I have very mixed feelings about this establishment and our experience. I have previously lived in small mountain towns and currently live where we rely heavily on tourists. So I understand how difficult running an establishment in these areas can be. But this cafe felt...like it was on another level. We had been in town for multiple days and had waited until a Wednesday for this establishment to be open. We arrived at 11.30am and looked at the sign in the door and it indicated they opened at 12pm. No problem we simply went to the visitors centre. Came back out at 12 and ourselves and several others were waiting for open, we get told they won’t be opening till 12.30pm. We were still willing to give them the benefit of the doubt so continued waiting. When we got inside, it’s a fairly standard cafe. There is a nice view out the front windows, as with most establishments in town. We prefer to sit outside, and even though there were tables out front there was a sign indicating you would not receive service there. So we sat inside. The menu is basic, there are quite a few burgers and different pizzas. They also noted a “soup of the day” but when we asked were told they didn’t have any. We went with a burger each and the food was ok, burgers tasted like homemade which was nice. However the entire meal was on throw away plates, water in plastic cups, coffee in takeaway containers and bamboo cutlery. What an absolute waste of resources that is totally unnecessary. We also had to bus our own plates at the end of our meal. They at least had a food waste container, but that just seems pointless after you’ve created endless waste with the meal. Overall I can see they are trying, they had a news article located on the counter regarding previous action they had taken to keep their business alive. I hope they do, but if they want to they need to make some very basic changes to their business model to make it somewhere people want to return to.More

Casual dining open for lunch and dinner in the heart of Mt Cook. It’s only a 150mt walk from The Hermitage hotel. If you are staying a couple of nights at The Hermitage, this is a great option instead of having the buffet again. Pizza...and burgers only and wine, beers etc.. just a note the kitchen closes at 6.45pm. We had the pepperoni pizza and it was delicious, also ordered a bottle of the Pinot noir which was nice. Burgers looked good as well. Friendly staff, enjoyably casual night.More

I got there for a coffee and was lucky to have gone to the place while it was open. This is all due to to staff shortage, which is a shame in general but a true shame in this town, considering how busy this town...really is with tourists. The only other option is the Hermitage, but not everyone has that kind of wallet. Coffee was great though. The days after I got the coffee the place was closed due to Easter. Oh dear…More

Visited the Cafe after the Hooker Glacier walk for Coffee and afternoon tea. Good service. pleasant surroundings, open and welcoming when others were closing.

Give this place a skip - the staff are rude , do not have any non dairy products and expensive Also it's closes early due to staff shortages

Staff trying the best but really poor. Shuts at 7pm due to staff shortage. Only two food options; burger/chips or pizza. Both not good and both served on paper plates to save on washing up. Toilets locked out of order to save staff having to...clean. The one money shot of this place is supposed to be the view out of the glass end facing the mountains - but they have let the bushes grow to completely cover it. Staff were obviously trying their best. Only way to get staff is to pay more - which as a customer I would be happy to pay more if it meant place was decent. Real shame.More

Popped in after a glacier boat tour to grab a glass of wine in the garden. Place felt really warm and welcoming . Lovely guy running it and we were able to get a pizza to take back to our apartment which was perfect ....Kitchen closed at 7pm so ordered to pick up then. Perfectly ok as we had a few other bits we had brought. And we didn’t want the buffet at the Hermitage which was only other option.More

Not always open as owner is also a guide in the valley. Staff levels improving. We ate twice here recently, found the service friendly and food was pretty good (burgers/steak). Not many other options in village. Needs support - will improve even more.

Basic menu. Staff unhelpful. Food ok. Paper cups, plates, bamboo utensils. Burger very very spicy. I realise they are trying to rebuild after Covid but they need to improve drastically. Ne very very sad looking cake available. I think ‘twas supposed to be a muffin....The salad consisted f lettuce, onions, cucumber, gerkins and capers.More

This review has 2 parts. Firstly - we ordered pizzas to take away. Very delicious! Recommend the vegetarian, margarita and pepperoni pizzas. So good! Thin bases and tasty toppings. Perfect pizzas after a days hiking. Secondly - Charlie (the owner) is a TOP CLASS guy....We didn't realise until the next day (Sunday) that one of our group had left her wallet in the cafe the night before. We managed to phone Charlie - who was not in the Mt Cook village at the time, who then went out of his way to find someone to come and unlock the cafe and give us the wallet as we were flying out that afternoon. We were very, very grateful for Charlie for doing this for us.More

Our pizzas were delicious and cooked by the current owner who is operating as a one man band right now while they try and get back on their feet after a tough 2 years. I have a lot of respect for Charlie how hard he...is working to get both his guide business and restaurant going again. It has a great atmosphere with huge windows looking straight at the mountains and the wood walls and ceiling and old photos showing a bit of the area history. Hours are short at the moment as they build back up. I wish them all the best. Charlie and his wife whose interesting books about the history of the cafe and their lives are local heroes who are offering a great alternative to the big hotel.More

Tasty food, sad that it was the last day in operation when we were there. I hope they will reopen when the Covid pandemic is over or at least under control.