hamilton gardens cafe

18 minutes in line to order. that’s okay it’s probably good.ordered2 cooked meals and 5 items from the case plus a flat white, hot chocolate, milkshake and oj. (4 people) included was a cheese scone. there were 2 on display and the cashier physically checked all of the previous orders ‘to make sure one was available’. it was.
oj was not fresh but came in bottle from fridge.
went to table.
coffee (very good) arrived immediately. asked server for glass for oj.
7 minutes...cashier arrives to inform that the scones had sold out and requesting another choice. when this offer was declined cashier quite rudely agreed to give a refund. (when the refund arrived it was slapped on the table and there was no recompense for the extra butter that had been charged)
after 8 minutes the first hot meal arrived. asked again for glass. told to go and get one from the water cooler. hmmm.
1 more minute the next hot meal arrived.
4 minutes later, the milkshake and the got chocolate.
hot food almost eaten and we went up to ask where the salmon tart, the brownie and the other case food was. and there it was lined up on the bench behind the counter. told
... it will be out immediately.
joke.
poor male server swings past with a huge smile to ask if we were enjoying our meals?
he certainly did not expect a resounding no!!!
poor guy runs away and after another 5 minutes the food that could have been served first finally arrives. brought out by the unsmiling cashier who clearly regarded the debacle as our fault.
no suggestion of an apology or any sign of gracious behaviour.
the next time i come to hamilton gardens i will buy my food at couplands bakery in te rapa and eat from a brown paper bag.
a hugely pretentious and expensive disappointment.

amazing coffee with a beautiful view! unfortunately it was raining but i can imagine the views from here on a sunny day. service was friendly and quick.

the mocha weorderedwas delicious and well presented. cabinet food looked yummy but we weren't hungry so didn't try anything.

can't wait to be back during summer!

popped in for a quick coffee before looking around the gardens - the drink itself was nice enough, but the service was incredibly unfriendly!!  

my lactose-free friend asked for almond milk but was told there was only soy available - something she's pretty used to, but this information is usually given with a smile and an apology, not a flat "no" with an equally flat expression.
i had a couple of queries about the drinks menu, all of which were responded to tersely.  when iordereda regular size latte (as was advertised on their board, which i pointed out) i was told that actually no, there was only one size available.

the worst came when our drinks arrived and my friend asked for a side of hot water with her tea - this was followed by an audible sigh, and our waitress walked off - we could only assume to get the hot water as opposed to just walking off completely.  to her credit, she did bring back the water a few minutes later, which was plonked on the table in front of us without a word.

the food would have to be pretty spectacular to prompt me to return again, as opposed to just bringing my own picnic to enjoy in the gardens...

we went for a walk in the beautiful hamilton gardens. which i must say are very well maintained and the reason for me giving the cafe a rating of 2.0. the surroundings of the cafe are exceptional. unfortunately, that is about the nicest things i can say of the cafe. admittedly we didn't eat anything, as we reached at 1450 hours and the kitchen was closed. the selection in the cold cabinet looked average. the coffee and the tea weorderedwas passable. but what really did not impress me was the staff. they weren't rude but just indifferent. like when the waitress served the coffee, she reached over my baby and tried to give it to me. hmmmm she could have walked around the table! same when the table behind was being served she just tried to squeeze through not once but three times. no excuse me or sorry. and i am not talking about the same waitress! maybe i am being pedantic but i won't be recommending it to anyone!

this is a very busy cafe' situated in a beautiful spot in hamilton city. i don't think the cafe did itself any favours by furnishing the outdoors area with cheap looking furniture. that made the dining area appear more shabby than it is. our table rocked on an uneven surface.
the food bar selection is great. iorderedmy meal from the menu and was presented with a tasty eggs benedict on a hash brown. for the price that i paid ($20) i expected to get at least a salad on the side or is that asking too much. it was warm and so was the coffee. cold water is offered free of charge.
the service was friendly and efficient.

went to the garden terrace restaurant on a saturday, for the first and last time, for my mother’s birthday lunch.

the wine list was limited with approx 7 wines in total. weorderedthe pinot gris after a while was told it was not in stock, we thenorderedthe sauvignon blanc and once again after a while was told that was not in stock either – this left 3 white wines to choose from, we asked if either of the chardonnays were unoaked - the waitress had no idea meanwhile a beer wasorderedand none of that was in stock either! the restaurant should have let us know before weorderedwhat wines / beers were available or printed up to date drinks menu or gone and bought the wine weorderedso as not to let the customer down.

when i spoke to the manager – she was very rude and said it was my fault for not pre-ordering the wine (the wine list is not advertised anywhere and it is not up to the customer to know what is / is not in stock). not getting any of the wine/beer that the table wanted upset my mum and spoiled her birthday lunch and as the manager was not prepared to do anything i asked if she could apologise to my mum for the upset on her birthday. the manager said she would apologise but did not – we left not at all happy with the experience.

the food was very average at best – nothing special but edible. not what is advertised: “experience the culinary delights of a mouth-watering seasonal menu in our fully licensed restaurant.”