Ric's at the Ocean — known within the estate as Ric's Restaurant — is the relaxed eatery at Te Arai Links in Tomarata, built around a simple idea: a satisfying, unhurried meal after a day on the golf course. The atmosphere is easy-going and welcoming, the kind of place where the pace slows down as soon as you sit.
The menu is deliberately diverse, resting on three dependable pillars — wood-fired pizzas, burgers, and fresh seafood — backed by a generous selection of beverages. It's food made for mixed appetites: one person wants pizza, one wants a burger, someone always orders the seafood, and everyone leaves happy.
One of Ric's most distinctive features isn't on a plate at all. 'The Playground', an expansive 2.5-acre putting green, turns a meal into a proper outing, adding extra leisure whether you're sharpening your short game or just soaking up the setting. Ric's is open to the public daily from 7am to 7pm, and reservations are recommended for a seamless dining experience.
Ric's at the Ocean — known on the estate simply as Ric's Restaurant — occupies a privileged spot within Te Arai Links, the coastal golf destination at Tomarata. It was conceived with one very specific moment in mind: the satisfying collapse into a chair after a round of golf. Everything about the place is calibrated to that moment. The atmosphere is relaxed and unhurried, the menu is built around dependable crowd-pleasers, and the pace invites you to stay a while.
That said, you don't need a tee time, or even a set of clubs, to enjoy it. Ric's is open to the public every day from 7am to 7pm, and the team recommends reservations for a seamless dining experience — sensible advice for a spot that serves both the golfing calendar and the wider community.
The kitchen describes its offering as a diverse menu, and in practice it rests on three pillars: wood-fired pizzas, burgers, and fresh seafood. It's a trio that covers almost every appetite a table can produce. The pizza lover gets a pizza straight from the wood-fired oven; the hungry golfer gets a burger built for a post-round appetite; and anyone craving something lighter or more coastal has the fresh seafood to fall back on.
Rather than chasing trends, this is food designed to complement the setting — generous, familiar, and well suited to a mixed group ordering without compromise. Backing it all up is a generous selection of beverages, so whether the occasion calls for a cold drink in the afternoon sun or something more considered over dinner, the list is ready to keep pace.
For many visitors, the most memorable part of Ric's isn't on the plate at all. Alongside the dining experience sits 'The Playground', an expansive 2.5-acre putting green that gives the restaurant an extra dimension few eateries can claim. It turns a meal into an outing: arrive early and roll a few putts before you order, or linger afterwards while the conversation carries on.
The Playground earns its keep in plenty of ways — it adds a burst of activity between courses, gives golfers a chance to sneak in extra practice, and offers a genuine leisure draw of its own. Dining beside a putting surface the size of a small park is not an everyday experience, and it's one of the reasons people make a proper afternoon of a visit.
Ric's sits at Te Arai Links at Tomarata, on the quiet coastal stretch that also feeds the nearby Mangawhai eating scene. The area's local dining guide pairs Ric's with much-loved Mangawhai spots — the waterside Mangawhai Tavern, Bennetts of Mangawhai's café and chocolate shop, and the Saturday morning Mangawhai Market — which gives a sense of the neighbourhood: a relaxed coastal corner where good food is never far away. Ric's holds its own in that company, with the golf estate on its doorstep as a built-in bonus.
Practically speaking, a visit is simple to arrange. Doors open to the public at 7am, handy for early risers and those getting a start on the course; service wraps up at 7pm, so dinner here is an earlier affair than in the city. Reservations are recommended, particularly if you're timing a meal around a round of golf or arriving with a group.
Ric's at the Ocean does something simple and does it well. It pairs a beautiful golf-estate setting with a menu of wood-fired pizzas, burgers, and fresh seafood, pours from a generous beverage list, and adds a 2.5-acre putting green for good measure. Whether you've just come off the course or are simply passing through the Te Arai coast looking for a relaxed table, it's an easy place to settle in — and with the doors open to everyone from 7am to 7pm, there's every chance to find out for yourself.