Ate dinner here on a Saturday night in a group of 6. We were the only diners there for the whole time. Meals were well priced and generous portions, but nothing special. No atmosphere because the place was so empty.

Ate here with a group of 8 women. The food was delicious. Wine very reasonably priced. Very authentic Thai vibe about the place. What let this place down was what I presume to be the owner – an older guy who hovered, commented on our conversation, was overly familiar. He kind of joined in like he was part of our group – simply not appropriate. I’d go back for the food – but if he behaved that way again, I wouldn’t go back.

Easily one of my worst dining experiences in Hamilton. Decor was tired, our waitress was surly and rude. She overlooked to bring my drink, when everyone else at our table was served. She forgot to bring one entree – so one of our friends had to eat alone after watching us eat. Later another drink was forgotten, although the rest of our table was served. We were a group of 6 and we had booked, so they knew to expect a full table of diners. To be fair my main was delicious, but the other five mains were underwhelming. Time Adriana’s Restaurant closed its doors – they have been around just too long and have lost their passion for their cooking. And their service was simply embarrassing. I would hate to think what visitors to Hamilton would think if they had to experience this!

We dined here on a Friday night with our three children aged 6-13. There were other diners with children, so we felt very relaxed about being there on a Friday night with our kids. The food was fresh, family friendly and came promptly. Our meals were very reasonable priced and we were served at our table. The BEST thing about Babaganush was its service. The young man who served us was super friendly, had a great sense of humour, was informed about the menu selections and made recommendations with confidence about what to order, and assisted us with quantities (re the kids meals). This restaurant was pumping!

Had lunch here today with a friend. Everything in the food cabinet looked appetising. I chose a mushroom & bacon pie which was delicious. It was very hard to choose! Excellent coffee. Lots of easy free parking which I always appreciate. Friendly staff. Fair prices. What more can I say. A good spot for lunch or a coffee.

We went here because of a coupon in the Entertainment Book. We will definitely be back. Best Indian food we have ever had. Plus the best service in Hamilton! There were heaps of staff on hand to help. We ordered the banquet which was so generous and delicious we couldn’t eat it all. The restaurant was clean. Parking was easy. Recommend Recommend Recommend.

This is my ‘local’ when I’m at work. The food is simple, inexpensive and reliably excellent in quality. The coffee is unbeatable! The staff are friendly and passionate about their coffee (which is important to me). This cafe has plenty of personality with a shabby, eclectic collection of furniture which suits the cafe … Parking is a little tricky – but I’m lucky, I can just walk!

Cafe Suburbia is a fabulous place to dine when the owners are there. When they are not there, it’s a bit hit and miss. Most recently we dined here as a family using vouchers we purchased off Grab One on the internet. I was quite surprised that an establishment of this quality sold vouchers on the internet like this. The breakfast I received was very ‘fast food’ in nature – like they were mass producing rather than hand crafting which I was kind of expecting. The restaurant was spotlessly clean. The service wasn’t as good as when the owners are there – but it was ok (other than my coffee being spilled all over the saucer and me having to ask for a clean saucer). My meal was satisfactory – but I have definately eaten here before and been served better. Would I return for dinner? ABSOLUTELY. Would I return for breakfast? Probably not.

I ate here with my husband and another couple for dinner on a Friday night. They were packed, but this only added to the atmosphere. The service from the owner was friendly and knowledgable, but I did find the wait staff to be a bit surly. Food was excellent. Portions a little bigger than they needed to be. Great wine list. Will be back for sure!

One of my favourite cafe haunts in Hamilton. I come here all the time. I especially like their covered outdoor eating area which is perfect for a meeting. Coffee is consistently delicious. There is plenty of food to choose from and I am yet to find something I haven’t enjoyed in their food cabinet. My son thinks that this cafe makes the best brownie slice in the world! (and trust me he knows his brownie). The girls at the counter are really friendly. These guys are doing a great job.

Had a business lunch here this week. There was plenty of food selection. The interior of the cafe is very attractive, andi like the concept of the ‘booth’seating – although I did find my bench seat to be a little low relative to the table height. The music needs to be addressed. I like the music they were playing, but it was so loud! (maybe so the staff could hear it in the kitchen????) I couldn’t hear myself think, and left instead of ordering a second coffee. I am young, and live locally. This cafe is directly opposite a retirement village, so I imagine that lots of older people will eat there – they may damage their business with the volume problem, which would be a shame as they are in a great spot.

Stopped here for a quick lunch when in Auckland for business. Exceptionally friendly staff. Heaps of food selection. No loo (that I could see) or indoor seating which was a bit tough on a wet day. My wrap tasted very fresh and was a very generous portion. Their recipe book looks fantastic! Might have to save up and buy it next time I’m up.

One of my favourite cafes in Hamilton. And once again they didn’t disappoint. Coffee is excellent. Food consistently delicious and their prices are fair. Service friendly and it’s exciting to see that they are expanding their premises. One of the things I like the best about Firepot is the wee shop they fill with quirky and interesting things to buy. I usually can’t escape without buying something. I will definately be back.

Ate lunch here with a work colleague. We arrived at 1.30pm on a weekday and the cabinet food was very picked over. But, what I ordered tasted as I expected it should – but was in my opinion over-priced. Service was adequate – but not exceptional. Best selection of magazines I’ve seen at a Hamilton Cafe – loved seeing local magazines there too. Coffee was excellent. I found the cafe itself to be very loud – couldn’t hear myself think – the acoustics need to be addressed if they want to attract business people for lunch meetings.

This is the friendliest cafe in town. Stopped here for coffee and to grab a quick sandwich to take away. Cafe was doing a roaring trade after Saturday Sport – and taking the business completely in their stride. The Baristta in particular is so chilled out and in control. I noticed that the sandwiches were refreshed in the time we were waiting for our coffees to be made – so I like the fact that the food isn’t pre-made heaps in advance – the obviously replenish the cabinet as the food sells. Considering how busy it was, we didn’t have to wait long at all. Coffee was fab. I LOVE the take-away cups they use – my coffee was piping hot, but the cup wasn’t hot to touch. Even though it was busy, still got a park at the door.

I dined for lunch here today with a friend. The first thing that struck me about this restaurant was that the wait staff are older than is typical in Hamilton restaurants – and what a difference their maturity made. The fish options and the special was explained with confidence. Our orders were taken in a timely manner and our food came faster than I expected, especially since I had ordered risotto. The staff were attentive – but not in your face. We had a nice glass of wine. Coffee at the end was delicious – good coffee is important to me. Prices were fair. There were heaps of choices on the menu…more than was necessary really. This restaurant has been around forever and once again it didn’t disappoint.

I ate here today with my husband and son for lunch. They have curly fries and chocolate brownie – so my son was sold from the get-go. My husband and I both chose sandwiches from the cabinet that were heated for us, which I thought was especially nice on a rainy day. The sandwiches were fairly standard cafe fare and perhaps could have done with a bit of chutney/relish on the side. The food was brought to us in a timely manner and the fries which would have been cooked to order arrived at the same time as the cabinet food – which I personally prefer over food arriving in a staggered manner. Coffee was good. Pricing was standard. Staff were kind of neutral neither friendly nor unfriendly. Over-all a pleasant lunch just missing that’x’ factor.

I haven’t eaten lunch here in years. When I used to work in the CBD I ate here a lot. My experience on Tuesday did not disappoint. There was lots of tempting counter food. (Where has the lovely chutney gone that used to be served with the sandwiches?) My flat white was OUTSTANDING. My vegetable sandwich delicious and fresh. My husbands warm chicken sandwich looked tasty too. We shared a chocolate brownie that was OUT OF THIS WORLD. Still one of the best places for a quick lunch in Hamilton.

I dined here last night with a group of 12 friends. The staff took the size of our group in their stride. The atmosphere in this restaurant was pumping and unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. The staff were super helpful, attentive and fluent in French and English. We dined on a Friday night when there was an Accordian player adding to the ambiance. The food truly captured the flavours of France, was delicious and plentiful. The French wine on the wine list was a nice touch and we enjoyed the novelty of trying new wines. What makes this restaurant super special though is their fabulous front of house team. Will definately be back.

My friend and I arrived quite late for lunch – around 2pm, so understandably the food was a bit picked over in the Cafe side of Pumice – so we decided to eat in the restaurant.
Our meals were both delicious with interesting flavours and were a good size for lunch.

My only disappointment was having to watch a cockroach sit on the wall beside us. It actually provided us with considerable entertainment watching each member of the wait staff, spot it, look at us then scurry away, unsure of how to deal with it or us. We would have appreciated being given the option of switching to another table. It was one of those situations that just got funnier and funnier – the longer the staff avoided dealing with it. I understand that cockroaches sometimes just can’t be helped…..but by the same account it is kind of gross eating and simultaneously hoping that it doesn’t fall into your meal.

If you just want the food – this place is great. But the ambience is lacking and the cleanliness fairly marginal. We were the only ones in the restaurant when we dined and were seated facing the open kitchen door. I couldn’t stop looking at the dirt and food and rubbish underneath the floating kitchen bench units. It was honestly quite off-putting. I don’t go to a restaurant to look in the kitchen – I could do that at home for free!

My husband and I took our kids here for dinner. It is certainly a suitable venue for young children…it was so loud and echo-ing that any noise they made was absorbed. There was a good selection of food options for kids. The adults food was however very over-priced for what it was. Our steaks were over-cooked and the salads had the appearance of being pre-made in advance and not especially fresh. I wouldn’t bother going back unless the quality steps up or the prices drop down.

My husband and I ate here recently. The food was delicious and the portion sizes generous. One thing I hated though was that the restaurant was empty and the 3 couples inside were all seated together along the front windows (I’m guessing to give the restaurant an appearance of being full from the road)….I could hear every word the other diners were saying as I’m sure they could hear our conversation. There was more than ample space inside the restaurant to allow us all some privacy to enjoy our night out. I also thought it was really rude the way a staff member came out (during dinner service) and climbed up on top of a neighbouring table and proceeded to change lightbulbs…..surely this could have been done prior to opening! Hardly urgent.

My husband and I eat at Zinc regulary. We feel very spoilt to have such a great restaurant in our neighbourhood. Zinc punches well above its weight with quality, locally sourced ingredients = delicious food made to order (not prepared earlier and re-heated). I notice that they change their look regulary and they organise really cool events which we love attending. The last one I went to was a “Beef and Burgundy” night with 5 beef courses matched with wine for $110! Awesome value. If I could offer one criticism it would have to be that I wish they served a little counter food in addition to their delicious cakes and slices. Sometimes when I drop in for a coffee I feel like a sandwich, not something I need to order off the menu. They owners look to be really young – I wish them well for taking the risk and setting up their own business. They’re doing a great job!