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Sandfly Cafe

4.4 (46 reviews)
ModerateCafes
Closed 7:00 am - 4:30 pm

Sandfly Cafe Cafes Restaurant Photos

SANDFLY CAFE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Outdoor seating
Good for kids
Good for groups

Recommended Reviews - Sandfly Cafe

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Reviews With Photos

Cappuccino
Irene M.

Sorry, i was hungry and food was so good I forgot to take pic before I dug in. Eggs Benedict here with thick, flavorful bacon & it was delicious! I loved the toasty bread it was served on and the hollandaise sauce was definitely homemade. The cappuccino was perfection, and if you're able to sit outside under the fabulous tree--bonus! The service was very friendly and casual, adding to the great experience not to mention view of the mountain tops.

Super salad

The food was delicious for this vegetarian and her carnivorous friends. I had the super salad. The indoor dining space is quite small. We ordered at the counter and the person taking orders was brusque but not unpleasant. My friends said the coffee was excellent, so we returned the next day for more.

Full traditional English breakfast. Definitely don't prefer our eggs fried this way, but those yolks!

DELICIOUS food and drink, and despite the fact the place was packed and the line going to the door, we managed to grab seats and didn't have to wait long at all for our order. The Belgian waffle was incredible--the right blend of crispy and chewy and all that. Husband enjoyed the full traditional English breakfast, except wasn't a fan of that way of cooking the eggs (too fried around edges). The place was not terribly noisy, considering how many people were in there. And I loved sitting at the low table up against the window. (My tall husband, on the other hand, found it less enjoyable. LOL)

Grace D.

Exceptional service and food! We're returning tomorrow, only sad that we'll be back too late tonight to enjoy an early dinner (they close at 4:30 pm). Charming restaurant with lots of regular locals popping in, always a great sign! And... excellent coffee/lattes too!

Chun P.

Best breakfast spot in town! Came here twice and it was always busy each morning. They've got a wonderful selection of tasty pastries ranging from $3-7NZ. There are also a good selection of cooked breakfasts, but I was seduced by the temptations behind the pastry glass. $5NZ Mince Meat Pie...meaty and lovely! $4NZ Cheesy Muffin...cheesy and lovely $7NZ Venison Pie...meaty and lovely! Great place for some cheap meals!

Cute cafe in the center of town
Jim R.

Our innkeeper recommended this spot for lunch so we decided to give it a try. It's best described as a bustling cafe serving breakfast and a variety of sandwiches and meat pies. We opted for the chicken quesadilla and a couple of drinks. While not exactly a Mexican quesadilla, it was still very good with plenty of chicken and a nice pesto and was served with some type of sour cream-like stuff (a bit sweeter, thinking it was clotted cream) and some avocado and a small salad. Most every table including the 10 or so outside ones, were all filled. The food is brought out to you (order and pay at the counter), and it came out pretty quickly. A perfect spot for lunch. Recommended.

Steak sandwich- juiciness was there, just bland.
Kai A.

2.75 Both dishes were bland. We got the steak sandwich- should have been cooked longer and sliced into smaller pieces. Each bite I took needed me to cut each piece w my teeth. Ladies if you're on your first date, definitely pick something else. I couldn't count how many times I had put salt on the steak to season it. Chicken salad- bland and dry. I think they were expecting the grill to somehow season the chicken but the flavors just weren't there. Overall a disappointing breakfast.

Veg Stack. Hash browns, tomato, spinach, poached eggs and hollandaise. (I requested my eggs scrambled.)
Ernest K.

I first visited the Sandfly Cafe for lunch back in 2014. This month, I was back for breakfast. The food and service were just as good as I remembered it. I had a veggie burger last time (it was still on the specials menu). This time, I had the veg stack, also a very good choice. I will be back again the next time I'm in Te Anau.

Veggie breakfast
Elizabeth T.

Cute and fun breakfast spot with tree slab counters in front of big windows. Had veggie breakfast which was brown or white bread ( I preferred the brown) with 2 fried eggs on top, very flavorful fried tomatoes, pile of seasoned sautéed spinach, sautéed mushrooms, and 2 nicely crispy triangle potato cakes. Has homey feeling with chairs or soft couches. Also got good sandwiches to go.

Taylor Z.

Amazing little cafe with some food that packs some serious flavour! The bagel with salmon that I got was amazing and the apple tart was just phenomenal. Its a great place to enjoy a bite to eat with a coffee/juice. You won't be disappointed.

Sausage cylinder, egg triangular prism, hot smoked salmon magic orb, latte fuzz
Ray R.

You should eat at Sandfly if you meet the following prerequisites: You are... a) on the South Island of New Zealand b) alive Best cabinet food (shoutout veggie frittata) this side'a the hemisphere... add the unfathomably delicious hot smoked salmon and get ready to weep. Move over, cold smoked salmon. Best value for quality - i.e. not insanely priced, and still better than the supposed gem of the South Island. Sorry not sorry, Queenstown. Plus, a lively, spacious setting complete with picnic tables sprawled across the grass... and full table service? Favorite setting in all of New Zealand. Tl,dr; Sandfly will set you up for disappointment if you're traveling onward. You've been warned.

Case full of goodies!!

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7 years ago

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9 years ago

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7 years ago

Very good all round. Seating was hard. Uncomfortable. Space was small. But everything overall was 5 star

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Page 2 of 2

Review Highlights - Sandfly Cafe

They have 5 star chefs hidden away in the kitchen, cooking up "veg stack" (Eggs Florentine with hash brown and tomato instead of English muffin - YUM!!!

Mentioned in 2 reviews

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Olive Tree Cafe - Cheese scone and cappuccino

Olive Tree Cafe

4.1(14 reviews)
0.2 km
$$

Best food we ate in all of NZ! This unassuming little cafe tucked in the nook between a real estate…read moreoffice and the jade and shell jewelry shop is the real gem in town! We ended up coming here for breakfast one day, lunch another, and pre-dinner snacks another. My favorite thing I ordered here was the veggie stack for brunch/breakfast. They serve brekkie here until 11:30am and their poached eggs are where it is at! Their baked goods are also fresh, dense, and worth every cent. They change up their specialty scones daily at the front pastry container at the cashier. My favorite was the cheese scone - I had two of these in one day! When it's good, it's good! My friend enjoyed the fruit muesli baked slice as well as her ham and egg benedict. They have clean restrooms in the back, free WiFi, and a patio for smokers in the back as well. Service was good and free water is available with glasses in the cooler. I can't say enough about this place - what a great!

Delicious and super flavorful food in this cute little spot tucked away on the Main Street of this…read moretiny little tourist town. We got the Burger and chips as well as the OT Buttie. Both came out super quickly and we're so delicious and freshly made. Staff was super helpful and quick with our food. I will also say best Moccachino in all of Te Anau that I've had so far especially with a little bit of caramel.

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Olive Tree Cafe - Veggie stack

Veggie stack

Olive Tree Cafe - Hot tea

Hot tea

Olive Tree Cafe - Front entrance is set at the back and of a courtyard shared with the entrances to other businesses.

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Front entrance is set at the back and of a courtyard shared with the entrances to other businesses.

Akin - Panini

Akin

4.5(2 reviews)
81.7 km
$

As far as quality and price, this place is the best stop for a bite to eat in this town. My…read moreboyfriend and I popped in for some warm seating and a hot meal. He ordered the chicken wrap and I ordered the ciabatta with cream cheese and marmalade. It came with three pieces of fresh bread grazed with a lemony sweet marmalade and delicious cream cheese. I separated the bacon because the combination was weird to me but I ate it after and it was a nice finish. Overall, a very satisfying meal. The chicken wrap was flavorful and hot, a tad bit greasy/drippy but overall satisfying. We also ordered some english breakfast tea and a flat white which came with a small taste of chocolate fudge. Our total was $27 which was fair in comparison to some of the other few options in town. I'm glad we looked around and settled on this spot. They also have a lot of knick knacks and variety of things to browse from lotions and bug repellents to books and jewelry. I would recommend a visit.

The Trading Post is my favorite spot in Glenorchy. The food is excellent, atmosphere is warm and…read morebeautifully decorated with great local goods, and the people who work there are so friendly and hospitable. Whether sitting inside on a rainy day or outside on the tables by the lake, this is the perfect place to stop for a coffee and snack. And of course, the famous homemade carrot cake--it is absolutely to die for! If you are passing through Glenorchy, this place is a must!!

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Akin - Cafe interior

Cafe interior

Akin - Local tea

Local tea

Akin - Cafe interior

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Cafe interior

Vudu Cafe & Larder - vegan fritter

Vudu Cafe & Larder

4.3(130 reviews)
85.3 km
$$

Perfect start to my first trip here with a strong vanilla latte and a mocha. They have wonderful…read moreoutdoor seating and inside seating. We were seated fast and ordered 2 coffees and pancakes with a pastry. My biggest standout were the pancakes, I'm a simple guy who likes my pancakes and they were oh so fluffy, chewy, dense and honestly that filled me up surprisingly a lot because I wasn't expecting them to be so big. They put real cherries and cream on top. The serving sizes are definitely generous. I recommend them for their breakfast and coffee, especially for the central location, great view and seating areas.

A friend recommended this place to me so on one of the mornings I got up to try it out. I came in…read morearound 7:30am and there were only a few other tables occupied. I ordered my go-to breakfast item, which is their Vudu Benedict ($30NZD), along with a cup of their Housemade Lemon Honey Ginger ($6). You order at their counter in the middle of the shop, and then they give you a number to take to your table. The tea came out pretty quickly, and the benedict followed maybe about 10 minutes after. The benedict was good, and while there was only 1 egg, the whole thing stuffed me for hours afterwards. The bread at the bottom was definitely the most filling part, and I was struggling to finish it all. They had a glass display with various bakery items, and they looked so good I was so tempted to get something even though I was stuffed from the benedict. If I ever come back to Queenstown I would definitely be coming back here to try some of those bakery items.

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Vudu Cafe & Larder
Vudu Cafe & Larder - Raspberry chia pudding. Amazing! Will go back for another.

Raspberry chia pudding. Amazing! Will go back for another.

Vudu Cafe & Larder

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Sandfly Cafe - cafes - Updated May 2026

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