Review Governors Cafe - Dunedin

This cafe was one of the few breakfast places that open at 7am. It was nice and quiet on Saturday morning. Loved the old school vibes. Friendly staffs and hearty breakfast. Bacons Bananas pancakes was very yummy.

Nice coffee and great food, though not much variety of selection for cabin food this time. A nice atmosphere to enjoy a quick coffee.

The Fried chicken pancakes are a hit every time!Fried chicken, pancakes, siracha, maple syrup with an egg. Such an epic combo of flavours. Staff are always cool and friendly!

What a fantastic cafe. Service when good were great, the upstairs room and playroom are so family friendly. If you need a venue for a get together or just want some great food and coffee... Make sure you visit this gem in Dunedin.

We had a very nice lunch, there options to order using a QR code or standard, the staff were pleasant and efficient. The milk shake was divine 😋

Really nice place for brekkie: I got a cappuccino which for once was a real one not a latte! Nice dense froth on top of a long black with a cloud of milk. I would suggest to get a unsweetened soy milk that would be even better. For brekkie as I am GF I had just berries and yogurt with some chopped nuts, well perfect, as no sugar added, you can put your own if you like when it is sweet or none as I did. My friends got the pancakes and she was really happy with. Regarding the prices, probably on the average. We sat inside because of the car rush in the morning but out would be nice as well. :)

Friendly service and easy to order off menu. Great coffee and toasties were sooo good! Nice space to enjoy lunch thank you 😊

10/10 breakfast, and amazing coffee! Black pudding too!!

Hospitality was brilliant , wait staff are polite , friendly 😀, meal was so tasty, very very filling , recommended to everyone and anyone , atmosphere is kind warm and relaxing, loved the board of moments, can't change previous times

Greeted with a smile and a chat which was nice Very friendly staff and helpful Food was amazing! Had eggs Benedict with a hot chocolate and was perfect!!! Thanks team <3

We asked if they had BLTs and they didn’t have them on the menu but the chef heard and said I can make you one! Amazing service, highly recommend

Great coffee and baked goods (the lemon slice just melts in your mouth) and a cool quirky interior, free wi-fi and nice quiet atmosphere - this was a great place to sit and work for an hour, would recommend!

Love this place. We went for a Mum and Daughter date and pancakes. Food was delicious, coffee is always good, the giant squiggle tops are amazing, the loaded wedges are the perfect comfort food. My only problem was I couldn't eat it all. I tried though.

Went in for a hot chocolate and scone. On Mondays and Tuesdays you can get a regular drink and a muffin or scone for just $7. Had we been able to stay longer we would have tried the pancakes. The food in the cabinet looked good too. I loved looking at the services that people had drawn. If you do one you go in the lucky draw for a $25 voucher at The Governor's Cafe.

One of my favourite breakfast spots. Great for families with young kids. Food is yummy and price point is very reasonable.

Delicious food, lovely staff and the play area is great! Kept my two year old well entertained and he demolished his pancakes, I didn’t get a look in!

Best cafe in Dunedin

Been quite a lot for just a hot chocolate or coffee. Have never had the food, but the drinks were always good. Nice cosy atmosphere and right in town.

Very disappointed with the portion of the pancakes. Not at all worth the $14. Previously the portions were fine, but recently the portions have reduced significantly, now its like you're ordering three mini pancakes for $14. When I asked the waiter why the portions have gone down, he just said he didnt know. $14 for those pancakes is terrible and short of a scam. Hope you do better next time.

A good place for grabbing some warm items for drinking in a really cold morning. Coffee, not mellow but acceptable, but $ 5 for a medium size, it's expensive personally. Vegetable scone, a big size but only $4.5 very satisfied with it. Good service.

We had the big vege breakfast and homemade muesli. The vege breakfast is a large hearty meal; good for big appetites. The pesto was delicious, however the ciabatta was placed underneath everything else and got soggy - It was left uneaten. The homemade muesli was nutty and I will definitely try to recreate it at home.

Great atmosphere with both upstairs and downstate dining. Enjoyed a delicious eggs Benedict served on ciabatta bread! Lovely service felt very welcome.

I have been going to the governor's a lot since starting uni and only once have I ever had to wait very long for my food, on that day it was massively busy and they were warning the customers of the wait time which was wonderful of them. The service has always been good and the food better the staff never hesitate to fix an order if they make a mistake (which has only happened once in the approx 25 times I've been there) the coffee is amazing and the food is fresh and flavour full. I was absolutely shocked at the ratings others have been giving it because I have never had a bad experience there at all.

Went here last weekend with a small group of people. Waited for over half an hour for food which would have been ok however when our food arrived my poached eggs were basically hard boiled and the extra bacon and hash browns my partner ordered were non existent. The waitress's rudely said she would see if they could make more and after her reaction I asked for a refund as did my partner whose eggs were the same. Both the waitress and waiter we dealt with were extremely rude and unfriendly. Terrible experience would def not recommend anybody go there!

Have been going to the Governor's Cafe now for the first semester of Uni at the University of Otago. At first, I tried the other breakfast place "Capers" just down the street...needless to say it was WAY to expensive for the quality of the food. Capers is just what I like to call a "Nike Store"...it prices everything higher because it has a name that is well-known and popular, though the food may not be. <br/><br/>Anyways, Governor's Cafe was recently brought under new management by a real nice guy from the states. Being from the states myself I first went into here because it has the best filter coffee you can find in Dunedin. Perfectly roasted and well made. Also, the Eggs Benny were absolutely amazing, well made and beautifully presented. The pancakes are better than Capers and the fries are bomb as well. This is the spot in Dunedin for awesome breakfast/lunch and a great atmosphere. <br/><br/>There is only one thing I have to say that is negative. On Saturdays there is a woman who works behind the counter who is rude, very rude. I have been a waiter/busser/runner in many restaurants and every time I interact with her I am met with a wind of rudeness. Came in last Saturday 24/5/2014 and was coming in for my weekly filter coffee...before I took my hat off I was told very rudely and in a raised voice with the waiving of her hand "Kitchen is closed, sorry" from in the kitchen. I responded kindly saying I was just here for coffee and she rolled her eyes and sent a nice young boy to take my order. This is my only complaint with Governor's, she is mean, rude and does not belong in the service industry if hospitality is not her forte. Never once has she been helpful or courteous. <br/><br/>However, everyone else at Governor's Cafe is sweet, genuine and loves where they work. Keep it up, you hands down have been my best dining experience on George Street. <br/><br/>Bravo! Keep that great food coming!

I went here for lunch the other day with a friend. The food was okay but the service we received was shocking. Never have I ever felt so angry and annoyed at a cafe/restaurant. The lady at the counter was downright rude even after she had made a mistake and not been able to give us the exact food we ordered. My friend and I waited patiently for our food (which was taking a long time just to be heated up). There was a mix up with our orders and I mentioned that we were in a little bit of a hurry when the lady interrupted and very rudely exclaimed that the food was coming. For the rest of our 20min there, she continued to patronise us asking if we wanted our food to be packed and sarcastically commenting on our way out 'that we obviously weren't in a hurry'. <br/>Condescending, so rude, how can people of this nature be employed?

Went here for brunch last Thursday and food was delicious but blonde girl behind the counter couldn't have been grumpier, over the hour or so that we were there she snapped at customers and the other staff and stomped around slamming down menus etc. Made it awkward for everyone who was dining because she made it pretty clear that she did not want to be there. Aside from her the other staff were lovely and the food amazing!!!!!!!! Would be 5 stars if it wasn't for her bad attitude.

I have been coming to Governors for over 20 years. The bench seats and window tables are still there but the menu has grown and espresso coffee has arrived. I really like the unique feel that it has and the studenty buzz that it still promulgates. Once it was the leading edge cafe but now it seems to have not moved with the times. Still a cool place to visit.

I daily have a coffee at Gov's. I have been doing so for the past 2 years and have been going there for over 20 years as I work around there. A lot of things have changed but the team there now are really polished, the coffee nice and hot and the service has that personal touch which is missing from a lot of places. All walks of life come in there and you can really relax. The scones and toasted cheese rolls are my favorite but all their food is nice. Its just a really cool Kiwi place and you feel 'at home' and not rushed out the door.

For the past few years my 5 friends and I have been breakfasting at Governors one morning per week plus I buy my lunch here on a regular basis. The service is excellent and the food great. All of the staff are very friendly and pleasant. I have been a customer of Governors since 1970 and thoroughly enjoy the laid back atmosphere of the cafe.

I have been a regular customer of the Governors since the days of the Rickshaw (i.e. pre-Govs) and find it unique. It has managed to retain its identity while keeping up with modern trends. It succeeds because it is what it is and does what it does excellently. I have seen staff and owners come and go and for a cafe to survive for over 40 years has to mean it has something special; woe betide it if anyone tries to make it like everywhere else. The current owner is certainly modifying it to suit his needs and I just hope he doesn't go too far. The current staff are among the best, from Erica's cheerfulness to Sarah's phantastic bacon toasted sandwiches, no one else does anything like it. I suspect the moaners expect the routine everywhere-the-same-as-everywhere-else brigade. The Governors is different and it's special! Vive la difference!

I don’t see what the neg reviews re staff are about, we went in again for brunch today and find all the staff awesome and some of the reviews are harsh and inappropriate. Sure, it was busy, and I like the fact that I was advised there would be a 20 min wait. The food is OK, we had the eggs Benny, and whilst it was OK it was not great (compared with other cafes for brunch) The eggs were slightly overcooked and the bacon rashers small and the hollindaise was def on the sparse side. Coffee was great however. Pricing is fair. Prob would not be my first choice for brunch on George Street – but I would return for lunch/coffee/cake

My friend and I went there for Brunch one day and the girl behind the counter was rude and inconsiderate. She was not helpful and rolled her eyes at us and was yelling in the cafe. We left because the service was horrible and I will not be going back. This place is not recommended.

Went in today, had a dreadful experience. I asked if there was any fruit salad on the menu, to which the girl looked at me like I was stupid and said "uhh, we have yoghurt with fruit" looked back at me... and never explained what it was, what it came with, what the portion size was, how much it cost... So I asked these questions which she then became clearly tired of, and started to brush me off. I heard her answer the phone, I think her name was Erin, she was rude, looked dreadful, facial piercings and skanky. Loud and rude personal conversations with people who came through the front door and left through the kitchen. Always knew this place was a dump from what I'd heard, I'll not be back.

Worst service I've received at a cafe ever. The wait was over 40 minutes long, when asked as to why it took so long they told me that they were understaffed and had a small kitchen. While I understand that this can complicate the situation the fact that we were waiting over 40 minutes to get our food is ridiculous. Upon arrival we were the only customers bar 3 others who were finishing up their meal. While waiting 19 other customers arrived and of the 19, 13 of them received their main order before my friend and I were served. So what I fail to understand is if they were so understaffed and kitchen is so small how were they able to prepare and serve 13 other mains before we received ours. Upon finally receiving the meals no apology was given and no compensation for the delay. This was undoubtedly the worst service I have ever received!!!

Though I am aware of how childish this may seem, but simply put, Governors is the worst. Forty minute wait for a sandwich, and when it finally arrived the service was dreadful. Even though every customer who had arrived far later than us had received their food, the cafe owner (who was also serving us) obviously saw no reason for complaint as he walked away whilst we were trying to discuss our grievances with him. Terrible.

Went here with my boyfriend and was disgusted all round. Girl behind the counter was sloppy greasy and so rude. We ordered eggs benny and waited 45 minutes. we watched every single person around us get their food first even though they arrived way after us and ordered the same thing. I asked where the food was and the rude waitress rolled her eyes and mumbled something. when food FINALLY arrived it was SO average with soggy bread and minimal Hollandaise sauce. we spent over $50 and it was below average. will NEVER go back. Get new staff

Brunch on sunday 10th March - the greeting was "It will be a 30-45 minute wait" - Still not put off we ordered and were served well within the time specified.<br/><br/>Eggs benedict for me - overcooked eggs, soggy ciabata and pretty average hollandaise. Didn't return it as they were so busy but really - for the price - come on guys.<br/><br/>Partner had the cooked breakfast and specifically said no meat pattie - guess what arrived<br/><br/>So many people walked out after the initial greeting, just a slight change in how it was presented or "We're really busy but I'll take your order - how about we do 50% off your coffees" or something along those lines - many more happy customers who stayed around to order. - Just a suggestion

Love the gingerbread latte! We ordered wedges and got a nice bowl full with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce on the side. The menu is comprehensive and has gluten-free options (as well as gluten free options in the cabinet). Will be going back in future!

I shouted myself brunch here one day against my better judgement. I remember it from years ago and thought I would see how they were doing after all this time. I stupidly ordered the big breakfast, I should have known better just by looking around - it hasn't changed in 20yrs.<br/>It arrived dripping in oil. Everything was deep fried. And not even well. The sausages were so over deep-fried they were splitting and shredding and the ends were inedible. I had about half a hash brown - commercially bought - because it was so oily. I wouldn't be surprised if the eggs were fried in a vat also. It was disgusting. The prices are the same as a cafe which takes the time to cook things on the grill. Never going back. Thank goodness I didn't dare order a coffee..

I am visiting Dunedin and went into Governors yesterday - the place was quiet and there was noone waiting before or after me. As I walked in, the girl behind the counter barely acknowledged me. As I stood there for all of ten seconds looking in the cabinet, she must have sighed at least three times. I didn't bother to order. Substandard service goes well with substandard selection, I suppose.

Went there for breakfast with family, and we felt almost completely ignored. After we ordered breakfast and drinks, our drinks took 15 minutes to arrive. Half an hour later, our breakfasts arrived and we were so hungry! But the food looks a lot better than it tastes. The decor in the cafe was below average and very shabby looking. There are plenty of better cafes to visit.

After reading some whinney reviews I am so confused.<br/>The staff a awesome, friendly and even serenade their customers where required (Yeah! for the gorgeous staff). They make great coffee and deliver with a smile. Mostly they even remember what I want before I have even asked for it.<br/>Probably better to avoid the lunch break as the poor staff are super busy and there are not enough tables. Apart from that you should all go check it out

Weekday morning calls for coffee at Governors give me more than just a great caffeine fix.It may not be all glass and stainless steel, but friendly and engaging staff are like a blast of morning sunlight. Thanks Suz, Olivia and Sarah. Then there are the fabulous muffins! See you tomorrow.<br/>Rob

I have been travelling New Zealand for 3 months and was a daily costumer at my stay in Dunedin. a friend recommended it and i was not disappointed. within a few visits, i had the feeling to belong to a big family. I was always welcomed, had a little chat with the staff about this and that and was informed about specials or food I should try, and the food was always great. When I had to leave the staff and manager even helped me with my travel plans. <br/><br/>I recommend it to all my friends going to New Zealand to have breakfast there.

I have been a "loyal customer" to Governors for 7 years (since the owner was Tim). It is fair to say that they are usually friendly and the food and the coffee are just great (and the cashier girls are gorgeous). <br/><br/>Highly recommended.

I went here after a friend recommended it and was not disappointed! The service was friendly, and the food was great! <br/><br/>I had the Bacon Eggs Benedict which was delicious and very filling, with just the right amount of sauce! My friend had the Chicken Salad which she said was good too! (I'm not a salad person myself hahaha)<br/><br/>The drinks were great too! :) I definitely suggest trying an Iced Chocolate!

Went there for breakfast in the weekend, staff pretty much ignored us as we looked for a table, had no menus on the table ,had to wait 15 mins just to order and it was only half full, i think they were under staffed. The new menu looked very good but when the food arrived it certainly didn't live up to our expectations. firstly the food arrived warm if not cold i had ordered the vegetarian grill, the fried potatoes were soaked in oil &amp; there was no spinach on the plate, when i asked about the spinach the lady simply said "we have runout" with no apology or replacement item. My partner had the english breakfast and could not eat the black pudding simply because it tasted and smelt off. We pretty much left there out of pocket and still hungry.We didn't bother to complain because the manager looked in a bad mood already. Definitely way better places to go for breakfast in Dunno's than this place.

The staff here desperately need to work on their customer service!! <br/><br/>A group of us (including 2 toddlers) tried to have lunch there today. It wasn't too busy with all the centre tables empty. We went in and asked if there was a high-chair available and told yes by someone working the coffee machine. We were completely ignored for the next 5 minutes as one of us stood at the counter waiting for service or even some acknowledgement (and to ask whether we could actually use the highchair which was tucked away behind a fridge) while one staff member operated the coffee machine with her back to us the entire time and another 3 stood around in the kitchen. After being completely ignored by all the staff, we left and went and had lunch elsewhere. Come on guys - how hard is it to turn around and say "sorry, I'm a bit busy but I'll be right with you" or something along those lines?. I don't normally post reviews but thought something had to be said.

We live near Governors and decided to pop in for lunch today.<br/><br/>I had the Moroccan Lamb burger and my girlfriend had the chicken and bacon wrap.<br/><br/>The burger was very good. A nice blend of flavours and textures and about the right size for a light lunch meal.<br/><br/>My girlfriend also enjoyed her wrap. She thought it would be even better if they'd warmed the wrap before serving. The fillings were warm but the wrap itself was cold to the touch.<br/><br/>They also use 'chicken tenders' in the wrap. Seems a little strange to use frozen, processed food in otherwise fresh and tasty ingredients. If they used cooked, shredded chicken it would be much better.<br/><br/>Staff were very friendly and food arrived promptly. Nice atmosphere and a good spot for people watching. Would be nice if they played a little more downbeat, chill music to suit the cafe atmosphere - there's only so much Whitney Houston and Robbie Williams you want to hear when eating your lunch.

Went to this cafe and experienced a relaxed atmosphere with good food and good coffee. The place was relatively full when we arrived but the food still came out swiftly and tasted great! The Iced Mocha was particularly delicious. All of the staff working were friendly and polite, I will definitely be returning to try out something else on the menu.

I go to Governors for a cooked breakfast most weeks because the food tastes really nice and comes in good sized portions. They have really friendly staff, delicious coffee and a warm inviting astmosphere especially on grey Dunedin days. <br/>

Good service and not much waiting time on the food. The place was clean, especially compared to Capers. However this could be because there wasn't a lot of people there and it should have been the lunch time rush crowd.<br/>Let down was the food, my friends hollandaise sauce was sour and really did swamp the plate. We both had eggs brunch meals that were served with ciabatta as the bread, which was very hard and in my opinion unsuited to the type of meals they were.

I am a local and live a short walk from this cafe. I go there mainly because it was close... but how I wish it was far away.<br/><br/>These are my observations from having ordered things there several times:<br/><br/>(1) Often I have ordered things from the menu and been brought out an entirely different thing - and then been made to feel unwelcome when I complained. For instance I once ordered a greek salad which on the ingedients list said it had feta/olives/redonions - sounded good. When I got it I had a green salad full of grated carrot with no feta or olives... they very begrudgingly tried to remake it but lacked the ingedients so it was still basically just a random salad. Other times I have specified not to put mushrooms on my breakfast and had a half plateful of the things brought out.<br/><br/>(2) They NEVER clean the tables. Whenever you go in there are dishes piled up on the empty tables and then are not clean... even when the place is empty and no one is doing any work.<br/><br/>(3) Again lack of basic ingredients... I went in to order an eggs Benedict in the morning and they told me they did not have any eggs... a joke??? No they were serious. And rather than quickly rush out to get this most basic of ingredients they just left me to wander down the road to a REAL cafe.<br/><br/>Its a shame because it is a nice looking building - if the people who worked there actually put in any effort it might be worth visiting.. as it is avoid!<br/><br/>(This is not based on one visit but on going in there many times)<br/><br/>[Since i wrote this review the place seems to have changed ownership? Or at least has been changed in some manner. The massive piles of dishes on the tables are still there however. And in response to your :why do I come back? Well... I tend to go to Everyday Gourmet these days which is better in every way... especially since you got rid of the $1 refills on the coffee.. which was the only reason I kept going back there! I am happy that your menus now more accurately reflect the actual ingredients you use in salads now however.]