Rotorua is not a great restaurant city — most visitors eat at their hotel or at the cultural shows that include a hāngi feast — but there are decent options around the city centre on Tutanekai Street and around the lakefront. A hāngi (food slow-cooked in a pit using geothermal heat) is worth experiencing at least once; the result is smoky, tender, and distinctly local. Most cultural experiences at Te Puia and Whakarewarewa include a hāngi option.
Lakefront restaurants along Memorial Drive offer lake views and standard New Zealand cafe food — good coffee, cabinet food, breakfast all day. For a more serious dinner, the restaurants on and around Tutanekai Street (the main strip) have improved considerably in recent years.