Best coffee in New Plymouth by far. Not only because the beans are roasted about 15 metres away from the coffee machine (you can hear them roasting in the next room!), but also because the staff are professional baristas. No bored schoolgirls here, these guys are brilliant at what they do. All New Plymouth coffee lovers thank you guys, so don't ever stop.
Why are they open at such strange hours? It defies logic. They have the best coffee in the region, yet they refuse to open for more than a couple of hours on Saturday - and they're completely shut on Sunday. Sunday is my favourite day for getting a brew, this loses them an all important cup in my rating system. Grrrr, come on guys - you can do it!
112 Devon Street West, New Plymouth City Centre.
Just down from the Clock Tower, on the opposite side of the road.
Excellent coffee, very friendly staff. All their coffees are strong and flavoursome, squeezing every juicy drop out of their Inca-fe beans. They won "Best Cafe in Taranaki" a few years back too. Not surprised at all with those "cups of heaven" they served us!
The food's a rip-off, so we snuck in our own. Must they charge this much for small portions of food? Eat before going. Silly operating hours mean they close at 4pm weekdays. They're so close to a 5-cup rating. Come on guys, you can do it.
We've been here perhaps a dozen times and the staff are always very friendly and enthusiastic. Very funky & upbeat decor; it's more Parnell (a trendy Auckland suburb) than New Plymouth! Food is delicious and flavoursome. Everything's organic too.
While still good, their coffee has reduced in quality lately. Either their Coffee Supreme beans were stale or they're weren't ground properly. Also, expect to pay through the nose for food. Their "Big & Bouncy" large breakfast went up by $4 and is now $22.50 per person! Outrageous! Organic food simply doesn't justify that price. Also, avoid the revolting Breakfast Burritos like the plague: I felt queasy afterwards. We're a bit disappointed overall.
Starbucks New Plymouth have a great bunch of enthusiastic staff who always warmly welcomed us to the counter and engaged us in friendly chatter. They also make delicious hot chocolates and a nice, spicy & sweet "Chai Latte". This is, however, a website about coffee...
The coffee. It's weak and dull. I tried doubling my shots, but all I ended up with was more dullness. I'm not picking on them because they're a coffee chain (Gloria Jeans for example did brilliantly in our review) but if you're after a good coffee take our advice and keep walking.
You have been warned.
Just like Starbucks, they make great hot chocolates and they have a nice spacious atmosphere with comfy chairs. They also have a selection of magazines and today's paper to read. A much more relaxed atmosphere than you'll get at Starbucks.
Sigh... If this was a website about hot chocolate Esquires would score well. Sadly for them it isn't. Maybe it was the lack of air conditioning, but the staff were a little vacant. Also, just like Starbucks, Esquires somehow makes coffee that tastes like muddy water with milk & bubbles. Don't even bother ordering coffee here. Instead, go up the road 50 metres to the Elixir cafe for a decent brew.
117 Devon Street East, New Plymouth City Centre.
Next to Subway Sandwiches and Top Town Movie Theatre.
The food and the coffee - both are excellent, exellent, excellent.
The meals are adventurous and rewarding, and most importantly the coffee is divine. You'll be tempted to lick your cup afterwards - or order seconds! Go here for breakfast instead of Chaos cafe. It's open every day, most nights til late, and sometimes with live bands too!
It's a small, loud, and dark. If this is your style, then you'll find no better in New Plymouth. If you're after a more relaxing experience however, you'd better forget it.
When they get quite busy you'll be straining your voice to be heard. Oh, and who "ran over the puppies" of the wait staff? They were so gloomy you'd think someone died. Too busy to care I guess. Get some lightbulbs installed, and tell the staff to lighten up.
We've been here perhaps a dozen times and the staff are always very friendly and enthusiastic. Very funky & upbeat decor; it's more Parnell (a fancy Auckland suburb) than New Plymouth! Food is delicious and flavoursome. Everything's organic too.
While still good, their coffee has reduced in quality lately. Either their Coffee Supreme beans were stale or they're weren't ground properly. Also, expect to pay through the nose for food. Their "Big & Bouncy" large breakfast is now $22.50 per person! Outrageous! Organic food simply doesn't justify that price. Also, avoid the revolting breakfast burritos like the plague as I felt queasy afterwards. I believe Chaos was the best cafe in New Plymouth at one stage.
281 Devon Street West, New Plymouth. Corner of Morley Street & Devon Street West; opposite Down to Earth.
The coffee is good here and the staff seem to know what they're doing behind the machine. Fresha make rich, creamy coffees from Allpress beans, and have a great delicatessen section to wander through. They also have free parking which gives them an advantage.
The staff are miserable. I mean "My parents just died in a horrible yoga accident" kind of miserable. Not only that, when asked to blend a teaspoon of sugar into one of our coffees, they suggested that we do it ourselves. Heavens above, I almost glove-slapped the girl. Also, while their delicatessen is interesting, you'll probably find it cheaper to actually fly overseas, rather than buy international foodstuffs from this retailer.
Oceanview Parade, New Plymouth. Past the big propellor and right down the end of the road, next to the boat ramp.
What a great atmosphere! It's a rustic but inviting cafe overlooking the water and many boats. There's even a fat & friendly cat that sits in front of the fireplace in the winter months. Good views, tasty food - and the coffee's impressive too! I found it to be a real "Kiwi" cafe experience.
Like in many New Plymouth cafes the food is overpriced and poor in value.
Just because overpriced cafe food is becoming commonplace doesn't make it an acceptable practice. The staff weren't putting in much effort to be friendly either. They should put more effort into keeping their tables cleaner: sticky tables with dried wipe-marks refracting in the sunlight ain't nice. Nice place, but not an awesome place.
Coastal Walkway, New Plymouth. Either walk eastward along the coastal walkway for 20 minutes, or go to Nobs Line & drive down towards the sea. Head to the carpark at the very end.
This place is New Plymouth icon. As well as looking pretty darn awesome, it's a rare example of how a caravan can make a quality latte or cappucino. The chocolate fish is a nice touch, and the retro armchairs are a great talking point. So that's where gran's furniture went! We like the surfboard tables too. I recommend going there.
It's an outdoor cafe, and like it or not, New Plymouth doesn't always get the best weather. This means they're closed when it's raining - which happens a lot here. It's out of the owner's control but a pain nonetheless. They need to create a better production system too because waiting 25 minutes for a coffee on a busy day is just silly. As soon as these guys speed up, I'll give them a well deserved 5-cup rating. That's a promise.
Infusion is New Plymouths "Central" cafe. It's smack-bang right in the middle with good coffee and a modern interior. The coffee won't have you praising Jesus or weeping with joy, but it's not bad either. This is another one of those cafes that I want to like.
It's a fairly unremarkable cafe, which is a shame considering it's location. The meals are a mixed bag - some are good, some bad. They close early on Saturdays, but are only open for 5 hours on Sunday which is a bonus. Overall however, Infusion just lacks a certain something. You'll know what I mean if you go there. It's more like a modern diner than a cafe.
This cafe's French theme is quite unique and unlike any other cafe in New Plymouth. They play some wonderful eccentric music and the tables & chairs spill onto the street. It's an ideal summer destination to get a bit of a French fix. I genuinely want to like this cafe.
Just like a real Paris cafe, it's an absolute rip off! Also, placing a big cóck outside (by which I mean a rooster) doesn't make you truly authentic. Neither does below-average coffee.
Review your prices, work on your latte foaming skills, greet me with an authentic bonjour and a 5-cup rating is all yours. We'll be trying you again soon so be ready, monsoir.
St Aubyn Street, New Plymouth City Centre. Right next to the information Centre in the Puke Ariki complex adjacent the mall.
The coffee! It's stellar! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Rich, wholesome, delicious. Whether you get a latte or a long black, you'll be impressed. They use locally roasted Ozone coffee which is fresher than a really really fresh thing. It's open 7 days too.
It's a restuarant with a bar built in so the atmosphere is loud. When we were there one weeknight we had to yell to eachother to be heard above the din. This is partly because it has hard walls, hard ceilings, concrete floors, and hard furniture. The noise just bounces everywhere. It was too loud & uninviting for us. Shame, because the coffee is truly epic.
Corner of Leach & Elliot Streets, New Plymouth. If you can't find it then I suggest skipping the coffee and going to an optometrist.
Believe it or not the coffee is ok here. Not powerful the way I like it, but still tasty with a milder flavour. They use Fairtrade beans, and being part of McDonalds you have somewhere to let the kids go nuts and scream their heads off while you sip your latte. It's also the absolute best value coffee in the entire city.
It's McDonalds. Plastic seats, screaming kids, sticky tables - and why must every single McDonalds have that bloody annoying beeping noise coming from the counter?
I drank my coffee, but the atmosphere was awful. If you're lumbered with kids it might work for you but we certainly won't be returning.
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Inside Mitre10 Mega, Rifle Range Road, New Plymouth.
In the Waiwhakaiho shopping complex, opposite Countdown.
Don't let the soulessness of a home improvement shop fool you - this place makes a good cup of coffee. The baristas here are very friendly and have a real knack for getting the art of coffee just right. You'll be pleasantly surprised. Good selection of magazines/papers to read too. Very impressed. An effortless 4-Cup rating. Well done Mitre10!
Being part of a retail chain store it's not the ideal cafe for everyone. I personally found the atmosphere lacking. There's no music, just the jostle of shoppers walking past your table. It's more of a "do some shopping & grab a coffee" place, and you'll get restless after a while.
Fortunately the wonderful friendly staff made us feel right at home so we stayed a while.
What a lovely young lady that served us! I went in for a coffee and came away feeling good about the world. She was so delighted to serve us that I almost forgot about my coffee! Very impressed. I had time to enjoy a quick word with owner/barista too. They seem like a great team. They have a great selection of muffins here too which are very tasty.
$5 for a medium coffee? Be serious please. It's made from milk, not Tibetan yak tears.
Also, the owner's mood is unpredictable. When it's busy the niceties go right out the window - which must be difficult, because malls don't often have windows. I should also point out that the coffee was far too weak. It was the most expensive hot milk I've ever had.
BB's has improved over the last few months and the coffee has reached a decent level of flavour. They're not bad at all now - hence the 3-Cup rating. It's a good place to go for a coffee while in "The Valley". I expect they'll get even better over time, so give them a try when you're in the area.
Although they've improved, I'm still not convinced that BB's can provide good coffee 100% of the time so true coffee lovers will have to expect mixed results. The staff were generally dissinterested in us too which was a shame. Not rude, just not interested. They should take lessons from the awesome young lady at Muffin Break in the mall. We'll try them again soon.
The coffee is very good here - and so is the funky atmosphere. We enjoyed dark brown coffees with thick foams on our lattes and walked away smiling. I'm genuinely impressed that they were able to turn a dull mall store into a cafe with real personality. Check them out. You'll forget you're in a mall!
Slow: –adjective
Moving or proceeding with little or less than usual speed or velocity: e.g. A slow train.
Crikey, I've seen glaciers roar along at a faster pace than this lot. Possibly the slowest cafe in New Plymouth. I'd have to take the afternoon off if I wanted to order another cup.
1151 South Road, Oakura. 10 minutes south of New Plymouth in the Oakura township. Just past, and on the same side as BP.
What a lovely location in the peaceful Oakura township. It's only a 10 minute drive from New Plymouth too. Grab your coffee to go, and walk along Oakura beach. The food is good here - be sure to try their salmon bagels. Cosy atmosphere too.
They used to have a 4-Cup rating, but our experience there today has changed everything and lost them a cup in our rating system. Their beans still had flavour but there weren't enough of them in my brew. That, coupled with a paper-thin foam on top, and staff that would rather have been playing their playstations than serve us lost them a lot of respect.
Hopefully we just got them on a bad day as I'd like to put them up to 4 cups again.
Robert Harris have built a long-standing reputation for good coffee, and we were not dissapointed. They make a satisfying and well-rounded brew. The atmosphere is modern & spacious and their food tasty. They also have a great view of the ocean if you're lucky enough to grab a window seat.
Maybe they have the older customers in mind, but why is the temperature set so high in there? Even in a t-shirt & shorts I was starting to sweat. It's like that every time we visit and it's quite unpleasant. We were glad to walk out into the air conditioning of the mall again.
In the middle of taking our order the girl stopped me halfway and started asking a collegue about another person's food order. Didn't I feel special (yes, that was sarcasm).
New Plymouth Library, Brougham Street, New Plymouth City.
Level 2, right above the Brougham Street entrance.
We've been here many times for the relaxing atmosphere and quality coffee. They use New Plymouth's very own locally roasted Ozone beans which have never dissapointed us.
Not only do they have a great selection of books to read (funny that), but they also have all-you-can-eat free public WiFi to make use of.
It's built into the library which means it's often more like a morgue than a cafe. This can be a good thing if you need to escape from the world, but boring as hell if you want to meet with friends and try to catch up on (whispered) gossip. Despite the terrific coffee, the food selection & quality is pretty low - and it ain't cheap. Eat (and talk) before going.
