Review Vanessas Cottage Cafe - Hampden

This is a lovely wee place. Travelling South, it's on the left just at the edge of town. I did pass a few others on the way, but wait for this one. Gorgeous ladies full of chat and hospitality and even though I'm a coffee lover, a really nice cuppa tea also. I had some Mac n cheese which was great . They had a full cabinet of all sorts and some super big yummy cakes to choose from. Nice we outdoor space to sit in also

What a find! A pretty cottage and garden, great looking food, sit inside or out in the garden. I bought cheese puffs and coffee both of which were A1! Staff very friendly and helpful. The business is for sale, hopefully whoever buys it keeps the same standards. Hampden is a great place for a stop, worth a walk on the beach too.

I'm delighted with this find on my way back from Christchurch. Excellent HOT coffee and a great steak and mushroom pie 🥧. I will most definitely stop for a rest stop next time. 👍👍 thanks 🙏

After the Boulders we decided to stop for coffee. Vanessa’s cottage has good reviews so we decided to stop... And it was definitely worth it!! We ordered the Coffee walnut slice which was very tasty. I had the Tea - loose leafs lemon & ginger. Big portion (2.5 cups of tea). My friends had long black and short black. The long black is served as a short one and they bring hot water so you can decide how strong you want it! My friends loved it!! The interior is quite funky. Nice staff; Cute garden to chill if you’re not bothered by the traffic passing by.

Great lunch stop! This is a great place to stop for lunch on the way from Oamaru to Dunedin - several people had recommended this and we can see why. The coffee was very good and the pies were just sensational - delicious filling and beautiful home made pastry. The staff were very friendly and it was great to sit outside in the lovely garden.

This place is a hidden gem! They have amazing homemade pies, great selection of baked goods, enormous cinnamon oysters and a menu for breakfast and lunch. Defiantly stop in here on your way through

This hidden gem was recommended by Moeraki locals. Never knew Moeraki is famous for its seafood. Ordered the paua (abalone) pie and beef and oyster pie and they were amazing. The pastry was light and buttery, the paua was cooked perfectly. Such a bargain for under $8 a pie that's full of paua inside. The americano coffee was really good too. Highly recommended.

Driving through early in the morning, it was so good to find Vanessa open. The hours say they open at 5.30 am, which is great. We circumnavigate the South Island over 3 days for work, leaving at about 6am each day, and we had to wait till 8am the next 2 days before we could get a coffee. Great coffee and a nice toastie to get us from Waimate to Invercargill.

One word, outstanding. Go here before it's sold. A wide variety of delicious food with great customer service.

The fact I'm a regular here should speak for itself. This is wedges pure Decadence on a plate also try the pies but be early They go pretty fast .and there many varieties all homemade

Great food, everything is a decent size very tasty, recommend the pies, coffee in a real mug, steak bacon n cheese pie, big chunks tender steak😋

Great lunch stop on way to christchurch. Good coffee too.

The best fish and chips...in New Zealand, pretty much! Situated on the side of the road in a little town called Hampden, there's nothing unusual about the little cottage apart from the banner flapping in the wind proclaiming, "Vanessa's Cafe." There's a few picnic tables scattered around the front lawn but the magic of small town hospitality is found within the yellow cottage. You're greeted with an appetising food cabinet and polite, friendly staff happy to take your order. Coffee is delicious and hot, and the "must order" fish and chips is massive and yet will not make you feel as though you've ingested half the oil in the deep fryer with your meal. Meals are also served promptly and still hot which is a must on a cold, wet day like today. Prices tend to be on the more expensive side but for what you get, this is definitely worth it. 5 stars, and happy to drop by anytime I'm on State Highway 1.

Lovely cafe! Huge range of homemade counter food and delicious meals.... had the French Toast and the Blue Cod with chips.... excellent. Very friendly staff.... super helpful. Highly recommended.

Spectacular food, delicious pie with prefect pastry and generous filling. Likewise a muffin that was more chocolate and berry than muffin 🤤! Deep and equally satisfying Salmon quiche super flavorful. Sad I've only discovered this place when it's for sale. 😪

Love this cafe, tasty coffee and food, fantastic customer service! Thank you!

Good coffee. Steak/Cheese/Bacon Pie and chicken burger tasted fantastic. Lots of yummy cabinet food too. Quick service, very clean and just looks cozy.

Loved it first time here. Food was amazing the choices 🥰

i visited vanessas cafe last saturday 15th, the food was lovely and the service great, vanessa your a lovely lady , and u guys have made a good job of getting your cafe up and running so nicely, i highly reccomend your food and wonderful service , barbara

What a little gem, fabulous staff, outstanding food selection and great prices.<br/>I stop at every opportunity and there are many. <br/>Fantastic coffee and a wonderfully friendly atmosphere.<br/><br/>I highly recommend Vanessa's Cottage Cafe to all.

What an absolute delight this cafe is.<br/>Vanessa radiates goodness and the food reflects this.<br/>I am pretty hard to please when it comes to takeaway food but I would be ecstatic if I could cook something as delicious as the little potato top pie I bought there.<br/>The carrot cake was also delicious.<br/>The prices were very reasonable.<br/>For $8 I was a very well fed happy traveller.

Thank goodness for Vanessa's Cottage Cafe. After being very disheartened with the tourism spin at the "mystical boulders" and paying for something we could only see from a distance, the usual sales pushes. We came upon this cafe. The atmosphere was great, service fantastic and the food was top shelf. Vanessa even helped us out with a little problem we were having. We plan to pay you back for redeeming our faith in NZ hospitality

Called in twice over Easter. Vanessa has made a very nice transition from the previous life of a fish shop. A cabinet of attractive homemade food including huge stuffed potatoes plus a blackboard menu; all at reasonable prices. Young Jackson makes an impressive iced coffee and you can enjoy your meal in the cafe, a cosy side room with sofas or outside in the sun. Hopefully this family business will thrive.

I visited Vanessa's last week and the sign outside said the best coffee in Otago. Brilliant coffee with great food at great prices. Definitely be back. The carrot cake is to die for.<br/>If you love toasted sandwiches, ask her about these. Vanessa will make what ever you want.

What a joy! First class home cooking and delicious teas and coffee. I wish I could call more often but only in area annually. It is such good value and delightful manners of owner. Also good connections with locals so can put you in touch with tourist activities such as fishing.

Vanessa's is a very new cafe in a building which was previously a fish shop. I dropped in for lunch and it was as good a value as I've experienced anywhere in recent times. Home cooked food served with attentive friendliness. I questioned the lack of credit card facilities and Vanessa told me it is on the agenda but the setup cost for credit cards was more than she could afford at the time. I'm going back. I like it!