I thought my “true café experiences” were relegated to memory after returning home, and to the East Coast. *Eyes wide open now* Wow – what a stunning surprise when an unscheduled stop discovered this cafe. The bypass town is now a regular stop for me simply because Misty River Café;
- has amazingly tasty, beautifully presented and very authentic food that respects their cultural origins.
- has outstanding service where staff do not ideally ‘chit chat’ but engage in meaningful conversation with you. It’s so refreshing to be treated as a person not on a conveyor belt.
- has a rich environment that exposes you to the vibrant history of Waipawa and the region. As an educator I certainly appreciate ‘feeding my mind’ in equal measure with my ‘stomachs’.
E hika ma, koinei ra te tino pataka o Waipawa. Uru ki roto, e kai (this is honestly the place to eat in Waipawa. Try it).

To say the Misty River Cafe makes sensational food, has excellent service and tasteful decor is an understatement. Everything is done with first class attention to detail and exceeded our expectations, all our food was superb and the Red velvet cake is outstanding !!
I will be back next summer for more spoiling.
Big thanks for being by far the best cafe during our holiday travels.

E:)

The best little secret in Central Hawkes Bay. The food is sublime, the staff exceptional set in a quaint little cafe in the most unlikely place…………we are forunate to have it in our slice of paradise. Support this local CHB residence. People from all over eat here. Its just Fabulous

Awesome meals at Misty River, the Lamb Rossini has to be my favourite!! The lamb is just so tender. The presentation of the meals and quality of the food fantastic, You can hear and see everyone lookin and commenting on whats being brought out. Great atmosphere, an wonderful hospitality, always well looked after by Julie and Chris, yummy wines and great coffee. Lucky to have such a great place in Central Hawkes Bay

What a wonderful surprise. Now it is a well known assumption that small community diners and cafes have great food, but Misty River Cafe takes this assumption to new heights. The atmosphere is nostalgic and rustic, complimented with photos of times gone by from the local region. I especially loved the Elephants dragging a tractor in Waipawa. Who would have thought!?! The food is great and I could rave about the meals, but I want to spend more time raving about the CUSTARD SQUARE! Heaven in my mouth! The absolute best custard square ever! Don’t be fooled into thinking it is anything like the typical solid and gluggy custard square that we all grew up with. Hell to the NO! Think of a light, soft and creamy custard between a thin pastry that is lightly dusted. You must try it, even if that’s all you order!

This has to be the best restaurant I’ve eaten at in all of NZ! The food was amazing, the staff extremely friendly and did I mention the food was amazing? I’m a vegetarian and they went out of their way to cater to that! I had the creamy mushrooms on toast with a side of kumara mash for lunch. It was so yummy that I wanted to savour every byte! We loved the food and people so much that we want back the next day for breakfast! For breakfast I had a vegetarian version of the classic eggs Benedict. The flavours danced on my taste buds! Loved the entire experience and can’t wait to go back again! If you’re in the area, it’s worth a visit!

It’s even better than ‘As good as it gets’. The whole experience from customer service to the owner coming over to our table to chat was fantastic. The food is to die for, especially the custard square. Not what my friends and I were expecting, but what a delight. I had been looking out for a custard square exactly like this, will only ever eat them from The Misty River Cafe from now on. The meals were all perfect, presentation, taste, we each savoured every melt in the mouth bite. It was only by chance that we stopped into this cafe but what a find. Can’t say enough about how great this place is, you must eat here if you want delicious food made with love and passion. Thank you Julie and Chris for a wonderful experience. See you soon.

Having spent a lot of time in a wide variety of cafes around NZ, on 3 visits from the UK (in the last 2 years)… that’s almost 3 months out of the last 24 in NZ, I have to say this is the best coffee I have had in the whole of the country.
My wife had just said that this was ‘damn fine coffee’ as they say in Twin Peaks, when what should come over the speakers, only 2 minutes later, but the Twin Peaks theme tune. Eerie, but true!
Thank you, Misty River.

Friendly service with a smile, great ambience. The carrot cake is seriously the nicest I’ve ever tasted – if you go here you MUST try it! I can guarantee you’ll love it as much as I did. Would give this place more than 5 stars if it was possible – can’t recommend it enough, and will always make a point of stopping by when in Waipawa.