Licorice Cafe

Lovely spot off the highway. Very friendly service. Good food options and coffee drinks. Indoor and outdoor seating. Mostly focused on brunch items. Dog and kid friendly.

Food was good but we did find very pricey if you sat down and ordered off a different menu so we ordered takeaway. Expensive gurnard which was ONE teeny fillet we would not buy again.

Beautiful store! You almost miss it when you leave Taupo, but stop there, nice staff, great coffee which we like. Also had the Louise slice, super yum and very fast efficient service when traveling.another star once I stop and have a proper meal, but hopefully this shows how lovely that cafe actually is, I wish I had stopped there ages ago.

Nice little Cafe. Friendly staff. Good food. Stopped there to avoid traffic and busy restaurants and cafes in Taupo during the Christmas weekend and it payed off!

Fantastic place to stop, food was great, had the eggs benedic and flat white, staff super friendly and quick service.
I'll be back!

Don't be fooled, the licorice is not made here and it's cheaper at every shop elsewhere

Sadly it looks like the cost of living has hit the Licorice Cafe.

They no longer have their loyalty card for coffees which is a shame, also they no longer add that little touch of a licorice lolly with your coffee.

So I guess the prices of everything has caught up with them as well, so they have been forced to cut down on these treats.

*****

Once again this is a great place to stop, almost half way from north of Auckland to Wellington.

Food is always good, the coffee is consistent and hot, nothing worse than a cold or warm long black, so full marks.

The outside area is great especially with the dreaded covid still hanging around.

They provide plenty of seating for their guests, and the toilets are always clean.

Can't give them more than 5 stars. Although they ask to see your covid pass, but they don't scan it though, maybe they need to train the front desk staff on this aspect!

But then I might be getting a bit picky

********

Stopped here again on my way back to North Auckland and the service was excellent, had to wait for a table as it was full to capacity.

The food and service is still excellent, as before, now rate it 5 star.

Earlier review: -
Clean and tidy, staff always friendly, good coffee. Convenient place to stop, pretty nice food.

Seems that this great place is no longer open after 2pm (a friendly local informed us), even over this holiday period & there were no hours posted. Was always our preferred stop when travelling home, the staff were amazing & food good, sad!

Great place and nice food, will be great if they would have omelette for breakfast and please consider swaps in breakfast such as mushroom for sausages. Near to holiday park

Staff are absolute honeys, delicious grunty coffee, classic kiwi breakfast just how you want it

The licorice is just overpriced RJs but the toasties are good and there is a nice outdoor area where you can take your dog and eat.

Friendly staff and quick service. Nice Cafe to take a break on your travels. Yummy selection of food with your licorice selections as xtra

Thanks for a much needed coffee. Already stop here when we are passing through. The staff are lovely. One nice young girl even remembered my preference. Impressive since I'm not a local

Great eggs benedict (I'm usually fussy)

But the number one thing here is the staff are great and friendly

The best coffee and best breakfast pie ever.quick stop on way home. Food and drink hit the spot.bloody good licorice too.

The food and coffee is fantastic. What keeps me coming back though, is the wonderful staff. Nevada, Ariana and toots (sorry, I've probably spelt the names wrong) are just delightful. Friendly & welcoming. A great place to stop and stretch your legs - the lake is 1 minute around the corner.

Food expensive and eggs Benedict was pretty poor. Hard poached eggs and 1 rasher of bacon for $24. Staff were really young and seemed more interested in being out the back. I thought overall very average

Perfect stop for brekky, and lunch too, when travelling. Easy parking away from the bustle of Taupo

Nice food, not a bad price, but why o why when you are this popular do you only have one toilet?

We come for breakfast most weekends with my dad who is 91 and enjoys his pancakes.
Amazing cheerful and friendly staff who always makes a fuss of my dad.
Coffee is the best in Taupo area and food is always delicious!