As the Dunedin fashion scene starts to heat up, FQ reserves a table at the best spots to relax and refuel during iD Fashion Week.
THE COFFEE
Standard Kitchen, 201 Princes St
Homegrown Standard Kitchen graces the front of a gorgeous 1870s building, that is currently being restored by local Jeweller Ted Daniels. It is a refreshing café space with a brick kitchen, small tables downstairs and a tiled café complete with chandelier at street level. There is nothing like its cold brew coffee with soda and an orange twist. The seed and nut breads are also a crowd favourite – try one topped with avocado and sprouts.
Kiki Beware, 344 George St
In the midst of the fashion boutiques of George Street is this white-tiled coffee haven. Kiki Beware has a long bar where one can sit and watch locally produced coffee being served. Match your coffee with American-style snacks like the delicious fried chicken and poutine. At night coffee gives way to vino when Kiki Beware turns into a stylish bar for all your post-Fashion Week party needs.
Vanguard Specialty Coffee Co, 329 Princes St
It is coffee with a conscience at Vanguard Speciality Coffee Co. Single origin coffee from Brazil, Ethiopia and Columbia are sourced directly to ensure fair trade and roasted right on site. Vanguard also serves house coffee blends, dripping cold brew coffees, stunning juices and a menu packed full of goodness. We recommend the buckwheat pancakes with roasted plums, vanilla ricotta and toasted hazelnuts, the perfect energy kick before the next fashion event.
THE LUNCH CAFÉ
The Good Oil Café, 314 George St and Nichol’s Garden Centre
A long-time local fixture, The Good Oil has a fresh, seasonal lunch cabinet and sought-after coffee. George Street is the perfect location for in between events, while The Good Oil at Nichol’s is a relaxed space with jazz music on Sundays. Start off the day with a super smoothie bowl and come back later for a zucchini and caramelized onion tart.
Starfish Café, 240 Forbury Rd, St Clair
A lively café with a sea breeze, Starfish is the perfect mini escape from the central city bustle of Fashion Week. Between the seasonal cabinet and locally-sourced menu every craving is catered for, from Portobello mushrooms to gourmet hot dogs. Whether you sit alfresco or upstairs, Starfish’s colourful setting, including golden swan wallpaper, will fuel you in time to find the next golden Dunedin designer.
Vogel St Kitchen, 76 Vogel St
You can spot Vogel St Kitchen in Dunedin’s Warehouse Precinct by the painting of a giant fish swallowing ships on the side of its building. In the street art district of Dunedin, the café is creative and welcoming. Its wood-fired sandwiches are steep competition for its wood-fired pizzas with fillings like smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers and lemon. The staff may even let you borrow Vogel St Kitchen’s yellow bicycle if you are running late to the next fashion show!
THE RESTAURANTS
Esplanade, 2 Esplanade, Saint Clair
Wood-fired pizza and Italian cheeses are the perfect sustenance in between Fashion Week schedules. Stationed next to the sea at St Clair, Esplanade is modern Italian at its best. Large open windows welcome a relaxed beachside atmosphere that mingles with fashionable Bentwood chairs and a brick fireplace. Take note: Esplanade’s Aperol Spritz is the perfect aperitif to scialatielli and crocchette.
Plato, 2 Birch St
Once a hostel for worldly seafarers, Plato is a home away from home for those travelling for Fashion Week. Its colourful shelves filled with memorabilia are good enough for a photoshoot backdrop. Situated next to Otago Harbour, it serves delicious seafood and a range of local produce on its ever-changing menu. Plato the philosopher sought higher learning; Plato the restaurant seeks higher culinary delights that are uncomplicated and comforting. Just what one needs after a big day in heels.
Bacchus Wine Bar and Restaurant, 12 The Octagon
Fashion Week is best digested with fine dining. Bacchus is a Dunedin foody fixture with views over the Octagon framed by flowered windowsills. An extensive menu of fresh produce is matched with some of the best wines sourced from New Zealand, Australia, France and Italy. Sink your teeth into the beef and lamb dishes that have been winning Bacchus a hallmark of excellence award for the past seventeen years.
MAKE TIME FOR:
Fleur’s Place, by the old jetty, Moeraki
Be enchanted by Fleur’s Place, the restaurant like no other that teems with travellers who are after Fleur’s famous fish dishes. Found on an early whaling station in Moeraki, Fleur’s Place is well worth the hour’s drive out of Dunedin. Watch the fishing boats bob, listen to the local guitarist and mark your visit with vivid on the wooden walls. Surrounded by sea, Fleur’s Place will make you as comfortable as you would be at your best friend’s bach. It’s the perfect spot to unwind after Fashion Week and a great chance to tick the nearby Moeraki Boulders off your bucket list.
