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RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

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CUISINES
Cafe, New Zealand
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch, Drinks
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meals, features
Reviews (285)
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Traveller rating
167
79
16
7
6
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LanguageEnglish
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Traveller rating
167
79
16
7
6
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All reviews brunch cheese scone crepes hash browns pie fries rose garden botanical gardens busy cafe outside seating morning tea great food and service nice coffee sparrows mushrooms
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Reviewed 29 January 2024

We found the cafe to be excellent.. great menu choices and delicious food. We were welcomed and shown to a table straight away, and staff were very friendly ! They were busy setting up for a function but this didn’t distract from the service we...were shown. Highly recommend.More

Date of visit: October 2023
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Reviewed 5 January 2024

On a busy, warm day the Picnic Cafe was full to overflowing - a queue of people waiting for a table, but a very minimal wait for one, tables shaded from the sun, very quick service - an army of friendly waitrons, very good food...and reasonably priced - really good 'picnic boxes' for the kids - sandwiches, juice box, mini brownie and fruit/lolly kebab - well worth the price. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!More

Date of visit: December 2023
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Reviewed 22 December 2023 via mobile

We were a group of work colleagues, from the moment we arrived excellent and friendly service. We all loved each of our meals, definitely be back, beautiful surroundings

Date of visit: December 2023
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Reviewed 1 December 2023 via mobile

Excellent friendly staff despite the time of year and how busy the cafe was. Food was fast and yummy. I definitely would recommend this place to people and would visit here again.

Date of visit: December 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 18 November 2023

What a great spot we picked for lunch. The food was very good served nice and hot and wasn't long in arriving after we had ordered. A big shout out to Keeley our waitress who looked after us so well...... appeared to be such a...happy soul.More

Date of visit: November 2023
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Reviewed 13 November 2023 via mobile

The food was amazing and so unexpected!! The tomato soup may be the best I ever had. The bread fresh baked. The fries hot and crispy. I highly recommend and I’m pretty picky

Date of visit: November 2023
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Reviewed 10 November 2023

Visited the Picnic Cafe two days ago. Telephoned, and the very helpful owner Paul happily took our booking and allocated the perfect table in the sun overlooking the beautiful Rose Garden. The food and service were excellent, and would certainly have us coming back as...regulars if we lived in Wellington. If we could give the Picnic Cafe and Paul a six we would! Our advice is if you visit the Wellington Botanic Gardens, drop into the Cafe if only to grab a quick refreshment. You won't be disappointed!More

Date of visit: November 2023
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Reviewed 9 November 2023

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!More

Date of visit: October 2023
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Reviewed 20 October 2023

Pumpkin &kumera soup was amazing , i matched it with a bone face hazy . Service is great . I will def be back . Good vibe

Date of visit: October 2023
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Reviewed 15 October 2023

Wonderfully organised good value spot for coffee and all lunch items cheese scones soup and similar dishes

Date of visit: October 2023
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Reviewed 26 August 2023

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.More

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed 10 August 2023 via mobile

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.

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed 4 June 2023

Paul was extremely helpful for our group including my elderly mother Despite a crowded room, he expertly rearranged tables when we arrived early to seat us at a handy table for Mum not to walk far. And stowed her walker out of the way. Zara...was excellent for our order and the food arrived fast and was extremely delicious and generous sizes. The coffee was great too! Very happy team work at this cafe at all stations.More

Date of visit: June 2023
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Reviewed 23 April 2023 via mobile

We stopped here after our walk through the Botanic Garden. It’s autumn at the moment, but you could tell how stunning this place would be in spring and summer next to the Rose Garden. We still enjoyed sitting outside. We had a Caesar salad and...lamb tagine pie. Delicious!More

Date of visit: April 2023
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Reviewed 10 April 2023

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.More

Date of visit: April 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.
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Bobzstar
25 August 2017|
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Response from Joey39A | Property representative |
yes, absolutely - we are very dog friendly!
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Picnic Cafe, Wellington - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Picnic Cafe

Yes, Picnic Cafe offers takeaway services.

Picnic Cafe is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4.5
  • Value: 4
  • Atmosphere: 4.5