Cafe Esplanade

The young wahine at the counter is always so kind to my kids, she makes it worth going here every time even though my kids beg me for treats from the ice cream bar or cabinet full of delicious sweets.

Meh. Don't bother ordering a thick shake, they still have the consistency of water even though it costs extra.

With the esplanade complex. It's always busy when I'm here, ice creams on a cone and a drink on a hot day is great or stop for a coffee. Shallow pool nearby to let the kids cool off with plenty of tree shelter.

There is a nice selection of food especially for morning or afternoon tea.
The views are amazing. Relaxing and easy ambience
Child friendly
The staff is friendly.

Dry chips that made you choke, couldn’t find sauce anywhere and even the salt and pepper shakers didn’t seem to work (had to go find some and shake them to find one that worked), the eggs and ham said it came on hash … but didn’t. Expensive, bland, slow service and a mess. Shame as such a nice spot, but competition is clearly needed.

Had a yummy Thai-style curry. Coffee made by Rachel was excellent. Owner Mark came to greet us, which was a lovely touch. They have friendly staff and an impressive range of gluten-free and vegetarian options. I'll definitely be back.

Upgrading to 5 stars because of the absolutely delicious (two!) coffees I was served today. The cafe was chocka, but staff was patient, friendly, efficient. Lovely!

Nice location, lovely staff but that's it.
Just not up to it food wise or perhaps trying to take to many cost saving measures. Disappointing.

Called in for lunch on my way home from work. Pretty busy, but that's to be expected at lunchtime. Fast service given it was busy, friendly staff members and the food arrived at an expected speed for that time of the day.
Food was nice, enjoyed my experience overall.

Four tiny overcooked chicken fries (not strips) for $17? And took AGES to come out pretty sure they forgot me. Bring on the food trucks, a bit of competition is definitely required here. The two stars is for the coffee which was reasonable and fast.

Don’t go here there are no positives. Food it expensive and I would feel bad giving it to the dog. If you want over cooked over priced and slow service this is the place for you, if you have tast don’t come.

Ordered a lemon slice from the cabinet and the soup of the day. Slice was soggy/under cooked and the soup was very bland. Also ordered a $20 ‘grilled chicken burger’ and the chicken was pale and try as. Didn’t really get my moneys worth and the service could definitely be improved. Not really worth it.

If you have not been to this cafe you are missing out. Fantastic food, great coffee.
Try it!

Thanks team. The cafe was constantly busy the whole time we were there yet you somehow managed to deliver as always. Appreciate you all and your efforts.

The food wasn't up to standard i got food positioning from here. I got served by rude staff member was disappointed. Definitely will not be coming back or recommending this place to anyone.

Such an awesome location with a wonderful selection of cabinet food. One of our group ordered off the brunch menu and was very impressed. The staff were friendly and hospitable.

6/8/22 @12: 05pm- order cost @$74.50 for 1x build a breakfast, 1x salmon and spinach Benedict, 1 x waffles and 2x coffees. Coffee were ok came out in timely manner, meals were disappointing to say the least! Had to go in to follow up on meals as at 12: 55pm we had still not received them, far too long a wait and without apology for almost an hour wait time! Meals were basic and luke warm, (not hot which tells me they either sat for a little or were just quickly thrown together) portion sizes were disappointing. For the cost and the amount of time to wait for meals. I wouldn't recommend. However if you choose to eat at this cafe. It would be good to question how long for food to arrive and if their kitchen is running in a timely manner to meal orders. The one positive I give this cafe is that the waitresses were kind and friendly. In the end we asked to have the meals for takeaway or get refunded.meals were then brought out within minutes.

Very yummy selection of food set in a neat old Victorian building and the staff were nice and friendly.

Coffee was ok. Food that was heated from the cabinet was chewy & not eaten, possibly overheated.

Such a lovely place for any type of day. Cozy fire in the winter and delicious ice cream in the summer.

Great service, delicious food and exquisite atmosphere right in the middle of the beautiful esplanade.

What more could you want?

We sat outside as we had our dog with us. However the dog still wasn’t allowed in the outside area of the CAFE which we found disappointing. We ordered two drinks and a large bowl of fries. The latte I ordered was good! However the milkshake that we ordered was not mixed properly. The straw was too small for the thickness of the milkshake and all the flavours were at the bottom of the cup. The fries were the most disappointing, the fries themselves were really good they were warm and crispy. Personally they were slightly underdone. The sauce was good however there wasn’t enough of it for the amount of chips that we ordered. There was about half a bowl of chips left to an empty pot of sauce. When I went back in to ask for more sauce I asked one of the waitresses she said I think you have to pay for more sauce, this was disappointing as I wanted more sauce for my chips and I was also disappointed that the waitress said “I think” this is because it shows that the waitress doesn’t have enough knowledge of the products she is selling. Previously I was given sauce without a fuss. I have given a three stars down to the disappointment I felt while there. However the area was nice and clean and the atmosphere was lovely to be in! For business growth could be an idea to get outside heaters as it allows for more customers to come in during the winter especially as inside can get very packed.overall happy with my visit as I still enjoyed the meal just minor errors that would make the place better! Thank you