One of the best cafes in Raglan. Great coffee and food and a light, relaxing decor and good street…read moreseating if you're into that.

I stopped in for lunch here with my boyfriend on our way to Hobbiton one sunny Sunday. It was busy…read morebut we were able to snag a table outside. The service was attentive but not necessarily friendly. I ordered a kombucha and the grain bowl, my boyfriend ordered a burger. I was happy to find a place that catered to both of us, as I'm vegan and my boyfriend will eat anything. It's rare to find a place where we can both get something we want. The food and drinks came out quickly and everything was really good. The grain bowl was hearty and filling, and my boyfriend ate his burger in like 2 minutes. The restaurant is really cute, I loved the casual beach vibes. It's very Raglan :) We paid inside before we left and I bought a raw caramel slice for the road. It didn't make it too far down the road, I ended up eating it only 5 minutes after we got in the car. It was rich as, super caramelly and chocolatey. Absolutely 1000% amazing and exactly what I needed to finish off a great meal. My boyfriend and I split the bar, which was a great idea as I couldn't down something that intense after a huge grain bowl. We were both full for like 7 hours after our meal here, it was so good and that raw bar really hit the spot. I think the food was fab, but we didn't get the excellent service that it seems others got here :( Still, I'd go back if I was in Raglan!

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!

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.

Our tour stopped here so we can get coffee and food. The ladies didn't stress out with the amount…read moreof people coming in to place take away orders. They were calm, friendly, and made our drinks and heated our food quickly. I ordered one of their Japanese teas, which was really good. I also got their butter chicken pie. One of the couples in my group told me about them and O Cafe is the first time I saw it available. The ladies knew time was of the essence and asked if we wanted our pies heated in the oven or microwave. I appreciated that because of the tight schedule we're on. As for the pie - wow! It was my first butter chicken pie and I'll never forget it. The crust was flaky and the chicken was moist. The butter sauce was yummy. This pie was my gateway pie lol. I knew I had to get butter chicken pie wherever I saw it. I'm addicted and I plan to learn the recipe so I can make it at home. The cafe has plenty of tables and seats. It's a casual, welcoming vibe where you can get good food and coffee.

This seems like a good place for breakfast or lunch. We stoped for lunch; I had a ham and egg club…read moresandwich, and my wife had chicken and brie. Both were excellent. Good selection of interesting drinks plus a full espresso bar.

After a great surf along the coastline, stop off at Rock-It-Cafe and Surf Shop for Raglan's local…read morebreakfast and surf shop. The plating presentation of the food was breathtaking. The Staff was friendly and responsive. And baked goods (muffins and banana bread) and pastries (cronut) was delicious. Poached eggs were over done and Creamy Portabello Mushroom Turkish plate was very salty. Chai Latte and Flat white was delicious with great foam presentation.

This was my second visit to Raglan from Hawaii and the Rock-it Kitchen was a must on both…read moreoccasions! I love the food and the coffee. And the service is always friendly. Their menu online is a bit unclear as to when they stop serving breakfast (which when you call they say noon, but it's really more like 11:30am). That was the only thing I found bothersome with many of the restaurants in NZ in general. If you say you're going to stop doing breakfast at a certain time then it should be at that time. I would come again and again, thank you!

Doesn't look like much when passing by. I stopped out of hunger and had a simple wrap that was…read morepassable at best but it wasn't rancid so I guess that's good.

We had a great long black and flat white along with a fresh date and lemon scone. One of the better…read morecafés in Taupo based on our morning walk-about checking out the competition. Highly recommended.

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.

I had the Sourdough toast with portobello mushrooms and my wife had the Eggs Benedict with bacon…read more She really enjoyed hers, I thought my mushrooms were a little undercooked for my liking. Still we both enjoyed out breakfast. My coffee was OK, a shame as I was quite looking forward to it. There was a minor issue between diners over the opening of a window, one of the staff gave the go ahead, the group opened the window fully, and it took another diner to go up to the group and request the shut the majority of it. I felt the staff should have spoken to the group or requested a limitation when it was opened.. There was a marked chilliness on the fully opened window. Apart from that it was a pleasant breakfast.

For lunch my sister, her husband and I checked out this cute cafe in Raglan…read more I ordered the Hoki Fish Burger which came with French Fries and a sweet Aioli sauce for the fish burger which came on a seed bun. Everything would have been perfect if they served it on a soft bun. They toasted the bun too long that my burger was practically a cracker bun making it very difficult to eat so we had to eat it seperate. Other then that, the fish was very soft and tender. My Sister ordered the Seafood Chowder and her husband the Fish and chips with poached eggs. They seemed to have enjoyed their meals, besides the two milkshakes they ordered in Mango and Caramel flavor. Took one sip and pushed to the side of the table. Cafes are suppose to be pretty much perfectionist at drinks they offer.. Guess they need more work on their shakes.

Great spot on the corner of a Duke and Victoria. Sunny outdoor seating and also screened in area…read more Tiny inside. Broad menu. We had chicken pad Thai which was good, generous scrambled eggs and 7 grain bread. Heard people at next table ordering burgers and a spicy chicken.

We were looking for a place to stop halfway to Waitomo and found Paddock in our search. We decided…read moreto give them a shot for lunch as Cambridge was the perfect pit stop. It's right next door to GelatAmore. The place was packed for a Friday (around noon) but there's plenty of seating inside and outside on their patio. You line up, order and pay at the counter. Then you're given a bottle with a number as your order. There's self serve filtered water in the back. The menu is up on the walls; eggs & brekkie stuff (all day), best ugly bagels, jaffles, Paddock burgers and other stuff. For drinks, there was coffee, iced, freshly squeezed juices and Paddock smoothies. There was a few display cases filled with pastries, fritattas and salads. - Boysenberry doughnut ($4.00 NZD) - we'd read that their doughnuts were "next level". Not the case. The doughnut was nothing special. - Smoked salmon, beetroot, cress, pickled shallots and jalapeño crème fraiche ($18.00 NZD) - eggs were soft and fluffy but for me, it was a lot of egg to eat. The beets were excellent as was the smoked salmon. A little too much crème fraiche but that's nitpicking. Beautiful presentation. - Smashed avocado, fresh basil pesto and poached egg ($14.00 NZD) - I've never understood the hype on smashed avo but I think I might get it now. Terrific! The sesame bagel was a perfect vehicle for the creamy avocado. The basil pesto was an excellent addition. I'll have to try that next time I make my own avocado. Poached egg was oozy. - Bacon buddy - streaky bacon, fried egg, tomato relish and aioli ($14.00 NZD) - my dad ordered this for himself. He combined the two bagel slices to make himself a bagel sandwich. Good place for brunch. Come for the ugly bagels and drinks.

This is a great coffee shop that has recently opened up on Victoria Street. I suspect that people…read morewho are far more versed in their coffee enjoyment than I am will really appreciate this little slice of heaven. There's no bakery cabinet. There's no flavored syrups. Just excellently and thoughtfully prepared espresso drinks. And good conversation. It's a win-win all the way around. Find Snapshot camera store and you will find Union Espresso in the corner. It's a welcome option in the CBD.