from 196 Google reviews
You drive out past Onetangi, along Orapiu Road towards Stony Batter, and leave the hop-on hop-off crowds behind at a working vineyard with vines running down towards a view of Te Matuku Bay and the Hauraki Gulf beyond. The family who own the place grow the grapes and make the wine, and they cook for you too, so you can come for a tasting at the cellar door, a long lunch on the veranda, or a set menu with a glass matched to every course.
They bring out scallops with Viognier, fish crudo, a bone marrow and tongue taco, short rib that comes apart under a fork, and a deconstructed cheesecake worth saving room for. The Syrah and reserve Chardonnay are the stars, with Viognier, Albariño and the Magnus blend close behind, and you can drink a bottle with lunch or ship a case home.
It opens weekends only, Saturday and Sunday from noon, and the restaurant closes from May to the end of August while the cellar door keeps pouring, so book ahead and give yourself the whole afternoon.
Written from 200 Google reviews, every one we could get, on 12 November 2026. Rated 4.6 from 196 Google reviews.
Passage Rock serves some of the best food and wine on Waiheke, and it's worth building an afternoon around. The cooking is creative, the Syrah and Chardonnay stand with anything on the island, and the vineyard is quiet and lovely. Service is the weak point.
Order the scallops, the fish crudo and the bone marrow and tongue taco, because they show what the kitchen does best. The beef short rib falls apart under a fork, and the deconstructed cheesecake with a glass of Viognier finishes things off. The reserve Syrah, reserve Chardonnay and Viognier are the bottles to focus on.
When it's on, the service is warm and knowledgeable, with the family owners walking you through the wines and stopping by for a chat. Tastings come with a real explanation of what's in the glass. Against that, a lunch can be slow, with drinks forgotten, courses arriving at different times, and a bill that needed correcting.
Vines, native bush, sculpture and art, and a view over Te Matuku Bay out to the gulf make the setting a big part of the trip. You can sit inside, on the veranda or on a couch outside with a glass, and there's a trampoline and space for kids. It stays peaceful, without the busloads.
The set lunch is priced well for what arrives and the portions are generous, which is why it reads as good value, and tastings are reasonable too. Order off the menu and the value drops, with the taco and crudo feeling small for the money.
Book it for a long Sunday lunch, a birthday with friends, or a family gathering where the kids can run off the meal while you work through the wine list. Wine lovers exploring the eastern end of the island should make the trip, and cyclists riding out from Oneroa fit right in.
The service is the letdown, with slow spells and missed drinks showing up more often than it should. The Chardonnay has turned up warm more than once, and the kitchen has closed earlier than the hours advertised. It only opens at weekends and shuts the restaurant over winter, so book before you drive out.
Every fact on this page was checked on 8 November 2026 against Google, Passage Rock Wines & Restaurant's own website and 200 of its Google reviews. The photo is from the eatout library, not taken here, and no venue pays to be listed or ranked. Something out of date? Tell us
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