Went today for lunch on Waitangi Day they charged an extra 15% which we expected however what we did not expect was to wait 35 minutes for our food !!! Shocking service Elixir especially considering the lack of customers you had..the room was only half full so you were definitely not busy.

The ratings on MenuMania make things difficult – elixir is good, but not very good, but deserves something a bit above average. Some of the food is great (for example, love their muffins, whereas when we ordered toast, we got two slices of commercial white bread), good variety on the menu, but service is a bit variable, prices steep and – our biggest issue – if you sit outside, you can be overwhelmed by smokers, and if you sit inside, you need to be well away from the door, or the smoke drifts back in. Something we out-of-towners are not accustomed to – its a shame when non-smokers can’ t enjoy sitting outdoors.

Have been to Elixir before and enjoyed it however I went again tonight to introduce my friends to the great desserts. Well I was ashamed and quite embarrassed to be honest! The service was appalling! The waitresses got the order wrong and when it turned up and I said it was wrong she made me feel like it was my fault and ripped it out of my hand and was quite visibly annoyed. On the return of the correct dessert the girl almost threw it onto the table, didn’t apologize, didn’t look me in the eye or say anything and on leaving didn’t even look at us as we left. Will not be taking any more friends there if we are going to be treated with such disrespect!

It is surprising to see the less favourable reviews. My wife and I have just spent a wonderful few days in Taranaki and went to Elixir because my wife had been there previous while on a business trip. We found not once but twice we visited the cafe to be excellent. The food was wonderful and the service was exceptional. We would definitely recommend the Elixir Cafe. Well done, leaves most Auckland Cafes for dead

went for cake and wine last night. I would recommend their New York cheese cake, you will love it! thinking about coming back for some breakfast one day.

Terrible.

Service was horrendous, we were totally forgotten about. Waited ages for our food, no one came to open our wine. The glasses and cutlery were filthy and the food was cold and looked as if a toddler had prepared it.

20 minutes waiting time for a takeaway hot chocolate is not acceptable! We ordered two, oddly one was only luke warm while the other was far too hot to drink. Perhaps the girls behind the counter should have ceased their gossiping and got on with their work

The food was excellent and the coffee was great. The service was good, staff were relaxed and friendly. The reviews on here are from 2010 and I do not think they are an accurate representation of what Elixir is like. I would definitely come back next time I’m in New Plymouth.

Fantastic little find. Food was great, we were warned that it was a busy place so booked well before hand. Time for food to get to the table a bit slow but well worth the wait. We even went back for breakfast the next day. Again food a bit slow to come out but fantastic.

What a disappointment our meals turned out to be, after being a regular visitor for lunches and coffee’s. After phoning in our reservation for a table for four, we arrived to be seated at a table that was big enough for two people. After a quite word with one of the waitress they found a half a table and added this to our seating. Thanks! Then we were told that the Steak on the blackboard menu was sold out; this was 7pm! The waitress then went on to tell us that the duck was also unavailable. I ordered the chicken breast this was a very nice meal my partner ordered the red beef and red wine casserole this was dry over cooked and crusty. The service was poor considering I had suggest another table for us!

This place is so terrible its not even worth a review.

I was horrified by the shocking service, the cold food and dirty utensils.

The only positive side was it was pretty cheap but if thats the service you get for a cheap meal, id rather have beans on toast.