from 947 Google reviews
You can lose a whole afternoon on these four acres without moving far from your table, starting with lunch under the trees and finishing with a beer flight, a whisky tasting and a turn in one of the golf simulator bays. The gates sit on Onetangi Road, a short walk up the driveway from the bus stop and a hop from Onetangi Beach, so you can come off the ferry and arrive without a car.
The kitchen cooks over a huge wood-fired grill, an Italian wood-fired pizza oven and an Argentinian-style charcoal barbecue, which turns out smash burgers with smoked mayo and pickles, hand-stretched pizzas, Southern fried chicken with buttermilk ranch and seasonal plates like market fish ceviche or slow-cooked lamb. The brewery and distillery are on the same site, so you can have the Heke lager, the gin and the Waiheke Whisky range here, either as guided flights in the tasting room or at your table.
Order and pay from the QR code if that suits, walk in on the day or book ahead for Saturdays and holidays, and bring the kids for the bouncy pillow and the dog for the garden. Grain to Glass tours run daily, but you'll need to book.
Written from 980 Google reviews, every one we could get, on 12 November 2026. Rated 4.8 from 947 Google reviews.
The Heke is the highlight of plenty of Waiheke day trips, and it earns that with beer and whisky made out the back, fast generous food and a garden you can settle into for hours. The only real complaint is how busy it gets once the tables fill.
Order the smash burger, two house-made patties with smoked mayo and pickles, and add the bacon, because it's the dish that keeps bringing people back. The Southern fried chicken, the wood-fired pizzas and the crunchy Sichuan cucumber are close behind, and the rosemary fries go quickly too.
The staff set the tone here, warm, quick with a recommendation and genuinely good with a big table, and your food often arrives within fifteen minutes. Ordering on the QR code at your table keeps things moving and makes splitting the bill painless.
You eat in a garden, under cover or out on the lawn, with rolling Waiheke hills across the valley and a fire going inside when it's cold. Kids have the bouncy pillow and sandpit to keep them busy, dogs are welcome, and it gets loud once the tables fill.
Prices are moderate and cheaper than a winery lunch, the tasting flights are good value, and the litre jugs of house beer are a bargain. Shared plates are small for the money, though, and the burgers feel a touch priced up.
Families get the most out of it, with a bouncy pillow, sandpit and games keeping kids busy while lunch runs long into the afternoon. It's equally good for big groups, birthdays and work functions, and couples and dogs fit right in too.
When it's really busy, orders can go missing and drinks take a while, and you might wait well past half an hour for food. The welcome at the door can feel curt on a busy day, so book ahead for weekends and holidays if you want things to go smoothly.
Every fact on this page was checked on 8 November 2026 against Google, The Heke - Restaurant, Brewery & Distillery's own website and 980 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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