Astro Cafe

We hiked up Mt. John and were thrilled to finally see the Astro Coffee on the mountain top. Although the price was a bit high, it was acceptable considering the remote location and the difficulty of transporting supplies.

The views were lovely but the cafe is just lacking in every way. Food there isn't worth half of what it costs and the options are poor. My partner ordered a vegan sandwich which was just onion relish in a sub and cost $16. What was even more disappointing is that it had melted cheese stuck to the side (notice it on the picture on the bottom of the sub) so they obviously cook all the vegan and non vegan stuff together. If I you can't eat dairy you should be worried about cross contamination here. I would advise just bringing your own sandwiches up. It is also incredibly busy and hard to get a seat, it could be the busiest place I've been to in NZ. They are really missing out on an incredible opportunity to offer a great service in a fantastic location.

Here 9.15am for breakfast but only savoury options are pies and sausage rolls - nothing with bread, no menu so not even eggs on toast. Coffees very overpriced at $2 extra for alt milks. Come for view not the cafe, it’s $14 entry to get up here for your car

Perched above the lake with sky for ceiling; carrot cake moist and warm-spiced, pies flaky with honest mince, and coffee pours bright. Windows wrap the horizon, telescopes wink next door. Service is breezy, not pushy. Road up is gravel; come calm. On windy days doors slam and tea cools fast, still the view taste like extra sugar.

Great views of Lake Tekapo at the top of the Mt John Observatory along a private road ($14 fee to get in) Small food selection from the cabinet (pies, and pastries on the pricier side) with coffee The views are very much worth it Also accessible via lookout trails

Absolutely stunning view. But you need to pay $14 per car to drive up the hill.

Absolutely loved Astro Coffee! The coffee was incredible – rich, smooth, and just what I needed after the hike. And the view? Next-level. Sipping a great cup of coffee at the top of the hill was simply breathtaking. The atmosphere is unbeatable – cozy, relaxed, and full of good vibes. Highly recommend making the climb – it’s 100% worth it!

Not a place for Ordinary hard working Kiwis. We've been going up Mt John as a family for the last 18yrs. We've always enjoyed the walk up and never begrudged paying that little extra for a treat at the top. However the cost of food has become beyond exorbitant. $14 for a small mince pie!! And $9 for a chilled drink. Do the math's and your looking at nearly $100 for a small snack for a family of 4. If you do spend that good luck finding a seat. My elderly mum was visiting And can no longer walk to the top so if we want to drive her up even more money required. I get the place needs to support itself but it seems happy to Cream the tourists and price out hard working Kiwis many of whom helped keep you ticking over during the covid times. Yes the views are lovely but the café doesn't have to pay for them. Such a shame. We hope this feedback tickles a conscience

Hiking to the top of Mount John is awesome, the views spectacular. At the top of the mountain is this cafe with espresso drinks and sammys and the like. Pretty much everyone up there except for me and my gf drove to the top. the majority spent their time taking photos of each other while holding up espresso cups. You know, cuz they're sophisticated. Awesome view bad vibe.

5 stars just for the views of Lake Tekapo. The food is cafe style, meat pies, sandwiches, baked goods. It's all good, but not great. The chocolate brownie was the one standout. Eating the food with this gorgeous view is something truly special.

Great view but sadly the staff seems incompetent. The wait took ages and the workers seemed to be in over their head.

Getting to the summit of the Mt John Walkway is an absolute treat and it is super nice to have a cafe available at the top. Ordered some coffees and a carrot cake which were good. No complaints here.

Surprisingly the best food we found was in the astrology museum, must gets are the cheese scone, flat white, and the blueberry muffin. The Astro cafe is next to the grocery store next to the holiday park at Lake Tekapo. Inside it is a cool cafe with the large brass telescope next to the dining area. I thought the food was excellent and arguably the best cafe we went to in New Zealand. I also visited the Astro Cafe on the top of the mountain but there is a fee to take a drive up to the top or its a 1 hour hike, plus I think the food/flat white at the bottom of the mountain was better. I think that this cafe is a great stop for breakie and worth a visit for the flat whites.

DO NOT GO. We tried to go and found out you have to pay an $8 road fee just to drive there! Once we arrived they said they didn't have EFTPOS working and if we wanted to wait around for 30 minutes they were going to try again when their manager arrived. Completely unprofessional! We weren't going to wait around until 11am just to have a coffee. That's ridiculous! They could of told us they didn't have EFTPOS BEFORE PAYING A FEE JUST TO DRIVE THERE! Their food didn't look very good either, but we couldn't taste it! They didn't have an ATM either. What a total waste of time.

The view here are immaculate! You don't have to purchase anything to be here, it's open to the public. That said, the carrot cake and coffee here are wonderful!

Great cafe that offers the best view in Lake Tekapo. Lots of natural lighting and friendly service. Bagels are baked in house and very tasty even with just cream Cheese and pesto. They also sell postcards and stamps unique to the observatory's status.

Awesome This lovely restaurant overlooking Lake Tekapo was awesome, food and coffee exceptional, staff friendly with a great service. We stopped for brunch, good choice of food and cakes to die for! The drive up is amazing with fantastic views.

Good flat white coffee with wonderful scenery of Lake Tekapo. It would be very enjoyable to have a break there. The road was a little bit difficult to drive.

Good service, really good coffee -and huge cups- in an amazing place with a beautiful view. Nice stop in Tekapo to enjoy the superb surroundings!

Long waiting time to get the drinks to the table. My cappuccino tasted bad, did not finish it. The Americano was good though. Very nice view from the top of Mt John

Tiny coffee shop with amazing views! The flat white and chai latte tasted great while admiring the beautiful lake and surrounding mountains. Just don't get blown off the mountain if you're there on a windy day like us!

All dishes are very super. Sausage roll which I ate was especially good. In winter it is very cold because of the top of Mt. John however the cafe inside is pretty warm.

Cute cafe offering the perfect views of the lake and surrounding mountains. We just enjoyed the view and cappuccino, but the menu looked good. The hike is not exactly easy on a hot day, but certainly worth making the vertical climb for the views!

Great view with great coffee!!! Highly recommended!!!it's absolutely one of the most beautiful cafe in NZ!!!But,regrettably,because of the weather,I didn't see thousands of stars here at night !!! Would come again in future!!!