Two different days-Two different experiences.
Last weekend my husband took my two boys there and they had lunch.They ate outside at the tables near the trampoline.Food was ok,portions a bit small .The boys loved the play area.
Today we all went there.We went up to the counter to order and was asked where we were sitting.We told them outside next to the play area.They said sorry but under council regulations we cant serve meals out there you’ll have to eat inside.We thought it very odd as my husband and boys had eaten out there last week so we said we’d leave.
Went back outside so the boys could have a quick play before we left and lo and behold!The waitress bought food out to one of the outside tables.So,we questioned her and she said she was sorry and didnt know what to say.
The management at this place need to ensure the same rules apply for everyone!!We will not be back!!

I frequently go to The Punnet Cafe and just love it. I have never had any problems at all with service or the staff. I often take out-of-towners as it is a lovely place to have a meal or coffee.

My favourite dish is the scallops – they are devine.

We arrived on the second seating at 1.30pm so it was quietening down. Despite that, we never received our drinks and were only attended to twice. Once to take our order (which we had to ask for!) and once to deliver the food; all while the staff seemed to be hanging around the counter chatting to each other.

Wait for food was over 30 minutes.

My dish was nice (the salmon), however my partners pork belly was dry and over-cooked, while the accompanying salad was drowning in dressing.

The place is in a nice setting, however the service and food is a let-down.

Maybe they’re not too keen on kids or something because I experienced similar hostility on Fathers Day Sep 2011.
We went to take my Father for a coffee for Fathers Day along with my Mother and 3 children.
We had made a reservation which was inside but asked if we could move outside as it was a lovely day. We weren’t allowed to sit out by the playground for some reason although there were a heap of people out there when we left.
Coffee was nice but basically our waitress was so short with us, impatient and unfriendly. She took our order and never came back to ask us how everything was going although she went back to the table next to us 3 times while we were there and she also said very obviously so that we could hear to the table next to us “Your my favourite table”. How pathetic!
We were waiting on muffins (which I asked about) in which she replied “You never ordered them from me”. We did.
SHe must have moaned to her Boss on the counter because she was just as unfriendly when I went to pay.
Yes they were busy and rushing around as it was Fathers Day but that doesn’t give them any excuse to treat their customers like they’re doing US a favour so it pretty much ruined our Fathers Day morning tea. CHeers!
Won’t go back.

Went to visit Punnet today. I would agree with reviewer in July this year, portions are small and overpriced. We both had the prawn risotto which was a very good flavour but more like a starter size – this was $18! The carrot cake portion was more generous but very dry, we were not able to finish it. Coming from England I am used to high food prices but nearly $80 for two for lunch was a bit of a shock, having been out to lunch quite a bit since arriving. The staff however were plentiful and helpful, and the bathroom clean.

We went to Punnet for lunch on the weekend. It was a beautiful day and we sat outside in the sun overlooking the strawberry fields. We had great service from attentive and friendly staff. I had the scallops and enjoyed every last bite. There was what I thought an unusual combination of scallops, chorizo, potato, almond, leek & hollondaise. WOW, these flavours & textures worked sooo well together!! I would definitely recommend this dish. My husband had the lamb rack and commented about the great flavours in the jus. The lamb was cooked perfectly – moist, tender and a little pink in the middle. We both ordered Lemon Sour Cream cake for dessert which was a great way to finish the meal. The cake was light & fluffy, served drizzled with a little lemon syrup and with cream on the side.
We will definitely be back and will take friends to enjoy the cuisine with us.
All round a great experience – Thank You

My wife and I have visited this Cafe a couple of times now, I have waited to write a review as I feel it takes more than one visit to give a solid opinion. Each time we visit they seem to be busier, the food has remained (pleasantly) consistent, and the staff are always happy to see us. I would recommend it to anyone that loves attention to detail. They are a team that knows what there doing!

Decided to go for lunch with our kids after hearing good things about the place. Unfortunately, the first impression given by the lady at the counter was so bad that I just wanted to walk straight out and go somewhere more deserving of our business but the kids were hungry so we stayed.
Having 3 young children, my partner just went and found a table outside so that they could get settled and I asked for menus at the counter – the 4 wait staff that were standing around doing nothing just ignored me and the lady who was obviously in charge told me to wait a minute. This caused raised eyebrows between myself and another customer just because of the tone in which it was said. (I didn’t even notice the sign telling people to wait to be seated that was down by my feet, not so easy to see when you walk in and people are at the counter, maybe one at eye-level as well would be helpful?)
When asked if I had a reservation I said no (I could count at least 10 empty tables inside and out), then it took about a minute of the lady in charge to consult her diary, check with a waiter what the time was, consult her book a little longer, look a little bit more important then sigh and tell me we could sit on the table that my partner was already at. Phew! Thanks.
I then still wasn’t allowed to take menus, these had to be taken to the table by a waitress – even though I saw lots of other people taking their own menus.
The service of the waitress was ok, and the food when it came was fine – hard to go wrong with mushrooms on toast and my partner’s scallops were lovely. The kids menu could be a bit more inventive, just the obligatory chicken nuggets etc. but the play area was awesome for them.
But unfortunately the attitude of the lady at the counter killed the experience. Even when I went to pay she didn’t give me any eye contact or smile. Being in the industry myself, I would never dream of making a customer feel so unwelcome and even though the food was good, we won’t be going back.

This weekend we ventured out to Punnet. It was so busy we didn’t think we would get a table, but the wait staff were really accommodating and found us something really quick. Loved the fact that we could have a joke with our waitress also. We were told there was a bit of wait on food so we decided on a bottle of wine while we waited. We were stoked with what the waitress had recommended, clearly she knew her stuff. The food came out quicker than expected and looked amazing. We weren’t let down by the taste either. Clearly their Chef knows how to cook and what flavours work the best together. My lamb was perfectly cooked and hubby’s salmon eggs bene was great. Awesome environment, great food and service, will definately be coming back.

I’m not sure what the last lady is talking about!!! I am a regular at this Cafe, and come back most weekends to experience, not only exceptional service, but food that has been put together with experience and high standards. The ambiance created by the “tie day” Sunday as one of the waitresses calls it only adds to the uniqueness of this outstanding cafe. Thanks guy’s and keep up the good work!

This place looks all good but we found it very overpriced with small portions of food, the wait time was too long, it was hard to get anyone to serve you to pay the actual bill, found the staff terrible, we found them not accomodating for a special day for a small family so they lost a $1000 sale, more fools them.

This was my first visit, the place was packed,in fact it was so busy inside, was too noisy so went outside ,we just had afternoon tea there, a coconut cake each and a cup of tea, it was one of the best cakes i have ever tasted, moist, delicious with like a coconut ice tasting icing,yum,i saw some of the other diners meals, and thought they looked really nice, especially the chips, will be going back for sure and highly recommending this cafe, worth a little, short drive in the country,also the store beside it is well worth looking at, has some things i have never seen before, and this cafe is child friendly, having a neat play ground for the children with tables right beside it, a lot of thought has gone in to the planning of this cafe,only thing i could suggest would be a couple of patio heaters or even better still they build an outdoor fireplace, would add to the ambience fo the place and keep it toasty warm.