Of all the places on Earth that would have every right to suck, this has got to be high on the…read morelist. Its patio looks directly at Aoraki with nothing but waving grasses to intervene, and you'd most likely stop there to eat after more stunning views of the Southern Alps reflected in Lake Matheson. So basically they could serve slop and everyone would probable be fine with it. Instead, Matheson Cafe fed me the best salmon benedict of my life! It didn't have to. But it did. Their salmon, surely local, was hot-smoked, ridiculously plentiful, and incredibly flavorful. They put pesto in a tidy pile on the eggy, lemony hollandaise, which sounded weird when I ordered it, but it was made mainly of peas and fresh herbs and was green and tangy. There was a bagel on the bottom instead of an English muffin, which could have gotten way too bready, but they sliced it thin and so it just soaked up much of the sauce and remained a sturdy enough base without getting soggy. The only thing that wasn't perfect was one of the two eggs was poached too hard and the yolk didn't spill out. Normally that's a benedict's death knell, but here the rest of it was so good I didn't even care.

This place is an excellent view of the two main mountain peaks. The food is really good as well…read more Nice ambiance. Excellent hiking trails.

Burger tasted basic and was surprisingly chewy, but huge portion, slightly dry and grass-fed…read moreflavor. Beetroot relish is excellent touch.No fries or porta wedges, but for a burger, quick service, large portion this is OK.

Full of Beans was recommended for their specialty pies and coffee. The ladies manning the…read morerestaurant were all very nice. Their system is that you order at the counter and then sit with a number. I got their mince and cheese pie and the cream soda milkshake. The mince and cheese pie was very good but not as good as some other pies I've had in Arrowtown and Sheffield. The cream soda was delicious and very filling. This was a good experience. I recommend checking them out if you have some time in Franz Josef.

Great Cafe ! We visited this place twice, once for lunch and…read morethe next day for breakfast The Lamb burger from the lunch menu was fantastic ! Breakfast was also great, we got the french toast, the omlette and the big kiwi breakfast, everything was phenomenal.

Over a year later I'm still laughing about the "French toast" I ordered here. It was a literal hot…read moredog bun (photo for evidence), uncooked, and soaked in syrup. I really want the back story - what went into making this, and how did no one in the process go "oh hey maybe this isn't French toast, or even food for that matter"?

Food, coffee and service were excellent!! It was busy but still able to get a table inside!!read more

BUSY brunch spot on the main drive in Lake Tekapo but probably the one eatery with the best…read morequality. THANKFULLY, they give you an overestimation of wait times, at least for food, my Croque Madame (19.5 NZD) coming out very fast to the picnic bench just outside. FRESH ingredients and despite only having 1 egg, the free range egg was actually quite big with a mostly runny yolk. I did wish there was more bechamel sauce perhaps because it was a little dry. I practically almost finished this before the boy was able to fetch my Flat White for me, the baristas positively inundated by in-cafe orders alongside walk-up window ones. It was already quite crowded at 9AM on a Friday, so VERY popular, but with reason!

Surprisingly the best food we found was in the astrology museum, must gets are the cheese scone,…read moreflat white, and the blueberry muffin. The Astro cafe is next to the grocery store next to the holiday park at Lake Tekapo. Inside it is a cool cafe with the large brass telescope next to the dining area. I thought the food was excellent and arguably the best cafe we went to in New Zealand. I also visited the Astro Cafe on the top of the mountain but there is a fee to take a drive up to the top or its a 1 hour hike, plus I think the food/flat white at the bottom of the mountain was better. I think that this cafe is a great stop for breakie and worth a visit for the flat whites.

Snacks with a world class view. You don't drive up that mountain for the cuisine but if you are…read morepeckish they have a selection of sweets, drinks/coffees and sandos that will satisfy.

Located on one of the main streets parallel to the Hokitika beach front. Plenty of street parking…read more Open early. Salmon eggs bennie on potato cake - what a great idea!! Especially since most places can't get their bread/English muffin right anyways and this is a bit more filling so your breakfast lasts longer. The salmon was fresh and delicious. The poached eggs were PERFECTION. Good amount of sauce and I just can't get enough of it. Orange almond cake with cream (you get a choice of either having it with cream or yogurt). I love it. I love it. I love it!!! So. Damn. Good. Just the perfect amount of orange and you can taste a bit of almond here and there. The cake was fluffy and moist. My mouth waters just thinking about it. Le sigh. Why are you so far *major sadface I also ordered their latte and asked them if they could add honey to it since they make the honey in-house I just wanted to give it a try. Oh my goodness it was the best decision ever. The latte was creamy and just the right amount of honey. They put the Hokitika gold in and I went home with a big jar of it after. Already gave it to my go-to coffee shop to hold onto for when I go in for my coffee. Honey latte is my thing now thanks to Stella! -cheese room -honey section with bee hives -great selection of baked goods -plenty of tables -accepts credit cards -big menu for a small town -friendly kiwis

Popular cafe, excellent coffee! This popular cafe has a very…read moretempting display cabinet, an appealing menu and a wonderful cheese room. We didn't end up eating there but we went there a couple of times for coffee. The coffee was excellent - nice and strong with no bitterness!

Cute cafe with a great view of Mt Cook! The dishes are a bit pricier but worth it for the amount…read moreof food you get. Most dishes feed 2+ people. Best burger I've had in New Zealand!

The food is pretty average, fish and chips burgers, and the like and they have just a cuppa beers…read moreon tap. With that said, I'd just hiked about 14 miles and the nice staff and the incredible view made this a nice place to get myself together,, The steak burger gave me life.

Excellent coffee and breakfast meals. My poached eggs were perfect, a bit too vinegary, though. My…read moretoast was lightly crispy yet wonderfully fluffy. Portions are filling and reasonably priced. Staff can be iffy depending on how you're perceived as a local traveler or foreigner. Plenty of parking as it's part of a row of shop fronts and restaurants and in front of the Dark Sky Project building.

My wife and I had a quality lunch at Reflections during a recent visit to Lake Tekapo. I ordered…read morethe Lamb Burger and my wife ordered the Braised Pork and Wild Mushroom Pappardelle. The burger was delicious. The ground lamb patty was topped with melty Brie, creamy aioli, crisp lettuce, fried onion rings, and pickled jalapenos. The burger was paired with soft thick fries. I stole a decent portion of my wife's dish since she wasn't too hungry. Savory noodles were mixed with tender shredded pork, juicy mushrooms, and fresh basil and covered in a lightly creamy and peppery sauce.

Seemed to be one of the better spots for breakfast in town. We got into town late and everything…read morewas closed, so we wanted a hearty breakfast before driving up the coast to the Picton ferry. Workers were very nice. I ordered the French toast, which was decent. It came with a banana that was cooked, which was good but different for me. It also had two strips of bacon and chocolate sauce. My husband ordered a burger and had them add as egg on top. The cook initially got his order wrong so his food came out later than mine, but his burger was fine and it came with a mountain of fries. I got an Americano with milk, which was decent. New Zealanders love their espresso!

So after doing a bit of travel around the country side and still not seeing a kiwi it had left our…read morespirits low and needing breakfast, so we thought we would try this little happening place. It had a pretty good location on the corner Awesome coffee great food friendly service 5 out of 5

Though we only very briefly pit-stopped in Twizel, for gas & takeaway, we enjoyed our time…read morestrolling through the town-with its quaint, family-friendly vibe, and welcoming locals. The café was quite cozy-offering pre-baked goods and made-to-order platters, loads of drink variety, and an in-house bookshop to enjoy while waiting. We opted to select a variety of pre-baked goods, warmed, and packed to go, including a date scone, salmon frittata, bacon egg & cheese sandwich, bacon egg & cheese quiche, ginger crunch, and two flat whites. We did have errors with our order-they warmed up the wrong salmon option, giving me instead a salmon bagel (I was able to correct this immediately) but after driving away, I realized my date scone was not the big item underneath the ginger crunch, it was a weird folded napkin (oops, so it was forgotten) Though the food we did obtain was quite tasty. The ginger crunch was moist, with a bold flavor profile-tart sweet ginger with a creamy light icing-so yummy I want to try recreating at home! The savory bacon breakfast items were layered with ingredients all well-seasoned, and a balanced amount of sauce between. The salmon frittata had large chunks of creamy flaky salmon, well folded within the layers of egg, cream, and butter- with just enough seasoning to give a pop without overpowering. Overall, I recommend giving them a visit, triple check the order; the food is very tasty.

A warm and cozy feeling cafe with great food and nice attention to detail in their items. I ordered…read morean egg/bacon/fried tomato breakfast and had a muesli parfait on the side that was garnished with a little rose as a nice touch. It was certainly a tasty and photo-worthy brunch.