Cafe Adventures; Luke's Kitchen

If you’ve spent anytime around the Coromandel coast of New Zealand (and if you haven’t you really are missing out) then you most probably have heard of Luke’s Kitchen. But considering I have spent every summer at Whangapoua since the age of 5, it’s a wonder that it was only a year ago I discovered this infamous pizza shack just 30mins drive away in the little village of Kuaotunu.

Starting from a small casual pizza restaurant run by a bloke called Luke, it quickly gained a stellar reputation, with crows of sunburned surfers and starving beach goers lining up for a coveted surfboard table or driftwood bench.

The menu is simple, light, and utterly delicious with a pick of 5 different pizzas that are a far cry from the old Hawaiian, meat-lovers, vegetarian you’d expect to find. Instead prepare to be wooed by a selection of pizzas like the Pacific Chix, a wood-fired crust topped with coconut marinated chicken, zucchini, onion, preserved lime and coriander. Or my personal favorite, the BlackJack, with toppings like ham, pepperoni, mushrooms, olives, capsicum and red onion.

 While their pizzas are most definitely the main event at Luke’s kitchen that’s not to say they don’t offer some of the most delicious salads, fresh seafood and chips. In particular I’m talking about their kumara chips. Now I’ve tried a lot of different sweet potato fries in my time, but none yet have been able to compare in the slightest with those served in this little beach town. Crunchy, salty, sweet, it's worth the 3-hour drive from Auckland alone.

With piping hot pizzas being shoveled from the open wood-fire oven to hungrily waiting tables faster than you can open your ice cold beer, it’s sure to become a solid favorite with any who visit.