Since moving to New Zealand, my take it or leave it attitude to coffee combined with a 10-years and counting appreciation of café and tea shop environments has transformed into a much greater need for the dark, rich, caffeinated beverage. I may even start to call it a low-grade caffeine addiction as I now seem immune to the slight shakiness which sometimes used to follow a double-espresso if I hadn’t had coffee in a few weeks. Well, this coffee appreciation has lead me to some interesting moments, great conversations and the following list of coffee places in the city of Nelson. I spent 13 days in Nelson City in early June and tried far too many cafés considering my intended budget, which means now I have to share some of my discoveries with you. I recommend all of the following cafés.
River Kitchen, Trafalgar Street
This is possibly the best location to spend a sunny autumn afternoon reading a book and people-watching. This café and restaurant is the first I visited in Nelson and is very handily located by the iSite, the public toilets and is right next to the river. They offer a food menu with breakfast and lunch options as well as snacks throughout the day. If you’re being picked up or dropped off by bus here, this would be a great first impression of Nelson.
It’s been over 13 days since I visited this café and I actually don’t remember what I ordered. I believe it was a latte with either soy or almond milk. I’m not a huge fan of milk in my drinks. I can handle a little dairy in my day but sadly usually not as much as goes into a latte. The cake I remember was a Frangipane and was really moist and fruity.
I remember thinking that the cake was delicious, the coffee was good and the location was stunning. I took a seat outside, so I could see all the people who were walking or cycling along the riverside path. There were a number of dog walkers passing by and seeing some gorgeous proper sized dogs made my heart happy. The only downside to sitting outside was having to deal with the birds. These small sparrows (I think) hang around most cafés and restaurants in New Zealand and make right nuisances of themselves. At the River Kitchen, they hopped onto the table in the hopes of grabbing crumbs before I even finished my food!
Founders Brewery, Bar & Café, Founder’s Park
http://www.founderspark.co.nz/
This coffee shop comes with a little story of exploring the city. My friend Lydia and I decided to go for a walk up to the centre of New Zealand for the views over the city. We had also heard about a Book fair in Founders Park which was not too far from the start of the trail to the Centre of New Zealand so we thought we would combine the two. We realised while looking at the trail map in the park close to the river that the book fair was at the other end of the trail to the one we had started on. However, we decided that the city was walkable enough and we were wearing decent footwear so decided to go up the hill, enjoy the view and make our way down the long way. The views were worth it. I highly recommend making your way up to the top of the hill which was used as the ‘centre of New Zealand’ for cartographers and surveyors for many years.
Our assumptions about this trail kept being challenged as we decided to take the scenic route to Founders Park. We went along the path near the top of the hills, past grazing sheep and picnic benches and made our way down through a wooded area (I managed to slip at least once on the loose, dry, gravelly ground) and emerged on Atawhai Road, right opposite our destination.
With a $2 entry fee to a historical park which has a regular entry fee of $7, the book fair was a great idea. I have been quite disappointed to find books so expensive in New Zealand but at this fair, the second-hand books were mostly less than $3 each. Yes, I bought a few. Just a few, mind, as I still have some travelling to do and must carry what I buy.
Feeling slightly hungry as well as thirsty after our walk, we opted for chips with aioli as well as our coffee. That was the strangest combination I’ve tried yet but my choice of a long black coffee, with no milk was a good option to go with the salty chips and the creamy aioli.
The coffee shop itself was actually part of Founders brewery which offers tasters of local brews and you can see through a window to the inner workings of the brewery too. The seating area was light and dark wood on the inside and stretched all the way from the side of the building around to the front in its garden area. We chose a seat in the shade, with views of the other historical buildings. It was a relaxed atmosphere and felt slightly quirky considering the buildings were all old colonial style and it felt like you could don an old-style dress and walk down the road with a parasol and not be out of place. (It also reminded me of the ‘Gilmore Girls’ TV series, but I think that was due to the wood panelled buildings which were also a part of the Stars Hollow set for the show. Perhaps old architecture in New Zealand and New England are actually that similar.)
Anyway, I liked the surroundings, the chips were good, the coffee tasty, rich and not too bitter.
7010 (Seven o one o), Collingwood Street
This modern café is small, clean, bright and caters very well to coffee lovers and those who can’t handle dairy or gluten. It is the first coffee shop I have found in NZ which doesn’t charge an extra 50 cents to have a non-dairy milk alternative in a coffee which made me super happy so I took advantage of it. I also enjoyed one of their many delicious-looking sweets. The chocolate slice was so rich and perfectly complimented my coconut milk latte. This café is a showcase for so many of the wonderful products from Nelson. Their food is local and they sell other non-edible local artisan products too.
The café has free wi-fi and the other two patrons who were there when I visited were taking advantage of that while I opted to read a book, sink into the comfy cushions on the long bench by the wall and really enjoy my surroundings. The café is by the river, in a residential area so the atmosphere is much more relaxed and slow. You can work remotely, study, read or take your friends to this café and you won’t feel rushed at all.
The staff are lovely and the coffee so delicious, I took a friend with me the next time I was passing that way. I highly recommend this café!
Yello Café, Trafalgar Street
This café has high ceilings, wood and metal garden chairs, space on the road for a few more chairs and tables and BRIGHT yellow walls. Seriously, it is hard to miss it, it is so bright and really, the name is a perfect description. And no, I didn’t miss a letter, it is spelled that way on the sign. The somewhat industrial look works well and you are never left to feel unwelcome. The lady behind the counter when I visited was friendly, efficient, had a large smile and as far as I could see, was working solo.
Their single espresso shot was tasty enough but definitely didn’t feel worth the money compared to the other coffee options on the menu, which have very average prices for their size.
My friend, Lydia, who suggested we visit the café had declared that the coffee was good and the scones delicious. As it was down the road from the cinema, it was ideally located for a mid-afternoon, pre-film pick-me-up.
The café does make incredible date scones! As a British woman, I am familiar with scones (usually in their plain and somewhat fluffy form, sometimes with raisins or cheese) but I had never come across a recipe which called for dates. For any North Americans (who often seem bemused by this snack at first) it can be described as kind of rich, thick and buttery cake-bread about the size of a small cup. The scones were delicious and were served with berry jam and whipped cream. Yes, whipped. No clotted cream in sight, sadly.
Yaza! Café, Montgomery Square
This was a solo visit and I specifically wanted a place to read a travel guide I picked up at the book fair and make notes on it. I chose Yaza! not only because of the quirky name, but because I needed a comfy chair and a table as I wanted to read and make notes! There is a wide variety of seating options and plenty of tables, of varying size. I was pleased at first with the atmosphere; friendly and efficient service, bright colours on the walls and jazz music at a background level where I could still focus. I say at first because later there was some loud construction going on (and part of the wall behind the counter was being removed!) and I was quite shocked to find my comfy and quirky café invaded by chainsaw sounds!
Anyway, the next-door renovations aside, I enjoyed the coffee (a soy latte this time), which was rich, not too bitter and thankfully unsweetened. I also enjoyed their almond and orange cake. There was a minor mix up as the labels on the cabinet had been switched and what I had been looking at was the carrot cake, but what I ordered was the almond and orange cake. When the cake arrived, I confirmed it was what I had ordered and then kept it because it smelled really good! I must have been pretty sleepy to not connect the dots with the label mix up at the time of ordering, but no harm was done, all were polite and I discovered a new, delicious, gluten free cake. This cake was served with yoghurt. I had the options of fruit sauce or nothing but decided to try the yoghurt thing as I have only ever seen this in New Zealand. I’ve seen cream or ice cream as a side in other countries, but I never noticed yoghurt until I moved here. It was a really tasty combo.
Danish Doughnut (and coffee) stall, Saturday market
Two Saturdays, two trips to the Saturday Market in Montgomery Square and two Danish Apple Doughnuts. The stall smelled too good to not stop and appreciate their cooking. They had an apple pie and apple torte – which are clearly both popular enough to be mostly sold out by lunchtime – and then they had the doughnuts which “will make you very happy temporarily”. That was a great line which made me smile and when combined with the enticing smell, it convinced me to buy one. Dansk Aebleskivers are apparently a thing, are absolutely heavenly and it turns out that although I can write the name I cannot pronounce it to save my life.
The first doughnut convinced me that my second visit to the market would not be complete without another taste of Danish apple doughnut. So, the second time I combined my snack with a cup of their ‘real’ coffee. When good coffee is combined with a good sweet snack, I enjoy black coffee. This was worth it and the seating area just behind the stall was a nice touch as well.
I recommend both the doughnuts and the coffee.
Pomeroy’s Coffee and Tea, Montgomery Square
This is a really cute shop which sells tea and coffee making equipment, cups, really quirky cards and of course, tea and coffee. You can order coffee to take away or to drink there. They apparently sell their beans to a bunch of other places all over the South Island (and somewhere in Australia too), so it is quite possible that you’ve seen their products in the supermarkets, a hotel or even in another café. The shop itself is small and has only a few small, round, bright tables inside and out. The size and scarcity of tables allows a more intimate feeling and this is the place to go for that much needed chat with a good friend, or to sit and write. The walls are lined with shelves upon shelves of brightly coloured cups, teapots and coffee makers. There are a couple of card towers which mark the divide between seating area and products for sale. The products would be great gifts or perfect if you’re looking to revamp your kitchen colour theme. One wall is covered in posters, there are metal jars of tea and the menus are written in bright chalk.
Food is not the focus here but a few snacks are on offer. I visited with Lydia and we both combined our drinks with a snack. Lydia was recommended a truffle and I opted for an afghan biscuit. I think it was the first time I had eaten an afghan biscuit and I was not expecting the crunch of cornflakes. It was however, chocolatey and tasty enough.
I had a coconut milk chai latte and it tasted of actual tea and the delicious blend of spices which I associate with cold, crisp days in autumn and winter. I’m always fond of chai (with or without milk or milk alternatives) when it actually involves tea leaves and spices. I am not a fan of the squeezy syrup variety as I always feel it lacks the refreshing tea element and is often far too sweet! Anyway, my coconut chai latte arrived in a plain white cup with no handle. All the better to cradle in two hands and sip slowly. Lydia assured me that her mochaccino was good too.
Stepping Onto The Road 