Our reception at the Aston Norwood Gardens Cafe was good as asked for our vacation passports just as we entered. From then on it was a bit like Faulty Towers. Service was exceptionally slow and half of the entries on the menu had been crossed...out. When our food orders were eventually taken we were told in passing some time later that the kitchen was now closed (2.00pm). No apology was offered. We suspect that it was because there was a wedding about to start. Obviously we were not their first priority. We were told to pick something out of the cabinet instead.More

I googled Upper Hutts best restaurant and this came up top on Trip Advisor. Having left Wellington without breakfast, travelling to Kaitoke added the extra hunger factor but we thought it would be worth the wait. It wasn't. And the wait was much longer than...expected. Apparently the chef was away, but there appeared to be general chaos and a lack of good systems. Everyone appeared flustered and not particularly welcoming. We were told ore original meal choices werent available (even though i could clearly see the requested mince pies in the cabinet). I was told that if i wanted salad it only came as a side for the the fish and chip meal - so i went with that option. Despite glasses on the table no water was ever offered or brought. It was an exceptionally hot day. After waiting half an hour plus, the waitress informed us that both our drink choices weren't available. After nearly an hours wait, my fish and chips finally arrived. Followed 5-10 minutes later by my husband's dish. At a glance it was obvious the fish had been well over-cooked. The batter was dark brown and beyond crispy. The fish inside was chewy and did not have a fresh taste. The side salad was (literally) a few tired, brown lettuce leaves with vinaigrette. The waitress when taking my order had gestured to another patrons fish and chip meal - which clearly had a substantial salad on the side. Perhaps they ran out of the other salad ingredients in the hour i had been waiting? I paid $26 for what was possibly the worst fish and chip meal i've ever experienced. At that price I would expect at a minimum that the meal be fresh, well cooked and presentable. My husband's poached egg dish was overly vinergary but otherwise bland. There was no salt or pepper or other condiments on the table. Yeah it was a bad day - but the kicker was the waitress chasing me outside calling out loudly that I hadn't paid for my meal. My husband was however still inside at the counter doing just that. I had gone ahead to look at the gardens. So overall quite a rubbish experience and we didn't bother to look around the rest of the place.More

Went with my partner for a cherry blossom viewing session. The place is very crowded . It would be nicer if they allowed less people in, for $10 not really worth it

Ordered scones and 2* coffees and 2 hot chocolates. Scones arrived after 5 minutes but no coffee. Spoke to lady after 20 minutes as to where the rest of the order was. She said she will follow up and coffee arrived 10 minutes later. No...apologies or even a comment as to why it took so long. It was Sunday 11am not to busy just poor service. Will not go back againMore

We were at a midwinter lunch and, while the portion sizes were small, this was not so much of a disappointment as the fact that some of the same choices were different: lacking green vegetables evident on other plates, cold vegetables and cold gravy. The...Christmas pudding serving was microscopic and accompanied by custard which was more like a thin yellow milk. The brandy snaps were pathetic. To add to the sorry saga, the coffee was weak water and the water for the tea was only warm. This was so disappointing as we've been many times before and it was excellent. We will not be back until we hear that things have improved.More

We booked here for a birthday brunch and it was great! The waiter was attentive and friendly. I had the eggs benedict and it was delicious. Portion size was perfect. Would have been nice being able to see a coffee/drinks menu alongside the bunch menu.

My visit last Saturday was mainly to view the garden, which is beautiful. Before doing so I stopped at the cafe for a coffee and scone. The cafe was busy at about lunchtime. Sat outside on the balcony and enjoyed my coffee. BUT the scone...- I asked two different waiters (one if them twice) the whereabouts of the scone. 25 minutes later it arrived (unheated) with a 'sorry bout that'. Why it could not have arrived with the coffee? Was my order too insignificant?More