It’s a well-known fact that Waiheke Island is home to a panoply of standout wineries, but casual beachside eateries (strangely for an island) are fewer and further between. Enter the new and improved Charlie Farley’s — or just Charlie’s, as its new moniker reads — Onetangi Beach’s failsafe eatery. Here is where the crowds will descend in the abundant fine days of the coming months.

Now owned, operated and reinvigorated by renowned restaurateur Richard Sigley, the Tropicana-inspired beachfront spot, with its front-row view of the beach, sets the scene for an array of crowd-pleasing dishes. Fresh Te Matuku oysters give way to vibrant tuna poke bowls, garlic dusted calamari, your classic wagyu ‘n’ cheeseburgers (NB everything is just a little bit elevated) and, of course, a truly delectable offering of fish and chips.

Not only that, but their sensational desserts (pictured above) offer a taste of quintessential Kiwi gratification in the form of the ‘Jelly Tip’, a vanilla bean pannacotta with chocolate mousse and raspberry gel, and the ‘Crunchie’, a classic deconstruction comprising dark chocolate, vanilla mascarpone and honeycomb.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner — and complemented by suitable cocktails all day long (think Bloody Marys, Piña Coladas, Margaritas and Mai-Tais) — Charlie’s is putting Onetangi Beach well and truly on the Google map this summer. And we couldn’t be more excited about it. Lazy days and daiquiris, here we come…

To book a table, click here.