Review The River Kitchen - Hamilton

It’s my birthday brunch and we decided to check out the Sconery. Food: We got the big breakfast and had it to share. Even after splitting it into two the servings were still huge. Good quality bacon, sausages, egg and hash brown. Quentin was fascinated with the round sourdough biscuit tasting cookie looking pastry that came with the meal (brioche or English muffin - we had to ask the chef what it was). For dessert we got the Dates + Custard Scones and it was heavenly. Ambiance: Love the straightforwardness of the decor. Exposed brick as interior?Yes to that! And who would have thought green pool tiles would work? It did. My favorite part is the exposed kitchen. You can see how your food is made. Makes for great entertainment when waiting for your meal. People: The staff were friendly and accommodating. Love how the cook acknowledges people as she makes the meal. Room for improvement: Quentin’s flat white was good but my iced latte needs a bit of work. Overall it was such a great brunch experience. I can see why people line up to see what’s on the cabinet and grab one to go. P.S. As we were paying for the extra coffee Quentin got he told the crew it’s my birthday. They went out their way and got a pastry with candle lighted come out for me. It was sooooo sweet! They feel like family. Something someone like me who comes 8,000+ miles away needs.

I went with my family for breakfast and the staff were really accomdating and friendly. On top of that the food was really well done, even though there was a little bit of a mistake with our order they kindly made up for it with no hassle so thank you for that! Would definitely go again :) Little bit of feedback, it would be really nice if the cinnamon roll had a bit more of the filling inside 😅

Visited The Sconery for lunch, really enjoyed our drinks. The custard scone was nice, the gluten-free hotcakes with butter and lemon were nice to start with, I really enjoyed the first one. I found the second one a bit dry and couldn't finish the third one. In the little jug was more lemon juice, not something that would've made much difference. The experience would have been much better if there was something to cut through the dryness, a compote, a sauce, fruit, anything. Overall a nice place to stop in.

Very tidy and well designed place, with kitchen opening directly into the main café space. The restoration of the building and the fit-out are of high level with good finishes and materials. The food and service seem also of high level. Recommended.

Got the pancakes and s’mores hot chocolate. The presentation was simple - just pancakes with ingredients on top, but I didn’t mind as the food speaks for itself, no messing round with extra bits and bobs, just good ol bacon maple syrup and banana. Great portions, good quality pancakes, super light and fluffy. And the presentation of the s’mores hot chocolate made up for it, loved the biscuit and home made marshmallow. The hot chocolate itself was not too sweet, wish there was more of it go with the s’mores part. We sat by the kitchen which was awesome to see the food getting made, food came out nice and fast, staff were super friendly 10/10 service, even offered to take a photo of us with the food :)

Only stopped in for a takeaway coffee and some cabinet food. It was really busy in there, might have only been one table free. Despite this the staff didn't seemed frazzled, they knew what they were doing. Place has a really nice decor and atmosphere. Coffee was good and the scones we got we're tasty

Excellent portions & taste. I was surprised by the three poached eggs on my Eggs Benedict. The coffee & hash veggies were delicious too! It did take a long time for the food to be served but the flavors made up for the wait.

Everything about this cafe speaks 'Quality Fine Food'. A welcoming and comforting atmosphere complimented by smiling attentive staff. I marvelled at the home baked goodies deliciously tantalising! I am not lying!! I'll be back before I leave Hamilton!

Food is tasty, fresh and quality. The Zealong Tea is well known in town. The service is brilliant as they always have a big smile on their caring faces. The cafe’s ambience is warmly welcomed My recommendation is try to pair green tea or any tea with a scone you like before or after the meal. You might fall in love ❤️

It's always an amazing experience to visit. They always have amazing fiod and the staff alawys are smiling

A consistently exceptional food experience at The River Kitchen. Maria & her team create delicious treats like the boiled eggs & toast soldiers with personality. The scones are excellent and the coffee is always hot & strong. Love the golden book menu story about the flavours of the Mighty Waikato region too. A definite Hamilton ‘must do’ for breakfast, brunch, lunch or catering too.

Maria and The Sconery (River Kitchen) have been absolutely amazing to me! I have used them a couple of times recently for some catering for team lunches. The food has been delicious and well and the service, excellent! Thanks Maria and team, will see you again soon! :)

When unsure of what to eat when you're in a foreign country, always rely on the Mr. G (my term for Google) and find the best option - nearby place with high rating. A quick search brought me to this cafe located on the main street in Hamilton. It was a small cafe with not many tables inside and you'd probably have to sit separately if big group - and that was what we did. ◾You can order directly from the menu, or simply go for their pastries, quiches, salad, sandwiches and others ◾Baked eggs with spinach, yoghurt, harissa & Turkish bread.. I added extra bacon ◾Toast with salted butter and maple syrup was no brainer for the kid ◾Scrambled eggs on ciabatta toast with a side of green and baked beans ◾Roast mushrooms with porcini cream and black garlic puree - the obliged my request to omit the rye bread and substitute with baby spinach on the side... The best mushroom dish that I had so far in NZ. For first timer go for their roast mushrooms as this is one of the star dishes. Somehow the porcini cream and black garlic puree work well with the mushrooms. And the coffee was good too.. I enjoyed my breakfast session sitting by the window while watching the world goes by.

We moved to the Waikato years ago. We thought it was going to be a cultural wasteland but one Saturday morning we stumbled across The River Kitchen Cafe. What a lovely place. Great coffee, happy and helpful crew and then out came the Salmon Hash. I don't even really like salmon, so I'm not sure what I was thinking, but years later I still delight in ordering it and I've never been disappointed. Sometimes I wonder how Maria can afford to cram so much salmon on a single dish and sometimes my wife has to steer me towards other things on the menu, but here's the point. When you find a place that feels like home, delivers every time and you know that whatever youi order is going to be great, why wouldn't you? The less said about the mad detour into The Sconery the better. The world was a lonlier, sadder place without TRK but the madness is over and this old favourite is back. Welcome home Maria. I'll be in later this morning and who knows what I might order? Well, I think we all do really.

Must try. We went for mother's day. Very simple menu but nice Would go back. I had a big breakfast not eggs

Cam here for a coffee on a Saturday afternoon whilst shopping. It recently moved locations and looks great inside. Had coffee and a scone. Good coffee, scone was very nice and proper clotted cream and jam which was very nice. Plenty of seating inside and good seating outside as well. We’ll be back for a proper meal at some stage.

Fantastic cafe, on a work trip in Hamilton and found The River Kitchen. The staff were great and the food was excellent. Their hot chocolate with home made marshmallow on top is amazing. This cafe offers the ‘X’ factor with great small touches. Thanks

Beautiful place for food and coffee. Staff is professional with great customer service! Our food was amazing, especially my eggs on mufin with salmon. The portion of the salmon was super generous and for a good price too. Definitely recommend.

Found this restaurant on Zomato and TripAdvisor but very disappointed. We waited too long for our food (about 40 minutes) and were starving. The table beside us also got irritated from the long wait. We were hoping the food taste could make it up, but the cooked salmon is already cold and really salty. The bacon is crispy and tastes nice but also quite salty. We finished our drinks and asked for some water due to salty taste but the waitress forgot until we decided to just leave. When we got home and saw the bill in details, we found we were actually charged more for the “4 for $21”. We did only choose 4 from the selections but got charged $24. Will never go back again. Hope they can improve.

Very yummy food. Really enjoyed eating here and would recommend it to all my friends. Perfect place to go if you're looking for a relaxed atmosphere!.

It was only a quick stop for coffee but this is one of those places you have to come back and have some time to spend here and enjoy the food.

Came here for an early breakfast. It was packed at like 7.30 in the morning which was definitely a great sign. Ordered the hot chocolate as well as the buckwheat pancakes. The owner or manager was soooo friendly and caring offered me a blanket/heat bags cause I was sitting outside. My first attempt at buckwheat-it was quite nice and those poached pears were delightful. It came with a ricotta which I was really looking forward to but it had cardamom in it which i absolutely despise. That didn’t stop me though just pushed it to the side and continued on. Great first encounter with buckwheat

My colleague raved about your cinnamon scrolls and they did not disappoint. I also was relieved to find a cafe that sold porridge and not just porridge - a variety of flavours. I ordered mine with black doris plums yoghurt and it comes with a side of crunch granola. My tea was served under a cosy making it an awesome final touch to a hearty breakfast. Generous portions, value for money and I highly recommend the river kitchen to everyone

Rainy morning breakfast. Sat on the street and didnt get wet so thats a win. Poached eggs on rye. 3 eggs are cooked pefectly. Added a side of bacon which is a very generous portion. Relish was ace.

Rating: 3.5<br/><br/>Good meeting place for breakfast or brunch. Centrally located in Hamilton. Parking might be hard to find during the weekend.Love dining outside especially on a sunny day. Usually have the scrambled egg- always fluffy just the way I like it.Chai latte was not overly sweet<br/><br/>Ambience- 4/5<br/>Service — 4/5<br/>Food - 3.5/5

Lovely big breakfasts - a lil different from the norm with the beans which was awesome- the venue is so tiny though you have to get takeout but this is one of my fav breaky places in Hamilton

<br/>I was impressed with the reviews on The River Kitchen and decided to give it a try.I wasn't disappointed. The breakfast was great and the coffee just made my day.The staff were friendly and service excellent.I would definitely recommend this place to anyone keen on getting a good brekkie in the Tron.

I had the Spanish eggs for brunch and it was overly salty, my friend ordered something else and it was too salty too. Have been here twice and haven't been blown away so maybe I'm ordering the wrong things . Iced chocolate was good

Went for an early morning brekkie with hubby before work. Nice small place, a bit of a tight squeeze though. I ordered avocado & tomato on toast & it was delicious! My peppermint tea was divine. Menu varied. Staff were friendly & helpful. Atmosphere warm & cosy. Worth another visit.

Great little breakfast and lunch cafe. Great looking cabinet food and slightly different brekkie menu to the rest which is good. I just had eggs and bacon on ciabatta, with black pudding and avocado. Best breakfast I've had for a long time and the black pudding was the one of the best I've had.<br/><br/>Next time will try the baked eggs, there's a 15 min wait normally and didn't have time. Good coffee as well, and cafe well decorated and presented and nice and clean.

Went here for weekday breakfast. Good vibe and pretty busy.<br/><br/>I had poached eggs with black pudding. The food was awesome and the service great.<br/><br/>Not many places have black pudding. The menu was varied and coffee good.<br/><br/>Well worth a visit.

Went here for lunch with a family member 19/08/2016, ordered a iced chocolate, cappuccino, smoked salmon dish and baked eggs. Drinks came out within a few minutes of us arriving. have to say it was a nice iced chocolate.<br/><br/>Meals came out at same time which is a bonus. My dish was nice, but could've done with more gremolata and potatoes were 3/4 cooked, needed a bit longer in the pan or pot.<br/><br/>Decided to have a sweet treat, so went for the ginger slice-wasn't too sweet and had a nice ginger flavour to it.<br/><br/>Staff were attentive without being invasive.

Nice staff.. Beautiful food display.Price A little bit expensive. But it is ok. I love their customer services.. Good little coffee shop 😉😉

Came for breakfast on a bright morning.<br/><br/>I had the rhubarb muesli and found it very boring and a bit soggy-maybe I just don't like muesli?. My friend had the avo and tomatos on toast and the tomatos came out as diced-anyone who has avo and tomatos on toast must slice them right? That was a bit disappointing. <br/>Didn't have the most amazing food but I like the decor and the staff were friendly!

One of the best in town, great coffee, perfectly cooked eggs, creative cabinet food. A really dependable choice for breakfast, brunch or lunch. Would be fun to see the occasional menu change as the selection has been pretty much the same for the past few years

There's nothing spectacular about the food and the coffee that would make you shout for joy. But the service and the ambiance is both fantastic! We immediately had our coffees and it didnt take long for them to serve our big breakfast. The space inside may be very small, just roughly 6 tables. However, there's enough space outside for big groups. The menu offers a variety of options to choose from.

Brilliant breakfast. Rainy weather but when the sun breaks through it floods the cafe. Lovely ambiance in sun or cloud. Outstanding food. Well cooked, nicely presented and friendly efficient service.<br/><br/>Menu includes interesting variations in traditional breakfast dishes eg black pudding (delicious and sliced cooked to crispy) option with the excellent Spanish beans.<br/><br/>Coffee excellent and the cake-y things look fantastic, so good i had to have one even tho i have no sweet tooth!

This cafe has some of the best cabinet food around these parts! Dropped by for a quick takeaway lunch, and had the beef ficelle (a thinner version of a baguette with beef slices, lettuce, mustard, and pickled onions). It was not only excellent, but also reasonably-priced and served quickly, and I only wish I'd had time to order one of their proper meals. Will certainly return to try those - I'm sad to see that the lemon poppyseed pancakes that were mentioned by a previous reviewer have been taken off their menu though. :(

This is the perfect café for takeaway coffee's. Nothing against the river kitchen because the staff are amazingly friendly and the food and coffee are great. I cannot fault them on anything but it is a small place and can be quite noisy because of how bustling it is.

If you hear good things about this place they are all true. It's a bit tight inside but it's great out on the street on a sunny morning. Very good flat white, smooth and full bodied without been overpowering. Some great cabinet options, efficient service and a busy spot with a nice little buzz about it, this for me is a top five cafe in the Tron

Good cafe in middle of Hamilton. Great selection of cabinet food and awesome coffee. I go here most days to grab lunch and a coffee. Staff are super friendly and helpful

Just had the best pancakes of my life here!! Such an awesome selection of GF food and healthy eating options. The coffee was also amazing ordered a long black and it was perfect. Best cafe in Hamilton

Coffee is really good, but took ages to come out. <br/>

Fantastic find in the heart of Hamilton.  We'd been looking for somewhere for brunch and stumbled here by accident. The coffee was superb, the baked eggs with chorizo was stunning, and service great.  There was a queue for a table, but we can definitely see why...!  We ordered from the menu, but the counter food looked delicious too.

TOTES AMAZEBALLS.<br/>We were completely taken by surprise at how tasty and wholesome their food were. Had brunch there on the way to Waitomo and boy - it was our best decision ever. We had the lemon poppyseed pancakes (the slightly crunchy edges were a delightful surprise), roast mushrooms were well-done and a friend of mine is still dreaming about their Spanish beans. If only Hamilton wasn't so far! :)<br/><br/>Awesome coffee, possibly one of the best cafes in Waikato... hands down.

This place rocks and all the locals know it! Attending an expo in Hamilton I sought out the best cafe and found it. Great atmosphere, sensational food and coffee. It's always busy and hard to get a table as it's quite small on the inside. Some colleagues had to go somewhere else as my group got the last table! Busy and small....it's still worth the effort to try and get in. This will be my preferred cafe when in Hamilton

Had lunch here today, smallish cafe but bright and fresh, Staff where friendly and took our order quickly. I ordered the special, halloumi, lemon and mint fritters, flat white and caramel slice. It did take a while to get to us and hubby had to run back to work before I could finish my lunch. However the fritters we really tasty, will have them again. the coffee was ok the milk foam wasn't as velvety as I like but the flavour was good ..

The River Kitchen is my all time favourite, definately recommend. Always perfect coffee and amazing food, the custard and date scones are to die for!! Will be back again this weekend as usual, thanks for your great service guys!

Had a breakfast and coffee and really enjoyed the vibe of the cafe and the food was great. Have recommended to my friends.

1st and last time food was tasteless. We had Kofta balls that came out with a tomato relish would have been nice to have mint yoghurt it didn't end there though as they were dry and tasteless. The veg lasagne and the carrot cake also no flavour. Coffee average and spilled in the saucer :(

Wow, what an awesome place, great food and they look after Gluten/frees' (who can be difficult at times to feed). Thanks so much for your consistent quality and service.

i had the breakfast salad there last Sunday and my dad had the mushrooms. Both were great and the coffee was really good too!

Although the staff were very friendly i was very, very disapointed with my meal (brunch), especially after hearing such good things about this place. Over-priced and tasteless. Would not return.

On my recent visit while walking down Victoria St I found this cafe and it was fantastic.<br/>Had a fish cake ( kawhai ) it was the most tasty and beautifully presented dish. Thank you . Next time I am back in Hamilton I intend to have a full breakfast as the food is so good.

Great food, great service, great coffee. The best scrambled eggs I have ever had. I come from Auckland just to visit this place. Really friendly staff and beautiful food. No review could do this place justice.

Great coffee (yes they have decaf) Great food (I had the mushrooms as a review on here suggested) and they were flavoursome and a good portion. Place is suitable for children. Very friendly staff. Scrambled eggs were done just right. Would go (and have been) multiple times.

I was so impressed with The River Kitchen - a delightful Barista who makes delicious coffee, and the BEST porridge I have ever tasted. Great staff, atmosphere, coffee and food - ticks ALL the boxes. Do yourself a favour and visit this delightful cafe.

Awesome food and great coffee!<br/>Consistently a great experience!

Have been here a few times, first time i went i ordered a mocha but was given a flat white..buuuut it tasted so good, i didn't want to take it back! hah! food is lovely as well :)

Best service, Best coffee in Hamilton! Best cabinet food, especially the lasagne and cupcake selection! The salads are always varied and delicious, and the Soups are always great! highly recommended - not large amounts of seating but there is always a quick turnover so it never takes that long to find a place.

I go here every Sunday for brunch. The worst part is narrowing down what to have off their amazing menu! Favourites include the roast mushrooms with haloumi (amazing flavour and generous amount of mushrooms and haloumi). The baked eggs- they take 15 mins but are worth the wait. And the tamarillo french toast they do as a special sometimes- wow! Coffee is always great. Some of the best hospo staff in Hamilton, so so friendly! PLus they have blankets and hot water bottles for the chilly winter mornings.

You can't beat River Kitchen - we go here every saturday for brunch, why bother shopping around when you have perfection? It's fabulous food, the friendliest service around and a brilliant brunching environment. It reminds me of a cafe in Europe - bustling, busy, slightly noisy and always great coffee!

A wonderful cafe with excellent food and attentive service. Hard to beat! The donuts are amazing!!

Dined here 23/11/10, very yummy breakfasts and a very generous portion. Let down only by a flavourless hot chocolate. Would highly recommend to anyone looking to dine out in the morning :)

My wife and i brunch often and the river kitchen is the best cafe ever. 5 star, food, serice, coffee.

Great coffee, friendly service, great range of food options. Great breakfast menu, and really yum cabinet food to choose from also. Very nice!

Hands-down brilliant. Great food, plus really friendly staff which makes the difference.