The Landing Restaurant is the riverside dining room of The Riverhead, widely known as New Zealand's oldest riverside tavern. Set on the upper reaches of the Waitematā Harbour at 33 York Terrace, Riverhead, the tavern has been a place of refreshment, connection and colourful stories for over 160 years, and The Landing carries that easygoing spirit into a relaxed, river-view dining experience.
The kitchen works with the seasons, crafting menus around local and regional produce and preparing every dish from scratch — flavourful, approachable plates inspired by modern New Zealand cuisine, served with the down-to-earth hospitality the tavern is known for. Highlights range from The Landing Board and fresh or beer-battered oysters to Our Famous Riv's Ribs and a duck and shiitake risotto. Dietary needs are well covered: vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free-friendly dishes are marked on the menu, and all meat is sourced from certified halal suppliers.
The restaurant sits beside a spacious outdoor deck framed by 100-year-old oak trees and is open 11am to late, every day, with private dining available for gatherings. It shares the historic site with The Portage Bar and The Boat House function centre, and bookings are made directly with each space — online or by phone on 09 412 8902.
The Landing Restaurant is the dining heart of The Riverhead, a tavern on the upper reaches of Auckland's Waitematā Harbour that has been welcoming guests for more than 160 years and is known as New Zealand's oldest riverside tavern. Set beside a spacious outdoor deck and framed by 100-year-old oak trees, it serves relaxed, river-view dining that feels a world away from the city without ever being formal.
For over 160 years The Riverhead has been a place of refreshment, connection and colourful stories. Sitting where the harbour narrows into river, it has played host to fishermen and farmers, smugglers, clergymen and constables. Celebrations have echoed within these walls, secrets have been shared and countless memories made — a sense of history you can feel the moment you walk in.
Today The Riverhead is home to three distinct spaces. The Landing is the restaurant; The Portage Bar is the laid-back local with pool, live sport and a sunny courtyard where families are always welcome; and The Boat House is the private wedding and function centre, open to the public on selected summer Sundays for its 'Sunday Live' sessions. Each takes its own bookings, so when you reserve, you book directly with the space you are visiting.
The Landing's menu is seasonal by design. It is rewritten through the year around local and regional produce, so the plates reflect what is genuinely good right now, and everything from starters to desserts is prepared from scratch by the kitchen team. The style is modern New Zealand cuisine — flavourful, approachable dishes where classics with a twist sit happily beside something new. One practical note worth knowing: all meat is sourced from certified halal suppliers.
The sharing plates are made for a table that likes to graze. The Landing Board piles up smoked fish rillette, pulled beef croquettes, kiwi onion dip, salami, olives and artisan cheese with dips, while oysters come fresh with lemon and shallot cider vinegar or beer battered with homemade tartare sauce. A cheese platter with nut crackers, crostini, grapes and preserves rounds things out.
Smaller plates cover lighter appetites: pan-fried vegetable dumplings with sesame soy ponzu, crisp scallions and coriander oil; a rotating soup of the day with garlic ciabatta; a twice-baked goat cheese soufflé with candied fig; and a duck and shiitake risotto finished with kumara mousse. Among the classics are Our Famous Riv's Ribs — smokey BBQ pork ribs with seasoned fries and green salad — and a New Zealand sirloin with seasoned fries. Burger lovers choose between The Riv Burger, stacked with beef, bacon and Swiss cheese, and a peri peri spiced tofu vege burger. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free-friendly dishes are marked throughout, and a kids' menu keeps younger diners happy.
Much of The Landing's charm comes from its setting. The restaurant opens onto a spacious outdoor deck shaded by 100-year-old oak trees, with the waters of the upper harbour close by. On a fine Auckland day it is exactly the kind of place where a lunch slides gently into the afternoon. And because The Riverhead publishes Getting Here directions by road and by water, arriving by boat is a genuinely plausible way to make an entrance.
The Landing is open from 11am until late, every day of the week, covering long lunches, sundown drinks and dinner. Bookings are recommended and are made directly with the restaurant — online through The Riverhead's booking page or by phone on 09 412 8902. Private dining is available for gatherings that want their own corner of the tavern, and The Boat House next door can be hired for weddings and larger celebrations.
Given everything else on site, it is easy to build an outing around a meal: a pre-dinner drink in the Portage Bar's courtyard, or timing a visit to a summer Sunday when the Boat House throws open its decks for Sunday Live. Gift vouchers are available for those who would rather let someone else choose the occasion.
More than 160 years in, The Riverhead's recipe remains unchanged: fresh, seasonal food, an unmistakable riverside setting, and the unpretentious Kiwi hospitality it has always been known for.