street in Te Hāwera, in the heart of Taranaki ki te Tonga. The team serves fresh and delicious food and takes pride in its contribution to local community building — a values-first approach that sits comfortably behind some seriously good cooking.
By day, the vibrant Tika Café is all about hot brunch and tempting in-house baking, with the chef's daily creations built on the freshest local ingredients. From 5.30pm the room turns to dinner, with an à la carte menu of steaks, seafood and comfort classics — think Tika Steak with garlic butter or creamy mushroom sauce, Surf and Turf topped with prawns and mussels, and Marry Me Chicken in a creamy sun dried tomato sauce.
Tika is also a full catering operation. Whether it's a casual brunch, a corporate event or a special celebration, the team provides the setting and catering to make the occasion memorable, and the Nelson Street premises serve as a venue in their own right.
Along the way the restaurant has been a finalist for the Top Shop Taranaki award and is registered with Amotai. Yealands wines are poured and Proof and Stock Coffee is served, and guests regularly single out the friendly, attentive staff and the quality of the food.
Tika Restaurant, Café & Catering sits at 30 Nelson Street in Te Hāwera, in the heart of Taranaki ki te Tonga. It is a Māori-owned business built on a simple promise — fresh and delicious food — paired with a genuine pride in its contribution to local community building. That combination shapes the whole experience here, from the coffee poured in the morning to the last course of the evening.
The venue keeps two rhythms. Through the day, the vibrant Tika Café serves hot brunch and tempting in-house baking, with the chef turning out daily creations built on the freshest local ingredients. From 5.30pm the room shifts into restaurant mode, when the dinner menu takes over and the focus moves to hearty, generously plated mains.
Steak sits at the heart of the dinner menu. The Tika Steak, the house namesake, is cooked to your liking and served with garlic butter or a creamy mushroom sauce, alongside salad and fries or the veges of the day. The Surf and Turf Steak goes further, topped with prawns and mussels in a creamy white wine reduction, while Marry Me Chicken — breast in a creamy sun dried tomato sauce with spinach and parmesan — is the kind of dish regulars come back for.
Seafood holds its own too. The Salmon Fettucine arrives in a creamy sauce with garlic, white wine and fresh herbs, and the Fish of the Day can be crumbed, battered or pan fried. Elsewhere, the Pork Belly is slow cooked with a crisp finish, and the Chicken or Vege Curry comes with fluffy rice and seasonal veges.
Save room for the sweet finish. Desserts include a warm Sticky Date Pudding with butterscotch sauce, an Ice Cream Sundae in chocolate, strawberry or caramel, and Sweet Fry Bread served with butter, cinnamon and golden syrup — a dessert with real home-soil character.
Younger diners are looked after properly, with a kids menu covering mac and cheese, sausage and mash, chicken nuggets and fries, fish bites and fries, and a cheeseburger and fries — each served with an ice cream sundae of its own.
Tika is also a full catering operation, and the Nelson Street premises work as a venue in their own right. Whether it's a casual brunch, a corporate event or a special celebration, the team provides the setting and the catering to make the occasion memorable — guests consistently highlight the attention to detail, the quality of the food and the friendly, attentive staff.
The kitchen's kai is matched by what's in the glass and the cup: Tika pours Yealands wines and serves Proof and Stock Coffee, with local collaborators such as Petal and Stem also part of the picture. The approach has drawn recognition, too — the restaurant has been a finalist for the Top Shop Taranaki award and is registered with Amotai.
Practically, it's an easy place to plan around. Tika opens Wednesday to Sunday from 9am to 2pm, then reopens at 5.30pm for dinner, closing on Mondays and Tuesdays. Tables can be requested through the online booking form, by phone on 06 278 0880, or by emailing bookings@tikaadmin.com — worth doing for the dinner service.