Started on a surf day
Lowtide began in the summer of 2023 with one borrowed trailer at Wainui Beach and a single taco: crispy gurnard with pickled onion. We painted the truck pink and lime so you could spot it from the water.
How we cook
Fish from the wharf
Gurnard and tarakihi from small boats working out of Gisborne. If the boats stay in, the specials change.
Tortillas from scratch
Masa mixed before sunrise and pressed to order, so every taco starts warm.
Kūmara from up the road
From growers on the flats around Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, roasted on the flat-top.
Nothing goes to waste
Paper trays, wooden forks, and leftover fish frames go to a mate who makes stock.
The crew
Mere runs the window and the route. Sam runs the grill. On busy weekends two of Mere's cousins jump in, and the queue moves twice as fast.
We close on Mondays to surf, shop and pickle a lot of onions.
Come and say kia ora