Colenso Country Cafe [ Cafe | Gift Shop | Orchard ]

This garden cafe was a delightful find on our drive south along the Coromandel. I had the leek & salmon pie. The crust was very flaky and it had a wonderful savory flavor. It had just the right amount of salmon and not overly powerful. My husband had the bacon pie and he liked it very much. Afterwards, we had to try a slice of the carrot cake and it was also very good! We loved the peaceful garden atmosphere and the flowers everywhere. Beautiful!

Excellent homemade food with the best cream scones (served warm with a lovely crusty top) ive had in ages. Indeed the food was so good we ended up getting supplies to takeaway being a piece of Ham & Egg Pie , Carrott cake and Chocolate & Prune cake. All were delicious. We highly recommend and dissapointed we only had one opportunity to visit here on our New Zealand travels.

Love this cozy cafe.. an interesting variety of foods.. we have a Persian cake slide, coffee and a Belgium hot chocolate.. everything was lovely.. we played a board game too.. they sell some great empowerment books too..

Honestly, the best cafe I have visited! Delicious, attractive food; beautiful setting; friendly, helpful staff; lovely gift shop with excellent book selection. My family loved the distinctive coffees and hot chocolate. An absolute must-stop in the Coromandel! Oh, and your warm, fresh sourdough was devoured voraciously! The best! Thank you!

Great brunch at Colenso this morning. We had a slice of quiche each and a smoothie. The quiche ($15) was not huge but rich with a buttery pastry crust and came with a little salad and sour cream. Mine was leek, salmon and dill. Heated up well to keep the pastry crisp. Friendly service and pretty garden.

We visited Colenso Cafe and had the bacon and egg pie and the chicken and leek pie. Both were really yummy and quick to come out. My wife’s cappuccino was also spot on. Lots of space for kids to play with a playground, trampoline and gardens. Will be back.

I came to Colenso for lunch and enjoyed a delicious chicken sandwich served in warm, homemade bread. I also tried the eggplant salad, which was very good and reminded me of the flavors of Thailand. The setting is lovely, with a wooden table under a tree, perfect for enjoying this wonderful moment with great food. 🌳

Definitely worth a stop at this awesome spot. There were a few good vegetarian options, I had a small salad to keep room for their amazing cakes! Their tea for 2 was a very generous pot with loose leaf tea. There's plenty of parking and you're able to keep an eye on your vehicle if you need to :) I noticed that it's also dog friendly. Their shop has some excellent books and Italian treats.

The most amazing food on the Coromondel! We had pumpkin coconut ginger soup, garden salad, mushroom and spinach/sundried tomatoe pies snd a magnificent hummingbird cake for dessert. Absolutely delicious! They make everything themselves with fresh ingredients and you can taste it. Don't miss a meal here.

All food made / baked on site, clearly a lot of love and care going into it. Good salad options, dahl special was yummy with fresh house sourdough. Worth a visit, relaxing gardens, native birds and even some donkeys! Trampoline and playground for the kids set in the citrus orchard. Clean toilets! We will be back!

Fabulous little cafe just off the main road. It's an oasis for the weary traveler looking for the perfect coffee or tea and scone. The entrance brings you into a cute world with bird houses, weathered wood and chalkboard menus. We had coffee and chai lattes which were fantastic. My zucchini basil muffin was superb, while my husbands scone with jam and cream melted in the mouth. The outdoor courtyard is a place you could spend awhile relaxing in the shade. There's also a kid play space to boot.

Let me set the scene for you all: Beautiful, sunny day, I just biked 35 km through windy, steep Coromandel hills *cough* .. mountains? and then....on the horizon, right at a bend on SH 25, we fall upon Colenso Cafe. Nope, not a mirage. But lovely little cafe with a sun-soaked seating area and legendary Orange Bran Muffins. Well, at least they were that day. Reason? Fresh.out.of.the.oven. You really can't get get better than that. Oh and those chunky pieces of sweet orange! I could not get enough. They were also giant, which helped the snack-devouring last more than 45 seconds. So, yes, Colenso. It's a great place to grab a bite while in the Tairua/Whitianga area. The have a wide range of food, including a decent selection of vegetarian options, a large variety of freshly based muffins (see ode above), gorgeous coffee and even wine and beer. I also spied an Eggplant & roasted pepper soup last time I was here, which kind of sounds like a little slice of heaven. There's also a little shop inside with chutneys, jams, honey, glassware, jewelry and local art for sale - definitely worth a peek.

Beautiful selections of food! We chose the spinach, pumpkin, feta frittata! It was absolutely perfect! Not watery, but roasted to perfection! We got the muffin of the day, apple bran and fig! It was super moist, not oily! It had big hunks of the fruits! We also got the garden salad which had so many vegetables that we have never tried before! Everything was farm-to-table fresh clean ingredients! The staff was kind, answered all questions, prompt with service, always smiling! The seating out back was spacious, tranquil and had umbrella coverage from the heat. The seating is surrounded by citrus and other fruit trees, and their vegetable gardens!!! They also have a very nice kitchen and craft shop!

Kelly's review below is spot on. Colenso has been a classy oasis in this area for many years. A must visit. Great food, friendly people, tasteful wee things to buy as well.