Great lamingtons, nice coconut latte, friendly staff, clean and welcoming cafe. Also had a good…read moreselection of retro kiwi snacks like pies and cream buns.

We've had a lot of pies while driving around the North Island; when we arrived in Hamilton, I asked…read morea local kiwi in the grocery store where to get the best to-go pies nearby. She told me to drive 15mins away and eat at Hillcrest. I am so glad I ran into her. These were the best pies of our journey. We tried the Mince Curry, Mince and Cheese, Chicken Cranberry, and Lamb Pepper Yum-Maz-Ing. These pies had more filling stuffed into them than anywhere else. The buttery, flaky crust created a warm pile of goodness. The Curry Mince was by far the most unique, spice focused, hearty pie we've had. We wished we got more than one because we didn't want to split it in half and share. The cheese was gooey, but not overwhelming like some pies from elsewhere, the cranberry felt like they picked it fresh from a garden and baked it in what I ordered to stay natural tasting, and the lamb was seasoned well.

I called Sugarplum Cake Co. about a week before my son's 3rd birthday. The employee who took my…read morephone call was really helpful and helped me plan an order of mini cupcakes to take to my son's day care center for his birthday. We kept it pretty simple, vanilla cakes and chocolate icing, but the employee made the best suggestion - mini dinosaur sprinkles! My son loved them and they were a real hit with the kids in his class. I was very pleased with the helpfulness of the staff, the variety of cakes available and the prompt completion of the order (was completely ready for pick-up at our agreed upon time). I'm updating my review, as I've now ordered two birthday cakes from here, one for each of my son's birthdays. For the first, I saw a jungle themed cake on the company's Facebook page and asked them to create something similar for our party. I asked them to make it smaller, asked for specific animals and they were happy to accommodate the requests. The cake turned out more beautiful than I could have hoped for and all the guests commented on how great it tasted as well. On that occasion, I also ordered 10 cupcakes (because it was a party with a lot of 1-year-olds, so they each got their own cupcake). These were delicious as well. Finally, I've just recently ordered again for my other son's fourth birthday. We went into the shop and he got to pick out his decorations (Mickey and Minne Mouse). Again, we just asked for a "Mickey and Minnie" cake and it turned out beautifully. This one was again, super tasty and all the guests loved it. On this occasion, I also ordered one gluten-free cupcake for one of the children in attendance. He loved it! This is now my go-to place for cakes and cupcakes. I've ordered from them 3 times and haven't been disappointed on any occasion.

I recently moved from the central part of town to the east side. Prior to the move, I'd never been…read moreto Grey Street Kitchen. However, my morning commute now takes me up Grey Street and I started stopping in here for coffee. The first time I went in, I was taken with the decor and atmosphere. I felt like I wanted to come back, a lot, and to check out the menu and not just the coffee. And, I have. In terms of my usual, flat white with vanilla, this one is very good. Nice balance of coffee with vanilla flavor. At times I am frustrated by the time it takes me to get the take away coffee, but it's because this place is popular and usually there's a line of folks waiting. One time I waited nearly 20 minutes and vowed to never come back... but that didn't last for long. I do love it here. I finally got around to having breakfast here with my husband and kids, about a month ago. I'd been eyeing all the bakery case items for weeks, but ended up ordering the muesli from the menu. It wasn't standard (see picture), but it was very tasty. I'd get it again. My husband was happy with his eggs and bacon. Now that I've become somewhat "regular" here for coffee in the mornings, the staff definitely recognize me, engage me in pleasant conversation and I've gotten a few cups of cold milk on the house (I always get this for my son when I get a coffee). They also have a frequent buyer card, so I've gotten a couple free cups from cashing those in as well. Overall, if you live here or if you are visiting, this is a great cafe to check out.

Came here once out of my way. Great little spot and atmosphere but gets a little too crowded for my…read moreliking. Fantastic coffee though the crowd got me a little frazzled and I couldn't find a proper menu. Might find a less busy time to come back some time.

Delicious sausage roll and croissant. Stop here for a delicious baked treat worthy of your time. We…read morehad the chorizo sausage roll, ginger bar and croissant. The lamination on the croissant and sausage roll was top notch. Coffee is on the darker roast side

Not recommended, staff all standing around while the tables need to be wiped down. $18 for a…read moresandwich, $22 for a basic af waffles and $7.50 for a mini milkshake.. there is also bird shit running down the interior walls, so much so that others in our group argued it wasn't bird poo it was a decoration/pattered.. the birds obviously get in and sit up on the ledge watching patrons. Needs to be cleaned up it's fkn disgusting. Have added picture of the colds cabinet, $22 waffles and an example of the birdshit. They were watching me while I was taking it so it's poor quality.

I've been to The Verandah Cafe a number of times, mostly because it is located right on the lake…read moreand I take my son to the playground there frequently. The cafe is quite large, and there appear to be a number of new-parent groups and others there on a regular basis. I've had the flat whites and for me, they are fine, but nothing to write home about. It will get me through another duck-feeding 30 minutes with my son. I've had a couple of the bakery items and they, too, are fine, but nothing special. My new-parent group met here a couple of times, but then we changed location because it was too crowded and noisy to suit our own tastes. I also feel that they are slightly higher priced than most other coffee shops I've been to in town. However, they do have a loyalty card which you can use to earn towards a free coffee drink.

Amaaaaazing breakfast! Lovely presentation, kind staff, convenient located nearby church and they…read moreshare a huge parking lot, so parking made easy. Cafe latte was yum, to all the fresh food. Everything tasted delicious and fresh. Huge selection of pastries that I wanted to try all of. Nice, relaxing ambiance; outdoor patio seating was nice. Absolutely loved this breakfast. Yummy food, kind service, friendly, lovely view of green garden--what more should a gal ask for. Thank you, Kirk Cafe! After competing the trip and reminiscing and reflecting on best foods in NZ, hands down BEST brekkie I had during trip along with Vu Du Larder in Queenstown!

The most beautiful tasty breakfast ever! The chia tea was delicious! Loved it and worth the…read moredrive! Expensive but good thing our exchange rate is good:) Got the smoked salmon egg benedict. Salmon was not my favorite but everything else was delicious and well presented! The meat big breakfast was the bomb! Everything was so delicious! Definitely order this one! Doris plumb carmel was way too sweet. Would skip this one next time.

Great coffee, great service, Nice range of rustic seating inside and out…read more Good range of gluten free options as well One of our favourite stops when biking around Hamilton

Stunning, Yum & Fun!…read more The rare small NZ Café with a talented and passionate Chef and superb team in the food prep engine room. Looking forward to our next visit!

I have been coming at least once to this cafe for breakfast every time I am at Hamilton on business…read more- over 10 times. So, when I discovered they moved a bit down the road to a larger nicer locale I was expecting a better experience. But I was disappointed by the slow service. Now you seat at the table and they wait for you. But the waiter took too long to take my full order after getting my initial beverage order. And then I waited for 20 minutes and my order had not arrived. On top of that some items in the menu where not available as they run out of Hollandaise sauce. Looks like even if the place is bigger, they still have a little kitchen not able to serve the larger clientele, and they are disorganized. At the end they forgot of my orders and I left as I could not wait any longer for food. What a missed opportunity!

Amazing bread- I love sourdough and Volare does not disappoint…read more The whole meal and fig+Walnut are my faves. The fig+Walnut is particularly good with Bleu cheese and brie pairings. The cafe space is a bit small, but great coffee also. Good for a snack or light lunch.

If you are a lover of breads, this is the place to get bread in town. There are a number of…read moreofferings, include San Francisco sourdough - reminds me of California! Usually, I attend more often for the cabinet food rather than loaves of bread, and my favorite is always the jalapeno cheddar scone. Sadly, you can't find much in the way of jalapenos in New Zealand but now that I've found this scone, my craving for the jalapeno and cheese combo is more than satisified. There is a sister shop in the south end of Hamilton (Kaihikatea Drive) with similar offerings. There are also other cabinet foods, including sweets, sandwiches, etc. And of course, you can just stop in for a very reasonable flat white.