How can you not love it with a name like that? We stopped by for a late lunch while on a day trip…read moreto the glow worm caves from Auckland. Our tour guide definitely knows food. There is a vast variety of drinks and baked goods as well as sandwiches available. Personally I was unable to resist a square cronut... I ended up sharing it with folks because it was so huge and filling. I also enjoyed a spinach feta Danish with a side salad. Everything was fresh and delicious. The vinaigrette on the salad was spectacular. The ambiance in here is so welcoming and cute. There is indoor as well as outdoor seating. Stop by if you get a chance and don't forget to order a dessert too.

Cute little cafe. Stopped here for breakfast and lunch. Both times the food was excellent…read more Breakfast, we did the eggs and waffle. Chai latte was pretty standard, but good. Lunch we did the nachos all was super delicious. The meat pie and sausage roll were just okay. Service was good and pretty quick. They also have a cute little shopping section with great locally made pieces.

This neighborhood eatery is owned by the folks who run the Night Owl Restaurant, Owl's Nest Motel,…read moreand some other local businesses...I think they pretty much own the entire of 400? Regardless of the near monopoly, the Fat Pigeon serves up wonderful meals and bakes up perfect pastries...all for very reasonable prices. $21 Fat Pigeon breakfast $2: eggs cooked the way you like, crispy bacon, breakfast sausages, mushies, fried potatoes, roasted tomato & toasted ciabatta...a Hobbit's perfect breakfast $18 Bacon Banana Waffle Tower...a true tower representing breakfast! $21 Green lip mussels: savory steamed mussels in a delicious chorizo & tomato sauce, and garlic ciabatta...go good! We enjoyed some other divine dishes as well..be sure to eat here if you're nearby!

Still great. Friendly staff. Excellent array of food. Lamination especially good and beautifully…read morepresented.

We had an adequate dinner here. Nancy very much liked her arugula salad (I didn;t get a taste) and…read moreher pumpkin risotto. I had whjat purported to be a Thai beef salad, and although the greens where very nice and the beef well prepared, it was not discernibly Thai -- no lime juice, no fish sauce, no spiciness, and no cilantro. Nice salad, but not an accurate menu listing

We stopped here to get a bite to eat after touring the caves. They were completely booked but were…read moreable to take an order for takeout. We ordered the chicken pizza and arugula salad. It was probably the best pizza we've ever had. It was perfectly cooked and had a fantastic flavor with interesting spices and the caramelized pears pushed it over the top. The woman who took our order was very friendly and accommodating, which we had not experienced in several places we've been to, so it was a welcome change. I would happily eat here again.

We had an outstanding dinner this evening here, Hello Beasty aside the best meal we have had during…read moreour first five days in New Zealand. Began with a bottled stout beer (too few beers on tap, sad to say). First time trying rewana bread, a Maori sourdough. My garden salad was rich with interesting greens as well as julienned strips of carrot and tomatoes. Nancy was pleased with her salt and pepper squid, almost as good as the first rate calamari of Capetown, the standard by which we judge calamari. My main was Lamb 'N' Vege, tender medallions of lamb shoulder in a stew of cubed potatoes, squash and beets, with a nice gravy. We were too full to think of dessert (Nancy liked the look of her chargrilled broccoli but was too full to do anything but take it home)

Service was excellent. The Thai mussels were tasty every though they were breaded and fried. The…read morelamb shoulder was good and the burger was tasty although the beef was more dense. Good spot in Te Kuiti for dinner that was open to 8:30 pm.

We had mixed experiences with breakfast here. Limited menu, but Nancy was thrilled with her…read morecreamed mushrooms on toast. For me,. though, it seemed that although the waffle was loaded with yummy berries, plus a chocolate bar and whipped cream and sour cream, the waffle itself was pretty small. And although I asked for Earl Grey tea, I got something else -- fine tea but not what I had ordered Plainly they do their main business serving a buffet lunch to hordes of tourists arriving on tour buses

Our tour stopped by the Waitomo Homestead for lunch after visiting the Waitomo Glowworms Caves. It…read moreseems like this is the only place after you come back onto the main road from the Caves. We stopped here with our tour for our included lunch. This place is quite big with a restaurant, bar, and cafe, and an abundance of tables. There's a main dining area, and a huge area for tour groups that looks like it can seat 500+ people! The outside has some really nice view of the garden and trees--a lot of greenery. Our meal consisted of a buffet that surprisingly had a lot of Asian/Chinese dishes, such as chow mein, fried rice, spring rolls, with some Western dishes, such as Cole slaw, French fries, potatoes, and etc. Prior to coming here, our tour guide asked everyone what "main dish" we wanted to order--steak or fish. He was very adamant and quite insistent against ordering the fish. He mentioned it numerous times stating the fish was very fishy, the meat was mushy, it wasn't fresh, it's previously frozen, generic, and etc. He did convince everyone, but I was skeptical. It's like reading the poor reviews or seeing low average stars on Yelp. How much do I believe it? Also, the steak can vary a lot. How big is it? What type of steak? Can I request medium rare? Will it be cooked all together? Luckily I was able to change my order to the fish at the absolute last second. It got to the last second mainly because he kept asking if I was sure and repeated the same things. YES, I AM SURE! When I saw the steak come out, the service was holding a pan and gave everyone 6-7 slices of steak that was overcooked, under seasoned, and tough. My fish took a while to get to me as everyone seemed to be finishing their meals, but I was quite happy when it came. It was a very nice sized pieces of fish. It looked similar to the ones you get for Fish and Chips. The meat was tender, juicy, and well-seasoned, and the crust was crispy. So.... GET THE FISH! Overall, this was a nice place to stop by to grab something to eat, relax, refresh, refuel, use the restroom, etc before or after your Glowworm Caves activity. The staff was nice, and the restroom was sort of open air, old, but clean enough. I would probably recommend dining outside for the nicer environment.

Nice setting with large interior, coveted balcony and lovely garden area. Right on the main read…read morenext to Alexandra Hotel and Five Stags restaurant. With the awning around the balcony down it looked closed and sign hard to see. Worth stopping to make sure. Very bubbly friendly staff. Delicious banana and fudge muffin and good coffee, but could have been hotter. Recommend it as a good stop off. Opposite is the small heritage and visitors centre. And just along the road is a walkway down to and looping back along the river (45 mins) taking in the remains of the Redoubt (fort)

On our way from Karuma to Waitomo, we stopped for breakfast in Pirongia on Franklin road…read more We tried the first roadside cafe, we came upon (don't remember the name), but we weren't impressed with the menu or the seating. It was only then that we noticed "the Nest" next door. Not a very attractive building, we would have easily overlooked it and we were hesitating to enter. But once inside, we were pleasantly surprised by the cheerful, slightly hipster vibe. The seating areas with ample room for small and bigger groups, comfy chairs and couches for having espressos and a pleasant sunroom. There even appeared to be some kind of picnic area complete with blankets and so on. We ordered our food at the counter and then seated ourselves in the sunroom. With the decor between antique, vintage and eclectic, the statement piece was definitely the giant antique copper / brass espresso machine by Elektra. A real beauty that I wouldn't mind owning myself. The business owner himself served at the counter and was good for conversation and interested in his customers. My husband ordered the scrambled eggs and I had the poached egg with avocado and the most delicious hashbrowns I have ever had. We both had capucinos too. The only thing I would have liked to see is a little more generous servings of bread. Maybe 2 slices per person instead of one. But, I have to say that when my husband asked for extra bread, the owner didn't charge him for it. The breakfast was served on warm plates (YES!!!!), tastefully plated, capucinos presented with coffee art. Both eggs and bread fresh and flavorful. We wanted to come back here the next morning, before driving back to Auckland to catch our flight, but why oh why weren't you open yet at 8 AM??? I had so much looked forward to a repeat of the day before, but alas, it was not in the cards..... Perfect breakfast place!

Always a great place to have breakfast....my husband always has the Big Breakfast…read more I love the pancakes ...be sure to check the cabinet food, scones and muffins, Coffee isn't bad either.. Very good service and friendly staff...I must go when you have visitors to new Zealand.

Cute little cafe on a blueberry farm. They feature products made with the very same blueberries…read moregrown there such as jams, spreads and even wines. Great spot for tourists too as they have mini containers of jams and wines that are perfect as souvenirs. I only wish that I bought more of everything. As for the service they were very pleasant and helpful. My parents had ordered what appeared to be sort of an eggs Benedict and they were pretty good. Since I had a ton to eat on the plane I decided to hold off eating and instead got one of their signature drinks. It was kind of like a blueberry lemonade with ice cream. Side note they also won the 2024 New Zealand Fruit Wine and Mead Award for the Table Fruit Wine category. I believe they had 2 different kinds; a dry and a semi sweet. I def recommend coming if you're ever in the area.

Was a bit of a drive (15 minutes) off highway 1 but such a delight! The garden bohemian vibe is…read moredarling and me u varied and delicious!

Love this little detour from the road. We went here btw the Hobbiton tour and on our way to the…read moreGlowworm caves. Loved it. So quaint and shabby chic. Got omelettes all of us because breakfast is served all day and they were hearty with big chunks of filling. Loved being outside and you can walk around their lovely garden or browse the small art gallery. A perfect fit. Added bonus is there are PYO Blueberry or strawberry farms

Amazing menu, fun atmosphere, friendly staff! Great food and priced well. Will definitely go again.read more

My wife and I went to Bodyfuel and had a coffee, a flat White. It's the best Flat White we've had…read moreso far after one week in New Zealand and about 20 well done Flat Whites. From the first sip to the last drop, the balance of well roasted beans and perfectly creamy steamed milk delivered great satisfaction. It's not often that the quality, high quality, of the bean roasting and flavor comes through. The beans were roasted brilliantly for a Flat White, not so dark that that all of the origin flavors are gone, not so light that my face puckered from wild green beans. The coffee flavor was strong, balanced and nicely tempered with perfectly steamed milk. A sign in front of the shop said something like Try our award winning espresso made by our award winning barista. We're very happy we did. Sorry we haven't tried any of the food yet, it looked great.