What Makes A National Food Icon?
Eat Drink Dunedin launches the New Zealand Food Tour
Ōtepoti Dunedin — What defines a national culinary icon?
Does a dish need to showcase complex chef techniques, be assembled with tweezers and include Aotearoa’s flora and fauna? Or could our culinary identity be grounded in unpretentious, nostalgic comfort food from our childhoods - perhaps dishes that make modern food purists cringe because they are not cool?
These are the questions food industry insider Nicola McConnell tackles head-on with the launch of the New Zealand Food Tour, an unashamedly nostalgic, progressive lunch walking experience curated by Eat Drink Dunedin. The culinary walking tour takes place in the heart of Dunedin, a city included in Lonely Planet's Best in Travel List for 2027.
Designed to introduce overseas visitors and curious domestic travellers to the tastes that define Kiwi food culture, this walking tour leans into culinary controversy. Over two-and-a-half hours, guests will taste their way through classic Kiwi foods – including two items that have fuelled ongoing trans-Tasman rivalry over who holds creation credits - the velvety flat white and the pavlova.
"For me food tells the story of a place, stories and memories," says Nicola. "Kiwis love to celebrate our world-class produce and we should also own our quirky, nostalgic staples - from retro bakery delights to fierce regional pride over southern Cheese Rolls.”
“You can visit any global city and taste artisan chocolate, coffee, pizza and sourdough, so Eat Drink Dunedin has developed a food tour which is unique to our place, Ōtepoti Dunedin - showcasing, Kiwi taste memories with a touch of cheekiness."
Beyond comforting classics, guests are treated to the cold-water bounty of the southern seas. Because southern kaimoana thrives in deep, chilled sub-Antarctic currents, the species and flavour profiles differ distinctly from northern waters. The seafood course is served inside a Dunedin dining institution: Best Cafe, the city’s oldest operating restaurant. Depending on seasonal availability and daily catches, the menu highlights New Zealand native delicacies such as blue cod, green-lipped mussels, pāua, and freshly shucked oysters.
The progressive degustation lunch is woven into a gentle 1.8 km stroll that steps off from the grand Dunedin Railway Station. Between courses, guests traverse the city’s heritage heart, discovering how the 1860s Otago gold rush and its overnight wealth built Dunedin’s Victorian streetscapes which remain today. The route incorporates curated stops celebrating local craftsmanship, including an artisan gallery featuring locally hand-carved New Zealand pounamu (greenstone/jade).
Guiding the experience is Nicola McConnell, whose culinary credentials span decades across the national food scene. A former Marketing Manager who hosted many a tour at the Sydney Fish Market, Nicola is the co-founder of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards and the NZ Chocolate Awards and she is also co-organiser of the NZ Ice Cream & Gelato Awards. In her Dunedin home town, she founded the annual Dine Dunedin festival and was part of the group instrumental in rallying the community to save local craft maker OCHO Chocolate in 2017.
The New Zealand Food Tour is a lunchtime departure from Tuesday to Saturday, 11:00 am to 1:30 pm, with private group bookings available upon request. To meet expanding visitor demand, an evening dinner tour and dedicated Mandarin-speaking guided tours are scheduled to launch in the coming months.
Bookings are strictly capped at 12 guests per departure. Checkout this page for tickets, dietary information, and bookings, . Additionally check out Dunedin’s contribution to New Zealand’s food story here.