nectar cafe & restaurant

service far too slow, coffee nice once i got it but who has 25mins to wait for a coffee when they are not busy at all!!! bagel was o.k but again sooooo slow! this has been the case every time.

had a very enjoyable family lunch at nectar. cosy atmosphere, great coffee and meals. best service we've had in whangarei in a long time. look forward to trying the new dinner menu in the near future (without the kids next time!).

we came here because their website said: "winner of best cafe of the year 5 times in northland fresh local, organic produce. vegetarian, gluten free, wholefoods, dairy free..." it was rather disappointing for this claim. while the setting is nice enough and the music decent, the food was extremely underwhelming. the smoothies were super thin, i.e. a milk shake not a smoothie. a number of ingredients were not available and they didn't tell us. there was definitely no walnut in the smoothie i got even though it was stated on the ingredient list. the corn fritters were pretty average, and the chips had a coating of some commercial spice mix but again that has nothing to do with wholefood cuisine. the impression i got was that the cafe was bought up by indians who are not quite sure what they are doing.

nice location, the further out the back you go the cooler it becomes. they make a nice hot chocolate.

great service when we were on our way to a wedding reception and needed a late lunch. the staff were so friendly and were awesome to kept the kitchen open past normal lunch hours just for us! it came out fast, fresh and delicious! great coffee too! will be sure to head back next time we are up from auckland.

looking for a place to eat on our way through to the far north, this place looked like just the ticket. a menu that offers healthy, wholesome options is very welcome when you are on the road. located on one of the main streets of whangarei, parking can be tricky and be aware that on the weekdays, it is pay & display.

we entered the restaurant from the street and realised it was vastly bigger than it appeared on first take. a main feature of the decor has to be the large feature window to the rear of the restaurant. greenery and landscape paintings give a nod to the cafe's organic, wholesome values. there was a consistent crowd dining - it would be interesting to see what it was like at non-peak times - but we were seated relatively quickly.

my husband ordered the corn fritters off the menu and i ordered a spanish lamb pie out of their cabinet. we also ordered a fruit salad to share with our little boy. a lot of cabinet food had already been purchased so i suggest heading in by late morning if you want a quick or takeout meal. lunch service took around half an hour with coffees taking about fifteen minutes so bear that in mind. the corn fritters arrived with house relish as they were out of sweet chili sauce but this did not detract from the dish. the pie was well-crafted and the fruit salad had a good mixture of seasonal fruit.

child friendly? sort of. they have baby-change facilities in the wheelchair accessible bathroom. they provided us with a high chair but it did not have a tether from seat to tray which may be a concern for some with smaller children. the main seating area is up a few stairs, not so ideal for strollers if you having a sleepy bub but there are a few tables on the main level.

i'd definitely return, but probably when we didn't feel so time-crunched for a leisurely meal with just my husband and i.

love nectar especially your options for those who need particular dietary requirements (would love to see more fodmap friendly options by the way). great food, service & coffee. would love to see you open on sundays.

wonderful breakfast at nectar on saturday. despite being very busy they found us a table and as always the food was wonderful. they have a unique take on french toast and their lemon curd is divine. can't wait to go again.

i had nectar as my caterer for our wedding in oct, even now a couple of months down the track we are still getting comments from our guests how amazing the food was.
we were not only impressed with the quality of the food but all so the service provided on the day, they assist with final clean up of the venue as well. just an amazing experience and amazing food.
nectar is now one of our go to cafes when we are up in whangarei, as the service has always been good and the food options are amazing, they have the easier menu to chose off for alternative foods for food allergies.

it was the first time we had been to this cafe and was in our entertainment book. we were driving through from auckland so planned the stop and were glad we did. the food was delicious and wholesome and i loved the atmosphere and the view over the park.

yummy breakfast yesterday at nectar cafe with house smoked salmon and free range eggs. delicious coffee too!
another visit very soon is a must, to try something else off the healthy creative menu.

wow! so glad to have found this little treasure in whangarei. had saturday breakfast here and was most impressed with the quality of the food, the flavours and generous portion sizes. had the mushrooms on toast which was cooked perfectly while the others on the table had berry - coconut porridge and corn fritters. the porridge was delicious with generous quantities of macadamia nuts. overall it was a great experience and will surely go back to nectar cafe again.

ending up at nectar cafe & restaurant for lunch on saturday.

as we got there around 1.30pm, a few of the menu items were unavailable due to being sold out in the lunch rush.

i am currently doing a sugar, diary, gluten and wheat free regime. when i mentioned this to our waitress she checked with the kitchen about what they could do and i have a delicious falafels and salad.

there was a stand of gluten free products - of which i ended up purchasing a few and the owner was extremely helpful and so interesting to speak to as he and his family are gluten and dairy free.

highly recommend nectar cafe and will definitely be back there as soon as i can

nectar is by far the best coffee shop i have been to in whangarei. the food is of good quality and well presented. you also have generous portions which leaves a customer going away satisfied. a good ambiance and nice and clean. if any criticism i would say it would be nice if you were open longer. it would be a nice spot to go to after work for coffee and cake! keep up the good work!

this place is by far the best place to eat in whangarei for brunch. i have been there 3 times now, and although we had one 'bad day', the staff reduced our bill considerably and gave us a voucher for free coffee on our next visit. the chef also came out to apologize in person. they are a great team of staff and i would walk a thousand miles for their potato cakes. from the sounds of other reviews i am going to have to go for dinner as well. my mouth is now watering for a brownie! we love you nectar - keep up the great work and i'll see you soon for an order of potato cakes :)