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Top 5 Kid-Friendly Cafés in Hamilton

Jul 7, 2021   •   
Top 5 Kid-Friendly Cafés in Hamilton

In Hamilton, you are never far from award-winning cafés, with quality espresso made by the city’s best baristas – nice and strong, just how a mum needs it!

When you have kids in tow, finding a café that caters to everyone’s needs is vital – good coffee and cabinet food, the best fluffys, and a kids’ area so you might get a moment or two of peace and quiet!

1. Punnet Eatery

On the outskirts of Hamilton South, Punnet is a definite favourite among mums’ groups.  For starters, you are greeted with the most amazing playground – a helicopter, boat, plane and a train, plus a fort, trampoline and swings, so the kids disappear before they have even put in their order!

The cabinet is filled with a fantastic selection of sweet and savoury food, and the coffee is on point. Their menu has delicious combinations of food, with most having gluten or dairy-free options, as well as nut-free, sugar-free, vegetarian, and vegan, so they have everyone covered. They also have different areas inside and out, and cater for parties.

And if that wasn’t enough, they have a gorgeous little gift and ice cream shop, and during the summer months, you can pick your own strawberries too!

To find out more, visit them here.

2. The Village Cafe

Ten minutes west of Hamilton, in the rural setting of Whatawhata, The Village Café (once an old shed) is now a hive of activity nestled in with local shops and cute little cabins to be rented as Pop Up locations.

This rustic café has a delectable cabinet filled with sweet and savoury items and an even more impressive menu featuring a generous kids’ menu (you know who they are out to impress). That’s before I have even mentioned the play area – a Hobbit house, a wooden digger, a tyre climbing area and an outdoor kitchen area with running water for making mud pies! And for the animal lovers, just over the fence is a handful of sheep and a friendly pig.

To find out more, click here.

3. The Verandah – Hamilton Lake Domain

After a brisk walk around Lake Rotoroa, just shy of 4km, stopping for a coffee and letting kids run wild around the huge playground is a must. Nestled in amongst the trees are several playgrounds to cater to all aged kids – a three-story fort for the older adventurer down to a gated area for pre-schoolers. Water troughs with canals and gates keep the water babies entertained (just make sure you have a change of clothes). For those that enjoy a relaxing swing overlooking the glistening lake, they have that covered too.

Not only do they have a delightful range of food to accompany your coffee, but they cater for picnics, kids’ parties and high tea. And do not forget the Kiosk, which supplies ice cream on a hot summer’s day.

To see what else is on offer, visit them here.

4. Cafe Botannix

Situated inside Palmers Garden Centre, from breakfast to afternoon tea, you can enjoy your coffee and meal in a garden setting with a playhouse for the kids to busy themselves while waiting for their fluffy.

Café Botannix prides itself on not adding a surcharge on public holidays, which is the most popular time for planting, so you can recharge with an award-winning organic coffee and something from their inviting cabinet or menu before getting stuck into the garden.

Find your nearest Café Botannix here.

5. Hamilton Gardens Café

Overlooking Turtle Lake in the Spectacular Hamilton Gardens, this dog-friendly café offers the perfect viewing for watching the ducks outside on the deck or in the warmth of their large alfresco-style dining.

Whether you need your coffee before exploring the “Alice in Wonderland” inspired gardens and playground (to give you the energy to keep up with littles!) or after to refuel, the kitchen is open till two or they have a great selection of cabinet food.

To check it out for yourself, click here.

And, a bonus one…

6. Jam At Queenwood

This local café ticks all the boxes for the age of our kids (4, 2, and 6 months), and we can often be found there catching up with friends.

They have a kids’ corner with a couch, blackboard, books and toys, perfect for playing “teachers and schools”, as well as a sandpit that gets wheeled outside daily and parked up on the footpath for a bit of digging and messy play between marshmallows and sips of fluffy.

After downing an excellent strong coffee and delectable meal from either the cabinet or menu, if more energy needs to be burnt and time allows, there is a park across the road with a playground and swings.

Next time you are planning a “mum’s and bub’s coffee outing,” I hope this will help you to find a kid-friendly café that will keep your kids entertained and satisfied, so you can get those precious moments of uninterrupted adult conversation coupled with a good cup of coffee and food!

Brooke is based in Hamilton, New Zealand and runs pre- and post-natal specific sessions. To find out more about her and get in touch, click here.

You can also find her on Instagram.

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