Review The Brown Trout Cafe - Athol

The bar interior with wood panels, fireplace, trout prints and deer antlers against the walls is stunning. The one large outside table is the perfect place to bring a bunch of friends to and hang out for hours. The scandi baked good are great and the bbq bowl is the equivalent of a poke bowl for meat lovers. Of you are into good food and a great atmosphere this is the place to visit. Athol is a great portal for outdoor activities like fishing, hiking, hunting and mountainbiking. The staff kept apologising because the food took some time to be served, but it wasn’t necessary because I did not want to leave.

The food is really good and delicious . We had a seafood chowder and a fish and chips lunch. It includes slices of toast which is crispy and well buttered and toasted. The salad that comes with the fish & chips is well tossed and dressed. Great meal and highly recommended on the way to Te Anau. Charming cafe.

Cafe inside ambient and outside garden are very welcoming. 5-star for the cafe setting. We have beefalo (beef + buffalo) burger. Burger taste nice. First time having beetroot in my burger. Just a passing trip to Queenstown.

Stopped for lunch. Friendly owners who obviously want hard. The chef is VERY talented and the menu a little unusual displaying his talents. Signature lunch dish looks to be the Hoagie, various flavors. Hubby was inlove with it. I opted for cheese rolls. Stunning, best I have had. Go well guys.

Very nice French Toast for lunch at two in the afternoon. Great service and wait staff. My 94 year old Mother Inlaw enjoyed her bacon and eggs. Thanks team.

Food was delicious. Service friendly. Toilet accessible for me. Quaint with the trout sculptures and pictures around plus local craft and jams etc for sale. Loved the moulded natural timber counters.

The 12hr brisket, pulled pork & chargrilled chicken with chickpea & cauliflower salad and potato bake was INCREDIBLE! The owner and staff are SO friendly and helpful🤩 A few grocery items also in shop which was helpful. Would DEFINITELY recommend and would drive out of my way to come here.

I visited this wonderful cafe en route Te Anau. It’s simply gorgeous. Cool atmosphere, beautiful outdoor setting and wonderful service. And typically quirky and interesting locally made gifts and treats.

Friendly staff, nice environmemt. Had some coffee and breakfast on the way to Milford. Good place for a stop

Awsome cafe with outstanding service. The food is out of this world, you got to try the brisket. Great atmosphere and a good place to stop and take a break before getting back onto the road. Would recommend this Cafe without hesitation.

Somebody recommend the Hoagie sandwiches here, so when driving back to Queenstown, decided to stop off for coffee. Wasn't even that hungry so shared a hoagie with my wife. The hoagie was totally worth it; meat had been slow cooked for something like 15 hours and was slightly smoky. Best I have ever had, so Athol well now be my go-to stop when travelling south from Queenstown Coffee was good and nice place to sit and have a break from driving

This place is a hidden gem. Great food, especially the brisket, best coffee we've had in nz. Great eating area including a pool table and bar.

Nice stop, good coffee's. Didn't eat but the food looked great. Friendly welcome.

One of the best places I've been to in a long time. The chips were literally the most perfect golden crispy chips, big portion and good prices. Also awesome service. If I was a local I'd be so happy to have a place like this! If you're driving in or out of Queenstown make this your pit stop for food and coffee!!

It's a quaint place with a little gift shop with handmade items made locally. The staff there are so friendly, food is great.

Great for a quick stop right off the road! We had a delicious breakfast, eggs Benedict and bacon and toast. Plus you have to try the scones!! We bought 2 for the road they were so tasty! Very nice ladies working

Really liked this place. Coffee was great and the pies looked amazing although I didn't have one

Had the most wonderful experience there two weeks ago while on a road trip of NZ. The family oriented business was evident, loved chatting with the staff. Coffee was great. Service was quick. I recommend anyone to stop there on your way to Gore!

It's not the Brown Trout any more it's Athol Cafe

I believe the owner of this cafe is sick of being up to his elbows in shit! My partner went to use the loo having decided he wanted a magnum whilst I continued to decide what ice cream I was going to have....when I got up to the till to pay for the two ice creams the owner lost his temper and ran off with his mouth about there being a public toilet off site for people to use and that the other 6 family members in my party should leave the shop immediately. So I felt attacked and told him I was no longer interested in buying the ice creams and walked away only....to be followed out the door!!!... by the angry owner with his barrage of woes about people using his toilet! Let it be known I DID NOT USE THE TOILET And for the record it was 2pm and we were all going to buy nibbles as we had ragging appetites after completing our Kepler Trek. To my disappointment a person in our party not aware of the situation at hand did spend $8 in this dreadful shop

Great spot for a coffee, a quick drink and a bite to eat... free wifi, very friendly accommodating staff and owners...!!!

Never come across ruder service in my life. Clearly these people have a problem with travellers using their toilets. 8 of us walked in to have some lunch on the way back to Queenstown. 2 of us used the toilet before ordering and ended up with a barage of insults. Clearly these people shouldn't be in hospitality. It looked like a cute place to.

Enroute to Queenstown from Te Anau -stopped here for brunch. Hubby had smoked chicken bagel which he thoroughly enjoyed. I had a pepper steak pie, one of the best I have eaten.

Great coffe and scones Good service. Very friendly staff. Prompt meals. Great place for quick stop. Love the garden.