What style of food does Plateau serve?

A fusion of Pacific Rim and Polynesian-influenced flavours, drawing on Aotearoa, Japan, Peru and the Philippines, served as shared plates.

Does Plateau have a happy hour?

Yes, a daily happy hour runs from 3pm to 5pm with discounts on tap beer, house wine, cocktails and select snacks.

Is there a kids menu?

Yes, there is a dedicated Kids Menu alongside Kids Smarty Packs.

Can I book for a large group?

Yes, large group bookings can be arranged through the website.

Does Plateau cater to dietary requirements?

Yes, many dishes are marked gluten free, dairy free or vegetarian, with some options available on request.

How long has Plateau been open?

Plateau was established in 2004 and is named after the Taupō volcanic plateau.

Are gift cards available?

Yes, gift cards can be purchased through the website.

Plateau Bar + Eatery

Name: Plateau Bar + Eatery
Address: 64 Tūwharetoa St, Taupo Central, Taupo, Taupō, Taupo, NZ
Telephone: 01426546
Price range: $$
Rating: 4.6

restaurant — Taupō · Taupo

About Plateau Bar + Eatery

Plateau Bar + Eatery has been a fixture in the heart of Taupō since it was established in 2004, taking its name from the lush Taupō volcanic zone. Locally owned and operated, it has built a reputation as a locals' favourite that has stood the test of time, and was named a 2025 Good Food Guide destination.

The kitchen serves a fusion of fresh, vibrant flavours drawn from across Polynesia and the wider Pacific Rim — Aotearoa, Japan, Peru and the Philippines all feature as influences, built around a shared-plates format of small and large dishes designed for the table. The menu covers everything from oysters and market fish to dumplings, wontons, crispy pork belly and grilled meats, alongside a kids menu, meals, and dessert options.

Drinks get equal attention, with an extensive cocktail list, a large New Zealand and international wine list spanning sparkling through to dessert wine and port, craft beers on tap and in bottles, housemade sodas, kombucha and coffee. Plateau also runs a daily happy hour, offers gift cards, and can host large group bookings.

Plateau Bar + Eatery: Taupō's Pacific Rim Favourite Since 2004

On Tūwharetoa Street in the heart of Taupō, Plateau Bar + Eatery has been serving the town since 2004, taking its name from the lush volcanic plateau that surrounds the lake. Locally owned and operated, it has stood the test of time to become a genuine locals' favourite, and was recognised as a 2025 Good Food Guide destination.

A Culinary Journey Around the Pacific Rim

Plateau's kitchen builds its menu around a fusion of fresh, vibrant flavours drawn from Polynesia and beyond, pulling influences from Aotearoa, Japan, Peru and the Philippines — countries connected by the Pacific Ring of Fire. The result is a shared-plates menu that ranges widely: fresh oysters served natural or tempura, torched miso salmon with yuzu dressing, sesame tuna loin, and ika mata built on market fish, coconut and lime sit alongside dumplings, wontons, karaage chicken, beef tataki and Szechuan pepper calamari.

For heartier appetites, the menu moves into grilled scotch fillet, lamb rump, braised beef brisket and crispy pork belly, while vegetarian and vegetable-forward options include shiitake mushroom arancini, charred Brussels sprouts, tempura cauliflower and a green vegetable salad built on quinoa and avocado. Simpler meal options — battered fish n chips, fried chicken and fries, and BBQ pork skewers and fries — sit on the menu too, alongside a dedicated kids menu.

Dessert and a Serious Drinks List

To finish, Plateau offers a dedicated 'Something Sweet' menu featuring a burnt Basque cheesecake, baked apple tart, a triple layer chocolate delice using Whittaker's chocolate, and a golden syrup steamed pudding, alongside dessert cocktails like an affogato, flat white martini and salted caramel martini. There's also a dessert wine and port selection for those wanting something classic to finish the meal.

The drinks list overall is extensive. An eighteen-strong cocktail menu spans spritzes, margaritas, a negroni and an espresso martini, backed by craft beer on tap and in bottles from breweries including Tuatara, Emerson's, Parrotdog and Behemoth. The wine list runs from sparkling — including Veuve Clicquot and Cloudy Bay Pelorus — through Marlborough sauvignon blanc, Central Otago pinot noir, and Hawke's Bay reds, right up to premium bottles like Man O' War 'Dreadnought' Syrah from Waiheke Island. Coffee, tea, housemade sodas, kombucha and organic juice round out the non-alcoholic side of the list.

Happy Hour and Beyond

Plateau runs a daily happy hour with discounts on tap beer, house wine and cocktails alongside select snacks, making it a popular after-work stop as well as a dinner destination. The venue also offers gift cards, welcomes large group bookings, and takes reservations directly through its website.

Visiting Plateau

With more than two decades in Taupō and a menu that pulls together Pacific Rim flavours, a serious wine and cocktail list, and a genuinely local following, Plateau Bar + Eatery continues to be a place where the team invites guests to 'have a seat at our table and enjoy some of the best kai Taupō has to offer.'

Signature items

Ika Mata
Torched Miso Salmon
Crispy Pork Belly
Fresh Oysters
Karaage Chicken
Espresso Martini

Chocolate Brownie — Served with vanilla ice cream
Duck Island Ice Cream - Ambrosia — 120ml tub, GF
Duck Island Ice Cream - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough — 120ml tub
Duck Island Ice Cream - White Chocolate Pomegranate Macadamia — 120ml tub, GF
Duck Island Ice Cream - Coconut Caramel Sesame Choc Peanut — 120ml tub, GF/DF

Riesling

Terrace Edge 'Liquid Geography' — Central Otago, NZ
Peregrine — Central Otago, NZ

To Share

Prawn Crackers — Togarashi seasoning
Steamed Edamame — Soy, garlic, ginger and chilli dressing, GF/V
Pan Fried Paratha — Satay dipper, V
Queso Triple Cheese Dip — Chorizo, tortilla chips, bbq spice, GF
Fried Haloumi — Gochujang chilli honey, pistachios, GF/V
Burrata — Romesco, broad beans, baby gem, chimichurri, paratha, V
Truffle Fries — Grana padano, chives, confit garlic aioli, GF/V
Curly Fries — BBQ seasoning, confit garlic aioli, V
Fresh Oysters - Natural (1/2 doz) — Shallot mignonette, lemon, GF/DF
Fresh Oysters - Tempura (1/2 doz) — Ginger gel, wasabi mayo, GF/DF
Panfried Market Fish — Spiced coconut curry, lentils, charred greens, lime, GF/DF
Sesame Tuna Loin — Candied tomato, cucumber, pickled onion, wasabi mayo, ponzu, GF/DF
Torched Miso Salmon — Ginger gel, yuzu dressing, radish, wasabi tobiko, GF/DF
Ika Mata — Market fish, coconut, lime, tobiko roe, curry leaf, coriander, GF/DF
Szechuan Pepper Calamari — Preserved lemon mayo, chives, GF/DF
Spiced Prawn Tacos — Malaysian spiced prawns, slaw, lime, chilli, DF
NZ Green Lipped Mussels — Coconut and lime broth, spring onion, paratha, GFA/DF
Chicken & Chive Dumplings — Spicy chilli oil, fried shallots, peanuts, coriander
Grilled BBQ Pork Skewers — Slaw, orange sesame dressing, GF/DF
Lamb & Garlic Wontons — Mint aioli, coriander, DF
Karaage Chicken — Honey mustard mayo, lemon, togarashi spice, GF/DF
Beef Tataki — Seared rare, edamame, wasabi mayo, ginger gel, soy, sesame, GF/DF
Crispy Pork Belly — Apple and mint slaw, tamarind gastrique, coriander, GF/DF
Grilled Scotch Fillet — Chimichurri, red wine jus, GF/DF
Lamb Rump — Feta whip, granola, red wine jus, GF/DF
Braised Beef Brisket — Roast pumpkin puree, anise jus, spring onions, sesame, GF/DF
Shiitake Mushroom Arancini — Truffle oil, grana padano, confit garlic aioli, GF/V
Charred Brussel Sprouts — Miso garlic butter, crispy shallots, V
Green Vegetable Salad — Quinoa, avocado and paprika whip, green goddess dressing, GF/DFA/V
Spicy Cucumbers — Chilli and soy dressing, coriander, fried shallots, GF/DF/V
Tempura Cauliflower — Kung pao sauce, peanuts, crispy shallots, coriander
Crispy Potatoes — Romesco sauce, rosemary salt, GF/DF/V

Cocktails

Peach Bellini — Deutz, peach bomb cider, cherry
French 75 — Tanqueray, Deutz, lemon, simple syrup
The Hugo Spritz — St Germain elderflower, prosecco, lemon, mint, soda
Amalfi Spritz — Limoncello, prosecco, lemon, soda
Aperol Spritz — Aperol, prosecco, orange, soda
Rosebud — Absolut Vanilia, passionfruit, cranberry, pineapple, lemon
What A Pear — Absolut Vanilia, poires william, cloudy pear, lemon
Red Lotus — Blush boysenberry gin, kwai feh lychee, cranberry, lemon
Passionfruit Mojito — Bacardi, passionfruit, mint, lime, soda
Blooming Mule — Tanqueray, St Germain elderflower, grapefruit, gingerbeer, mint, lime
Hazy 5 Mile — 5 Mile gin, yuzu, lemon, Monteith's hazy lemonade
Coconut & Chilli Margarita — 1800 coconut, cointreau, chilli syrup, lime, chilli salt
Yuzu & Aperol Margarita — Al Jimador reposado, Aperol, yuzu, lime, orange, sea salt
Pineapple & Chilli Margarita — El Jimador reposado, pineapple, chilli syrup, lime, chilli salt
Stiggins Negroni — Plantation pineapple rum, Campari, Mr Mug vermouth
Amaretto Sour — Galliano amaretto, Woodford Reserve, simple syrup, lemon
Espresso Martini — Absolut Vanilia, Kahlua, cold press espresso

Chardonnay

Lake Road — Gisborne, NZ
Clearview 'Beachhead' — Hawke's Bay, NZ
Millton 'Opou' — Gisborne, NZ
Te Mata 'Elston' — Hawke's Bay, NZ
Man O' War 'Valhalla' — Waiheke Island, NZ

Pinot Gris

Peregrine 'Saddleback' — Central Otago, NZ
Greywacke — Marlborough, NZ

Pinot Noir

Misha's 'Tempo' — Central Otago, NZ
Peregrine 'Saddleback' — Central Otago, NZ
Mt Beautiful — North Canterbury, NZ
Ata Rangi 'Crimson' — Martinborough, NZ
Mt Difficulty — Central Otago, NZ
Peregrine — Central Otago, NZ

Dessert Wine

Clearview Estate 'Sea Red' NV — Hawke's Bay; red dessert wine with deep berry fruits and plum, rich but dry finish
Askerne Late Harvest Gewurztraminer — Hawke's Bay; honey and apricot characters, spice notes of vanilla and burnt caramel, plush palate

From The Tap

Heineken — 5%
Heineken Silver — 4%
Tiger — 5%
Tiger Crystal Ultra Low Carb — 4.20%
Monteith's Original Ale — 4.50%
Monteith's Golden Lager — 4.50%
Monteith's Hazy Lemonade — 4.20%
Monteith's Apple Cider — 4.50%
HB Peach Bomb Cider — 4%
Sawmill Nimble Pale Ale — 2.50%
Tuatara Adapt APA — 5.60%
Tuatara Regenerate Pilsner — 5%
Tuatara Hazy Pale Ale — 5.50%

Bottles & Cans

Emersons Hazed & Confused Hazy IPA — 5.80%
Parrotdog Birdseye Hazy IPA — 5.80%
Behemoth Brain Smiles Hazy IPA — 5.40%
Liberty Brewing Yakima Monster APA — 6%
Panhead Super Charger APA — 5.70%
Cassels Milk Stout — 5.20%
Monteith's Black — 5.20%
Monteith's Radler — 4.20%
Corona — 4.50%
Garage Project Fugazi IPA — 2.20%
Export Citrus — 2%
Heineken Zero — 0%
Sawmill Bare Beer — 0%

Gewurztraminer

Misha's 'The Gallery' — Marlborough, NZ

Sparkling Wine

Veuve Clicquot Brut NV — France
Piper Heidsieck Brut NV — France
Cloudy Bay Pelorus — Marlborough, NZ
Deutz Cuvee NV — Marlborough, NZ
Morton Estate Brut NV — Hawke's Bay, NZ
Alpha Domus 'Beatrix' Sparkling Rosé — Hawke's Bay, NZ
Bosca 5* Prosecco — Veneto, Italy

Cabernet Merlot

Alpha Domus 'The Navigator' — Hawke's Bay, NZ
Te Mata 'Awatea' — Hawke's Bay, NZ

L'Affare Coffee

Espresso — Coffee
Macchiato — Coffee
Long Black — Coffee
Americano — Coffee
Flat White — Coffee
Latte — Coffee
Cappuccino — Coffee
Mochaccino — Coffee
Hot Chocolate — Coffee menu item
Chai Latte — Coffee menu item
Special Coffee — Coffee with a liqueur

Merlot / Malbec

Elephant Hill 'Le Phant Rouge' — Hawke's Bay, NZ
Craggy Range 'Te Kahu' — Hawke's Bay, NZ

Sauvignon Blanc

Greywacke — Marlborough, NZ
Squawking Magpie — Marlborough, NZ
Astrolabe 'Provice' — Marlborough, NZ
Craggy Range 'Te Muna' — Martinborough, NZ

Something Sweet

Burnt Basque Cheesecake — Yuzu and berry syrup, fresh berries, GF
Baked Apple Tart — Dulce de leche, salted caramel ice cream, spun sugar
Triple Layer Chocolate Delice — Whittaker's chocolate, mascarpone, berries, tuile
Golden Syrup Steamed Pudding — Vanilla anglaise, whipped cream, brandy snap tuile
Affogato — Vanilla bean ice cream, L'Affare espresso, choice of Baileys, Kahlua, Frangelico, Amaretto or Cointreau, GF
Flat White Martini — White Fox flat white liqueur, Kahlua, cold press espresso
Salted Caramel Martini — Absolut Vanilia, Baileys, caramel, vegan foamer

Cabernet Sauvignon

Jim Barry 'The Cover Drive' — Coonawarra, Australia
Yalumba 'The Cigar' — Coonawarra, Australia

Non-Alcoholic & Soft Drinks

Antipodes Sparkling Water — Mineral water
Antipodes Still Water — Mineral water
Housemade Soda - Triple Peach — Housemade soda
Housemade Soda - Bubblegum — Housemade soda
Housemade Soda - Pomegranate — Housemade soda
Housemade Soda - Mango — Housemade soda
Housemade Soda - Passionfruit — Housemade soda
Housemade Soda - Watermelon — Housemade soda
Coke, Coke Zero, Raspberry Coke — Soft drinks
Sprite, Sprite Zero — Soft drinks
Schweppes Lemonade & Ginger Ale — Soft drinks
Lemon & Paeroa — Soft drink
Bundaberg Ginger Beer — Soft drink
Redbull — Energy drink, sugar free available
Good Buzz Kombucha - Raspberry Lemon — Kombucha
Good Buzz Kombucha - Pineapple Mango — Kombucha
Good Buzz Kombucha - Feijoa — Kombucha
Karma Organic Juice - Apple, Orange & Mango — Organic juice
Karma Organic Juice - Apple & Blackcurrant — Organic juice
Karma Organic Juice - Apple & Guava — Organic juice
Keri Juice - Orange, Apple, Pineapple, Cranberry, Tomato, Spiced Tomato — Juice range

Frequently asked questions

What style of food does Plateau serve?: A fusion of Pacific Rim and Polynesian-influenced flavours, drawing on Aotearoa, Japan, Peru and the Philippines, served as shared plates.
Does Plateau have a happy hour?: Yes, a daily happy hour runs from 3pm to 5pm with discounts on tap beer, house wine, cocktails and select snacks.
Is there a kids menu?: Yes, there is a dedicated Kids Menu alongside Kids Smarty Packs.
Can I book for a large group?: Yes, large group bookings can be arranged through the website.
Does Plateau cater to dietary requirements?: Yes, many dishes are marked gluten free, dairy free or vegetarian, with some options available on request.
How long has Plateau been open?: Plateau was established in 2004 and is named after the Taupō volcanic plateau.
Are gift cards available?: Yes, gift cards can be purchased through the website.

Tips

{"body":"Daily from 3pm to 5pm, with discounts on tap beer, house wine, cocktails and select snacks.","title":"Come for happy hour"}
{"body":"The 'To Share' menu is built for the table — order a mix across seafood, meat and vegetable dishes.","title":"Order to share"}
{"body":"The list runs from everyday Marlborough sauvignon blanc through to premium bottles like Man O' War 'Dreadnought'.","title":"Ask about the wine list"}
{"body":"Plateau can host large group bookings — arrange this in advance through the website.","title":"Book ahead for groups"}

Good to know

{"family":"Kids menu and Kids Smarty Packs available","dietary":"Many dishes marked gluten free, dairy free or vegetarian, with some available on request"}