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Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours
CUISINES
Cafe, European, New Zealand
FEATURES
Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service
Reviews (1,261)
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Reviewed 2 weeks ago via mobile

Okay, to be fair, they write down they are short staffed. But that is no reason to have such a dirty restaurant! Dead flies, spiderwebs, dirty tables. They have cut down the menu options to a few dishes, so you would think those that are...left over are their specialties. I had the pepperoni pizza, and it was terrible. Worst pizza in ages. Almost no toppings, and a lot of extra salt sprinkled over it. Why? Not worth going to!More

Date of visit: November 2023
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Reviewed 4 weeks ago via mobile

This establishment is operated with love for its location and the people who visit it. Everything about the place is fantastic! The owner, Charlie Hobbs, is one of those fantastic people in this world! It was a pleasure to meet you and to read yours...and Mary’s stories!More

Date of visit: November 2023
Helpful?
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.
Reviewed 4 October 2023

Went here with our family of 5 and had a great experience. I did msg the owner prior to make sure he was open and what the opening hours were. No need to book. I had a delicious tomato and coconut soup and all 4...others had the burger which was huge with a generous portion of chips. Food came quickly (there were only 2 other people in the restaurant) and everyone commented on how delicious it was. My only complaint was that we arrived on a day when it snowed 45 cm and they didn’t have the fire on (just heaters) 😊 it was a little to cool for me 🥶. But that was late in the season and unexpected snow so maybe they weren’t prepared. Otherwise great night, great food and great location.More

Date of visit: September 2023
Helpful?1  
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.
Reviewed 26 May 2023 via mobile

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

Date of visit: May 2023
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Reviewed 30 April 2023 via mobile

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

Date of visit: April 2023
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Reviewed 22 April 2023

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

Date of visit: March 2023
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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.
Reviewed 4 April 2023

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

Date of visit: March 2023
Helpful?1  
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.
Reviewed 12 March 2023 via mobile

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

Date of visit: March 2023
Helpful?1  
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.
Reviewed 10 March 2023 via mobile

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

Date of visit: March 2023
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Charlie H, Owner at Old Mountaineers' Cafe, Bar and Restaurant, responded to this reviewResponded 12 March 2023

ClockworkNellie well you really don't get what's happening here do you. Firstly I wish if you report on this site you speak truth and not lies. We offer a variety of home made burgers and pizzas and a hearty steak dish. Yes we use bio-Pak...More

Reviewed 26 February 2023 via mobile

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

Date of visit: February 2023
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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.
Reviewed 25 December 2022

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.

Date of visit: December 2022
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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.
Reviewed 22 December 2022

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

Date of visit: December 2022
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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.
Reviewed 9 May 2022

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

Date of visit: May 2022
Helpful?1  
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.
Reviewed 1 May 2022

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

Date of visit: April 2022
Helpful?1  
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.
Reviewed 31 January 2022

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.

Date of visit: January 2022
Helpful?
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.
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Questions & Answers
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kiwi_cathj
20 April 2021|
Answer
Response from Shirleewirly | Reviewed this property |
They did for me, but I think you have to ask specifically :) I had a burger there and it was delicious!
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Ash5200
24 June 2015|
AnswerShow all 2 answers
Response from Harriet W | Property representative |
Dear Ash, Yes it is VERY high season! We do take reservations and if you book your group in for an early dinner that should work. Let me know your name, contact details of where you are staying and if you want to book on 29... More
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OLD MOUNTAINEERS' CAFE, BAR AND RESTAURANT, Mt. Cook Village - Restaurant Reviews, Phone Number & Photos

Frequently Asked Questions about Old Mountaineers' Cafe, Bar and Restaurant

Yes, Old Mountaineers' Cafe, Bar and Restaurant offers takeaway services.

Old Mountaineers' Cafe, Bar and Restaurant is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 4
  • Value: 3.5
  • Atmosphere: 4.5