Picnic Cafe

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#2 of 145 Quick Bites in WellingtonQuick Bites, Cafe, $$ - $$$

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Picnic Cafe

Review

At a glance

Open until 4:00 PM

, 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Website

+64 4-472 6002Improve this listing

About

Features

CUISINES

Cafe, New Zealand

Meal types

Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch, Drinks

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

FEATURES

Accepts Credit Cards

Dog Friendly

Family style

Free off-street parking

Free Wifi

Gift Cards Available

Highchairs Available

Mastercard

Non-smoking restaurants

Outdoor Seating

Parking Available

Reservations

Seating

Serves Alcohol

Street Parking

Table Service

Takeout

Visa

Wheelchair Accessible

Wine and Beer

Location

The Begonia House Lady Norwood Rose Garden, Botanic Garden, Wellington New Zealand

Free off-street parking, Parking Available, Street Parking

Does it mainly serve crepes / waffles?

Yes

Unsure

Save this restaurant

Hours

Suggest an edit

Open until 4:00 PM

Sunday

8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Monday

8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Tuesday

8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Wednesday

8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Thursday

8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Friday

8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Saturday

8:30 am - 4:00 pm

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4.4

294 reviews

Excellent

179

Very good

Average

Poor

Terrible

Faitasi Talamaivao

Wellington32 contributions

Two-year old birthday brunch

Feb 2025 • family

The location is very colourful and clean. Parking is limited especially when sports are on. However the garden has many walking routes that lead to the rose garden, so finding outside parking is ideal if you don't mind a little walk. I did notice a lot of accessibility areas where vans with elderly came up to the café. We were seated outside where the staff neatly placed us in the centre. The café accommodated our big group for a two-year-old birthday and on a Saturday when it's busy it's best to book ahead of time. The menu was very easy to read with a great selection of drinks. They do weekly specials and cabinet food is available. The food was decent, serving sizes were good. Breakfast was on point, very easy big breakfast. I was pleased and would be happy to return for lunch in the future. I did think some of the staff may have needed some training on bringing out food to a very large group. Table numbers may not have been clear to some of the staff as some orders had been repeated or not assigned to the right place. One of the staff members looked stressed as they brought out an order and instead of leaving the meal at the table made a minor scene of overreacting. I do understand it was a 25+ group but that could have been handled differently. For a first-timer, that was very memorable. Nice to have breakfast and walk around for photos. The food was a delight and very easygoing staff. Happy to know there are other options in the busy Wellington café scene.

Written 1 March 2025

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

lapaz16

Greater Wellington7 contributions

Awesome.

Jul 2023 • family

We were seated quickly and had two very helpful and efficient waiters, they came to the table so my elderly mother didn't have to negotiate the chairs and patrons. They answered all questions knowledgeably, and with a smile on their face and had good manners. Food and coffee were delivered to our table in a timely fashion. The food (Picnic on a plate) was beautifully presented, generous and very flavoursome, it was one of the best lunches I have had in Wellington. Prices were very competitive and I thought great value. It was nice to see that small and well-behaved dogs were allowed to go inside. There were no noisy children at 12 noon on a Friday. The atmosphere was pleasant and not too noisy even though the place was full of people at the time, all very civilised. I would 100% recommend Picnic and will most certainly visit there again in future.

Written 26 August 2023

Lynda B

1415 contributions

Wellington's best cheese scones??

Mar 2024 • friends

Had another visit to this great establishment mid April. The proprietor suggested we try our cheese scones toasted, which we did. They were really lovely. Picnic Cafe is on the WellingtonNZ website shortlist, to find Wellington's Best Cheese Scone. Well worth a try as we think it should win the competition. Great service, a lovely atmosphere and still a few roses in the beautiful gardens. We normally sit outside, though there are also plenty of tables inside. Highly recommend Picnic Cafe for a visit either for just a coffee or for something more substantial - we haven't actually had a meal here but they all look lovely when the waiting staff are carrying them to the tables.

Written 18 April 2024

Bartonbears

Coffs Harbour2779 contributions

Pleasant cafe at the foot of the Botanic Garden

Mar 2024 • couples

This is a pleasant cafe at the base of the Botanic Garden adjacent to the rose garden and greenhouse. It is very popular and queues are common but the service is efficient. We enjoyed our savoury croissants and coffees. While you may not seek it out for a special meal it is certainly a welcome place to sit and eat after a stroll down through the garden from the top of the cable car.

Written 20 March 2024

Anonymous855

1810 contributions

Lovely setting next to the Rose Garden adjacent to the Begonia House

Apr 2024 • friends

Wonderful mushroom soup! Everyone enjoyed their choices in our party of 4. The menu offered plenty of quick options and there are a lot of tables that are cleaned quickly to stave off the birds. LOL I would heartily recommend this place

Written 28 April 2024

Fred

Auckland13 contributions

Bad Food Cold coffee Stupid vaccine pass

Feb 2022 • friends

The wife ordered Spanish omelette for me asking for well cooked eggs in the interest of food safety. The eggs were sloppy raw in middle and cold. This is a safety risk according to consumer NZ. The coffee was ordered as long black with hot milk and arrived cool. The vaccine pass was requested upon entry but not checked against ID. So a waste of time doing this. Do it properly or not at all.

Written 24 February 2022

269stef

Auckland14 contributions

Love this place

Aug 2023 • friends

We had the best breakfast. I couldn't decide if I wanted poached eggs on toast or eggs ben and Rav gave me hollandaise on the side without me asking for it - I DID want it. Great coffee and amazing service.

Written 10 August 2023

Lynda B

1415 contributions

Lovely place for a morning coffee

Apr 2022 • none

Hadn't been here before so decided to give it a try when arranging a coffee catchup with a friend. We wanted somewhere with outside seating, given these Covid times. We arrived about 9.15am, our friend shortly afterwards. We sat at an outdoor table and hubby ordered our coffees and hot cross buns (toasted). Very friendly and helpful staff. Enjoyed our coffees and HCB's. The roses in the gardens were a bit past their best but still nice. It must be absolutely spectacular at the height of the flowering season. There isn't a huge amount of parking (though there are several disability parks right alongside the cafe which is good) but getting there early meant that wasn't a problem. I guess with people coming and going at different times it works out well. There's a big outdoor seating area. It seems quite a popular cafe, with lots of people walking through with their dogs stopping for refreshments. We will definitely be back. Note: I got so carried away eating my HCB that I'd finished it before I realised that I hadn't taken a photo!

Written 7 April 2022

Ishka H

1 contribution

Very very rude waitress

Sept 2024 • couples

We had not a very pleasant interaction with one of the waiters. She came to check if we wanted to order yet twice in 3 minutes. She just came over and said « are you ready? », we had already said we needed a bit more time as we were ordering food and drinks and it’s a two page menu! She then couldn’t be bothered to come over a third time to just started waving the eftpos machine in our direction. We didn’t see so some other customers had to tell us she was doing this. So she finally comes over a third time. We both say hello (my partner and I), she on the other hand said nothing and just waiting for us to speak. We ordered and she left. No politeness at all from her! We were quite confused and upset. Then she went to another waiter and clearly told her we had been annoying as she came over a couple of times to let us order and we weren’t ready (within a couple of minutes). She was laughing and the other waitress too and then they both looked at us, then very quickly looked away sheepishly. This experience made us not want to even eat here but we had already paid unfortunately. All the other staff were lovely! And the food was super yum!

Written 17 September 2024

CNWgtnNZ

Wellington1257 contributions

Lovely surroundings

Apr 2021 • family

Came here on Anzac Day and there was excellent service and the food was good. A lot of seating outside - although this is weather dependent - inside was warm and right next door to the Begonia house and outside is the Lady Norwood Rose garden. Cabinet food contains croissants and slices and the menu was good with most meals costing $24.50. Eggs on toast and granola cost less. Having said that we enjoyed our meals very much. Lamb moussaka was dish of the week and tasty and the lamb and kumara pie I was told was good. Eggs were served as they should be. All in all a very pleasant place to eat.will come back again.

Written 24 April 2021

JElliot32

New South Wales4060 contributions

Memorable hot cross buns

Apr 2023 • couples

We stumbled upon the Picnic Cafe towards the end of our walk through Wellington's (excellent) Botanic Gardens. Looked a good spot for morning coffee so we stopped. A lot of others had the same idea - the place was very busy but we managed to get an outside table, with a lovely view across the rose garden and with a dozen perky sparrows hopping around our feet. Our coffees were good but the biggest treat proved to the Hot Cross Buns, which featured firm dough and a good hint of cinnamon. So much better than most of the soft and sweet hot cross buns that prevail these days, and in Australia at least are available a few months before Easter.

Written 10 April 2023

PRMCMUNN

Upper Hutt91 contributions

Gorgeous for a weekend brunch or escape from the city bustle midweek

Mar 2021 • none

Recently ate a brunch here on a Saturday morning. Magic surroundings right beside the rose garden in the Wellington Botanic gardens. Peaceful and serene. An easy walk from downtown, we were staying in a city Hotel and the walk to the gardens through the Bolton cemetery was very worthwhile. Saturday morning schoolboys cricket was going on in the distance and the cafe was abuzz with families, couples, people out walking with their dogs and stopping for coffee and chat. Food was beautiful and coffee great. Service is a well oiled machine and we were impressed by the prompt attention and delivery of food.

Written 19 March 2021

JuliaD

4 contributions

Classy, in every way

Jan 2021 • none

We visited for lunch on what is probably the busiest day of the year, a sunny Wellington Anniversary day. I rang in advance and they sorted me out with great parking, as I was bringing my father who is using a wheel chair. Then they sorted me out with a great table and offered table service so we didn't have to queue. All the outside tables we're full but the staff were fast and friendly and looked like they were enjoying their work. The cheese scones were great. We also had the vegetarian falafel dish of the day which was really tasty and the Lamb and Kumera pie. It wasn't a cheap lunch but it was delicious and worth every cent. The caring and attentive staff made what could have been a challenging outing, an absolute joy. Thanks guys!

Written 24 January 2021

Tickle72

48 contributions

We’ve had better?

Jan 2023 • couples

Friendly staff.! Average food And long wait times. The waitress came to,our table after sitting there for 15minutes and said someone will be with us soon, 10 minutes later, another waiter came up and told us to order at the kiosk. Waited in the queue for 15minutes. Eventually served and then the food took 40 minutes to arrive… Luke warm Never again.

Written 16 January 2023

Lynda B

1415 contributions

A lovely place for a coffee and a bite to eat

Oct 2023 • friends

We're semi -regulars at this café, as we like being able to sit outside. There's lots of shade under the big brollies, and it's always lovely looking over the beautiful rose gardens. It's a regular catchup spot when we meet up with a friend and we always enjoy the venue ( note that you can sit inside if you wish). This week's visit was no exception. Very nice coffee and great service. Our friend and I had cheese scones, heated up with butter on the side. They were very nice, a good size and a hint of cayenne which we really like. Hubby just had coffee (though I did give him a bit of my scone). We never feel that we are being rushed to leave, even though sometimes it's quite busy. The roses are starting to come out, in another few weeks they will be absolutely glorious. After many visits, we've only just twigged that they have a coffee loyalty card...doh!! We will be back!