Review The Sugar Bowl Cafe - Hamilton

Stopped in here for breakfast and had the creamy mushroom. Generous portions! Warm friendly staff and great atmosphere. Cafe manager was concerned when I couldn’t finish my plate and asked if everything was ok. I advised that I couldn’t finish it but it was very delicious! Highly recommend and with a winning attitude and concern for my needs a great place to use my hard earned cash. I’ll be back! Great coffee as well. Thanks team.

The best cafe and dining experience I have in my trip in New Zealand. Food is delicious and fulfilling and the service is pretty generous and considerate. Highly recommend!

Really good food here and quick service. I went twice in one week, once with a group of 15. We ordered ahead and they had everything ready when we arrived. Perhaps knowledge of allergy foods needed to be improved but that's the only thing. The chicken burger is delicious and the Reboot smoothly wasn't icey and was really good size for price. Would have been nice to have heaters outside.

Loved this place, we haven't been here for a while but had brunch here the other day and it was delicious 😋 super impressed with the bubble and squeek, I was full all day. Hubby had the sausage roll which he loved and eggs on toast! Highly recommend. One tip, it was super cold, so bring a jacket! They could do with some heating inside.

A nice and cozy place to have a great breakfast 🍳! Everything is lovely and delicious 😋🤤! We tried the Sausage Roll, Sweet Muffin, and Chicken Burger 🍔😋 Awesome breakfast 🥞 indeed! The flavours are absolutely fantastic 😍! Everything hand crafted and well done ✅

I've only been to this place a couple of times but the coffee, food and atmosphere has been great in both instances. I can recommend the French toast. We had a big group and service was top notch considering the difficulties with a group of that size. Best to book ahead if you do have a big group though as it is quite popular.

Stopped in on a bust Sunday morning and the food and drinks came out super quick. Croffles with fried chicken are absolutely legit! Delicious

We did an unplanned brunch at Sugar Bow cafe today ringing to book a table for 15 with 30mins to spare. The staff were accomodating, helpful and booked us in. The staff were warm, friendly and helpful. Our party thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Due to the late notice, we were advised they only had outdoor seating. They provided heaters and blankets which was great. Thanks heaps for the hospitality today.

Delicious brekky, potatoes, chorizo, egg, onions. Yum! Pretty solid meal to start the day. The coffee was great also.

Nice spot for breakfast, table out in the sun, coffee was very nice. I ordered the big breakfast and it was actually big! a good serving of mushrooms, bacon and eggs, kransky sausage and more. left me feeling very full and satisfied! good work team. the guy on the till was pretty intense! clearly good at his job and maybe on the gear, slow it down a bit bro some of us are hungover

OMG! The best coffee I've ever had! Please do come and visit this treasure of a place for brunch or lunch! You won't regret it.

Please bring back the chicken croffle on the menu. 😭That is my favorite dish to order. 🥹 Sometimes, I come here just for the chicken croffle (for my cravings). 🥹

Fantastic - will absolutely be back!! It was very full when we arrived but we were lucky enough to find a table. Had the Baby Bap (not baby size tho😄), cheese scone & jaffa hot chocolate. Extremely tasty food, very impressive! I thought the hot choc was expensive when I saw it on the menu, but went with it anyway. Did a double take when it came out😁. Large cup, whipped cream, jaffa biscuit & dark orange chocolate bar😊😊😊😊. Food was some of the best anywhere!! Best of all was no public holiday surcharge. Great value for money!!

Come to Sugar Bowl fairly regularly, wonderful staff and very tasty menu with coffees! Gotta pick your timing cos parking can be taken up quick, they're a busy Cafe but well worth the trip

Love loved it! Fabulous iced coffee, followed by an incredible lunch. First time dinning here, definately won't be the last.

Their dishes not only tastes good but also rocking the displays. Clearly whoever made the food put their efforts and passion into it. The service was also quick and friendly. A very nice Sunday lunch place.

I was impressed with the portion sizes and flavours in all the dishes we ordered. At first I was confused with the pickle but it was a pleasant surprise - a unique twist to a classic kiwi breakfast

Unfortunately had run out of the zucchini rosti but were accomodating and let us have the cauliflower salad from the cabinet as a substitute- which was delicious.<br/>Probably the best poached eggs iv ever had!<br/>

Loved this cafe. The French toast was beautifully presented and tasted great. The toast was nice and fluffy and cooked to perfection. Would definitely recommend this place if you are in Hamilton.

Food and drinks were excellent, the staff were very accommodating for our large group. Great spot for brunch!

Went here for Sunday brekky. Lovely customer service with delish food. Ordered a mocha however it was a tad bit cold (I like my coffee extra hot), I was fine with them just warming it up in the microwave but they offered to make me a new one! Which was really nice of them. Cake was super yummy. Highly recommend this nice little spot for weekend brekky/brunch

This is my favourite cafe in Hamilton. It’s where my friends and I always go for brunch or lunch. I love the selection of the food they have. My go to is usually the burger of the day. I also really like the Thai prawn salad. And there duck fat fries are honestly so good. The place is also super quaint and the people are always friendly. Defs worth a visit in Hamilton! :)

This is obviously a very popular spot with locals - when we visited it was full and buzzing. Parking was easy though in the carpark at the side. <br/><br/>The standout would have to be the EPIC fluffy - so many marshmallows! Miss Three was delighted. <br/><br/>Our breakfast dishes were very yummy. I had waffles - it was the kind of thing where all the elements described on the menu were there, but was more than the sum of its parts: an indulgent flood of gooey Nutella and melted marshmallows, and it would have been TOO MUCH except that the berry coulis was just tart enough to balance it all.<br/><br/>My only niggle was that the waffles were a bit soft and stodgy - I usually prefer dishes with waffles rather than American-style pancakes since the waffles tend to be a bit crisper. I couldn’t actually eat all the waffles, but since I thought the dish was pretty much a work of art, and I’m truly eager to visit again, I’m giving it five stars.

Awesome atmosphere,friendly staff and the best Eggs Benedict ever! Highly recommended, this place is a gem, will go back again to try more off the menu

The food is great and the coffee is perfect. Service is very good and fast even when they are busy. Will definitely come back<br/>There’s decent parking at the back as well

Great place for a lazy brunch. Coffee was made perfectly (none of the burnt or dirty machine taste). The mocha was chocolatey and smooth. They also offer an assortment of milks to meet your dietry requirements which is always a bonus.<br/><br/>We ordered the raging bull open steak sandwich and the eggs benedict with home cured salmon.<br/><br/>The steak was tender and cooked to a pink medium rare. The steak was complemented beautifully with the blue cheese and onion jam. Lovely sandwich but we have had better. The chips were crispy and seasoned well though. A+ for the chips!<br/><br/>The eggs benedict was nice but not the best. The eggs were poached to our liking (just cooked enough so that the yolk is still runny). The salmon was the downer. May have just been a bad batch but ours was dry and not that flavourful.<br/><br/>We spent $55.00 on our brunch and coffee so it was on the pricier side. Overall a nice place with good coffee. Food just needs to be more exciting :-)<br/>

Amazing customer service but have been really slow at serving our food. We have been waiting for our order for over an hour. Amazing food but needs to work on serving food faster as customers are waiting and especially in this cold weather it gets annoying .

Coffee was good, service was very good, but didn't really like the foods from cabinet. The meat was bland and could only taste the sweet chili sauce on the kumara salad. Might try the menu option next time

Took a while to get served, but once we got served the service was amazing.<br/>The coffee came out first and it was very nice. But must admit the food was the star of the visit! I had the French toast and my friend had eggs on toast with avo! The presentation was super impressive, and once we dug in I didn't want to stop! The portion sizes were good and the taste was amazing! <br/>Definitely would reccommend!

Went for a breakfast/brunch this morning and ordered the smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, coffee, and a cinnamon cronut, all of which were amazing! The bagel was a real high light, so fresh, lots of salmon and cream cheese. Probably the best bagel I’ve had! The cronut was amazing too. It was super busy but they have quite a lot of seating and the food came out fast. Staff were friendly, chatting with people and just all around lovely. Had heard good things from friends but now I have experienced the goodness for my self and would definitely be back!

amazing coffee, delicious food, vegetarian eggs benedict very good value for money. their baked goods are absolutely amazing. staff are very friendly, every time i go it is always a good experience!

Place had a nice busy vibe, a nice atmosphere. Food was amazing, presentation top notch because I eat with my eyes. Staff cleared tables quickly. Went during busy time# lunch time on a weekend, long wait times to order and receive the food. No heating inside , so bring a jacket.

Wow! The Sugar Bowl does awesome coffee and some seriously unique food! 10/10 for the Banoffee Pancakes!<br/><br/>The cafe was buzzing and had a great atmosphere, which is surprising given its suburban location. <br/>Only complaint is they have just one toilet, so<br/>if there's someone occupying it for a long time, you have no choice but to wait!

Have been here once or twice before and was very happy with the coffee and breakfast at that time, Today my partner and I stopped off for something quick to eat on the way back to work, we both got the bacon baps from the cabinet which was delicious as were the coffee and brownie. The one thing that annoyed me a bit was the young girl on the counter, she seemed to have a crap attitude and forgot to bring our baps out and put them in the bag with the brownie and she also put the brownie inside the bag upside down so raspberry leaked all through out the bag. I went back in once I realized they had forgotten our baps a lovely Pink haired young lady was quick to get this sorted and apologetic so that was a nice change from the younger girls attitude. We will be back again hopefully the young girl may have had some training on basic etiquette by then.

Amazing customer service. There were no tables to cater for our large whanau, staff were quick to make sure there were enough seats for us all. Food was amazing. Perfect place to pop in for brunch with whanau or friends. Thank you for the amazing food and service.

Perfect<br/>The best breakfast ever, yummy and creative. Like the place and lovely staff. <br/>Strongly recommend to people who want to try something different as a breakfast.

If sugar bowl was closer to my house, I would be there every day!!! <br/><br/>The food, the staff, the atmosphere, the set up, it's all great. <br/><br/>I love salmon, and for once there is more salmon than salad!! The food is so elegant and beautiful presented , and just melts in your mouth. <br/><br/>Sugar bowl is a must!!!

The best eggs benny ive had in a very long time. Opt for vegetarian as you get more bang for your buck compared to the salmon one. Chicken fettucine- Very creamy and beautiful, delicate chicken topped with beautiful parmesan. I wiped the plate clean but a little more wouldn't have hurt.

Came here with the partner today as it was my day off. I ordered the open steak sandwich dish and iced chocolate, he had pancakes with flat white.<br/><br/>Drinks came out on time and not long after we had arrived which was great considering how busy the place was.<br/><br/>Then lunch came out, steak was cooked to my requirement and fries had a nice salt and vinegar seasoning on them.<br/>The partners pancakes came out, majority of the dish was consumed..<br/><br/>Menu is full of variety, will be returning.

Quite disappointing would help if cashier listened to our order rather than dancing to the music. Coffee arrived with no flavoured syrup, hubbys meal not what he asked for. Maybe the music was too loud to hear or the fly infestation was distracting, either way this was a very average experience 😖

Nice little cafe tucked away in Maeroa. Had the eggs benedict with salmon - the salmon was well done and flavourful. Had a chai which was alright as well. Overall a good experience but nothing that really stood out. Worth a try if in the area

Busy little cafe, wish I went for food as the food looked amazing! Just had sweets which were nice, really enjoyed the lemon cake! First time having cream instead of yogurt which was quite nice! Still a fan of yogurt though :) Hope to trial the food!

Went for lunch. Great variety of food. Cabinet food looked impressive. I had the pulled pork burger on brioche with curly fries. Yummy well seasoned fries. Very friendly service and the coffee was top notch. Would recommend if you want to go someone out of the CBD

Food was pretty nice, flat white was good, long black nice again, good mochaccino. <br/>But it could've been better experience if place looked more clean and hygienic. <br/>

Great cafe, love the menu so many well thought out ideas and always new fresh flavours! Staff are friendly and helpful and coffee is great! It's a great addition to that side of Hamilton

Love this cafe. Good place to have breakfast. Wide variety of food on the menu and a bit of a twist from the usual breakfast selections. Coffee never disappoints as well. One of my go to cafes!

Sugar Bowl is definately one of the best cafes in Hamilton, could not recommend it more. Such a welcoming and light atmosphere! Best coffee in Hamilton everytime. This place is our regular, especially when its sunny and we can sit outside in the sunshine!

We always visit the Sugar Bowl when in Hamilton, its our favourite cafe as the food and coffee is awesome. The staff are super friendly and welcoming. This is definitely the place to go for breakfast/ brunch when in Hamilton and we certainly recommend it to all! Thanks Sugar Bowl :)

I love sugar bowl, not only is the food delicious and fresh the customer service is outstanding! I meet there quite frequently for business meetings, there is nothing better than having a hot coffee and a cronut to start our meeting off! You can tell a great cafe with the amount of people sitting in there, and it is ALWAYS full. Keep up the great work, and keep making those cronuts, they are divine!

A great local cafe that a work colleague and I frequent every Thursday. The food is scrumptious, the staff are friendly and service is excellent. They know we have a fixed lunchtime and look after us accordingly. Interesting menu according to season.

I believe this cafe deserves a much better rating than its current average! Hence why I'm giving it a five. But I believe a 4.5 would be better as the prices are slightly high. But I don't mind paying that little extra for excellent service. Each time I go in I am greeted in a friendly manner and even sometimes given discounts or extras!! Lovely food and coffees. Great job guys! :)

I have never written a review before but I had such a hideous experience this morning that I felt compelled to do so.<br/><br/>I live just around the corner from Sugar Bowl but rarely go there as their service is notoriously bad. This morning I decided to give them a go and when I walked in there were no other customers just a waiter and waitress having a discussion. As I got to the counter to order the waitress asked what she could get me but as I was ordering she began to finish her conversation with the gentleman, talking over the top of me. When my order came out my daughters fluffy was missing so I enquired where it was and was told it was next on the order.<br/><br/>When the waitress brought the fluffy out there was no apology that it had been missed but rather she rudely said that I hadn't paid for it and had to give her $2 before I left. I said that it had been included when I placed my order and she said "well i didn't hear you". It was only after this rudeness that I suggested that she hadn't heard me as she had continued a conversation instead of listening to my order. Too this she told me that she thought her customer service was 'excellent' and that I was being 'ridiculous'. <br/><br/>I did go in to pay for the fluffy and tried to explain my frustration to the waiter as the waitresses seemed to have disappeared when I went in to pay but all I was met with was " ahuh, ok'. At no time did I get any apology, not even for being called ridiculous - what sort of person in customer services does that to a customer?!<br/><br/>This was such a small issue that blew out to something big due to poor customer service. If the waitress had just said "I'm really sorry but I forgot your fluffy, would you mind popping in to pay for it?" there would have been no bigger issue. If that is what she considers 'awesome' customer service as management I would seriously consider re-training!

Good location and lots of free parking all around. Been here half a dozen of times now and I'm very happy with it. mouth watering food and great tasting coffee. only thing is food took a long time to be served. Friendly staff and have no issue in recommending the sugar bowl cafe!

Always impressed here. Friendly staff and good service. Can get quite busy and some things are quite pricey but the food and coffee is always top notch. Would reccomend if you are looking something away from the busy city and the base!

We went here for Sunday lunch. Good parking outside and lots of outside seating.<br/>Unfortunately we had to wait 25 minutes for any of our ordered food to appear. Coffees first, then about 10 minutes later our slice appeared. When we said that we were still waiting for our 2 chicken wraps there was a bit of concern from the table staff member who went to investigate. Another 10 minutes later 2 wraps arrived - rather hurriedly put together and sadly lacking any taste.The aioli appeared to be missing. We suspect that they had served our 2 from the cabinet to other customers. A lot of the tables hadn't been cleared when we arrived which is not a great look for potential diners.<br/>We will not be dining here again.

Went for Brunch on a Sunday morning. Quite busy but still good service and friendly staff. The food is good although not that much on the menu, definitely a brunch place and not lunch. Is really nice on a sunny day to sit outside and watch the world go by.

This place is really expensive!<br/><br/>$47.00 for lunch for three people. That was two small pieces of quiche ($22), a croissant ($11), two coffees ($9) and a cup of black tea ($5!).<br/><br/>I don't mind paying for good food (I live in Central Auckland) but these prices for quick eats from the cabinet is taking the mickey.<br/><br/>The service was sluggish, but not super-slow. The staff were neither friendly nor super-rude; but certainly disinterested.<br/><br/>The coffee was excellent... But sad to say we won't be back.

Great Service. Great Food. Good Coffee!<br/><br/>Nice wee suburbia cafe hidden away in Forest Lake. Nice chilled out atmosphere with friendly staff who help add to that atmosphere. We were all very happy with our brunchs and coffee also very good.<br/><br/>Will be back! Thanks Sugar Bowl.

Poor service and long waiting times. When ordering we asked if they served feijoa juice, and were told all our juices are over in the fridge. After going to the fridge, they didn't stock it which would have been good to know beforehand. A lot of the menu items have vegetarian options, the girl who took our order didn't know what the option included, when the two vegetarian meals arrived they had the meat component removed, with no substitution although the price was the same. We had to wait a long time for our meals, although they weren't overly busy and were served burnt coffee. Would not bother going back

This is the friendliest cafe in town. Stopped here for coffee and to grab a quick sandwich to take away. Cafe was doing a roaring trade after Saturday Sport - and taking the business completely in their stride. The Baristta in particular is so chilled out and in control. I noticed that the sandwiches were refreshed in the time we were waiting for our coffees to be made - so I like the fact that the food isn't pre-made heaps in advance - the obviously replenish the cabinet as the food sells. Considering how busy it was, we didn't have to wait long at all. Coffee was fab. I LOVE the take-away cups they use - my coffee was piping hot, but the cup wasn't hot to touch. Even though it was busy, still got a park at the door.

good service and good parking the new asphalt looks a lot better, all round good cafe

First time at Sugar Bowl today for brunch. Located on reasonably quiet road with excellent parking right outside. Great selection on the menu and prompt service. Very impressed with the Eggs Bene with Baked Salmon option - perfectly cooked and presented and extremely well priced. <br/><br/>Also in the current edition of the Waikato/BOP Entertainment Book. Will be back.

Great little cafe, perfect coffee every time, yummy food, friendly staff, excellent cafe experience all round.

Food and the coffee is always great and the atmosphere makes the Sugar Bowl an enjoyable place to sit and relax. No problems parking and the summer dinners are fantastic. They offer a range of wines, the organic ones are some of the best available.

First i thought this was an excellent cafe being open for dinner in the weekends, but then i noticed the hours stated to change. some week ends they are open and some there not. the coffee is very good and the guys that run the place are very friendly and welcoming, gets an average by me, because there closed half the time i turn up for coffee.

We enjoy a coffee, morning tea or lunch here regularly and have been for the last 9 years or so. On the whole the service is good, the place is clean and the food is tasty and presented well. A good atmosphere and they have managed to update from time to time without loosing there own style.  The savory cheese/veg scrolls taste so much better than they look and we've never had a bad meal here. The menu is varied and a reasonable price but we usually just order from the cabinet because I love the Smoke Salmon Roulade with a side curly fries. UPDATE 16.2.16 Sorry just not the same place.. didn't enjoy my coffee was well under extracted. Different atmosphere now not quiet as inviting.