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On the advice of our travel agent New Zealand In Depth we went to Cafe Encounter ten minutes early on the morning of our dolphin watch tour. Good advice! Just after we’d ordered the place was full inside and getting that way on the patio. The staff were very friendly and competent despite the pressure. Muesli and scrambled eggs were excellent. We went again the following day, having checked out the breakfast offer at our hotel next door. Their muesli mix wasn’t as good. And those hotel silver-domed food warmers signified pre-cooked rather than freshly scrambled eggs. At Cafe Encounter the service and food were again very good despite, or perhaps because of, the high traffic generated by the Encounter business. The team is used to dealing with large numbers of covers under time pressure, and their skills are well-honed. On our return from whale watching (spotted a rare Blue Whale!) we asked to be dropped off by the South Pacific Helicopters courtesy car at Cafe Encounter for lunch - delicious quiche and salad, plus chocolate and blueberry muffin. We’ll be there for breakfast for the third time tomorrow!
Great coffee and Chicken Pide was excellent. Friendly staff and a great spot in the sun. Were told it was the best brunch place in town and it was pretty damn good.
I tried the pulled pork burger with fries one time and the salmon filo today, was sad the kitchen closes early the bus was late back due to the traffic. Which meant missing out on buying hot soup or chowder and fries etc... but the food I've had so far from here was nice, a bit of a high price, I'd say somewhere in between cheap and expensive. The staff are a not very friendly or seem grumpy. Anyway nice Cafe, thanks.
