Nice location at the waterfront of Wellington. Atmosphere and decor was really nice and staff were friendly.
Good food with big portions. Ordered steak and egg with coffee and milkshake which was a fulfilling meal. Great meal just before an important interview.
Great experience with friendly and helpful staff. Good portion sizes and fantastic taste. Loved the overall vibe of the place too!
(Ordered Hāngi and Mīti kau)
Loved the ambience and being on the waterfront made it special
We had the steak sandwich, the seafood sandwich which was whitebait and the Ika Mata (Raw Fish)
We enjoyed all of our meals in the Wellington sun
Love the music as well
Very friendly staff
The hangi here was the best I’ve ever tasted! Service was fast and awesome and coffee was good too. Would definitely recommend this place to Family and friends!
Great food, reasonably priced. Perfect location. Can get a bit noisy at night. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner here. We love the fish basket.
Great location overlooking the Wellington lagoon. Great service and menu providing a truly authentic kiwi experience. A gem in the heart of Wellington city. P.s. You have to try their ribs and beer batter fries!!
Must visit cafe cuisine in Wellington. I just loved their style of serving really tasty food. Best place to make your dining experience special.
I would recommend this place for Cafe in Wellington. Their staffs are very friendly and attentive. I love their buffet menu...for Restaurant and cafe
Had a really nice breakfast and coffee, the food took a while but it was worth the wait. A very nice outdoor seating, especially great on a nice sunny day. Josh
Eating My Way Around
+3.5
Brilliant location with a relaxed vibe. We ordered cabinet food because we had a hungry toddler who couldnt wait but it took ages and our friend's burger came out faster. Luckily the food was good and well and evenly heated but I felt the portion sizes were small for the price.
Lovely location for brunch/lunch on a beautiful sunny day. Food wasn't really mind-blowing but still good and enjoyable. Service was pretty good too.
Been here for a drink a few times but never for food. However had lunch there today. I had the Paua Fritter which was amazing, the rest our group had the sliders, eggs bene and pulled pork taco and the presentation of all was fantastic. Such a great venue as well right on the water. I'm keen to return to try their dinner menu. Definitely rates highly in my book in both food and location.
This place is really well located by the water where you can see life going by. Waiters tend to be nice as well, on a sunny day you better get in early as it gets packed really fast.
Food is okay. Not amazing but this is a cafe for a light bite it does the job.
Was Welcomed by friendly staff as soon as we walked through the door, Was full so had not much choice where to sit but that was okay. The food was great.. a bit expensive but to be expected in such a nice place right on the viaduct, so well worth the cost if you want nice food and somewhere flashy to eat and again the staff where friendly, oh and yes the coffee was okay..Not bad but not great either.
Would definitely go back there
Great food and service. First time there and we will be back also a fantastic location. Reasonable price food. We had wedges, chicken quesadilla, glass of bubbly and a latte; cost $33.
First Impression : Impressive view, seating, cabinet variety
We ordered the chicken salad burger (really nice), the steak sandwich (did not like it) and the tomato bruschetta (great filling but too much salt)
I would have given it a 3 rating. The plus 1 is only for the view and the outside seating area.
PS I loved their concept of having sun hats and picnic mats which can be used for free by anyone... Something I had not seen or heard of before.
Stumbled on this cafe some months ago, and been back twice since. Nice place for a quick bite and for chilling with your friends or family. Lamb Kofta was tasty and good sized. Also happy with their buffalo wings. Kids went for the chips and wedges with sour cream. I was not crazy about their version of Hangi, though. So far not had bad service, and no unusually long wait times either.
Always come here for happy hour if you're after wine because they give out a seriously good deal. 225mL for $15 is always a winner and sitting in the sun on a bean bag leaves every girl happy. The food is not my first choice but I did try the seafood platter which came out very promptly and was good value.
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Locals say ya can't beat Wellington on a good day and today was perfect weather for a bite to eat out and about near the water.
Haven't been to Karak a before and was expecting mediocre given the mix of reviews on here, but overall I had a good experience.
The bilingual menu is a good idea done well; not as kitsch as I thought it might be.
I had a GF roast vege stack which looked like a work of art and tasted awesome. Really simple kiwi food food done well.
Service was ok; the guy running the restaurant was really friendly and the wait staff were not bad either.
There was a wee wait on our coffee, in fact my meal came out first, but it hit the spot when it arrived. Not the worst I have had but I wouldn't pop in for the coffee alone.
Only slightly sour note was the cruise ship tourists walking passed and staring while we ate. Felt a bit like feeding time at the zoo but that certainly isn't Karaka's fault!
Overall pleasant experience and for the most part enjoyed eating al fresco given the gorgeous weather.
Wellington's Summer had lasted all of two days and it was back to severe rain. I was at work so wanted to go somewhere close for lunch. The BP station was the closest but I didn't want a service station sandwich or pie.
Karaka was the next closest.
Cabinet food isn't my go-to when choosing a meal, but I saw a vegetarian Quesada. $9.50. I asked for it heated up. Took 3 or 4 minutes.
Back at the office I tucked in, and it was fantastic. Full flavoured with great seasoning and big tasty mushroom chunks. There was a good amount of jalapeños too.
A very satisfying dish, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Well flavoured prawn skewers on a great salad, and interesting menu choices. The cabinet food is also varied and fresh. Unfortunately it took a long time to get service, however the staff were friendly.
After visiting Te Papa we decided to stop for a drink and a snack. Karaka is on the waterfront and the grass slope outside lend a good place for bean bag armchairs. The going down Sun warmed up the area and made a great lounging spot see the photo. Overall was impressed with the service and atmosphere. Well done Karaka. We had a nice glass of Cider with wedges to eat. Would recommend as a great spot for an avo drink and bite.
Had an amazing time in karaka cafe especially with the view and the atmosphere of the place however i am very disappointed by the food , i ordered pulled pork taco and the taco have no flavour at all , it was bland . And the vienna coffee was over powered by the whip cream thats just pilling on top of the cup , other than that very friendly staff and amazing atmosphere .
20th July, we came for lunch for the first time at Karaka Cafe. Coffee was good. I had the Hangi pork belly, and my wife had the fish of the day. The meals looked fantastic, tasted wonderful, just my pork belly was abit salty for my liking. The services were relaxed and friendly. Definitely a great spot for a nice day out in Wellington.
Excellent brunch. Awesome Eggs Benedict. So nice not on bread when u r gluten restricted. Awesome place all round. Service good. Really central too.
Virginia Phoenix Pace
+4.5
These guys know what they are doing when it comes to service and yummy kai. Loved the view on a nice sunny day too. Absolutely a fave cafe of mine now if only I lived in wellywood :-)
Wonderful location and very good food. We chose to go for the large hangi bowl. It easily fed the five of us and was the most flavourful hangi I have had. Unfortunately the service was slow and they got part of our order wrong. Nothing outrageous and more than made up for by the quality of the food and the location.
Group of 6 had lunch here last weekend. Great spot and a lovely ambience. Friendly staff - although we got a second wait person later on after our original guy, who gave a few the wrong orders but a minor glitch. Food tasty and lovely presentation. My only complaint and why Karaka doesn't get a 6 stars, is the food portions were rather small. I had fish n chips and it was so good I could have eaten another serving! Everyone else enjoyed the food as well, just not enough of it.
My family and I recently had breakfast at Karaka and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The location and view was lovely, the service in general was brilliant and our waitress was outstanding (unfortunately I didn't catch her name). She looked after our every need and also took time to actually interact with us. The food not only tasted awesome it was immaculately presented. Absolutely LOVED the fry bread with butter and golden syrup!! Our coffees were perfect. Will definitely be going back to Karaka Cafe on our next visit to Wellington :-)
Fantastic service, especially great with kids, like really really great - cornflakes and colouring while the adults have eggs on delicious hangi hash with horopito hollandaise. Perfect.
Can't wait to come back, keep trying to arrange breakfast meetings there to get back sooner.
Definitely a good spot to bring visitors, will be taking overseas visitors for sure.
I visited for lunch recently with a group of 6. Most of us had cabinet food which was all brought to the table quickly & was delicious. Outlook from cafe great which matched food & service standards. I shall be back!
Apart from the great location and beautiful scenery I MUST comment on the outstanding service I received at Karaka Cafe. I went in for lunch and straight away the bar man helped me choose a beer (offered me samples to make sure I liked it before pouring me a lovely glass), and took my food order straight away.
The food arrived quickly, with lovely presentation and was in itself delicious. Things only got better when I asked what kind of balsamic vinegar they used (because I really liked it) and they really went the extra mile writing down the brand for me and even bringing out the bottle and suggesting where I might be able to pick up some of my own.
All the way through they were friendly, professional and really made my visit memorable. I would definitely recommend other people to go there and I certainly be back when I'm next in Wellington!
I have visited the cafe a number of times with work colleagues and have enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff. This cafe has an upmarket kiwi-feel to it and food reflects kiwi themes.
The staff are genuine and helpful. When you enter the cafe, you are greeted with a smile and 'kia ora'. The seating is comfortable and not cramped.
I love the food and continue to work my way through the menu with the great fusion of traditional dishes with a modern twist. The seafood chowder was my favourite from the winter menu, for the new menu I have to say the 'boil-up' is a tasty twist and unique in a CBD setting.
The WiFi is easily accessed which is great when catching up with clients over coffee.
The location takes full advantage of the sun and continues to be a favourite eating place for me and my colleagues.
Merry Christmas Karaka, I look forward to a lazy summer afternoon visit in the sun with a lovely meal and great company.
What a beautiful, stunning place. I am a kiwi at heart I live in Australia. Last week I was on a cruise with my wife we are Newlyweds and I wanted to show her New Zealand. We walked by only to stop for a coffee at this stunning place while the sun was out, we were greeted with a KIA ORA by a young lady with an amazing smile. We asked for just coffee as we are on the cruise ship and want to walk around she said we have the best coffees and she was dam right best coffee ever!!! Always thank the barista Carlos. On top that a 10% discount for cruise passengers we stayed longer for lunch and was recommended hangi salad and a hanawhiti poaka it was fantastic it was a busy day but they did a great job so thank you karaka and especially Emmy you made an amazing host keep up the good work KARAKA CAFE. he ata mea nui? he tagata he tagata he tagata what is important? It is the people it is the people it is the people
Despite what other reviewers have written, I love the Karaka Cafe and return there once or twice a week. The coffee is good, I have had no complaints about the food, and most important the staff are always very welcoming in an honest, earnest sense and not the false we-have-to-do-this smile one gets in many other establishments. There is free wi-fi, the day's newspaper is always available, there is stuff for kids to play with, and you don't feel hassled in any way if you want to spend an hour or more over a single coffee browsing the web and watching the world go by.
Delicious food and beautiful setting, ended up staying alot longer then we thought we would! Drinks, entrees, mains and desserts were all fab. Super busy place but efficent staff. Good idea for drinks and nibbles on a nice day. Will be back!
We love eating here & often meet friends here for meals & drinks as they offer something a little bit different to other cafe in Wellington. The food is excellent, well priced and the staff are friendly & attentive. The new menu rocks !!!
Wow what a beautiful place and what a busy cafe. Service great and friendly, food delicious. We had to order at the counter, which is common in cafes but the service was quick and efficient, the staff lovely. We sat down on the first table we could find and just enjoyed ourselves. I could see the staff were run off their feet but doing very well. Can't wait till I return to Wellington I will be back. First timer on Menu mania but they have these cards that encourage you to log in and put your comments up, great idea.
I went to Karaka Cafe yesterday with a friend from out of town and we were only planning to stay for a drink and then head off to explore other parts of the city but 1 drink turned into 3 drinks, a meal, dessert and a tea refill. Loved the location, the design (with NZ culture incorporated), the food (it's hard deciding as everything looks so delicious) and the service was excellent!
Had the yummiest breakfast just after 8am this morning. Casual and of course greeted with Kia Ora! Smart staff. No fuss. But efficient. Greatest breakfast selection and something for everyone. Beautifully presented. Yummy. There were 3 of us and we all loved our Kai. Didn't have to pay first. This leaves your options open for more......would have liked to have been asked if we'd like more coffee but that's minor. Great setting and relaxed folks serving. Tino Pai and that's very good!
OMG... tha caramel slice is to die for!
I honestly loved it so much had them courier some more up to Auckland as couldn't do without :-)
I will definately be back in person, it's a delightful setting, I'll absolutely be eating more of the caramel slice, but in the meantime, think I might have to spoil myself and have a few more slices sent up my way. nomnomnom
Loved the overall experience of this cafe.
Will definitely be back!
I first came to Karaka Cafe when they opened in 2011..I was not over the moon with my first experience although I came back recently as I wanted to give this place a second chance. I'm so happy that I came back because it has improved since then and the staff are friendly, onto it and very helpful. I love that Wellington has a cafe with such a strong Maori influence..loved the music too :) lovely cabinet food and great coffee. Keep up the good work.
I had a delightful time at Karaka Cafe and my friends who live in NZ highly recommended it. As a person with a vision impairment, I and my friends found the lady who served us absolutely fantastic. She read us parts of the menu and even called us a taxi when it was time to leave.
The food was great and I could have sat there all afternoon. It was the second last day of my two week holiday in NZ in June 2012.
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It is so cool to find a café with an emphasis on Maori culture and language – Maori Television playing silently on a TV on the wall, Katchafire on the stereo and a bilingual menu. I was greeted with a very friendly kia ora :)
The café was relatively busy but had unusually good acoustics making for a very quiet relaxing ambience. I really love the architecture of this place from the outside too, a beautiful setting right beside the lagoon.
The cabinet food all looked good, I chose a beef rendang filo, which was filling and delicious. Feeling a bit greedy, I ordered the kumara fries and sour cream too. I haven’t had kumara fries in years – they’re pretty uncommon – and these were probably the best I’ve ever had – really yummy. My flat white was good too.
The service was fast, professional and very friendly throughout. So overall I can’t really fault my experience here – nga mihi nui ki a koutou!
UPDATE IN DEC 2013: Went back here again, this time to have a beer in the sunshine as the sun was going down. They put cushions outside and it was the most beautiful ambience with families and couples sitting around looking out on the rowing club and the harbour. Pretty idyllic!
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It was a cold day in Wellington, but the atmosphere at Karaka was warm and welcoming!
It was the first time the 4 of us (girls catchup) had been together since last year, so thought we would try something new. One of them had previously been there for brunch and highly recommended it.
The service was very good, but not great, as there were a few occasions when we just about ended up with other table drinks!
Apart from that minor issue, the rest of our experience was very good.
We had three different things off of the menu... Salmon, Hangi (Chicken and Lamb, I think) and Chowder... I had the Salmon and it was beautifully cooked. The Hangi, was lovely and had a wonderful gravy which accompanied it... The chowder was apparently "wonderful"... Hence, everyone was very happy with their meals.
Only one of us had a dessert, which was the brownie and OMG, it was wonderful...
We had a lovely experience and what made it feel more comfortable was that we weren't rushed out the door either.
We will definately be going back there again.
Thanks for a lovely experience. :)
This was an amazing cafe the cabinet food look amazing and tasted great i really enjoyed it will be back!! thanks
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This Cafe should become a must try for any true Kiwi or tourist wanting a Traditional (Exquisite) New Zealand meal.
Karaka Cafe combines fine eating, Earthy Kiwi flavours with a truly enjoyable atmosphere.
Karaka highlight all the great things about our beautiful country...
- 100% of the music played comes from New Zealand Musicans.
- Traditional Artwork.
- Whare Waka next door.
- Smiley and attentive staff who greet you with warm Kiwi greetings.
- Delicious (Did I say AMAZING) food.
- Beautiful scenery and a great outdoor area with small Karaka Trees blooming at the front.
This is a must eat place when visiting/living in Wellington.
Don't miss out during Summer!
*** Reply to other comments ****
I've become a Sunday morning regular, as have half of Wellington by the looks of things. I have always had great service and a friendly smile. I realise the service can be slow at times, but when I see the demand... I can definitely understand why.
Try the Hangi Hash... delicious! It's a Kiwi spin of Eggs Benedict :)
This place is nice and friendly and gets the last of the afternoon sun.
We went late on a Saturday afternoon. We just had some cake and a hot drink, but the staff were nice and there is a small whare for kids to play in.
We went in July and they could use some more tables and chairs inside.
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Second visit
Our second visit during a weekday for lunch was not so glorious. I had a frittata, which wasnt fully heated through but my friend had a nice carrot cake. There was little or no gluten free options and the two vegetarian savoury options both had mushrooms in....
Fantastic place! Went there for brunch. Food was great, location was too, loved the Te Reo touch on the menu. Love that they have a variation of eggs benedict but with hangi instead of muffin. Great flavour. Got coffees to take away when we left which was a mistake. It seemed to take forever to get the coffees but maybe that was because I watched the guy making it at snails pace. Surprisingly it was still reasonably hot when I got it and I would definitely go back. The rest of the staff were great.
Had lunch with a friend at Karaka on Tuesday. It's great. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. Staff extra friendly and great service. The setting is fantastic - lovely to be able to sit outside and look over the water.
Awesome place, went for an evening meal on a Wednesday. I had the salmon and OMG it was beautiful. I was with a group and we all found our meals were a very good price and was of a very high quality. Service was a bit slow to begin with but the bloke that took over was great. Good selection of wines. Have recommended the place to friends and family and will be going again.
Was here on 7th Oct 2023 as part of the Weta Workshop tour package that included lunch here at the Karaka.
Brilliant staff and could not fault them at all.
Pleasant and personable.
Food was pretty good.
It was kind of funny to see the hygiene award/certificate etc on the wall and at the same time have a pigeon wandering around inside the restaurant and also a dog at the door trying to get in.
😆😆😆
I'd come back.
My wife and I had brunch here this morning.
We ordered the Breakfast Burger and the French Toast. The staff were very attentive and professional, and they kindly allowed us to order off the breakfast menu despite us ordering 10 minutes after the 10:30am breakfast cutoff. We were very appreciative of this as my wife really wanted to try the french toast!
The coffee was also excellent.
Unfortunately, we live in Australia, otherwise we would definitely return again.
Great kai and lovely service, was dining earlier in the day so not too busy but can imagine this place would get crazy! Excellent service, great conversation. Food was quick and big portions, far more than I could manage. Coffee was good.
Great location on the waterfront. You can sit outside and see the lagoon or inside where it's cosy. The staff were lovely and good delicious. The hot chocolate was really tasty!
Great service nice food and big portions for the value lovely staff definitely go have a try recommend iced chocolate and hangi the iced chocolate was huge for $10
First hangi I ate so I can't compare but it was really amazing, and I took the sparkling water with Manuka honey which was really good as well. If I could give a 6/5, I would. And all the waiters were really nice.
We were out and about at the waterfront, and came across a small door with the telltale signs of a cafe, it turned out to be the rear entrance to Karaka Cafe! We just wanted somewhere for a coffee and small bite to eat... I have to call our visit a "happy accident" as we stayed for much more! Although we had no reservation, we were warmly welcomed, My partner and I had a couple Monteith's Apple Ciders and shared a plate of Mince Nachos (perfect size to share), while our son had cheese toasted sandwich and Apple Juice, we could not be more happy with everything, from the service to the food, it was all on point!
#girlonthecob New zealand
+5
what a great way to start our day for our whanau. Once our brains caught up with our eyes from all the visuals surrounding the cafe, our pukus were ready to order. Eggs bene, raw fish served with kumara chips, steamed hangi kete, Pacific plate, watercress sausage, rewana bread & drinks. Wow! the presentation ❤ tino pai. Our kai was delicious and we couldn't eat it all. We experienced beautiful manaaki from staff including the handing out of blankets to keep patrons eating outside warm. Neat alright, they thought of everything for cold welly mornings. Average cost pp: 50$ with drinks. This cafe is blessed. Great place, people and food. Nga mihi Nui,
Great menu, delicious breakfast and traditional meals.
A good place to work or relax in front of the water
Delish food and beautiful atmostsphere! Will def return for the other items on the menu! 10/10!
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