Best Cafe

The story

Best Cafe, Dunedin: A Historic Seafood Institution Since 1932

Generations and new custodians

Operating since 1932, Best Cafe in Dunedin has served reliable seafood cafe classics to passing students and permanent residents alike. The Collins family purchased the building in the early thirties, transforming a working mens dining room into a dedicated fish house. University friends Greg Hay and Andy Brinsley now run the floor as careful custodians rather than renovators. They preserve the original layout while keeping the kitchen focused on regional catches.

The kitchen and signature plates

Fresh South Island catch arrives daily for the stainless steel filleting station and smokehouse that still operate behind the pass. Hand cut Agria potatoes cook in beef dripping alongside blue cod, lemon sole, and elephant fish. The kitchen prepares battered oysters, pāua patties, and a fish sarnie built on soft white bread. Returning graduates often order the same local seafood staples they ate during their degree years.

Retro lighting and live sets

Neon signs installed in nineteen sixty eight cast a familiar glow over tables that once hosted rugby fans heading to Carisbrook and legal teams taking lunch across the street. The venue hosts seated dinner gigs with local musicians while maintaining a fully licensed bar. Cuisine magazine recognized the establishment as a destination for diners seeking unpretentious Kiwi seafood. The atmosphere remains comfortably casual, leaving the preparation to speak for itself.