Been brunching at the weekends at Lido for about 5 years now.
Great food and great service.
But not the coffee. Used to be ok but now it’s too strong/bitter.
Something has happened – don’t know if they changed their beans or size of the cups or what. Have tried different coffee options but don’t like what they serve now. I just drink the water there and after brunch I grab a Mojo.

Love going to Lido especially on weekends, as they have free live music..great idea guys! Love the coffee and location…and of course the music. Service is good too, but can get crowded and frustrating if you’re waiting for someone on a busy day, but that’s to be expected at a location like this.

Would suggest Lido to provide vegan food options and vegan cakes…I’m sure more people would become fans.

Great job, guys!

Currently writing this review outside lido after having something called a Chocolate Iced Milk, which was disgusting. Also sat next to me was one of the staff members eating a salad! The Man behind the bar was a nice enough chap but he politeness was overruled buy the cluster and mess the place was in. Sugar, salt, pepper, bottles and bowls of things are scattered everywhere and a wall covered in posters is quite distracting, as is the kiosk of tourist flyers buy the entrance. Loos went too bad just a bit run down paint flaking off the walls and again very cluster and cramped.

Great shame because it is in a good location and has potential to be a really good cafe.

18 May 2011
A friend and I have just had lunch at the Lido and found it extremely disappointing.

The omlette was overcooked and rubbery and after several attempts to eat it my friend gave up and ate the salad instead.
My vegetable soup was bland and I needed to add more salt and pepper to it.

When the waiting staff came to clear the plates (after some time had passed) we gave her feedback, which she said she would pass onto the chef. She did not come back to our table to give us an update on what the chef had said.
When we went to pay the bill my friend reiterated the problem with the omlette and the person at the counter said “Oh, people come in specially to have the omlette”. At no stage was there an apology or an offer of a discount off the bill.

Overall we were disappointed in the food and in particular their lack of apology or acknowledgment of the problem with the omlette.

We will not be returning or recommending it to others.

We have dined at Lido for many, many years now – mostly for breakfast and brunch, and have found it consistently excellent in its food, service, location and pricing. Its coffees are the best in the City as far as we are concerned – we often will go there right across town or even into town from our suburban home in the mornings just to get a great coffee ‘fix’ to set up the day. Its food is consistently good and cost-effective relative to other cafes in Wellington. Its location is perfect for people watching and for watching the city go about its business, and while being a little tight inside made it more difficult to access with a pushchair once we had our sons (3 years ago), they always try to accommodate and find a spot for us. They are flexible in adjusting meals which many places are not these days – they’ll substitute one ingredient for another for instance. And they’ve always been perfectly friendly to us. The same principles apply as anywhere – treat them like people (rather than servitude lower beings as I’ve seen a few customers do) and they respond with personable and professional service. We just love it there – it’s our home away from home!!

Having read the last unbalanced, unhinged review I feel I have to give, my hopefully more educated and reasonable opinion of the Lido.
The Lido is what it is – a Wellington icon. Busy, cramped and always on the go. This is why we go and part of the reason it has been around for 20 years. It has a buzz that only an inner city cafe can have. If you do not want you chair nudged by a busy waiter a couple of times then this is not the place for you. Go down the road and pay $50 a main and then you can have all the space around your table you want.
The Lido offers good food (best sausages and chips in town) but the chef comes up with some cracking dishes for the amount of people this place serves. The coffee is consistent as is the service.
Open all hours and always welcoming, great value for money. What more do you want from your inner city local. Keep up the good work and keep smiling.

I walked into Lido Cafe in the city on 23 Nov, at 5 p.m. to reserve the table for two more friends of mine. Finding the high chairs at the table I occupied a bit uncomfortable, I moved to one of the tables along the glass wall facing ‘trade-aid’. This cafe is notorious for its crammed space with tables and chairs (save three or four) filling the space with no concern for the customers. A lady (there were two of them and a man serving at that time) who came to serve the next table said ‘Excuse me! Can you move your chair?’ And where am I supposed to move? Under the table? Her tone struck me as being utterly rude and sniggering. It took a while for me, however, to comprehend the hostility in her voice. And why? Was she serving me under charity?

Not just that, she went to the counter and shared a joke with the other lady with her eyes very clearly pointing at me. I was mad! By then my friends walked in and I regret that I did not walk out at that very moment asking her to ‘F..k off’ I kept observing her throughout. She was all smiles (plastic! of course!) with other customers, trying to crack jokes with them though anyone hardly even smiled.

Her behaviour was impolite, uncourteous, unpleasant at ‘best’ and at worst, certainly racist!

Seems Lido Cafe Management has not taken any pains to orient its staff, for she did not seem to have even the basic professional ethics.

This lady with a smirk on her lips had pink tattoos on her neck!

And ‘Lido Cafe’ is certainly out of my list even if it were to be the last cafe in town.

The Lido has yo-yoed over the years, alternating between offering exceptional dining experiences and very average meals. Four of us managed to grab a table for a weekend lunch today (it pays to keep an eye out and be quick!). Two of us had corn fritters with bacon, which was delicious, as was the scrambled eggs with salmon. The German hotpot offered a couple of surprises but was tasty. Our service was pleasant and efficient, topped off with great coffee. I’d happily come back again for lunch or coffee – it’s a great location for people-watching, too.