Kaitaia is a working town, and so is its food scene — solid cafes, a couple of decent pubs, and bakeries that pull in the farm crowd at dawn. For a small town, the variety is better than you might expect, with a real Croatian (Dalmatian) influence in some of the older establishments.
If you are heading north to Cape Rēinga and beyond, this is the last serious food stop. Stock up at the bakery and grab fish and chips at Ahipara on the way through.