The owners of ADJØ share their picks for the best bento, bagels, butchers and more in their corner of Dunedin.
The neighbouring suburbs of North Dunedin and North East Valley are famous for steep streets, hordes of students and questionable flats. But as cafe owners Caitlin Holloway and Jonas Jessen Hansen will tell you, there is considerably more going on – particularly when it comes to kai.
“The Valley is one of those tight-knit communities that’s like a television version of the perfect neighbourhood,” they say. “It’s got a bit of everything, a whole community centre called the Valley Project, a local newsletter, and people who actually love thy neighbour – once you’ve lived here you know it can’t be beat.”
Holloway and Jessen Hansen have lived in the area since 2019, and have spent much of that time working there, too. Their Nordic-inspired cafe ADJØ (Jessen Hansen is originally from Denmark), which is a must-visit on Ōtepoti’s food map, was born in North East Valley in 2018, and the pair operated there until they relocated to central Dunedin in 2023. Earlier this year, they returned to the area with their second establishment Aster, a cafe in the revived umbrella pavilion in the Botanic Gardens. “Honestly, we’re just happy to still be here in this weird economic landscape,” they say. “We feel grateful we get to express our creativity through food and create a career out of what we love.”
We asked the pair to share some of their favourite things to eat and drink in the neigbouring suburbs of North East Valley and North Dunedin. There’s something for all tastes, occasions and budgets.
Three words that sum up the food in North East Valley and North Dunedin: Diverse, local, humble.
My most controversial food opinion: Hate to yuck your yum but Caitlin thinks Mac and cheese is repulsive, and Jonas thinks spaghetti and cheese toasties are weird and yuck.
Everyone has a dining out pet peeve. Mine is:
Caitlin: Niche but I hate soup spoons for anything other than soup.
Jonas: When hospitality staff are too cool to care – it’s not something we encounter in Dunedin very often but it was something we noticed pretty often when we were last eating out in Europe.
The local dish I crave most: Pigs in space spread on the cheese and jalapeño bagel from Beam Me Up Bagels.
The best restaurant in North East Valley and North Dunedin is: Hana – a small Japanese spot down the end of North Rd.
Why I love Hana: Everything is delicious. Also, their salmon bento box comes with tempura which makes it better than all the rest.
My go-to order is: A salmon bento box, pork katsu curry and salmon sushi to share.
When I’m craving something cheap and cheerful I head to: Willowbank Dairy for a chicken burger and fries and a litre bottle of some funky fizzy drink. You have to turn it into a picnic at Woodhaugh Gardens to make it extra special though.
A recent food discovery I can’t stop talking about: We recently discovered the cheese scones at Blacks Road Grocer. They’re the very best version of a traditional scone.
A place I’ve been dying to try is: A spot called Open Plate has opened up in our original location next to Inch Bar. Word on the street is it’s good, and we’re excited to see someone bringing the place it all started back to life again.
Pub or bar of choice: Always Inch Bar! It’s got a good selection of craft beers, staff are friendly, and they have the cosiest outdoor seating area in the city.
Got visitors from out of town? I’m taking them to: We’d get some sausages from our favourite butcher Links, and head to the BBQ area down at the end of the valley at Bethune’s Gully. It’s got a beautiful walking trail and a cool playground for the little guy to yahoo around.
An ideal date spot would be: Take yourself to New World Gardens, buy a couple of cans, a bag of Snackachangi sour cream and chives chippies and Kiwi onion dip, and then park up in the Botans. Bonus points if you go to Bloomin Gorgeous on North Rd and buy a cute bouquet from Jennenne for your date.
North East Valley/North Dunedin’s best…
Breakfast: Shameless self promotion but we’ve recently opened our second cafe Aster inside the Dunedin Botanic Gardens and we’re serving a brown rice porridge with burnt marmalade, roasted almonds and pine dust. It’s delicious and we think about it daily.
Coffee: We love Prima coffee which we serve at both ADJØ and Aster but we have a massive sweet spot for Common Ground which is what they serve at Beam Me Up Bagels. The coffee there is always delicious.
Pie: Jimmy’s steak and cheese from New World Gardens – the soggier the better.
Comfort meal: A lamb and chicken kebab from Huzur. We like to get a kebab combo, mixed salad plate and extra pita and hummus when we’ve had a particularly bad day.
Fish and chips: Mei Wahs is a classic!
And the best place to unwrap and eat them is: If the weather’s bad you can drive up to Buddha’s and eat them in the car with one of Dunedin’s best views.
The dairy with the best lolly selection: It’s gotta be the Jumbo Dairy! It’s a valley treasure, just like Jamie Green, who you might spot scooping some ice creams.
A little local treat that always cheers me up: A scone from Blacks Road Grocer.
My favourite grocery shop: If it wasn’t obvious already, we’re very loyal to our New World Gardens. It’s small but with a generous international section and a bakery that’s better than it should be. The chewy chocolate chip cookies and the red velvet cupcakes are surprisingly good.
My favourite local hospo personality: We’d be interested to know if anyone in Dunedin can suggest someone other than Mustafa from Hazur. He’s such a lovely guy and he really walks the walk. His food is delicious and he makes an effort to truly support small businesses in Dunedin and getting to know the local owner/operators by name.
For outstanding people watching, go to: One of the window seats at Aster and watch the carnage at the duck pond unfold at 10.30am on a Saturday.
The place I’m most likely to bump into someone I know: Beam Me Up Bagels.
The place I go to avoid bumping into anyone I know: The Baa Bar. No shade at all though, it’s an excellent place for a jug and bowl of fries.
A local spot I wish we could bring back from the dead is: Crusty Corner. Dunedin’s original hangover cure which closed in 2021 after 36 years.
A perfect night in for us looks like: We love having a date night at home and eating something delicious. A memorable meal was eating a dry aged steak we got from Greg at Links, with a Danish style potato bake and a salad with vinaigrette, cos and olives on new years eve last year. Our baby was only sleeping in 30 minute increments so we just rode the wave and ate snacks, shared a yummy bottle of wine and watched a Gerard Butler action movie while we brought the new year in. You can’t do that at a restaurant.
A restaurant I would love to relocate to North East Valley and North Dunedin: Gatherings – it’s our favourite restaurant of all time, so it deserves a mention. We make a special trip to Christchurch at least once a year to go to Gatherings. Chef Alex Davies is a genius and every meal we’ve had there has been so incredible from start to finish. They finally got awarded a Cuisine Magazine hat last year which was so well-deserved.
Why I love eating in North East Valley/North Dunedin: We’re lucky to have so much diversity down here, there’s a little bit of everything! The food caters well to takeaways which is ideal in a neighbourhood with so many green areas to bask in.
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