Aryeh Restaurant Piha

The Verdict

Back for another season beachside gem Aryeh by Executive Chef and Restauranteur Lucas Parkinson (Wānaka's Ode) is the place to hit this summer. 

Transforming the former Piha Cafe, Aryeh (pronounced ‘Ari-aye’) is the ancient Aramaic term for lion, paying homage to Piha's iconic Lion Rock and promising a dining experience that will have your taste buds roaring with pleasure.  

The interior design is equally stunning, with an open kitchen and stone chef’s table, a bar built from Atlantic greenstone and elegant wooden tables. There’s also a covered balcony area and an outdoor sundeck for you to soak up the rays.

With the belief that nature is the executive chef at Aryeh, Lucas has crafted a menu that’s a snapshot of Aryeh’s neighbourhood. Think sustainably sourced seafood, hearty organic vegetables, microgreens grown across the road in the beloved Piha campsite and an out-of-this-world stock that has been repurposed for over seven years. 

Aryeh’s season is a flavour-packed punch for the taste buds that evolves alongside summer. It kicks off on 27 November with a 3-course ($89) and 5-course ($144) trust the chef menu and moves to an a la carte offering from January through to the season’s end on 19 April. Running all season are their fish and chip takeaways and their popular 5-course Wednesday Test Kitchen ($89) where you’ll be the first to wrap your mouth around the latest culinary delights.

We swung by to check out the menu and we can’t recommend this spot enough. But before we dive in, if you’ve had it up to here with fancy fare that leaves a dent in your wallet but not your appetite, rest assured you won’t find that at Aryeh. Lucas is all about very generous portion sizes and you’ll definitely be nursing a food coma on the drive home. 

Got dietaries? Us too. So trust us when we say don’t let your dietary reqs stop you. Lucas is more than capable of whipping up a bespoke feast. Speaking of: 

First up, pre-dinner snacks—from freshly baked bread with soul-sparking butter to lollypop chicken, pickled vege, a chic cuttlefish cracker and the aforementioned (heaven-sent) stock. Next, we tucked into a Curious Cropper tomato, pickled cucumber and watermelon gazpacho which we’d happily guzzle by the gallon. 

Then the table was laden with the daily vego feed (that day a saucy root vegetable number topped with mushroom chips), vibrant green blades of asparagus, Ohakune carrots roasted in Piha mānuka honey with herb gremolata and puffed Taranaki quinoa, plus hella crunchy potatoes that were so good we were this close to fighting over who was going to get the last one. 

On the libations front, there’s organic and biodynamic wine a-plenty, with the option to wine match all menus. Cocktails more your vibe? They’ve got that too, as well as worthy Daily Organics non-alcoholic wines and cold-pressed juices. 

Our night ended with the latest iteration of Aryeh’s famed Strawberries and Cream. Kumeu strawberries, an exquisite local basil oil, kawakawa crumble, a quenelle of freshly churned strawberry sorbet and the most gorgeous, pillowy creme caramel we’ve ever tasted—no exaggeration, we’ll have you know. 

The cherry on the proverbial cake of a sun-soaked day at Piha, lunch or dinner here is summer feasting done right. Or grab fish and chip takeout and kick back on the sand (just make sure the gulls don’t steal your feed!).

Words: Lauren Sanderson and Alice Rich | Image credit: Aryeh | Babiche Martens