Blue Ginger is Whitianga's longest established owner-operated eatery, a small, casual restaurant on Blacksmith Lane that has been serving Asian-Pacifica fusion to the Coromandel for 19 years. Chefs and owners Stu & Becks — around 50 years of culinary experience between them — bring together Polynesian, Asian, Thai and Vietnamese flavours in fresh dishes cooked straight off the wok, using local kaimoana and produce wherever they can.
The menu covers dumplings, wontons, spring rolls, stir-fries, curries, soups and fresh salads, with the dumplings, wontons and spring rolls wrapped by hand every day. Seasonal specials appear regularly alongside the regular menu, and Express Lunches run Wednesday to Friday for dine-in or takeaway.
True to Buddha's wishes, Blue Ginger is an alcohol-free eatery, pouring instead a beautiful range of non-alcoholic local delights. The room is relaxed and colourful, decorated with bright lanterns and trinkets from the owners' travels, with groovy tunes playing and sharing of tables and meals encouraged. It's a small space, so walk-ins are welcomed and groups under four are usually seated quickly, while reservations are taken for groups of four to ten. Online ordering covers takeaway, vouchers make easy gifts, and functions — including bespoke banquet menus for six or more — are a house specialty.
Down Blacksmith Lane in Whitianga you'll find one of the Coromandel's most loved dining rooms. Blue Ginger has been serving Asian-Pacifica fusion here for 19 years, making it the town's longest established owner-operated eatery — a local favourite that has watched a generation of holidaymakers and regulars come through its doors.
The greeting is a cheerful "Bula!", and it sets the tone. Chefs and owners Stu & Becks, who between them carry around 50 years of culinary experience, have built the menu around Polynesian, Asian, Thai and Vietnamese flavours — dishes made fresh, straight off the wok. Whether you're new to Asian flavours or a self-described fusion connoisseur, the kitchen promises something for everyone.
Every dish is created by Stu & Becks themselves, with close attention paid to flavours, textures and the origins of the ingredients. That's also why they politely ask that diners don't request alterations to the menu — though for real allergies and intolerances, the kitchen may be able to make changes to some meals.
Some of the best work happens before service even starts. Dumplings, wontons and spring rolls are wrapped on site daily — "and with love", the owners insist. The smoked fish wontons have become something of a house legend, putting local seafood to work in a dish the team happily teases about on social media.
Beyond the handmade starters, the menu runs through the wok classics: fragrant curries, stir-fries tossed with fresh vegetables, warming soups and bright fresh salads. The team keeps the regular menu tight and does it well, then plays with seasonal specials on top, often built around local kaimoana and produce.
Sharing is encouraged — both tables and meals — which suits a menu built for grazing. Lunchtime has its own ritual too: Express Lunches run every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, for dine-in or takeaway, with the kitchen promising outstanding food at reasonable prices.
One thing that makes Blue Ginger genuinely unusual is written into its philosophy: in accordance with Buddha's wishes, it is an alcohol-free eatery. There's no beer or wine list — instead, a beautiful range of non-alcoholic local delights takes its place, and the focus stays on the food, the company and the conversation.
The room matches the food: casual, colourful and personal, decorated with bright lanterns and trinkets collected on the owners' travels. Groovy tunes play, dishes land in the middle of the table for everyone to reach, and the evening feels closer to a dinner party at a well-travelled friend's place than a formal restaurant.
Blue Ginger is a small eatery and is refreshingly upfront about it. Walk-ins are encouraged, and groups of fewer than four can usually be seated quickly. Because large tables are limited, reservations are only taken for groups of four or more, up to a maximum of ten — so if you're travelling with a crew, book ahead.
If you'd rather eat at the bach, online ordering through the website covers takeaway, and in winter the kitchen has also run home delivery on Friday and Saturday nights. Vouchers make easy gifts for anyone who needs feeding, and the functions side caters to bigger occasions — recent Mid-Winter Banquets saw the team tailoring bespoke menus for groups of six or more, with bookings 100% essential.
Nineteen seasons in, the formula hasn't changed: fresh, delicious food off the wok, cooked by the people whose names are on the door, served in a room that feels a long way from the Coromandel — even though the seafood on your plate is local.