Review Grey Street Kitchen - Hamilton

Fabulous food, very slow service despite the number of personnel and the coffee very average. Makes me wonder if the guy behind the machine has barista training - ordered a piccolo (Piccolo is from Australia and is a 1:2 ratio of espresso to microtextured steamed milk) but was given a luke warm macchiato 😞 Shame

One of the best places for a decent coffee in Hamilton East, and there is a fair bit of competition! They have a decent cabinet selection for quick lunches. But my favourite thing is a longer lunch, ordering something delicious off the menu. Another place that changes up their menu seasonally which adds to the excitement for me. I love a new menu.

Coffee was good, friendly vibe!! We were in a hurry so couldnt try the food but it looked so nice!!! Will be back if theres a chance :) . . . . Personally I dont think Boring Oat Milk matches well with the coffee but the regular flat white was yum :)

Quite enjoyed our visit to Grey St Kitchen, my boyfriend got the cured NZ salmon and I added some sides to poached eggs on toast, we both enjoyed our food. My coconut latte was divine! Food on the more pricey side but with high quality ingredients like these I’m sure most would be happy to pay a little more. I would recommend a visit 😊

Love coming here. Amazing coffee! They also have great food on their menu. Only downside is sometimes it's hard to get a table! Very busy in the mornings and on weekends

Grabbed a takeaway coffee on a Saturday while the cafe was filled with customers dining in. My coffee was ready within minutes despite all the tables of people, and the barista was incredibly friendly and smiley. It definitely stands out when this kind of service occurs 😊 Oh and great coffee!

Lovely food and the "Yellow Smoothie" was divine.

Good location on Grey Street, large cafe and outdoor seating. Five of us for brekkie, big breakfast, avocado on toast and I had the buttermilk waffles. The waffles were nice, but without some kind of maple syrup they were quite dry, apart from that it was very nice. Everyone else happy, only comment the sausage was a little spicy. The coffees were nice as well and nice atmosphere.

Am in Hamilton visiting my mother and taken her out for lunch and coffee. We orders off the side menu and had eggs. I had bacon which was cut thick but I prefer thin cut. The coffee is very good I splashed out and had a soy latte. Had to get special permission to have it in a glass. Very yummy. Mother and I shared carrot cake which was nice and moist. Cost $$.

Very good place for breakfast I visited the Grey St Kitchen (GSK) on 3 consecutive days with workmates for breakfast. There was plenty of variety to choose from. The food was good, the quantity was sufficient, the service was reasonable. On day 3, the menu changed which meant a different variety. All the items we had were nice and we were happy to go there everyday.

Absolutely perfect! Food and coffee were amazing and staff were great. We really enjoyed our breakfast

Very knowledgeable about coffee. Both daily blend and single origin options are wonderfully prepared. Initially came in for the coffee, but we were tempted by a few delicious items from the cabinet as well.

Fabulous cafe in Hamilton East. Friendly fast service, quality food and wifi. Place is always buzzing on the weekends so I tend to visit on weekdays and never have trouble getting a seat. Appreciate they have complimentary wifi and delicious coffee to help fuel my creativity. On my last visit I had the mixed mushies with bacon and it was incredible! Loved the flavors and textures.

Nice that people want to say something to the cashier as THEY leave, but she was serving people wanting to order! Made a short order a lot longer. A simple wave could surfice?

Amazing café. Been here many, many times and coffee, service and food are too notch. If you have times, ask for a V60 to get the most of their coffee from their sister company Grey Roasting. Hard to pick something from the food menu, but I keep coming back for the chicken burger and the mushroom gnocchi.

Good to see young owners behind the counter. Lovely warm greeting, great coffee and they had a nice relaxing vibe about the place. The bake goodies looked good but maybe a bit to fancy for my simple palette.

Beautiful coffee, very friendly staff, the egg benedict is just perfect.

Rating 4.0. Busy & buzzing for Sunday brunch time. Fairly relax & casual vibe. Interesting mix of fusion all day brunch menu. Really enjoyed my bread & pudding French toast. Love the touch of toasted meringue, different to what you normally see on a French toast.

Fabulous nourish bowl and almond milk tumeric latte. Relaxed environment and amazing service. Definitely will be back! Thank you

Came here on a whim and I'm not sure why I never came here before? The place is super cute and stylish and their coffee is amazing. I had their cabinet food while I was here but will definitely be back to try something off the menu

So hip and so much good vibes! Delicious food, standard brunch food with great store front and outdoor seating and good coffee! French toast was pretty amazing, and the hash was a very filling and left us tummy rubbing!

One of the best cafe in Ham east~very popular during lunch hours~<br/>Their food is delicious and nicely presented and the barista is award winning ~so the coffee is pretty great here!

Amazing delicious potatoes! I could eat these all day and I’m so happy I could enjoy these exactly the way I wanted them. I can’t wait to have them again!

Went to Grey St kitchen for lunch the food was great and service was terrific. I had a breakfadt meal. Nice cafe would recommend you give it a try.

went here for a lazy rainy lunch and was thoroughly impressed! Coffee was awesome and the food was excellent! Service was also super great and everyone was lovely that helped us

Very impressed with this cafe! It has a lovely set up with greenery to compliment the modern elegance of the place. Very photo worthy if you are looking for an Instagram hangout! The prices are reasonable for the quality of meal. I had the pork belly eggs benedict ($22 I believe) with toast instead of the rosti. The eggs were cooked to perfection! A lovely yolk that wasn’t too runny. The pork belly itself was very well cooked. The pork had a little too much fat for my taste (though I know pork belly is supposed to be fatty! I respect that.) I’m not much of a pork belly eater so I will probably get bacon next time! The hollandaise sauce was amazing. I may order an extra side of it next time. My friend has the waffles! They were a little too sweet for both of our tastes however I know it would be very delicious to a sweet tooth! Overall well cooked meals that came out quickly! The staff were very friendly and ‘hip’! Definitely recommend this place to anyone wanting a lovely cafe experience and willing to splurge!

I had the eggs bene with salmon- it was delicious and fresh and perfect eggs BUT when I asked for ciabatta instead of English muffin they cut ONE PIECE in half which was not nearly enough to soak up all the sauce!

This is the place to be seen on Grey Street. It absolutely oozes coolness. The coffee is pretty good, although the display cabinet is somewhat lacking compare to other cafes of this calibre, the food from the kitchen is pretty fantastic. I had a crab omelette, and I honestly cannot fault it. Great place to sit and do some work on your laptop or to meet up with friends.

Epic breaky ! Service, good coffee and a smile. Would 100 percent come again. Thanks, from some Melbourners. P. S. Good sugar 😀 close to the action

One of the best cafes in Hamilton! Food is always delicious and cooked to perfection. The coffees are always strong and silky. Service is always amazing here too. 10/10!!!

Visited Grey St kitchen about a month ago and found both the food and coffee to be very tasty so thought we would return. My partner and I ordered the eggs benedict and found it very underwhelming compared to the last time. When ordering a second round of coffee we were incorrectly charged twice with both times we needed to tell them they got it wrong.

Overpriced and when questioned on their pricing (and chasing a collegue down the street who had paid $0.5 short) they sent a reply that was several pages long, trying hard to justify themselves. Had they just apologised, things might have been different. I know many people from my work are now avoiding this place. Award winning baristas don't help if you don't understand the basic rules of PR.

Cool set up, awesome interior love the makeover but was disappointed with the food. <br/><br/>I ordered the bacon and scrambled eggs, which were once amazing. The eggs where so well done they were brown and rubbery and the bacon was pretty average. I also had a rosti on the side which was cold in the middle, dry and pretty bland. Portions are huge though!<br/><br/>For my daughter I ordered the kids toast- see pic below- which was a total rip off for $5.20<br/><br/>We waited ages to order at the table but no one came so I queued. Then when our breakfast arrived and my coffee didn't i had to queue again to check if the coffee order got lost- It did. No one came to check how our meal was or apologise that we waited so long.<br/><br/>Appreciate you may have been busy and I do admit the coffee was delicious but i found the food and service overrated and overpriced.

Excellent coffee. Service was extremely prompt and staff very friendly. Worth going for coffee alone. Nice vibe in a reasonably nice location.

I've been there a few times now. In awe of their iced chocolates! although they are very over priced for their size, the taste is on point. The Staff are and continue to be extremely friendly and it's great to see the owner working in and around the cafe.

Good good. Food a little overpriced. $5.30 for a medium soy FW. That's too much. Ponsonby is $5. Extra for soy milk etc but $5.30 total?!? That's taking the p....

We had Sunday brunch here and loved it. Food was amazing and supreme coffee is always the best. It was like being back in the city, brunching roadside.

Got here just before the kitchen shut and they kindly still let us order. We both got the Grey St Graze and a Red Smoothie. Both items were out to us in less than 5 minutes after ordering. The smoothie tasted like watery goop but the Graze was top notch.

Visited Grey Street Kitchen for breakfast this morning. Placed our order and had our coffees delivered then waited 25 minutes plus before inquiring where our meals were to find they had been overlooked and not started. The young lady serving us apologized but the management didn't seem at all concerned. Have had this happen on two occasions in the past so this will be the last. Can't comment on the food we didn't have time to wait.  :-(

Quite well set out is this cafe in Hamilton East. Quite a decent vibe to it. Expertly made coffee, meals, etc. and child-friendly too. A bit pricey, but also good value for what you are paying.

Frist impressions of this cafe are good, good seating options with indoor and on the pavement seating. Can be nosiey from road nose but you expect that in town. I've had better coffee but it was drinkable. Cabinet food options are ok<br/> Service could be better staff seemed distracted and preoccupied elsewhere. Overall food was okay...we'd go back and give it another go.

Good food, with well sized portions and smooth coffee. I ordered the Grey St Graze, which is a big breakfast style item. It arrived quickly, with friendly service.

Love it! The food was beautiful, had a meal called "Grey street graze" and it was a big and substantial breakfast. <br/><br/>The coffee was hot and very nice; it had a unique flavour about it but it wasn't an un-welcomed one<br/><br/>Was served by a beautiful friendly girl with a nose ring and short hair. She was one of the nicest servers I have ever had; wish I had the courage to ask for her number. <br/><br/>Maybe next time so I will definitely be coming back

Very disappointing lunch. After asking for an extra hot coffee, both my client and I received luke warm coffees and I ordered a pie which was still cold in the middle. Nice tasting pie once fully heated, but disappointed before even eating. Won't be hurrying back.

I visited a couple months ago and realized there was new ownership.<br/><br/>Coffees were superb, not a fault. Creamy, hot and the barrister was very friendly stopping for a chat even though it was pretty busy.<br/><br/>There is a great selection of food in the cabinet and on the menu. The price is cheap in comparison to portion and flavour. <br/><br/>Staff was friendly and welcoming. I have nothing to fault.

I disagreee with some of the comments below. If you want quality, obviously you'll have to pay a little more. I had the eggs benedict and the hollandaise sauce was just delicious. I do reckon $5 for a takeaway coffee is quite expensive but the new barista there (I think he's the owner now) makes a damn good coffee. It is quite loud at the place which is why i only gave it four stars but that's what you expect considering the place is always full.

Very busy café, cabinet food looked amazing, and the coffee supreme was excellent. Blond woman behind counter very friendly and even made us laugh, seeing someone so bubbly makes a big difference to our experience. My husband had the Grey St Graize which was generous and tasty. Would definitely recommend this café.

Walked by and decided to have breakfast here as there was lots of people dining there. The place had a funny soap smell and decor was quite simple. Ordered the eggs benedict with bacon and my partner got the BAP from the cabinet. Best breakfast i've had so far in Hamilton! Loved the hollandaise sauce and was presented very well on the plate. My flat white was pretty good too and they use Coffee Supreme.

I went here for three coffees. Waited over 40 minutes. Even in a busy cafe this is just ridiculous. Staff were rude, food and drink was overpriced. I would not recommend.

Went there for 2 takeaway coffees;<br/>1. Asked for trim milk but they ignored it, blatently used full cream right in front of me<br/>2. Milk was burnt<br/>3. Coffee was absolutely horrible (I have 4 years experience as a barista and the coffee tasted as if it were made by a 5 year old child)<br/>4. Waited for 30mins for that rubbish<br/><br/>Couldn't get a refund because they were so rude. Please don't go here if you don't want waste you time, energy and money.

For a consistent great coffee you cannot beat the Grey Street Kitchen.<br/><br/>Sometimes an issue if you ae in a hurry , bu if yo let them know you don't have much time they oblige .<br/><br/>The food is great , their signature breakfast "the Grey St Graize" is as good a big breakfast you will find anywhere.<br/><br/>David K

Waited close to half an hour for two takeaway coffees when I was in a rush.<br/>Never advised of such a wait when ordered.<br/>Not much of apology for wait when they were finally ready.<br/>Good coffee...<br/>But pricey @ $10 for two take away coffees.<br/><br/>Don't think I will be back.

Great food but the service was horrific. Great set up and the food was well presented and tasty. Bad service at the till an ordering. Long wait for food and forgotten items. 20 min wait for a take away coffee.

Great coffee. Food was a little on the steep side for pricing, however it was a nice meal. Nothing really to say about the service.

Well, after patronising this cafe since it first opened (with varying degrees of enthusiasm), I have now finally decided to take it off my list! Whilst waiting in line, I noticed that prices were pretty heavy...$12 for a small mixed salad? And likewise the food in the cabinet. <br/>Then, on requesting a tiny pottle of jam to liven up my date scone, I was charged $1.50 more than for the same order last week. When querying this, I was told by the till person it was "for the jam". Probably not her decision, but it smacks of a certain type of mean-spiritedness, when cafes are not able to respond generously to a small request such as this. The jam would have cost them nothing in cash, but it has cost them the custom of 4 regular Saturday morning walkers, permanently!<br/>Thankfully, there are a number of other good cafes to choose from, in Hamilton East.

Posted 2016<br/>Went to this place recently and I am glad to say some aspects had improved from my visit several years ago - see below.<br/>1. Coffee very good.<br/>2. Staff excellent.<br/>3. Food presented well.<br/>Acoustics still loud!<br/><br/>Posted 2012<br/> Offers a nice cafe type environment.<br/>Indoor out door flow i.e. tables out on footpath.<br/>Can be a bit noisy inside.<br/>Food in the cabinet could be better i.e. particularly the range of food to choose from.<br/>The food we were served was very good, we gave it 8/10.<br/>Girl on till was a bit down in the dumps! Those that served were good.<br/>Coffee was not the best I have tasted but was OK. Small cups for a flat white!<br/>Overall, I wouldn't mind going back, but there are others that are better.

One of Hamilton's best cafes by far...., delicious food and coffee and a super friendly team!! I love bringing the kids here, plenty of space for them to spread out! Lovely to have such a good local spot. What more can I say. big thumbs up!

Not Children Friendly!! Appalling reaction to child making noise, and offered a crust to "shut it up"!! When attempted to have discussion with owner, who felt childs noise was too much, we were told not to make reservations anymore! Don't have a high chair if you're not prepared for children and the noise they come with!! Terrible cafe

Best cheese scones! Great coffee. Humming atmosphere. Similar to what you might find in Ponsonby. Would highly recommend.

Ate lunch here with a work colleague. We arrived at 1.30pm on a weekday and the cabinet food was very picked over. But, what I ordered tasted as I expected it should - but was in my opinion over-priced. Service was adequate - but not exceptional. Best selection of magazines I've seen at a Hamilton Cafe - loved seeing local magazines there too. Coffee was excellent. I found the cafe itself to be very loud - couldn't hear myself think - the acoustics need to be addressed if they want to attract business people for lunch meetings.

The food is decent but a bit overpriced. I give it four stars because they do try to be adventurous, and someone clearly cares about what's being served. Can't comment on the coffee, and there's always a chance the service will be spotty at a popular place like this. Don't have unrealistic expectations, and I think you will enjoy this place.

Interesting reading the comments below. GSK is a fav with my sisters and mum and myself. Our local meet up spot on a mon or tues morning. One of us will just send out a text "GSK 10am" and we will meet up. We are all in love with the savoury muffins - always a delicious blend of flavours. And the relish they are served with is unbeatable. We have always found the service great and the barista guy is so great with our kids - complimentary fluffies and all. I find the "rotund" comments rather inappropriate to be honest. For goodness sake people, in a PC world gone mad, you really need to keep up with it. Rotund? Seriously? Come on. Not nice. GSK will continue to be a fav for all us girls.

First time I have posted a review for Hamilton.<br/><br/>Service was poor - I waited 20-25 minutes between approximately7.10am and 7.30am for two coffess and two scones.<br/><br/>Saw cooked food being delivered to patrons who arrived after us.<br/><br/>Queried the waitress who seemed to have forgotten who we were. She was the only one taking orders and doing tables.<br/><br/>Could see a long que forming so went to the "barista" who snapped: so do you want it takeaway Lady". I explained that we had been waiting and that we were in a 30minute only parking space. Answer: "look lady ..." Any way the sum of it is that I was made to feel little in front of the other patrons.<br/><br/>I feel sorry for the staff. That is why I am posting this. I can't imagine why anyone would want to support a cafee that treats staff and customers so badly.<br/><br/>On principle don't go there!

Haven't visited in a while, mostly because of the price.<br/><br/>Yes, the atmosphere is great, there is plenty of parking, comfortable outdoor and indoor seating, but it's just not value for money. <br/><br/>The salads are small and expensive and the cabinet food is not substantial enough for a full meal- even when you're paying full meal price for it.<br/><br/>It's not worth spending the money at this place when there are reasonably priced cafes on the same street that are just as good.

I have been a couple of times. The food and coffee during the week was really nice, but the last time I went was in the weekend the coffee was quite bitter and the food not so good (microwaved bap rather than grilled so it was soggy and luke warm).

Beautiful yet relaxed restaurant with excellent food and coffee. Get in quick as it's always busy. Highlight: the most amazing cakes anywhere in Hamilton (e.g. feijoa and ginger baked cheesecake, fig and cream cheese ricotta cake.. to name a couple)!

Coffee is good, probably one of the best spots in Hamilton, but slow service, but I guess that is because it is always BUSY! Food is lovely, if a little pricy.

The food is very tasty and beautifully presented but I'm concerned that a great place will be ruined by success making them greedy. When our group returned for a work breakfast, there was apparently a new menu. However, the only thing that appeared to be different was that the meals people ordered were half the size - granted they were more than generous before - the complaint is that the smaller meals were at the old prices??

This is a great cafe very child friendly.<br/> We live in Auckland and stop at this cafe when ever we are passing.<br/> The coffee is fantastic and the staff are always friendly and inviting.<br/> The front cabinet is always full of yummy interesting treats.<br/>Thanks and we will see you soon.

My partner and I moved over seas and miss Grey St Kitchen like mad!....The fresh vegetables, lots of herbs and healthy salads, fresh baking, and amazing coffee that has you bouncing off the walls!!Yum this is making me hungry! The staff are fantastic loads of personality and real food lovers.

I love Grey Street Kitchen! It is my favourite local. The staff are wonderful as are the owners. And the barrista is fabulous and friendly and children love him!! It is a very child friendly cafe always!!! The coffee is strong and is just way I like it and I recommend to everyone for delicious food... Especially the bagels.. the banana one and salmon are among favourites..

I found grey street kitchen to offer lovely food but at a price far above what was reasonable, the "rotund guy" on the coffee machine was slow and made no excuses for the delay on my coffee. I was disappointed in my experience here over all. A real shame.

This place really works because the owners are present,and have personality plus!! Staff are always welcoming, the food delicious and seasonal, little people(children)!, are made to feel special and are catered for, the only downside is it is so busy you have to wait for tables etc, but a brilliant place to be...

The coffee is excellent. The food is almost always great. I guess they're always busy so the service although good, isn't always 100%. However it really does depend on who you're there with.

Fantastic coffee, wonderful friendly and helpful staff.<br/> Feast your eyes on a magnificent array of cabinet food reflecting the vegetables, fruits and herbs of the season.<br/>Generous portions with taste equally as delicious as the presentation.