A Brief Summary of the Eateries in Hamilton.

Disclaimer: This page contains my opinions only and events that have happened to me. Comments in quotes are from personal correspondence and have not been verified by me. The views expressed here do not reflect the views of the University of Waikato. Reviews without a date are from last millennia.

Went across to Tauranga recently to try their Flying Burrito Brothers and it was great! Well worth the trip. hmm what excuse can we use to go back again... Why won't they open a Hamilton branch?! Specially with some great premises now vacant - Al Dente or Pizza Hut or One ZB would be ideal
Bien Provencho.
Cheers, Tim.

Index

The five sections are Restaurants, Trendie Cafes/Bars, Lunchbars/Cafeterias, Other Food Establishments, and Non-Hamilton (i.e. Waikato) places. They are loosly organised from my most favourite to my least favourite. Note that unreviewed/new places are at the bottom of each section. Reviews of deceased restaurants reside here.

They are also indexed by Food Type / Nationality, Geographical Location and Alphabetically.

If you want a different set of reviews, try going to Do Lunch or Enjoy Waikato, or Dine Smart, or Dine Out (but don't ask me what the difference is between them).

T r y T i m 's p a t e n d e d l o -t e c h r a n d o m r e s t a u r a n t s e l e c t o r !

Bona Fide Restaurants

	Canvas The back end of Museum Cafe, or rather, the restaurant that was Museum Cafe, before Museum Cafe was turned into a lunchtime Cafe just in the front half. Their adverts talk about their 10 year history, so I can only assume that it is all just the Museum Cafe under a new name, and nothing else has changed. Met a chef from there recently, and was motivated to go there from what she says. Good food, in the $20-$30 range. I liked the mixed entree, and mixed dessert, platter idea. The Pork is a fabulous meal, the steak was great and my fish was just bland, and I don't think the bok choy and prawn quisadilla's was a good idea either. Avoid the 'chilli' & lime fish (not on the menu any more). Have found that the entree 'taste' sampler makes a great main. Apparently soon to change hands, so hopefully nothing else will change. Has a website. [reviewed Jan 2008]
	Domaine Euro-trendy cafe with everything done out in silver and grey, 2 doors from Memory Lane. Our food was lovely, and good value too. We ended up going back the next day for desserts as we had no room left. They have done away with the cake cabinet - but the dessert jamboree is a good replacement. The Submarino drink is also great - you get a drink, a toy, and a surprise! Went there recently and the menu is exactly the same! Thankfully the food was just as good. [last reviewed Oct 2003]
	One ZB Closed now. Will see what happens. [last reviewed May 2009]
	Master House Chinese Restaurant New chinese place in Vic street. Went to Yum Cha here last sunday, and it was great! The food was very nice and the people were very friendly. And at the end of the meal, we found it was half the price we expected. The little dishes are only $3.00 each! So I would definitely recommend you try it out one day. The mains are good and generous, but you want to share them in the middle of the table - especially on the lazy susan. Got a nice email that said "its chinese name is 'Mei wei Ju', where 'Mei wei' means 'delicious' [and] 'Ju' means 'house'. if we translate it directly, it will be something like 'a house with delicious food'. its owner used to run a takeway shop in central place." [last reviewed Jan 2007]
	Indian Aroma Where La Shiraz was. Went back a couple of times recently and they have improved - especially the Mango Lassi! You have to try the Mango Lassi from Indian Aroma, it is the best in town - yum. The menu has all the normal dishes, including a nice mango chicken. Mains were relatively well priced. Food is good, and the service is good. I would avoid the Tandoori Salmon, it is quite dry, very fishy smelling, the skin is inedible, and there are lots of bones, everywhere. Have either opened a new branch at 5-cross roads, or moved there. Must drive by the old place to check. Has a website. [reviewed June 2004]
	Singapore Went there recently after a long hiatus, food is still very good, especially the Chicken & Crab soup, with real crab! Take a candle if it is after dark tho - very intimate lighting! Fine if you don't have to keep an eye out for prawns. Look out of the windows when you are there - the glass is so old that it has warped and distorts everything!
	Sahara's Tent Very good food at a nice price. The Kofta was spicy but not hot - a good combination. I had the meze which gave a great intro to all of the different tastes, although I didn't like the row dip - too salmonie for my taste. The Taouk Boregi (chicken & mushroom in filo) was great! The chicken marinated in orange & ginger was okay, but only because of the nice sauces on top. The hummus is very stingy on bread. The belly dancers are exotic. Has a website. [last reviewed July 2002]
	Little India Indian restaurant next to Cue Bar. Nice but noisy (read very noisy). Good food and they have a good variety on the menu. The Tandoori Mushrooms are good. The lassi is of the Easi-Yo variety. You don't get free poppadoms either. Has a web site. [last reviewed March 2005]
	Adriana's Italian food, at the pricier end of the market. The Bastarda seems to be the best bet for volume of food, and it has chilli as well. The Baby Chicken looked divine with lots of fiddly eating, but worth it. Has a web site.
	Thai Orchid In Ham East. Nice Thai food. Went there last weekend after a long gap. The soups were not as large as I remember, but still nice. In fact I felt the food overall had improved from my last visit - the Fish in Lime Sauce was much better than I remembered. I did feel the size of the meals was a bit small - for the four of us I really should have ordered a fifth main (which isn't such a hardship at $15 a main). And for rice that you have to order separately, I think they could have been a bit more generous. But lovely food. [last reviewed Feb 2003]
	Nami Japanese food on Hood Street. Rumoured to not actually be run by Japanese, per se (they are Korean, I have this from Jo, who used to live in Japan). The plastic food in the window was enough to turn me away, but it is nicer when it is real. The Shabu-Shabu is the best deal - you get a big bowl of water and get to cook all of the food on your table and then eat it. The $10-$12 "meals" are lunch sized - order two if you are a growing lad. The lunch deal is good. Now has a teppenyaki set-up, so that you can watch the chef fry everything on the table in front of you - way cool!
	Em>Bar>Go Bar & restaurant in garden place. I was disappointed the last time we went there. Granted it was Valentines day and busy, but not packed, but I was showing people the joy of Hamilton dining, and they were not up to scratch. Especially the Paella. Has a website. [last reviewed March 2008]
	Palate Used to be Curry Pavilion. Very posh looking, all in beige and cream. Menu looks very nice, but pricey - mains are all twenty-something to $30. It was pointed out to me that so are a couple of other places in town, but I don't complain about their prices, so maybe I just have to redefine what pricey is. Or start to complain that they are pricey too :-) We finally got dressed up and went, the food was lovely - my duck was georgeous. As was the calamari. We got given a sample of soup that was nice too. We decided the baked alaska was the best dessert, followed by the creme brulee. [reviewed Nov 2006]
	Gengy's Gengy's is a Mongolian hotplate restaurant. They have put their prices up, but now offer you 'free' things to tempt you in. This style of food is great, as you get to try a whole range of tastes. I find anything that starts with Teryaki Sauce and Sesame Oil is normally great. The salads were worth missing, but the soups were okay. They have some pre-marinated meats, which was a great idea. The pancakes were nice, but with only 2 flavours of Ice-Cream, one of which is vanilla, you have to hope that the second one is nice. Warning, on a busy night, it can get real crowded, but normally quietens down by 8:30pm. Definitely worth a go. [last reviewed Dec 2004]
	Lone Star In the new building next to Scotts. A Tex/Mex chain. They don't do bookings, so be prepared for an hours wait at the bar. Dana says "I have one thing to say - BIG. The bread you start off with is about half the size of your standard bakery vienna loaf, which is fine in there are 6 of you but a little overwhelming if there are only two dining. The chicken mains come in a 3/4 size - I wouldn't like to see full size - if you're a small eater plan on sharing I guess. For all that though the food is very good, the atmosphere is pretty neat (check out the women's toilets - there's a fountain), and the service is excellent." I agree, except that the music does not create a good atmosphere for me, and they would not let me go into the ladies loo. The Dunedin branch has a web page and they have a web site. [last reviewed Mar 2008]
	Flame New Indian place where Granite and The Sechuan Genius was (between Browsers and La Grande). Looks to be opening soon. No relation to the Flame/Flambe place in Chartwell. From the website it is in fact an import from New Plymouth. Has a website. [reviewed Oct 2006]
	Tables (on the River) Bottom of Alma St, under One ZB. Posh dining. Nice place, food was good. Great presentation, the desserts were amazing. Still not sure it was all worth $97 tho. The pear & rocket salad is nice. [reviewed sometime around 2000]
	Thai Village Thai place in Hood St that has cutsie wooden huts inside - you sit on bench seats. The soup was lovely. There is lots to choose from if you eat fish and seafood. Good food, lots of rice, but you do not get to choose how hot anything is. Service was slow but then it was Easter. Has a web page.
	Original Thai Thai restaurant (duh!) where Number 8 used to be. Good service. Nice food, a bit limited if you don't like seafood. The soups were nice (although not quite as nice as the Thai Orchid), and the mains were good. I am told by Colin, who runs the place, that their Angel Wings are very popular. We tried a range of things that were nice, but did not try the Angel Wings, so I will have to go back and try it again sometime soon. Also, Jesse had a gorgeous curry (Gai Fai), and I want to go back and try it - it had three chilli's on the menu but was not too hot. [last reviewed Aug 2005]
	Crazy Farmer Was Armadillo's (South End Vic St, in the old 161/deVine/Wimpy site. Presumably closed Armadillo's so they could ditch the Tex-Mex theme altogether and just be a plain modern cafe. I used to highly recommend this place, but the last time we ate, they were decidedly average. It was a tuesday night, and service was slow (to the point of ignoring us) and Jacqui's steak was overdone. Which for a place that advertises itself on its steaks, and on a quiet night, is pretty unforgivable. And their drinks/desserts menu was not up to date. The garlic bread is still best in town. I do still think of 'mad cow' when I read the sign. [reviewed Oct 2008]
	En Q Bar / Cafe en Q Queenwood shops answer to a Trendy Cafe. I hear its well liked by more mature people, but then that's what you get in Queenwood. The entrees and desserts looked the best. Mains were expensive ingredients done plainly/simply. On the pricey side. [I think this has rebranded itself again, but I must admit to not having gone there in a long time.] Has a website.
	Jaipur Another Indian restaurant in North end of Vic St (next to Thai Classic & Burgerholics.) Food was good, service was a bit slow - lots of people using the takeaway service. My Rogan Josh was hot but not full flavoured, even tho I only asked for a medium. The naan, however, was excellent, very light and fluffy and the best naan in town. We went back recently, and the food was generally good. The naan was nearly as nice as I remembered. The mango lassi was much better. [reviewed Mar 2007]
	Boston Restaurant & Bar over the Video Easy in Hillcrest - used to be Settlers. Reasonably nice. The Fish Special was very good, and my steak on Polenta was good. I had the peppercorn sauce and it overpowered the polenta a bit - next time I would go for the mushroom sauce instead. Both meals were a bit lacking in veges (again, the mushroom sauce would help there). Otherwise good cafe food in a bar setting, with mains from $21-$25. Has a website. [reviewed Mar 2003]
	Master Kong Restaurant Used to be Victoria Chinese or New City Chinese Restaurant. Next door to Riff-Raff and the superloos on Vic street. Have ditched all the yellow chair covers. not sure what else has changed. Heresay from someone who works next door is that the food hygene out the back is not so great. [not reviewed]
	Breakers Cafe & Bar where Halensteins was on Vic St. Lots of corrugated iron, blue and surfboards. Looks a bit kitsch in wet Hamilton where there is no surf. Has branches everywhere. My Nachos was okay - fast and reasonable for a pub, but not something I would rave about. The burgers looked reasonable enough. From an email sent to me: "I dined there for the first time last night with a friend.� The decor was a little off-putting, bright neon lights all over the place and the whole surfy theme just didn't work - so we sat outside. Our meals were served within about 20 mins so we were happy with the timing. The steaks were fat, juicy and cooked to perfection, served with a garlic sauce to die for. The salad let the meal down a little, plain lettuce with carrot and red onion, and two slices of old looking tomato, but the chips and steak were filling enough that I wasn't forced to consume the greenery.� The presentation wasn't great, but the taste more than made up for it. We were so impressed with the meal we though we'd even try a desert. My hot apple pie was well presented, but a little bland. My friend had the death by chocolate (a basic mud cake with icecream) and it was a little dry, but again, well presented. All in all, the staff were friendly but lacked knowledge (new bar, new staff... figures). The meals were above average but the deserts were no different to your standard family restaurant. And the drinks were quite pricey. All in all, I will definitely be heading back there for more of that garlic sauce!" Has a website. [last reviewed Dec 2005]
	Coyote New Bar and Restaurant next to Scotts. Part of a chain. Looks and feels much like Lone Star and the old Armadillo's. Good range of stuff to choose from. Some booths and some tables. The service is good. Everyone else really enjoyed their food, but I was a little disappointed. I had the pork spare ribs, and for a signature tex mex dish, they were a bit sad - more sauce would have helped. Oddly enough, for a started, there was enough for a main meal. The quisadilla seems to be the best meal to get. Most of the breakfast was fairly ordinary, but the mushrooms were great - very garlicky. The garlic bread underneath would be fine on it's own, but was a bit lost under all the eggs, etc. Do $20 mains on Tuesdays. Has a website. [reviewed Dec 2005]
	Cafe Alma (Novatel Tainui) Went there for dinner (thanks Andreas). For all it is a posh restaurant, there is not a lot of atmosphere, and the chairs are uncomfortable. The meals were nice, but pricey - $8.50 for three italian breads that make cheeseburger buns look large. The Monster Op Rib was nice, my veal was not so great, although the sauce was good. Breakfast was okay but pricey. There is no way of speeding the toaster up fast enuff not to cause a small fire when heating the croissants. Kids, do not try this at home, either. The desserts were beautifully presented, yummy but smallish. Do not have lunch there the day after New Years - it was sad and expensive. Has a web site. [last reviewed Jun 29th 2004]
	Pastamia In Cassabella in Barton Street, where Beancounters and Lakhy and Athenian was. Sadly is dead as a dead thing. Now a cooking school. Has a website for the pasta and sauces, since now running in Taupo. [reviewed May 2006]
	Oliveto Now open. Where Sohl was. Sounds like a margarine spread. Menu is Mediterranean food. Stupid people are not in the whitepages online - how am I supposed to book? The food was okay. Some were nice, but my Paella was plain rice with seafood in a tomato sauce poured on top. The pork with Baileys sauce was reasonable. Service was appalling. They gave us 2 dessert menu's for 11 people, then left us alone for over half an hour. When we went to pay, they mis-charged our table, and when we asked they take the dessert off our bill, as we had waited over half an hour for a waiter to take our dessert order, they took the item off, but no apology at all. [reviewed Aug 2007]
	Furnace New place just opened opposite The Bank. Seems to be run on identical lines to Iguana. Menu looks okay. Looks nice enough inside, although a bit large. Normally has some skanks hanging out on the stools at the front. We tried the Ribs, which were nice, but needed salt or just a bit more flavour. You get two dipping sauces, but it's hard to dip a rib somehow. They were quite pink in the middle and very greasey. Obviously not the slow-cooked variety. The stuffed mushrooms were nice enough. Not quite sure what they were stuffed with. The parmasan bread didn't appear to have any parmasan on it. But was nice, and bodes well for the pizza. The mousse was good, but the cheesecake was pretty rubbery. Has a website. [reviewed Nov 2007]
	Shinjuku Japanese place on Alexander St opposite Little India. Menu is extensive and covers all the bases from Sushi & Sashimi, to noodles, bento boxes and set's. I think the bento box "meals" are better than the "sets". We had a lovely meal there - the tempura was gorgeous, especially the prawn - I even ate the tail shell, but not the head and feelers. They now have a liquor license. The plum wine was interesting, but tasted too much of almonds for my liking. [last reviewed Aug 23 2005 - Happy Birthday John :-)]
	Canton Hong Kong Restaurant On Alexander St, just down from Little India. Used to be Magic Wok. Long menu of options. Went there for my birtdhay. All of the food was good. Generous portions, and good prices. service was okay. The salty chilli chicken is not very hot at all, with less heat than KFC hotwings. The squid was lovely. They had run out of a couple of things we wanted (sechuan beef and spare ribs) but overall, we loved every dish we got. It's not as good as Magic Wok was, but still a good feed. [reviewed Jan 2007]
	New Delhi Indian Restaurant Now only available in Dinsdale or Beerscourt, since the Hood street shop closed. The Dinsdale food was not as nice as it was in Hood street. That might have been that it was takeaway, but I don't live that far away, and yet bits were cold (and I was waiting in the restaurant for them to finish, so it is not like it was sitting there waiting for me. I thought the butter chicken was thin and tomato-ey. [reviewed Apr 2008]
	Pumice In Church Road off Te Rapa. Deli/bar/cafe. Deli & cafe one end and restaurant/bar at the other. We had brunch and it was pretty nice. The balcony is sunny but can be a bit windy. The salt and pepper in a bowl is nice, but one feels not very hygenic in this bird/swine flu era. The evening menu had some interesting stuff on it. Nic who was at Canvas is involved with the Kitchen, so food should be good. Has a lovely web site. [reviewed Aug 2009]
Alehouse One of the Speights Alehouses. Between Countdown and Pack'n'Save. Our food was pretty good, and the ribs is a great feed. Not especially fancy but generous and tasty. And they have Macs as well as Speights, so not altogether a loss. Parking is horrible unless you brave the supermarket carparks. [reviewed Dec 2009]
	Fuego In the wilds of Rototuna. I think this was the Grill and Chill place, whatever it was called. A nice bar and cafe. Played Groove Armada, so that was nice. The Pork Belly was amazing, and lots of it. The Spare Ribs were beef, but melt in your mouth, so that made up for it. and the sauce was not too bad. We skipped desserts, but the mint chocolate one sounded alright. [reviewed Jan 2010]
	Pattaya Satay Noodle House Where Goanna and Montana was. Went there soon after it opened, and it was nice. The owner came out and was real friendly, and the food was good. Sorry this is so vague - I thought I wrote the review at the time, and now can't find it. Went for lunch recently, good food for $10. The chicken & sweetcorn soup was the nicest, although my won ton soup was nice and peppery. Mark says this is a great place, but then he doesn't order off the menu, just tells them the malaysian dishes he wants made. [last reviewed Dec 2004]
	Vue bar Used to be The Post. Pub food in the casino. More like the American casino food that is cheep and cheerful. Can get two meals for $10 if you cut the voucher out of the paper. Meat was a bit tough, but veges were nice. Very little atmosphere, but you can sit on the balcony and overlook the carpark/Waikato river. The view is better from the Deck on the floor above tho (and one feels the food probably comes out of the same kitchen). The food is cheaper with an action-card, which is free to join up to, so maybe worth doing just for that. [reviewed Feb 2009]
	The Deck New bar above the casino. Has a snack menu that has the usual bar snacks (about $6) up to steak & chicken mains at $18. The balcony is great, so I think this place will be worth trying out one early evening, just to sit and eat overlooking the Mighty Waikato river. [not reviewed]
	Pancho's Mexican food, appears to be run by Indians with an Egyptian chef. For $40 will do you a marguarita if you supply the Tequila - so what does the $40 get you? This is Mexican in name only, so don't go expecting anything better than old el paso. [last reviewed Mar 2003]
	Memory Lane Got a lovely flame mail from Kim, who owns this place, saying I should update my reviews more, and that my info was out of date. Sadly, she did not give me any new info to update this review with, and failed to enthuse me to come and try it myself. Molly, another reader, says "You will find Memory Lane to be a popular, friendly, enjoyable place to dine, with a lovely atmosphere and tasteful surroundings. Not to mention the extensive buffet of quality cuisine." and that only 20% of the customers are 60+. I stand corrected although I still don't think that "Go if you want to meet lots of old people." is particularly insulting to old people. So obviously it has fans, I am simply not one of them. There, happy now Kim? Has a web site. [not reviewed since it moved downstairs, or changed ownership.]
	Valentines Food is okay, atmosphere zip! Good range, but the cheeseboard was disappointing. Food can be sad depending on the time of day. The Mushroom Soup is good. Also the Hot Chocolate drink maker. Avoid any cocktail with sparklers in it. Has a website.
	Wilson's Carvery Snotty people turned me away once, because they wouldn't accept a cheque. I was in a party of 8 - their loss. I haven't been back since. Another motel restaurant on Ulster st. Lienntje says that they had improved, but the last time she went it was (a word meaning not that good), and that they must have changed chef again... In Southern Cross Hotel [not reviewed since 1989]
	Lady Chatterley's Restaurant in the Kingsgate Hotel next to Spotlight (old Te Rapa Warehouse) and the IRD northern processing plant! Good food at not a bad price. Bar was pricey. Coffee was sad. Nice hot ham. Apparently they do gourmet pizza for Sat lunch. Have just won an award for the way they serve salmon. Has a website.
	Gerards I am always dubious about restaurants that are in hotels/motels. This one is on Ulster st. In the Barclay Hotel, I think. [not reviewed]
	Palermos ditto above. In Hotel Alcamo, which has a web site. [not reviewed]
	Angelica's Buffet Restaurant In the Glenview International Hotel. Used to be famous for its seafood smorgasbord. Apparently has a great pensioners discount. Looks to be only doing conferences now. Has a web site. [not reviewed]
	Shakespeare's Restaurant The Grosvner Hotel restaurant has a theme. Does someone want to tell me whether it helps. Has a web site. I see in our freebee paper that the manager writes a cooking column, and if his pumpkin soup is anything to go by (the spices were 3 kinds of Maggi stock!) then I cannot imagine going to eat there. [not reviewed]
	Ru We Ru The side entrance of La Grande Hotel (next to i Japanese) has turned into another Japanese cafe. The menu seems to have the usual Japanese fare. The advertising sheets of paper in the window make it look/sound more like a takeaway than a restaurant. Peter emailed me recently and said "After having many quick good feeds at the Korean Cafe, we have moved up the street to Ru We Ru. It is worth a look, some interesting food, (photo menus for us that can't read Korean), no corkage, and our last nights feed there for three was $36.00, and we could not finish our rice! Good Value." [not reviewed]
Golden Dragon A Chinese place in 5 Cross Roads. It is a sit down smorgasbord, and does takeaways as well. It is nice and clean and bright, and reasonably priced. The diners were an odd mix, but then this is 5 Cross Roads. The food was nice, okay, not stunning, but a good meal, and a good range available. [reviewed March 2007]
	Twin Thai Thai restaurant in Vic Street down by Les Mills. Where VaniSra used to be - not sure if it is the same people or not. VaniSra looked pricey, but with nice decor. Haven't been close enough to check the new place out. [not reviewed]
	Thai Classic This is where Bayon Cambodian Cafe used to be, and it was hard work convincing Jacqui to go in, given the still painful memories of our loss. But life goes on, and you can't dwell in the past. It was okay. Sorry, nothing much else to report. The Tom Kha Gai was not as good as elsewhere - it was like packet soup, and missing something (Coconut cream I suspect) and it had whole chillies at the bottom, which meant it got hotter as you went down. It was a big bowl, but just sad. The mains were better, but if you do not eat seafood, there is very little on the menu you can eat. And the Pad Thai is hot, so even the old favourite is ruled out. and I found the tables too close together. Has a website that also mentions Baan Thai so they must be related. [reviewed July 2004]
	Peng's Place New Chinese place in Ham East, just down from Thai Orchid. Decor looked fairly ordinary, but I did not see a menu. [not reviewed]
	Shan Yuan Chinese Chinese place on Vic St. Was Hasan Baba. Lots of pictures in the window of chinese looking food. Reports from Emma and Pauline were very unfavourable. Now looks fairly dead - they have taken the sign down (so it says Hasan Baba instead). Although last night it appeared open for business, but was completely empty. [not reviewed]
	Minsokchon Where Maru/Gino Portafino was in Bryce St. Has asian writing in the window and looks like a sake & karioki bar. Very much like Maru but with a new name. Reasonable food for about $10 a pop. Rebekah wrote me: "Minsokchon has the quickest service I have experienced at any restaurant - we were brought our food within minutes of ordering. You can barbeque at your table (built in cookers), which is fun, and I would especially recommend the kalbi for this - it is delicious marniated pork. I would also recommend the dolsot bibimbap (hotpot mixed rice). This comes in a superheated stone bowl, and the food cooks together as you eat it ~ wonderful. Of course, every main course comes with copious side dishes in true Korean fashion. And the prices are very competitive, with huge meals for around $10 each." [reviewed Aug 2005, 2008 by rebekah]
	4 Muskateers/Hindustan I cannot tell if 4 Muskateers is now clozed and Hindustan is opening soon, or the other way roudn, or if they are the same place with a schitzo complex. Used to be Glamz. Hindustan is/was obviously Indian, and 4 Muskateers could be/have been anything... [not reviewed]
	Thai Sky Where Siam Delight/Steampot Land used to be. Looks like a Thai restaurant - sorry not much else to say. Looks okay, but I am always more tempted by Master House next door. [not reviewed]
	Baan Thai Yet another Thai opening where the oddball burger place used to be at north end of vic street (further north than burgerholics, between the golf shop and the porn shop I think). They have renovated the front, so lets hope the inside has been done as well. And I guess I should hope the food is good. I do foresee that with all these Thai, some are going to go the same way as the rash of Indian restaurants that opened a couple of years ago. [not reviewed]
	Rebo The Casino has opened a branch of it's Auckland Rebo bar/cafe in the Hamilton casino. I assume it has filled in one of the dead zones before you get into the Casino. The website has the fish'n'chips (tempura battered) meal at $22, so although they are touting 'without the expensive price tag', I am not so sure. [not reviewed]
	Vibe Used to be Sirocco, plus the jewellers under Le Grande. Not sure what else has changed, but looks more like a bar. Apparently Hamiltons only Rock grill restaurant (especially since the Waipa Delta has gone). [reviewed Nov 2008]
	Vespa Was Zeytin. Now an Italian place. Menu looks nice. Lets hope it lasts longer. Angela said the past was good. [not reviewed]
	Ghengis Khan Next to Ronnies. They were still painting and putting up signs today. Another Mongolian feast place. Opening in time for the V8 crowds. Upstairs says it does Yum Char at lunchtimes - least it seems to point upstairs. Although if you want Yum Cha, then why would you go past Master House? [not reviewed]
	Ibistro I know the Hotel Ibis has a cafe in it, but have not heard anything about it - I think the name is Ibistro, or Ibistrot. [not reviewed]
	Salt and Pepper 'Restaurant' in the middle of the cafes out at the base. Doesn't look that inspiring or popular. I see half of it is now another Indian (Aroma?). [not reviewed]
	Smith & McKenzie New place in Linden Court, opposite Chartwell Square - I mean Westfields. Used to be Charthouse, or some Skippery-type name, and before that the Cobb & Co. Looks the same - a traditional family-friendly Kiwi restaurant. Although a 'chophouse' does not sound as exciting as a 'steakhouse' to me... Apparently do a 500g steak which is as big as your head (and 4 days recommended daily protean intake!). Be aware that when you order a steak, you need to order sides, since all you get is the steak. Has a website. [not reviewed]
	Yako's Or a name very close to Yukky. Used to be Masala Club/Kazana. Vaguely mediterranian food. Mostly steak dishes. Place looks very empty, so don't expect this to last long. [not reviewed]

Trendy Cafes & Bars

	Scotts Epicurian Had the Shri Lankan Duo and it was fabulous (sadly dropped frmo the menu now). Also the Tiramisu was better than their usual Tiramisu, although the chocolate moose beats it hands down. Very good food, nice coffee and the best hot chocolates in town! The black seats are the comfiest, and I personally like the table at the back by the window, so you may see me there. [last reviewed Jan 2010]
	Metropolis Voted New Zealands Best Cafe for 1999! Good on ya! Seems to change owners and waitrons regularly. New seats are better - thanks! The express menu is faster than the main menu. The cone of fries with cajun sprinkles and aioli (yes - the side-kick from Hercules!) is very good. The cooked breakfast is great, especially the mushrooms - order one between two. Went there recently, the service and food was good. Try the mint Chocaholic, yummy. And the chocolate Lasagna (or ravioli). Has a web page. And a review. [last reviewed Jan 2010]
	Grey Street Kitchen Not to be confused with the River Kitchen. New cafe in Grey Street, where Saglik Cafe used to be many, many years ago, opposite the Eastside tavern. Yes, I have been here that long, cause you are all saying, "but it has always been a lawnmower shop". The desserts were stunning, and the hot chocolate was nice. It was nicer outdoors than in, but that could be summer for you. I was not so impressed with the meals - they were good, but not stunning. The menu has lots of Brekkie things, but not so much other. Although I am tempted by the mixed grill - yay meat! [reviewed Feb 2008]
	Espresso Garden In the Mitre 10 Mega at the Base. I do like this place. Good food, nice hot chocolates. lots of seating, and close parking. La tutti tutti and the stans pan are the best dishes. Although I wish that la tutti tutti was more generous - it's only spuds guys. New menu, but not much different from the old. It is a real shame that the plants are further away from the cafe, so all you actually look at are pots. [reviewed Jan 2009]
	Sugar Bowl In the wilds behind the football stadium. Found this place after it was highly recommended to us. Not a lot of seating, but they were friendly, and it was packed with happy looking customers. Next to a place that makes baskets of interesting goodies, so check out what interesting foodstuffs they have while you are there. We had breakfast there - nice meals, generous servings. Not too flash, but good food. This has become our favourite place for brunch. Try the creamy mushies with a side order of bacon. [reviewed May 2008]
	Hydro Majestic Trendy cafe on the corner above Wellington Street Beach. Down the road behind KFC & The Cypress Tree. Even with the extensions, it is often jam-packed - Book ahead! Food is great and it is nicest sitting outside. I like it but it is getting a bit pricey. [last reviewed Aug 2009]
	Le Dome A "Belgian Beer Cafe" (read bar) in the front part of the new casino. The menu is really interesting. It requires a little bit of translation, but the food is excellent. Mains are $13-20, so a bit pricey for lunch, but cheap for dinner. The pot of mussels and fries is a great meal! and the chocolate mousse is great, although they had run out, so we had to share. Give it a go, I was impressed. Note that their phone number does not appear to be in the white pages, so being the great guy I am, here it is: 839-5152. Set up by the people who started The Occidental on Vulcan Lane, De Post in Mt Eden, and De Fontein in Mission Bay (all Belgian Bars in Auckland). Has a website. [last reviewed Dec 2003]
	Cullens Modern cuisine. The food is good and not too pricey. The nz/asian mix works in many of the dishes, and their chocolate brownie is excellent. Had a bad experience one sunday avro, but I was tired and they did take some money off our bill. They will let you have coffee & dessert on the sofas, which is good. Went there on my birthday, and it was still good. The eye fillet stack entree makes a good light main if you are only peckish (or want 2 entrees and no main). [last reviewed Jan 2004]
	Jam Jam is the cafe in the Freedom Store on Anglesea St (used to be a BB's) and is bought to you by the good people of Scotts Epicurean. So we tried it and the coffee was excellent as usual, and the food was good. The menu is slightly smaller, but several of our Scotts favourites are on the menu, plus some extras. So if you can't find a table at Scotts, it is just a hop over the road (especially if you cut through the marketplace and Ebbetts). For a furniture store, Freedom does not have a lot of soft furniture around the cafe area, so it can be quite noisy with reflected sounds and conversations. So my hint would be for Jam to put some artwork on the big blank wall, especially sound absorbing textile or rug art. [reviewed Mar 2004]
	Museum Cafe If you are looking for the restaurant that was the Museum Cafe, look under Canvas. Museum Cafe is now just a cafe in the front half, and I do not know what sort of food it serves. Has a website.
	BurgerFuel BurgerFuel is now in Hamilton! Yay! In the defunct Sun shop (between Metropolis and Khmer). Also in 5-cross roads. Good burgers. Pricey but very nice. The water is free and ask for a doofer. The Bastard is my favourite. Now has a "lite" menu of smaller burgers (not that much smaller from the looks) and wraps. I just wish the wraps had more interesting innards. Has a website. [reviewed Mar 2007]
	Barzurk Gourmet pizza. Actually the best dish is the salads. The cranberry pizza is nice, the salmon isn't and the fetta is just plain salty. Watch out for pizzas with lettuce on them. Still a good place, but too hot in summer. Thankfully they have stopped sprinkling lots of parsley over everything. Yay! [reviewed Nov 2004]
	Go Vino Moved to where Milan/Saffron was. Used to just sell wine, but now also sells tappas food. My mushrooms were nice - made exciting by the whole cloves of garlic in the marinade. The bruschetta was excellent. Go with a few people so you can try lots of different things. More nibbles to drink with, but you can still make a meal of it is you want. Menu changes frequently. [reviewed Aug 2006]
	The Bank Get onto the Banks mailing list - it is full of great deals. Food is okay and generous. The Nachos are huge but bland. I have no idea what it is like in the evenings as I can't see the point of queuing for hours just to get into a place that has no room inside it anyway. Did the best sorbet's in town but took them off the menu for summer - Duh!. [last reviewed Nov 2002]
	Iguana Went there last weekend. It is amazing that it has not changed one bit. Still as slow as ever. The food is yummy. The service is not great. They forgot part of our order - they were very apologetic, and we got a $10 discount of our next visit, but we still have to go back... Try the caramelised onion flat-bread (pizza). Be aware that you can get a second 'hot-rock' when your first one gets cold and looses it's sizzle. Has a website. [last reviewed 2008]
	The Cyprus Tree Next to KFC in Hamilton East - used to be Ziglini's. A branch of one in the Coromandel (and Ohakune). Brunch was nice, but the lunch menu looked more interesting. Had dinner there and it was nice. Have a web site, although all the menu files were missing when I tried. [reviewed 2009]
	Al Dente Looks all shut up, which was a shock cause it appeared to be doing well the last time I looked. Used to be and Italian food & wood-fired pizza place where the Prawn Bar & Grill was in the Hood St Market. [last reviewed Nov 2002]
	Machina Espresso + Deli New Cafe in London Street (about where Happy Harries Suparoo was - new readers look confused now). Looks industrial trendy. Mostly do cooked breakfast and panini for lunch. Best deal is the mini-platter for lunch, an excellent pile of interesting bits, pickles, sauces & bread, for only $8! My coffee was one of the nicest in town. [reviewed Nov 2002]
	Cafe Suburbia Trendy cafe at Beerscourt, next to Hector Hortons wines. Good food and trendy coffee or good coffee and trendy food, depending on your viewpoint. Too many tables inside, and you would have to be mad to sit outside. Our lunches were fine. Dinners looked lovely. Went there recently and felt slightly underdressed, but comments are still the same. [reviewed Nov 2009]
	Grillers Next to whatever the church on Vic St is now. Used to be Gourmet Burger, can't see much has changed - the menu is nearly identical. Like Burgerholics, only with more places to sit down. Focacia bread was nice. Good food, resonable prices. They also do a couple of mains, but it looked a better bet to get the burgers. Did breakfast here recently, and it was quite reasonable. [last reviewed Aug 2004]
	Savage Rock On Dinsdale roundabout. Used to be Cafe Vetto. No idea what it is like inside. It was wierd, no sooner had Cafe Vitto repainted all of it's signs, than they took them down and replaced them. Mostly this was really good. They made a lot of effort for my big brekkie, but were let down by tasteless bacon. The food was good. The hot chocolate was a bit weak, but the coffee was good. [reviewed Oct 2007]
	Momento (ex Rocket) Was the Hamilton landmark Rocket Cafe. Glen emailed me recently to inform me that "We sold the cafe to the Momento folk in 2001. You can still buy our coffee there and at various other outlets". He also informed me that they do not 'burn' their Rocket coffee next door. Sorry Glen, it smelt burnt to my untrained nose :-) Tried the Brazillion 'sipping' chocolate, which was hot and thick and gooey, but not as sweet as we expected - New Zealands used to sweet Cadbury dairy milk, although it is not as bad as Hersheys for being pumped full of sugar. The food was good. We skipped the coffee's, so I can't comment on that. [reviewed April 2007]
	i Japanese Cafe A Japanese cafe where the Boulevard Cafe was in Collingwood Street. This place is quite nice - nicer than the menu makes it sound. I had the lunchbox, which was nice but overpriced. The chicken dish written in hard to read grey at the bottom of the menu is the best (and good value too), or the udon noodle soup.
	Burgerholics Between Thai Classic and Jaipur, used to be Burger Wisconsin. The menu looks identical to the old one, so I don't know how they get away without paying the franchise. The burgers were nice - the buns were a bit plain, but the sauces were good. My "aged Hereford" steak was nice, although I couldn't tell what the aging had done. [reviewed Dec 2002]
	Espresso Workshop A Trendy cafe in Te Rapa strait, open for lunches & sells Coffee machines. Started by the folks that bought you Diggers. This was really quite nice. The food was good - the stuff in the cabinets looked great. The menu is very limited. Coffee was as good as in town. But don't look at the prices of the cups you are holding, as I nearly dropped my cup in shock. Now open again after someone kindly drove through the front of their store [reviewed April 2004]
	Momento (one of them anyway) Up by the Hospital, used to be Syrup. This was okay as a trendy coffee shop - The coffee was good, esp. the chai latte. There seemed to be only food cabinet on offer, and it was okay. After we had eaten, we saw someone get a salad, and that did look good, so maybe we should have looked a bit further. Grind on campus also has the same name, and the third is the old Rocket in Hood St - they're everywhere! [not reviewed since it changed]
	Traffic Where Heart & Soul was on the corner of Collingwood & Alexander Streets. Has a sign that looks like it says 'Frallic'. Looks like a trendy cafe, smells like a trendy cafe, etc. Anna says "Traffic is great! New owners since about May 2005, Debbie and Pete, Great people! Fantastic food, I'm a repeat Traffic offender, I'll be there almost every weekend for brunch. The menu is good with a good range of options, from muesli and pancakes to the 'Big Breakfast', which is BIG and beautiful, but you can choose variations of it and cut items off. Also on the menu is panini's, salads and bagels. A side from the menu they have a lovely cabinet always full of enticing things, from cakes and biscuits to salads and my current favourite the 'Tortellini Stack'. I definitely recommend it." Phew. Sorry Anna for my entry being so short. Went there and it was nice, but I wouldn't rave about it. [reviewed Sept 2006]
	Dora's New cafe opposite Wintec in Collingwood St. Looks like a nice place to sit & drink coffee. Voted 7th for top coffee in the Wintec rag (Third Degree). We had breakfast there one day and it was nice - slightly unusual fare, but you pay for it. [reviewed Aug 2005]
	St Lazarre New cafe in Casabella in Barton Street, often just called the French cafe. Does great coffee, and the food was really good. The place was packed, and seating is not great, but service was good, and they were nice and friendly. The hot fresh croissants for $4 are great! Park on Alexander St and walk through. [reviewed Mar 2007]
	Columbus In Barton St, at the end of Casa Bella lane. Looks nice, and was pretty busy when I went past, so that must be good. Also listed in Third Degree's top places for coffee. I think a lot of their votes were from what is close to the polytech. Suzanne tells me "it has sensational food and coffee, relatively new and great service.� Awesome little cafe, I recommend you try it." We did this once, good coffee and nice cakes. [reviewed Oct 2006]
S'Orbi Or a stupid name like that. Used to be Ruby Black's, On Peachegrove Rd, beside the East St dairy. Has a nice outside area, wich used to have a sandpit to dump the small kids in, so is good if you have small kids to get rid of, but avoid if you want to avoid small kids. Ruby Black's food and service was good, but I cannot say about the new incarnation. [not reviewed since changing name]
	Jack's Coffee House On Cambridge Road/Naylor St by the velodrome (used to be Zanzibar). Presumably real coffee for people who want to get off campus and away from the students & Grind/Momento (i.e. staff). Was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food we had here. Was also surprised at how full of old people it was. Cabinet food runs through the kitchen also, so don't expect it to be any faster than stuff off the menu. Sadly we didn't have time for cakes, but they looked good. Apparently somewhere there is a Grace's Cafe, which is Jack's sister - literally (see below). [reviewed Oct 2007]
Grace's Coffee House Got a nice email from the owners Stu and Leah Gillanders: "The new cafe is called Grace on Braid rd, and its at 29 Braid rd, St Andrews. Grace keeps the same hours as Jacks, ie closed on monday and tuesday,� and starting this week we are doing nights on fridays and saturdays at Grace." So there you go.� [not reviewed]
	Rocket Espresso Bar Rocket itself has changed into another 'Momento', but the Ham East branch still has the Rocket moniker. Most people go for the coffee. Has more seats next door. We tried the bacon and mushroom sammie, and were disappointed - it had everything from the description but was just a bit bland and sad. slightly burnt ciabatta, bland bacon, and the mushroom was warmed but not cooked, so leaked water everywhere. Always full of EW staff. [last reviewed Jan 2007]
	Casa Linga New place in Claudlands, on the corner leading to McDonalds bridge (which I will have to rename I guess, now that there is no longer a McDonalds on the other end of it). Looks to be run by the people from Food To Go. Nice food, seemed reasonably priced. We had a small wait for our food, but the waiter apologised. Seems very popular. Didn't have a coffee, so can't comment, but the cakes were nice. [reviewed Dec 2006]
	Strata Cafe Have moved to the Med Centre in Hood Street. Run by a guy who is heavily into hot air balloons (and helps organise the Hamilton hot air thingy). The food was good, although not especially cheap. My coffee was okay. Had a chai in the new premises, and my above sentence still applies, but I guess if you are hanging around an A&E, you can't/won't be too choosy. The food here is large/generous, but not especially great. The pancakes are huge, but floury. They advertise Ghirardelli iced chocolate (yay!), but the hot chocolate is Cadbury's (and I thought the milk was too hot). Has a web page. [last reviewed Jan 2008]
	Chim Choo Ree Replaced the short lived Vibes - a cafe where La Commune/Jaycees used to be. Menu has meat in it, so maybe it will last longer than La Commune. [not reviewed yet]
Angel Cakes On Heaphy Terrace. Run by the person who used to make all the cakes at Hydro Majestic. Reputed to be nice, but somehow we have managed to not catch it open yet. Was tied in with Ruby Blacks somehow when Ruby Blacks was still going. [not reviewed yet]
	Scooters A cafe on the corner of Pembroke St, where Scoff was originally. Ironic, since Scoff were moved along to make way for a Pharmacy. Food was quite reasonable. Cakes were nice. didn't have a coffee - sorry. Has lots of gluten free foods, including the option of GF toasted sandwiches - if your that way inclined. For a place named Scooter (from the shop next door), you would have a hard time getting a mobility scooter in through their door. [reviewed Feb 2008]
	Singer Some stupid joke based on haBARdashery. On Hood St, where Zephyr/the florist used to be. For all the construction, looks a lot like the old place. Seems to have more alcohol than food. Saw someone get a big cocktail with umbrella for friday lunch, but maybe that says more about Hamilton than the place. We got the food here recently. The skewer was nice, but Jacqui's dish was full of capsicum which was not on the menu. [reviewed Dec 08]
	The River Kitchen The older 'new' cafe in half of what was Esscaba, which was half of the Le Grande cafe. Really enjoyed the food we had. Can't comment on the coffee, but it sounded nice. [reviewed Dec 07]
	Piccola The other half of what was Esscaba, is now an Italian place. Opened for the V8s. Looks like it just does pizza and wine. Will have to try authentic pizza, although I think I am too bought up on the Kiwi style pizza to go back to one-topping pizzas. [not reviewed]
	Crave Cafe (and Catering) in Sandwich Road, St Andrews, open days and dinner thu & fri. I see Hula Cafe has turned into a Crave also. Has a website. [not reviewed]
	Zinc In Queenwood shops. Formerly the Platter Place. Revamped into a bar & cafe now. Looks more interesting - maybe I will get there now I have friends out Chartwell way. Interesting menu, but seems a bit pricey. Poor seating for such a posh place. Have a website. [not reviewed yet]
	Zee Cafe Advertise lots on the radio - out past Hardly Normal. Not sure if it counts as a trendy cafe, but they push the coffee half of it. Also they don't open on weekends. [not reviewed]
	Agio Cafe In the building that has a huge sign outside that says Modena, so not sure why it can't be called Modena cafe. On Te Rapa Straight. Jacqui ate there and said it was fine. Usual cafe-style place. [not reviewed]
	Gothenberg/burg Where Shebeen was. Can't remember the name exactly, but it was halfway between Batmans city and the bloke that made the press. Had a tapas menu on the wall. Murray reports "I do think that you should try Gothenburg. Great tapas. Mains look good too, but not tried." Thanks, I will try it sometime soon... [not reviewed]

Other Food Places, some mistakenly called Cafes.

	Chef's International Used to be Gigilo's. Does Indian and other international stuff (the chef used to be at La Shiraz when it was good). This place is excellent - great value and the food is very good! Even better now you can sit indoors. Jacqui thinks that they do the best Butter Chicken in town, and that is saying a lot with the competition around. Does evening meals and you can now sit inside. [last reviewed Dec 2006]
	Gourmet Sushi Bar The little sushi bar next to Al Dente. The sushi is the best in town. All of the bits I tried were about a dollar. The Sweet Tofu Inari was excellent. Does free Green Tea and filtered water. [keep meaning to go back here...soon]
	Tuk Tuk In the Casabella lane. Used to say it was Vietnamese food, but now just appears to be Thai. Excellent food, and good value. Also does evening meals and the menu is the same. The mixed entree platter is great at $6. Do try it. Also the Taro & Peanut entree. Now have a takeaway-only branch in Beerscourt, and one in Dinsdale. Must try that soon...and it was good :-) [last reviewed Feb 2008]
	Kobe Japanese restaurant in the Clyde St. carpark in Ham East. The setting is a bit plain, but this was a nice place to eat, and the food was good. Since the demise of The Teahouse, this is my next best treat with nice $10-13 dishes and green apple pearl tea. My Teriyaki salmon was lovely, but you need to buy the "set" to get the rice, miso and a small amount of pickle. The three "mains" are amazing, for just under $20 you get a feast of a dozen dishes/samples of food, like gyoza, sushi, sashimi, tempura, teriyaki meat, plus another meat dish, and the usual rice, miso & pickle. A lot of fun and tasty too - try it. Appear to have a branch in Hood St opposite Centreplace. [reviewed May 2003]
	R & R South Indian South Indian Restaurant on the corner of Clyde and Peachgrove. Good food by all reports, well at least cheap and tasty. [not reviewed]
	Royale Apparently the people from R & R restaurant have set up this one and sold the old one. The food was good-ish, and you can eat lunch for under $10 if you are choosy. The lassi was nice. [reviewed Dec 09]
The French Tart Down on River Road, just by Fairfield bridge. The food here was nice, although the non-tart food was a bit pricey. Friendly service, and we loved the Passionfruit Spider/float, but a pricy $4. The Tarts were nice, but they did not have anything really fancy the day we were there. [reviewed Jan 2007]
	Flapjacks Flapjacks has moved to where Sun Q used to be (Alexander st) and appears to be run by the same people as Sun Q was... Before it moved, the food was okay - my flapjacks were quite thick but backing powdery (like those oversize muffins you get everywhere). and their hot chocolate is still milo with toppings. But some people love it, especially as good value for money. Much the same as ever, not flash, but filling. [reviewed at old site July 2004]
	Kino Sushi place in Cassabella lane (Barton st). Nice place with good sushi. The Chicken was nice, as was the dumpling. Has a menu of noodle dishes as well, but I did not try them. Is busy, which is always a good sign. Now twice as large, so they must be doing well. Also has opened a branch up on Vic Street next to McD's.
Sweet Basil Thai Someone said this has turned into an asian takeaway (some friend/mate/relative of Wei Minns), so will have to try and see the next time I wizz past to the movies. Small takeaway in 5 Cross Roads. Did nice Thai food that was slightly different. The Thai Green Curry was not as nice as Thai Orchids, but about $5 cheaper, so what do you expect. Anyway, well worth a visit if you want Thai takeaways but not restaurant prices. I really like this place. I see there is a Ginger Thai just opening in Hillcrest next to Jack's Coffee House, so I assume they are related. [reviewed April 2004]
	Sushi-Ya Used to be the Korean Cafe. I assume it does sushi...Ya! [not reviewed under this name]
	Khymer With the name written in odd letters (looks like Xhmer). In Vic street down by Metropolis. A Noodle bar. Food is good, and cheap. Atmosphere zip. The normal soup is a bit bland, but they do give you soy sauce, lemon juice and chilli sauce on the table. The satays and fried noodles are good. The lemon drink is very nice - try it! Katie says "My Boyfriend and I discovered it one night and it's our regular on nights when we have no money�but want Really yummy quick�food.� The chicken noodle soup is simple but really tasty and filling and the sweet and sour satay chicken is great (as are the thai dishes we have had so far)". [last reviewed Sept 2004]
	The Cook New cafe and bar in Cook Street in the old Buffalo hall. It's a step up from a beer barn, but I would say it feels more like a bar than a cafe. The food was good last time I went there, but then I was very hungry. Our steaks were fabulous! The small platters look huge too. The garlic & lemon pepper wedges were a bit lacking on the garlic sauce for my liking. And for all it is not in town, the parking is horrendous. Has a website. [last reviewed May 2007]
	Sierra Fairly pedestrian cafe in Barton Street. Can't seem to go past without saying "Phew, Sierra!" Ah, the days of misspent youth gaming. It is good in that it has lots of seats, so you can usually find a place. [reviewed sometime in 09]
	Cafe Indulge Used the be the Red Copper Kettle. Apparently changed ages ago, but I hadn't noticed. Does an okay line in food & coffee, but I wasn't enthused, and Jacqui said her muffin was bland. Somehow Ham East just doesn't do trendy cafe as well as town does. Has a new sign, so maybe I should try it again...
	Ronnies Cafe Used to be the Riviera Cafe. An import from somewhere else - there is one in Morrinsville. Seems to be popular. Please put an apostrophe where you feel it is appropriate.
	Caffe Centrale Went there because Andreas said it was an Italian restaurant and the salad he had was nice. It still has a lot of mexican, but without their mexican names. And italian and kiwi food. The Avocado fish was very good, but my gnocchi in sauce was boring - just gnocchi in sauce, nothing else. The mexican cheese dip (chilli con queso I presumed) wasn't as nice as Eldoradoes used to do. In total heresay mode, someone emailed me to say a friend of theirs emailed them (lost yet?) to say that it was great italian.
	Starbucks The great Americanisation of New Zealand is now complete. Starbucks has now opened in Ward st. So how is a frappacino different from an iced coffee? Answer: It's sweeter with more cream and froth. The muffins were large. I'd like to say more... but they were just large. Has a website.
Momento (second one) In the 'fabulous' new shops at uni. Used to be Grind. Not a lot of atmosphere, but convenient. Had a burger there last night and it was quite decent - especially the curly fries. Although the $10 burger and fries looks a better deal. [reviewed Sept 2009]
	Cafe 547 Cafe 547 is actually at 529 Grey St (obviously Cafe 529 sounded naff) [see the attached Hospital thingy at 547 Grey st] Lots of radio adverts, although do you really want to eat somewhere where "... the food, it all lingers". My Chai Latte was scoldingly hot, but nice (when it was cool enough to drink). Food was cafe-style and okay, but we only ordered from the cabinet, so maybe the menu is better. Apparently now do chocolate thingy's. [reviewed April 2003]
	Urge Now this gets confusing, Urge used to be the Burton Hollis Coffee Specialty Shop round the corner in Garden place, but then they opened the Victoria Street branch, and now the old shop has changed its name to le Petit espresso bar. Has a website. [not reviewed]
	le Petit In the old Urge/Burton Hollis Coffee Specialty Shop. Only has space to do espresso from the hole ine the wall. [not reviewed]
	The Garden Terrace Was the Turtle Lake Cafe, in the Hamilton Gardens, next to Turtle Lake. Obviously the Food & Wine Festival fiasco killed the old cafe. Lets hope the service also has improved. Currently has music for the Ham Gardens Summer Festival. Has a web site, which is somehow related to Adrianas. [not reviewed]
	Mall Coffee Emily said: "I was just wondering why Robert Harris Centre Place and Downtown Plaza and also Central Perc in Centre Place do not feature in your reviews? How does one go about getting reviewed?". and I said "Mostly cause I haven't bothered mentioning them." So now I have. Happy now. I have even got an email from Scotland defending Robert Harris. They serve stuff from glass cabinets and coffee. All right, call me a snob then. The one in Centreplace plaza (that used to be Central Perc) - Coffee Club - looks much like before, for all the complete refit. And there is a new one in Centreplace called Swirl, where Brazil was, that looked open when I last went past. Apparently a creperie - yeah, I didn't think it was a word either. BB's are almost everywhere. I even have a coffee card from BB's that has a free coffee on it (given to me by a friend who was leaving the country) and I have not been bothered to cash it in yet. What I want to know is why do muffins come in a bezillion sweet flavours and only one savoury flavour?! and why do they have to have so much baking soda/powder in them. [not reviewed because I am a cafe snob]
	Agora Karyn Williams said "You may wish to add the Cafe next to Boutique Cakes in Frankton ( Kent Street ). They do the best date scones, seafood chowder ( Only on occasion ) biscuits and cakes to die for, and the best moccas and hot chocs......." Finally went for a walk through Frankton market just to find out what the name of this pelace was. Looked nice, especially as it was raining. Went to go there last Sunday only to find that it is a church on Sunday and not a cafe at all. So don't try going there on a Sunday. [not reviewed cause it was a Sunday]
	Cafe Brewtique Cafe Brewtique is in the old Bourbon St barn. From the new owners, Jane & Chris: "Just to keep you up to date, Brewtique has the best coffee going in Ham Town, nice refit and as far removed from the old Bourbon Street as can be!" They have a website www.brewtique.net.nz. Looks nice, so check it out. [not reviewed]
	B.B.C. Stands for Bar, Bistro, Cafe (or the other way round). Used to be the Admirals Arms pub, opposite Victoria Cinema. Has had a complete facelift. We had a lovely meal here. Good food, and reasonably priced too. Relaxed atmosphere, in that it is still pub-like, and has pokies in the corner. [reviewed Mar 2008]
	Vetro Opposite countdown in Anglesea st. Sells Mediteranean foodstuffs (lots of types of pasta and pasta sauces), pickles & olives, etc. and has a limited cabinet of food you can eat there with your coffee. Food was okay, but not stunning. Range might be better if you go earlier. For all that it sells pasta and pickles and crostini/grissini, there wasn't an antipasta platter, or somesuch, in the cabinet. There was a bowl of pasta with vegetables (olives, artichokes) stirred through. But it would be better to see a menu that utilised the exotic stuff you can buy in packets on the shelf. [reviewed July 07]
	Scoff I can't believe I don't have Scoff on this list somewhere! Why did nobody tell me? As it says on the sign: "takeout for grownups". They have a new menu board, which you don't have to crane your neck to see, but everything has gone up by a dollar. Everything is good, especially the Canelloni. But their rewards card is really sucky, you only get 1 stamp, no matter how many many meals you buy. So a single person get's twice as many rewards as a couple. The burgers aren't as good as BurgerFuel, but then I don't go to Scoff for burgers. Has a website. [reviewed May 2008]
	Paris This has changed names, but I forgot what it is now called.... Small place on Alexandra Street. It seemed a place to go if others were full. Has a website. [not reviewed]
	Curry Pot Indian place in Ham East where Goodfellas was. Really don't know if we need another Indian in Hamilton, especially since Masala Club has closed. [not reviewed]
	Babaganush Cafe place in Ham East I never bothered with (A Robert Harris, or somesuch) turned into a cafe, that I think I poked my head into once, then went back to Grey St Kitchen. Has now turned into Babaganush. No idea what it is like inside, cause it was raining so hard I didn't bother crossing the road. [not reviewed]
	Rawhiti Cafe In Frankton, next to the model shop. Looks more lunchbar than cafe. [not reviewed]
	Smo's Cafe in the old railway buildings off Tramway road. Seems nice enough. [not reviewed]
	Coffee Club This is a cut above the normal mall coffee places - not least cause they make some dishes fresh when you order it. not just rehashed counter stuff. And they have comfy seats normally. The sweet chilli pizza bread thing is good.
	Agenda The front half of the Outback is trying to set itself up as a pub for professionals, with a table-wait service. Will wait and see if it helps their reputation. I see it does food. We almost got enticed in by some friends who were brunching there, but we had aprevious engagement. [Not reviewed]
	Roji's Happy Days are here again. Kremlin Bar/Palladium has reverted back to a buffet food place. Apparently does a mix of everything from Roasts, to Indian, to Chinese. Still looks like a dark hole when you peer into the gloom from the street. [not reviewed]
	Audio Art Cafe Used to be the video store on the corner of Killarney and Kahikatea roads. A stereo shop, and cafe, and art gallery. Not sure which they think is going to do the best, but the cafe isn't it. The prices seemed reasonable until you found your cake and drink are half the normal size. They only had cabinet food, but it sounded and looked reasonable. Stereos had no price-tags, and was all valves and "vynil is better" wank. [reviewed Feb 09]
	Kwizeen Used to be the Frankton Junction Cafe. Not sure what it's like inside or what the food is like.
	Kismet Used to be Salma's Rasoi Indian cafe in garden place. Don't know if it still does Thali (banquets of various samples) of various sizes on metal plates. For the extra ten steps, go to Chef's Kitchen instead.
	Te Awa Kuini (The River Queen) A new river cruise now that the Waipa Delta has gone to Auckland. Says it does a BBQ sausages cruise at lunch and maybe a breakfast cruise soon. The Hangi'n'History cruise sounds interesting. Have a web site. [reviewed Feb 14th 2005]

Pubs, some of which serve food.

	Cock and Bull Out past the Base. Does good pub food. The cheesy garlic bread is good. So is the Yorkshire pudding. I don't think much of the atmosphere, but it is good for a bunch of people, especially if some of them like beer. [reviewed Oct 2008]
	C.B.D. Pub on the corner of Hood St and Alexander St now sells food as well. Looks interesting, and the tables outside are normally full, which bodes well. Apparently it is Abs favourite, and we will get to see it on the 17th Feb... Has a website. [not reviewed]
	Londoner Where Armadillo's was. Does reasonable pub food. Not much atmosphere, but they do try. [reviewed a while back now]
	Bar 101 Was Spirit'd. Does "authentic" Italian Pizza (still, I believe). The people have ripped the guts out of the grotty pub that was there and added lots of windows to make a very nice place. Shame it only has bar stools. I do hope the pool tables are still free to diners. [not reviewed]
	The Rowers Arms/The Hog Not sure whether the name will last longer than the Great Race, but actually has more going for it that just 'The Hog'. Used to be the Loaded/Old Hog, but dropped the franchise. Then had a competition to come up with a new name. and sadly all they could come up with was 'the hog'. A bar that also serves food. I guess we need to check out what it is like now that it is 'the hog', but it was pretty average when it was in the transitional no-name stage. [reviewed May 2007]
Still Working Went there last night after the movies at Chartwell. Industrial looking pub with lots of blue-collar types in it. Not rough, but a bit of a culture shock - last night was bikini night, with two waitresses in skimpy bikinis (somehow not managing to look cold in brisk end of May weather, they did not even have the heat up). Thankfully we missed the topless thursday nights. The food was alright. the gourmet pizzas looked good (and a bargain at $10.) Our steak was nice - not as good as our steak from The Cook last week, but then it was $10 cheaper that The Cook. The egg & chips were egg & chips. not a salad or garnish in sight. [reviewed May 2007]
	tdo (The Dinsdale Office) Has gone upmarket, and does food now. Still a pub tho. Went there on a tuesday - the place was quiet, but the bar staff didn't feel like making an effort when we first walked in. The food was reasonably good - we had the special twice-cooked pork, but it was not very spicy/flavoursome. Certainly not in the league of the porkbelly at Metropolis. But it was better than I expected. Will probably go back and do more normal food there, seeing as it is the closest thing we have to a 'local'. Yeah, was worth a second visit. [reviewed Aug 2008]
Bahama Hut Used to be Revert, then Fuel. Now is a student bar. Dunno if it does food at all. I left after 5 minutes on the pubcrawl as it was far too smokey and loud, especially for the dozen people they had in the bar. Loud noise and a smoke machine does not make up 'atmosphere'. The swings at the bar are a bit tacky. [not reviewed]
	The Riv Anyone fondly remembering the original 'Riv' pub should stop reading now. Pub amoungst the shops in Ham East. Okay when I was in there last, but that was a couple of years ago, and they have been putting some effort in lately (or at least advertising lots). Has a website [not reviewed]
	Eastside Pub food at the Eastside Tavern. This was a lot nicer when I tried it recently. Give it a go. [reviewed Jan 2005]
	Outback/Agenda A beer barn. Even for the sake of investigative journalism, I will not go in there (to eat) but I thought I would mention them as they have a web site. I have to add a footnote here, as I was dragged into here on the last pub-crawl and drank the free cruiser they gave me, so I can't say I won't go in there, but I do not know if I will ever eat there. I can't believe what a hypocrite I am, I organised a pub-crawl last year, and we ate here. Lots of $25 platters of any number of deep fried "things" and chips, with pottles of sauces on the side. It was pretty generous, and went down well with the masses. [Not likely to be reviewed while sober]
	Shenanigans Short lived Corner Post/Amber Lounge/Mooses has had a major facelift into a nice looking Irish pub. It seems popular, and for the first time in ages looks like somewhere I would be tempted to go into. [not reviewed]
Easy Tiger Used to be Tokyo in Hamilton, then Harry's karioke, then something else. Looks like a flash pub now. [not reviewed]
	The Zone Sports bar in the front of the casino. menu looks reasonable. [not reviewed]
	Rodeo Rodeo Cowboy themed pub in Hood St. Got a mention in Lonely Planet, or somesuch. Does not appear to do food at all. [not reviewed]
	Pit Lane Hole in the wall pub in Frankton village. looks sufficiently bogan. [not reviewed]
	Your Mum's Or some crap name like that - used to be CazBar, in the Hood Street marketplace. Noticed that the Cazbar has gone when we were in Cullens recently. but it was raining and cold, so could not be bothered investigating. Presumably just a pub now. [not reviewed]

Miscellanious food places.

	Hell Pizza shop in 5 Cross Roads & Dinsdale. Parking is round the back, which helps. The pizza's were interesting. It takes a while to get through the menu. Price is a bit more that normal Pizza Hut/Haven, but the pizza's have more interesting toppings. Only one base type, but the flavour was good. The dessert pizza's are the best thing we got. Also do pasta (I quite liked the tandori chicken pasta) and salads (no comment - anyone want to try for me?). I do like the pork ribs. And now they have a branch right next to uni, so yay! Has a website that you can order from. Shame about the $7 delivery charge. [last reviewed Nov 2008]
	Pizza Hut The old standard. The Hamilton East branch is much nicer, except for the students! Just found out the Ulster Street branch has closed down. Apparently you can still get parmesan cheese to shake on your pizza if you ask at the counter. Ask for everything with barbecue sauce - and you need to say underneath otherwise you just get it squirted on top, a la Eagle Boys style. Note that they will not always do this if you ring the 0800 number, depending on how anal the operator you get is. You can now order online.
	Dominos Most of the Pizza Haven's have turned into "Dominos". They seem reasonable, and have a good range. Some people rave about them. The pricing confused me, and their website only has a pdf of the pizza descriptions. The Godfather pizza was nice.
	Nando's A roast chicken joint (as it were). Part of an Aussie chain - see their web site. The chicken is nice, very succulent, and the lemon & herb baste is good. The mild Peri-Peri (chilli) sauce is hotter than I expected for an NZ "mild" sauce. Order first and you should have read all of the walls before your food arrives. A bit pricy, but a change from KFC.
	Seafood Grotto In Frankton Village. Essentially a fish'n'chip shop with seats out the back. Cheap and cheerful, with lots of local colour. The fish was lovely. the rest was ho-hum. and yes Malcolm, we also got the 'yous want eggs wiv that' with every order. [reviewed Junish 2007]
D'lish???? The deli-sandwich bar in the centreplace food court has turned into a burger joint (was Flame/Flambe). Lets hope it is better than the last burger joint in that mall - Grillers from memory (and no, not the Grillers at the north end of Vic St.) Sorry, I was going to have it when I found Rave was gone, but it did not excite me enough to actually buy something from it. Has another branch in Chartwell Square - sorry... Westfields. both changed their name at the same time. [not reviewed]
Indian Sweets & Snacks An indian sweets and snacks shop in 5 Crossroads (used to be up by the Hospital), and now do hot food (but not beef). Their burfi is nice, and the snacks are reasonably fresh, and cheap. Go try it. [last reviewed Aug 2005 at old place]
	Working Mens Club Bar & Bistro Not my cup of tea, but here for completeness. I believe you need to be a member to get in, although one member can bring in three guests, so if you have a mate who is a member... The food was generous and reasonably tasty. We went on a busy night and it was a small wait, but the drinks are cheap :-) Has a web site. [not reviewed]
	Vegan Buffet, or somesuch Used to be Chinese Healthy Vegetarian Food. A very dodgy looking place next to K-Mart. Does asian vegetarian fodder. Don says "I think the food is quite tasty, but it's not hot enough. They have a sign offering to heat food up in the microwave oven. For under $5 I could eat a filling meal. The owner is friendly." but then most people thought Don was slightly weird to start with. [not reviewed]
	Kebabs Cafe Does kebabs, and wood-fired pizza. the kebabs were alright. Definitly better than the other kebabs hole-in-the-wall across the road (which is now Spawn) .
	Spawn A hole in the wall that appears to do pizza by the slice, for drunk people. Artwork is 'quirky'. I am never drunk enough to try this, although the pizza looked okay the one time I look in.
	St Pierre's Sushi of Japan Just had to include this. It really was a wtf? when I first saw it, cause the French are famous for their sushi - not! Appears to be popular, and is in every mall, but who's brainfart was the name?
	GelatAmore Used to be the in Garden Place next to Urge. Now only have the Cambridge GelatAmore place. Their gelatos are great, so try it sometime. [reviewed Oct 2006]
	Hamilton Farmers Market Sunday morning in the car park on River Road (and I think on thursday night in garden place?) can I say I preferred the old place more. Good place to buy veges and produce. Food is normally high quality, but expensive. The salami's are good, as are the spotted dick. Don't think much of the cornish pasties tho - they need more salt/pepper/spice. The soggy bottom sausages are also good. I do wish they had someone who grew mushrooms. Has a website. [reviewed weekly]

Further Afield.

	Vilagrads, Ohaupo A short drive from town. Open for Sunday lunch: Spit roast, very yummy salads, grilled whole fish, vegies, pasta, desserts & coffee. The desserts are good too. The medium wine is nice, and so is the vintage port. Their Noble sticky is very nice - I did not get to try the ice wine, boo hoo. They do a wonderful wedding reception! Get along to their grape festival which is run annually - they have Brazillian dancers and everything! They now have a web site. Also check out 3 Brothers Winery. [last reviewed Nov 2006]
	Woodbox, Mystery Creek Heard great things about this place and also heard that it was often booked out, so went for our anniversary dinner. The menu is full of great sounding food, and a good selection of wines, as you would expect. We ended up doing a half a dozen tapas/entree plates and the food was great - love the mushroom and haloumi. Must go back and try the mains. They also do gourmet pizza. Katie says "I went there winter last year and had the Alaskan crab, it was the best meal I have had ever ever ever! God it was devine, the staff were cute, attentive, brilliant with my son, only downfall was that it couldn�t cater for large groups at the time, however they were intending on building a larger place" They have a web site. [reviewed Aug 2008]
	Narrows Landing, Narrows On the road to the airport. Setting itself up as a 5-star posh place. It was good, but not stunning. Waiter was new and didn't know the menu, which I think is bad management. The salmon had too few vegies, but apparently they are revamping the menu. Huge tables. Probably better in daylight. They now have a web site.
	Black Rock Cafe, Raglan This was very good - I had the baked whole baby salmon and it was divine! The meals are really good "trendy cafe" style food. Watch out for the Hot Chocolate - it's the size of a soup bowl, and 'Milo'ey!
	Tongue and Groove, Raglan Lovely decor. The food was very generous for the price. More Trendy cafe food on formica tables. Worth a visit, if you can get a table.
	Vinnies, Raglan Not sure if this is still going - looked fairly dead teh last time we rocked on past. Also not sure if it survived the Kiwi Kitchen Nightmares (or whatever) TV experience Nice food (Mike really loved the mussels). Now they have menu's and come to take your order, so it is much more civilised than before. Hamilton prices, but the middle sized foods are a good feed. Has a website. [last reviewed Dec 2006]
	Marlin Cafe, Raglan Lots of radio adverts, looks like a bar. Down by the docks. Hopefully it does good fish, being next to the wharf. [not reviewed]
	Blacksand, Raglan Used to be Aqua Velvet/Molasses. Looked pretty shut and it was a Sat dinnertime, so either it only does lunches, or has not opened yet, or gone under already. comments anyone? [not reviewed]
	Zaragoza, Raglan New place. Looks nice inside, and the menu sounded alright. Met the owners, who seemed nice people. We had a lovely meal there just before xmas. Waiters were nice and the food was excellent. Really liked the garlic bread. We did the meze entree which was a lovely sampler of tiny morcels that taste lovely but do not full you up. [reviewed Dec 08]
	Orca, Raglan Down on the corner by the harbour - used to be Salt Rock Cafe (Not to be confused with Black Rock Cafe further up the main drag.) Looks allright. and has a primo position. [not reviewed]
	Costa's Pizza, Raglan Does Pizza that is apparently 'good' by what I have heard. [not reviewed]
	Sushi Takeaway, Raglan Big sign above the door, but not sure if I have ever seen it open. [not reviewed]
	Red Cherry Cafe, SH1 just before Cambridge Used to be Essenza. Got an email from Jody to let me know of the proper name for it. Who goes on to say: "Yes, and we are definitely worth stopping for." Brent or Lesley or Courteney (Sorry, the email name was confusing) says "Essenza does make great coffee and the food is also worth a try.� They also roast coffee on the premises so it smells great and you can purchase freshly roasted coffee beans." Jacqui's Mum also reports it is worth a visit, so we will try it the next time we go to Tamaheri Market. Has a website. [not reviewed]
	Boatshed Cafe, Karapiro Umm, not a lot I can say. Advertises lots. Has a website. [not reviewed]
Souter House, Cambridge The food was beautifully presented and the glasses are elegant. Posh dining in a refined (read quiet & stilted) atmosphere. An unkind person would say that the food was bland, but I will say that it is delicately flavoured. Not your spice haven here. One of the few silver service restaurants left. Go if you want to impress someone.
	Rosso, Cambridge Used to be Alphaz Wine Bar. Nice place, although the loos are odd. The service was okay, except they had disappeared when I wanted a dessert menu. The food was nice, and it was quite pleasant, except for the locals eating there. There is a lot to choose from if you like seafood, and not a lot if you don't. [reviewed April 2004]
	Onyx, Cambridge On Alpha st, next to Rosso. Big flash building, did not go in. [not reviewed]
	Indian Aroma, Cambridge In the old Lorenzo's bakery place (in fact, most signs still say Lorenzo's). Appears to be a branch of a Hamilton Indian place. See the Hamilton branch review. [not reviewed]
	Oasis, Cambridge Now seems to be just Thai food. so can't comment on what it is like now. [not reviewed since it turned thai]
	Deli on the Corner, Cambridge New coffee shop in the funny little wedge shaped place in the main street by the roundabout. Somewhere to go to get proper coffee in Cambridge. Nice food. The owner and serving staff are friendly, but seem to be falling over each other in the cramped space, which I am sure is going to get better with practice. Alice says "Hugely popular, Great coffee, friendly atmosphere. The staff are helpful, although do sometimes seem uneducated, and the owner is upbeat. Prices have recently gone up, a piece of pizza is 5.50 or so. and a Latte is 3.50. nice on a sunny day when your not trapped inside with the rest of Cambridge. Good blackboard variety." [reviewed Feb 2003]
	Toccata Cafe, Cambridge Upstairs in the revamped church. Can't remember right now what it is. Used to be All Saints Cafe offering anointed coffee and divine cuisine. Funny it seemed like ordinary tea and scones when I was last in there. A cafe with pretensions, methinks. The shop is worth a look at.
	Rata, Cambridge Used to be The Gallery. This is a great place for food. seating is a bit haphazard, but the place is convivial. Try it. [reviewed 2008 sometime]
	Instone Cafe, Cambridge In Victoria St. Probably replaces another cafe on this list, but I do not know which so I will just add it as a new name for now. Opposite the service station and pink church. and I think there is an Indian place behind it also...
Zingara Bakery, Cambridge Used to be Le Quesnoy. Love their food at the Hamilton Farmers Market, so figured I should put them in here somewhere. Have not actually found their business, but it is in Cambridge somewhere (Bath St).
	Riverside Motor Lodge, Cambridge Went there once for a dinner and concert by some impersonator - don't ask! The food was okay in a motel bane marie way, sad actually, and the singer was worse. I left as soon as they stopped guarding the door. Avoid. Has a website.
	Prince Albert, Cambridge "Traditional" English pub-type place. Haven't been back since a pub-crawl many years ago. Has a website.
	GelatAmore, Cambridge Nice little shop that does fresh Gelato, and it is very good and reasonably cheap too. Well worth a visit on a sunny day. The Rum & Raisin was very good - actually they all were. [reviewed Dec 2005]
	Flavers Cafe, Cambridge Trying to be a trendy cafe in Cambridge. Food was reasonably nice, and it is nice to sit outside and eat. My burrito was good, with a nice amount of spice. Coffee and cakes were also said to be good, but I was hanging out for Gelato from next door. [reviewed Dec 2005]
	Hello India, Cambridge Indian place next to Rosso in Alpha St. Used to be Lakhy, then Dhaliwal. Dunno if anything else changes but the name. Looked standard Indian, but we decided to go Italian, so no idea what it is like. [not reviewed]
	GPO, Cambridge Used to be the General Post Office (hence the name). New restaurant in the middle of town. Simon emailed me to say "GPO in Cambridge will NEVER get my custom due to the ridiculously heavy handed 'fun police' signage, although it is worth stopping to read it, honestly, it's like the Gestapo have gone into partnership with Mormons ..." [not reviewed]
	Cloisters, Cambridge Fran's Cafe, Cambridge Bambino's Cafe, Cambridge Saw an advert with all three of these in it, so I will lump them all in together. Got an email recently from a Cambridge-ite with these comments: "Cloisters' staff are friendly, but the food is basic and the selection small. Coffees ok, same with the food. Courtyard Cafe, its struggling and the selection is small. Staff are rude and service is slow. Frans Cafe, Always busy, crowded despite extensions, old decor which can give the atmosphere of a english cafe, or make you feel claustrophobic. Friendly staff, good variety, quick service, average coffee." Bambino's says it is kid friendly. So go there with your kids. Tucked down the back off the main drag. Frans cafe has a website. [not reviewed]
Cafe 55, Cambridge Alice told me about this place, and said "A failed attempt at looking upmarket. Small selection, bad coffee, rude staff." Anyone want to contradict her? [not reviewed]
	Kisso Sushi, Cambridge Umm, has a sign that says it does sushi... not a lot more I can say, sorry. [not reviewed]
	Absolute, Cambridge Dead now. Not surprised since I was always doing about 70km when I pass by this place. [not reviewed]
	Mellow Manor, Matangi(ish) Used for weddings and functions. See the sign, but never been there. [not reviewed]
	Country Lane Cafe, Pukerimu/Leamington Ann says "Country Lane Cafe on the road between Leamington and Te Awamutu is great. Licensed. Rammed earth cottage built by the owners. Lovely gardens to sit in and wander round. Usually heavily booked." [not reviewed]
	Splashy Cafe, Hautapu In the splashy pottery shop. does coffee and cabinet food. was nice when I went there ages ago. Has a website. [reviewed umm, a while ago]
	The FirePot Cafe, Gordonton Got a lovely email from Brent & Michele, who run the place, inviting me to "pop in and experience our home made food, fantastic coffee's and very friendly service. Our hours are mon-Friday 8am to 4pm.� We have an very good range of home made fare from both our cold cabinet, and our all-day brunch menu. You must try our Lemon muffins with zesty lemon yogurt�which �we bake from an old recipe everyday, and always sell out very early. We also have a fantastic little peoples platter� for $8.00 with has a selection of carrot sticks, crispy savory noodles, marmite sandwich, fruit, marshmallows and mini hot cakes with a fluffy. (just like mums)." I will try and do that shortly, thanks. [not reviewed]
	Woodlands Cafe, Gordonton Carole emailed me to say "Just had my first cafe experience at Woodlands Cafe and was not disappointed, lovely day, choice of indoor or outdoor setting, nice appropriate piped music, choice of either menu lunch or cafe style, we chose the cafe cabinet, and enjoyed it to the max, all was delicious, even the chef or manager came around asking if all was ok, nice touch i thought." Lyn recently emailed me to say "I agree the setting is lovely but........The service sucks...�The service is really not flash. The�young male waiter needs some Ramsey training I think, he didn't appear to know how to serve food and wine, he tried hard but please, some training........the young waitress was great. We were offered two wine lists one of which had wines no longer available, and naturally we chose from this one, we ordered breads and the table beside us came in sat down ordered and got their mains before we got our breads. The main (Filo Wrap) was passable but only just, quite dry, coffee stone cold but at least when we mentioned this we did receive a free second round. Lovely setting and everyone seemed happy enough, lucky we were not in a hurry as everywhere I could hear the�waitress apologising for the slow service. Lucky the sun was out!" I went there recently and the place is lovely and the food was good, but the service wasn't so flash. Has a website. [last reviewed by Ly, May 2008]
	Willow Glen, Gordonton These people do a lot of advertising on the radio. Had no idea where they were until we zoomed past while we were out driving one day. I always thought of them as a wedding venue and not a cafe. Has a website. [not reviewed]
	Midway Garden Centre Cafe, Gordonton I thought this was the same as the Firepot cafe, but they are in different buildings, so can't be the same. [not reviewed]
	Matangi Oaks, Matangi Does anyone know if this is still going? Cause it seems to have dropped off the radar. From an email from Ann "There's a newish place on Matangi Rd called Matangi Oaks - open for lunches - cheap but really good food - around $6.50 for example for Thai Fish Cakes with 3 salads. Good coffee and yummy cakes. Beautiful gardens to sit in and wander around. Closed Mon/Tues." I guess Ann has a thing about gardens. It's pretty good, and nice to get away from town.
	Piko Cafe, Matangi Jacqui went for a girls lunch out here, and said it was good, with some reservations. Since I wasn't allowed to go, I can't give you much more than that. But I have heard it is good from several people, so go try it and let me know. Carole says "Hi, just visited the Piko cafe at Matangi a couple of weeks ago, March 2007. I liked the setting, and the food looked good and service was good, however think i made a bad choice, my raspberry and coconut muffin was not to my liking, infact I just could not eat it, my husbands carrot cake was ok, nothing to rave about. I would give it a second chance though, as perhaps my taste buds just were not performing well that day. There was a fairly limited choice in the cabinet, as with most of these type of cafes, and the lunch menu was reasonable. Not one of my favourites so far, but as the setting is rather nice, I would go back a second time and choose something different."
	Hudson's Restaurant & Bar, Hamilton Airport Have done their breakfast, which was quite nice. Can't comment on anything else. Sadly you can't see the planes take off and land from the restaurant. Has a website. [not reviewed]
	Gostiona, Ohaupo Just out of town on the way to Villagrads. Used to be a great steak-house. The decor is amazing, what Brad would call "a hunting lodge for rich wierdos". The food was nice, in a large steak and plain steamed vege way, and cost more than I expected. Go if you like Cobb & Co, but want to spend a bit more for better atmosphere.
	Clocks Cafe, Ohaupo Formerly Longitude and the Old Bakehouse. Carole says of Longitude: "Just visited the longitude cafe, although it was the weather from hell that weekend, was worth the trip. There was plenty of choice, and the food looked good, and it was. I had special dietary needs and they were very helpful. It was very busy and we had to wait a while, but I enjoyed our food, the atmosphere is pleasant. I thought the price was a little expensive, but the quality made up for it. I only have one complaint to make, it was freezing in there, there was a heater but it was not plugged in. I sat there shivering waiting for our lunch, it would have been nice to come out of the cold into a lovely warm cafe. So I doubt I will re-visit in the winter unless I am assured that the place will have some form of heating, but would return in the spring or summer to experience their outdoor area they claim to be nice." Thanks for the review, Carole. Has a website. [not reviewed]
	The Old Creamery, Kaipaiki Rd 2nd road on the left out towards Te Awamutu, after the airport turnoff. Carole wrote me a long review: "The ambiance of this cafe is great, wonderful gardens, big wood outdoor tables with huge umbrellas, and the inside is just as pretty, with a nice warm pot belly fire going, even a small gift shop with mouth watering chocolates, but best of all Molly the cafe cat, who indeed got a few pats from us after lunch. The staff were very friendly and helpful and made our visit delightful, the food was good and presented beautifully.� I had asked if they had decaf Tea, they did not but have now decided to put it on their menu. The prices were fairly normal for this type of cafe. Overall 8/10, I was most impressed by this lovely quaint cafe. P.S you must visit the bathroom, I was told they have an award for their toilets." Thanks Carole, and I will pay you as soon as I get any money myself :-) Have a website. [not reviewed by me]
	Windy Ridge Cafe, Ohaupo Looked nice as we wizzed past. may stop next time. Someone went to a wedding reception there and said it was alright. Has a website. [not reviewed]
	The Olde Garage, Pirongia Another "Old" store & cafe - and they say the Waikato is backward. Not sure this is still going. [not reviewed]
	Pirongia Village Cafe, Pirongia If this is the one in the middle of town, it was quaint and enjoyable. The regulars were all having toasted sandwiches, so we tried them and they were good. [not reviewed]
	The Persimmon Tree, Pirongia This was okay. pleasant seating, but not much view, except the mountain behind you. The iced chocolate was nice, but felt a bit pricey. food seemed average. Could not see a persimmon tree. [not reviewed]
	Redoubt Cafe/Bar, Te Awamutu Opposite end of the shops from the RAT. Nice bar that did good food. generous portions. We enjoyed it. Have a facebook account [reviewed Oct 2006]
	The Ale House, Te Awamutu Used to be the Rose & Thorn (or RAT). Was Hamilton food at Hamilton prices. Well worth a stop before or after the movies at the Regent 3. Is now one of the Speights Alehouses that are cropping up everywhere. Reasonable food if it is anything like the Christchurch one. Has a website. [not reviewed]
	Bank Cafe, Te Awamutu Stopped here for lunch. Place smells like a takeaway bar, and the burgers were fairly pedestrian. Julie's Mega Burger was much better value than our BLAT. Actually, avoid the BLAT. It was okay, I guess. Apparently has changed names and owners, but I do not know what it is now called. [reviewed Jan 2007]
Elevations, Te Awamutu June recently emailed me to say: "We have a nice new resturant/cafe called Elevations, it's upstairs in Market Street. Can't say too much as I have a family connection to the owner but the food is nice." go on June, give us a review, we can take it with a pinch of salt. [not reviewed]
	Cafe 10, Te Awamutu @Mitre 10 presumably. All I have seen is a photo - looks nice and they have a proper coffee machine, but that is all I can say. looks okay from the road. [not reviewed]
Taylors, Te Awamutu I worry about places that are both a restaurant and a conference centre. They can't write English in their advert. Is this the place on the hill just north of town? [not reviewed]
Sugoi Sushi, Te Awamutu Naomi wrote me "It's my favourite Sushi place to go whenever I am in Te Awamutu which isn't as often as I would like. The sushi are always generous in proprotion for a suhi and the taste is divine. You always have to make sure you go early in the morning when they open or your choices are greatly limited because it is such a popular place." Thanks for the email Naomi. [not reviewed]
	Churchill Cafe, Te Awamutu No idea where 1 ohaupo road would be? at the start of town presumably... [not reviewed]
La Hacienda, Te Kuiti Kerry wrote me "You can get nice Mexican (not authentic, kiwi style, but yummy & priced well) in Te Kuiti!! La Hacienda, on SH3, you'll pass it on the left heading south - it's on the main road side of the shops in the middle of town, next to the Testing Station & just south of the BP on the corner. La Hacienda is a cafe, so is open all day. Last time I went they had an impressive pick'n'mix lolly display & the best homebaked cookies for $1. It's not gourmet stuff at all, more like Mexican you'd make at home, but it's nice & in Te Kuiti which is hard to believe." Thanks Kerry, will check it out when I am that direction. as you say, how many Mexican places are there? [not reviewed]
	Bosco Cafe, Te Kuiti Part of the Waitomo Lodge. Again, from Kerry "In contrast, down the road at Bosco cafe in Te Kuiti (voted the runner up best cafe in NZ), everything is overpriced & the only drink I had there was lukewarm. They're always super busy, but that I wouldnt go back there. " Anyone want to come to it's defence? [not reviewed]
Prima Cafe, Te Poi Bob says their pies are worth stopping for on the way to Tauranga. [not reviewed]
	Banco Cafe, Te Aroha Big and red and used to be a bank. Only does dinner on Fri & Sat. Graham and Yvonne from Hamilton really rate this restaurant as a place to dine. The counter food for the lunches is good and the coffee is always flavoursome and hot. The meals at night not only look good, but they taste great. To cap it all off Jane, the owner, is a wonderful hostess with a terrific memory for her irregular clients. [not reviewed by me]
Thistles, Morrinsville Got this lovely revue from Carole: "Hi there, just wanted to say I have visited the Thistles at Morrinsville a few weeks ago and would like to pass on my comments. Being a Scottish lass thought I would see what it was all about, more a restaurant than cafe I think, as limited choice in the cabinet, even though it was 11am, but I enjoyed the atmosphere, a little Scottish themed but could have more I think. Only had choice of two muffins, (we stopped for morning snack) savoury or blueberry, but must say was presented very nice on plate with knife and fork, serviette, butter and a dipping sauce, most unusual, in a decorative way, and still only $2.50. The muffin was very yummie too - bit different to what I have tasted before. Also a small free yummie biscuit with the tea we ordered, so on a whole I think it was pretty good and would return, probably rate it a 7 out of 10, I also saw other meals being served, they looked very nice and quite good size, service was pretty ok as well." [not reviewed]
	Chambers, Morrinsville Garth says "Come over some time and try the counter meals at The Council Bar and Cafe in Canada St. (Used to be the old Municipal Chambers, hence the name.) They do very nice bar meals at around $10.00 - generous helpings - and have a good selection of drinks available. There is also a restaurant." Thanks for the tip, Garth. We were going to eat here, but could not find it. [not reviewed by me]
	Blue Cat Cafe, Morrinsville Susan says "When you are next in Morrinsville stop for lunch at the Blue Cat Cafe, lovely fresh food at reasonable prices, great coffee too." Thanks for the tip, it was very good. large servings at great prices - the coffee and food tasted good. The custard squares weren't my cup of tea, but my chocolate/orange slice was great. [reviewed Sept 2005]
	Frock, Morrinsville In the Anna Stretton factory showroom. was closed when we went past. [not reviewed]
	Crazee Cow Cafe, Morrinsville On the corner just up from the Council Cafe. Went there the other day as it was the closest to the church we went to for the funeral. The coffee's were fine. The menu looked pretty interesting, but we weren't there for food. The glasses look a bit crazed from being through the dishwasher too much. Another Mad Cow cafe... [not reviewed]
	Ronnies Cafe, Morrinsville and/or Matamata Same people as the Hamilton one. In fact I think this one came first. Or is it Matamata... I always get them confused.. [not reviewed]
Workmans Funky Cafe Bar, Matamata Apparently a sister cafe with Hydro Majestic, so that should recommend it. Have a webpage. Sadly the site was written by someone who loved Java. Got a good writeup in the recent AA Magazine. [not reviewed]
	The Loose Goose, Tirau I can't believe that I have not already got this place on my page. The Loose Goose is a good place to stop and eat or coffee. The meals were good. I went there when they had a live fiddler, so it was packed, but still convivial and the food was still good. As an aside, the fiddler turned out to be the ex of the new husband of a good friend of mine, so it is a small world.
	Poppys of Tirau Now has a big corrugated iron poppy on the roof, so it is now easy to spot, opposite the big dog - it always has a crowd of people and cars outside it, so that must say something. Got listed in the AA Magazine as a good roadside food place, but no details. Carolyn sent me an email saying "Excellent reliable well priced food, clean and presentable - especially their toasted sandwiches made to order and the homemade soups in winter are hearty." Thanks Carolyn. [not reviewed]
Crazy Cow Cafe, Putaruru Got an email today from Red saying "great stylish relaxing cafe on highway one we stop at, superb coffee and generous servings, the cafe is in the wrong town though nothing much else there, worth a stop though miss out tirau and stop in putaruru. check it out". Thanks for the tip, I will try to make it. More 'mad cow' references... [not reviewed]
	Motormania & Cadillac Cafe, Putaruru In the old round post office. Dunno how good a cafe it will be - presumably to have a coffee after seeing the cars. [not reviewed]
	Cooks Landing, Te Kauwhata I see this as I hoon past on the way to Auckland, and wonder if anyone actually stops here. I went to a wine tasting here years ago, and the views are great. No food then. Maybe we will go before Natasha and James stop being farmers - no chance there, since they are now in Aussie. Has a website. [not reviewed]
	Huhu Cafe, Waitomo Caves Looks really nice food from the website. Sorry, don't go to Waitomo often, and didn't eat when we did. Has a website.
	Roselands, Waitomo Caves Again, not really my territory. Has a website.
	Rangiriri Tavern, Rangiriri Used to be a lovely pub to go to for a night out from the Tron. Haven't been in years, but it looks the same from the outside.
	Hopin Stopin, Taupiri This place always has cars parked outside it as we wizz past, so it must be doing something right. Love the green paint.
Twin Rivers, Ngarawahia Always see the sign, but have no idea where this place exists, or whether it still exists. And how good a restaurant could it be in Ngarawahia?
	Cafe Le Bron, Ngarawahia Looks like a brink bunkhouse, and it is in Ngarawahia, so not sure what to expect.
	Country Cafe?, SH1 just south of Ngarawahia Odd place in the middle of nowhere, opposite the golf course. Normally has a couple of cars outside, but that could be the owners. Sorry bout the photo, but I am normally on my way somewhere when I go past, and forget to stop and take a photo.
Country something else cafe???, SH1 just south of Cambridge Realised looking at the above photo that there is another odd place in the middle of nowhere just south of cambridge. Used to be a compulsory bus stop. Forget to take a blurry photo of it when we were coming home from Toke last weekend.
Albericos, Tokoroa Speaking of which, I guess I should add Tokoroa's one and only restaurant. Does Italinish food. Menu never changes. Nice murals. Amazingly, has a webpage. [reviewed anytime in the last decade, cause it doesn't seem to change]
	Out in the Styx, somewhere out in the styx! Never been there, but has a good reputation. Normally only hear about it from people dragged out there for motivational crap. Has a website. [not reviewed]

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