Review Gusto Cafe - Mount Maunganui

Had some delicious food, we had the WORX which is a bit more pricey but you get a wide range of differnet foods and the pouched egg was amazing!!! Their coffee frappes are really good, but I found that the caramel frappe was a bit too sweet. Other thank that the atmosphere was great as well as customer service

The wife and I had a very nice lunch here today. We both got burgers and chips and we couldn’t fault them. Unfortunately I couldn’t get a beer! It’s advertised as a licensed cafe but when I asked for a beer they said their liquor license had expired, gutted!

Good burgers, good berry smoothies relatively good hot chocolate but didn't realise the nachos had no beef so that was a tad disappointing but still very nice nachos :) unique touch leaving the tops of the burgers off to show the inside.

Gusto cafe was actually pretty good. Nice attentive staff, they were quiet but staff kept busy. Good above average quality food. Id go again. 7/10.

Awesome coffee and salmon Benedict. Staff were very friendly and accommodating.

Absolutely great Cafe, coffee was hot, large and flavorsome. We went back for lunch as the menu tempt us. We got a buddy bowl and avo stack yum yum 🥲

I had the pumpkin soup, It was lovely, an extra piece of bread would have been nice. My wife had the home made cheese scone and Loved it

Great bites...and coffee... incredible cheesecake and carrot cake and all matters of desserts as well as really good breakfast and regular lunch and dinner menu written colorfully on the chalkboard. Nice stuff and nice vibe!

Visited several times, food was outstanding. Cafe has a welcoming feel to it, very good staff and service.

Highly recommend this Cafe, especially for coeliacs. Lovely staff. Knowledgeable about coeliac disease. Appetizing menu! Omelets were delicious and huge! Great value for money. Coffee was good. We will be going back.

This cafe is large and roomy, good for a meeting. The staff are quick and the food is cheap and tasty. There were plenty of regular customers arriving, the staff knew them on sight. They have the newspaper for customers to read and wifi available. The counter has a big selection of sweet cakes and slices to choose from. The cafe is warm and sunny with indoor and outdoor seating.

I see a lot of people have shared one star reviews. I could not share that. I was by myself on a busy Anzac morning around 11am. I scored a table for me. I ordered mashed avocado with poached egg with a cappuccino. The cappuccino was served first as asked and was just perfect to drink. I was told the waiting time was 30-40min. I thought OK, that will make it lunchtime then. It arrived in 20 minutes and the food was nicely presented and very, very tasty. The salad sauce was a delicious surprise, the poached egg was perfect, the avocado plenty. The only thing I could fault was a bug bear of mine; the cutlery wrapped in a tiny serviette and felt like it was from the 2 dollar shop with sharp edges and the forks pointing in all direction. The price was a bit steep I thought but in the end absolutely worth it. Over all would definitely go again.

I haven't been here for about a decade. It seems like the original owner has sold this place. Coffee and a slice weren't bad. It's sad to see it's so empty as it used to be packed always.

While visiting friends in Mount Maunganui, we wandered down the town for a bite to eat.  I had a kids lunch with chicken nuggets, chips and tomato sauce. I really enjoyed coming here and I recommend Gusto whenever you would like a nice lunch. We didn't have to wait very long for our orders and the waiters were very polite.

3.5<br/>Pleasant little Main Street cafe which competes with a number of newer cafes nearby. Blackboard menu and order at the counter. We had the pancakes, french toast and a bacon and poached eggs breakfast. We sat outside which was great for people watch. Coffee was strong but a little bitter, pancakes were tasty. I had<br/>Mine with bacon, banana and maple syrup and it was presented quite old fashioned with sliced grapes which I found odd. The poached eggs looked delicious. There was minimal table service and we didn’t get offered water, nor could I see where you could help yourself to it anywhere inside. Overall good and the benefit of not needing to queue. In the entertainment book.

Went here for brunch when visiting the mount in the weekend, service wasn’t the greatest as they forgot our orders but the food was nice once it came out and the coffee was above average

We were looking forward to a nice brunch before heading to the beach for the day. I ordered a breakfast but they had run out of sausages. They tried to make up the difference with other items that were already part of the meal. In the end we agreed on a $2 reduction... My friend had fish of the day. To our surprise, seeing we were at a beach area, the fish was a crumbed packet fish. Really we were expecting fresh fish. Thank you Sea Lord.......

The pancakes are so delicious here! Nice and simple but still so satisfying. The berries with pancakes was exceptional and the presentation of the dish is rather cute.<br/>The coffee however is average. <br/><br/>

Came here on a whim. Chalk board for menu. I'm glad we did! The service was very inviting right down to the chef coming and having a chat with us as he cleared our table! Coffee was perfect. Hot and delicious. I ordered a bagel with cream cheese and jam but unfortunately "the milk man hadn't arrived with the cream cheese" so I changed my order to avo and salmon which they were happy to do at only $3 extra! ($10). My bagel was toasted to perfection (trust me I've had plenty of burnt or undercooked bagels at cafes). Mum ordered the eggs special which was poached eggs and bacon on toast with a free small coffee ($10). She couldn't praise it enough being so cheap and the eggs were soft as were the ones my bf had with the bacon eggs bene (can't remember cost). He was happy with the hollandaise sauce and the French bread it was served on was a delicious twist! We also shared the pancakes $16.50 between the 3 of us. They were amazing and were accompanied by fresh whipped cream, berries, maple and yoghurt! Spoilt for choice. And I don't judge my pancakes lightly! All in all good price, service, meal sizes and taste!

I am surprised to read so many negative reviews about this place. My partner and I stopped here during our trip to Tauranga and were pleasantly surprised by the food. A wide range of gluten free options, we ate here at least 3 times over the weekend. They even had gluten free pancakes on the menu which were delicious, the first place I've been to with this breakfast option. Loved it!

Desperate for a coffee, I settled for the first cafe. Big mistake! After we ordered from the barista, she went on a break! We had to wait until she came back, only to be served warmed milk. Big thumbs down.

Coffee was average and unfortunately the food wasn't much better. I had the bacon and eggs Benny - I got one perfectly poached egg and one over poached egg! How does that work? Eggs were served on untoasted bread however the hollandaise was enjoyable...

Went to this place on a whim - despite the bad reviews as it pumping on a Sunday morning. The staff were so un-enthused to be there and we regretted our choice of cafe as soon as we placed our order. Although it was very cheap - you really get what you pay for.. Would 10/10 never ever recommend or go back as both of us left queezy with food poising. Very long waits on food (30+ minutes) and had to constantly remind that we had ordered other things (drinks and muffins) that they did not bring out when ordered. It took 40 minutes to bring out a muffin. DO NOT GO HERE.

Gave this cafe a go on the weekend during our stay. Some of staff very rude 1 lady pushed passed us as we looked at the blackboard menu, no excuse me of anything given there was ample room to walk behind us. 4 of us spent a total of $115 breakfast & hot drinks. Over priced & food was bland & poached eggs where like somthing that came out of white Island. We enjoyed the coffee though . A shame that this place has a handful of issues to work through to get up to a standard which many other cafes near by are keeping to. We wont be back.

I think the food is great, always comes out fast when we order and tastes delicous! something needs to be done about the customer service though, the girl on the till looked so unhappy and never smiled once which made me feel like she didnt want me to be there. but overall good food just wish the customer service was better.

Today my partner and took both our families to have breakfast at Gusto (7 of us) We all experienced the worst customer service ever. The front of house staff (two girls) were rude, un-friendly and unprofessional. <br/>Because there was 7 of us there weren't any tables to accommodate our group so we shifted two small tables together which they abruptly came out and snapped at us "You can't move the tables there" walking away with out further assisting us and no apologies. Once we awkwardly got ourselves seated we all went to the cashier to order our food and coffee and the girl told us there would be a half an hour wait on food, The way she said it sounded like she would rather us go somewhere else. <br/>The food took about an hour and didn't come out all at once which was annoying and again no apologies. <br/>We also noticed that a table of people who had arrived after us got their food before us. The food was average to the point I feel as though every meal could have been made better at home! coffee wasn't great. <br/>I am a local to the mount and I would normally never take the time to write an online review but I was so disgusted at the service we received I just feel there are much nicer/friendlier places to eat in the mount and judging by the other similar reviews it's not just me who has experienced this service!<br/>Why employ people to run your business who have no skills in hospitality what so ever!

Worst customer service I have ever experienced at a cafe ever! The front of house staff are very rude and unprofessional. The food "looked" nice and the coffee was average but because of the poor customer service I will not be going back there ever again!<br/>The young skinny girl who serves customers obviously must be linked to the owners in some way but after reading over reviews about poor customer service she needs to be doing something else and not be the face of the business because she is not very good at her job! At all!!

I'm not one to normally write reviews or complain about cafes or restaurants, but when my child is talked about in such a foul manner for being her usual well behaved self and a happy toddler then I will not be holding back. <br/><br/>From the moment we were served at the counter to the moment we left the cafe. We were treated extremely poorly and with no regard for customer service or care. The staff member that took our order was not only unhelpful when questions were asked about the menu, but extremely rude and blunt with her responses. After finding our seats, we waited patiently with our toddlers for our meals. It was a beautiful day and the cafe had a steady flow of other customers and it was not at all overly busy, which was ideal for us as a family group. To our right a staff member was sitting having a meal and texting. She received her meal while we were still waiting for ours. We had to ask another staff member to please hurry our order along as our toddlers were getting restless. The response was extremely rude and no apology was given. Our food came out shortly after and it was definitely rushed! Poor presentation, poor serving size on one of the meals and our fries were very undercooked. After we left we decided to raise these issues with the manager. Instead of taking our criticism and offering us with apology she simply walked away in the middle of the conversation. Furthermore the staff were then seen bickering about us in the corner of the cafe! And to make things even worse, when one of us returned briefly as something was left behind at our table, the staff were all huddling around bad mouthing us and our children!! We were made to feel like we were intruding a cafe where we were meant to be made to feel valued and looked after. After my friend gave her review, we were told by management that they were to busy and that "having children that are hard to control are not the problem of staffs" and "McDonalds would be a more child friendly place as opposed to a busy cafe". This cafe has obviously forgotten how to provide great customer service on even the most basic level. Extremely disappointing.

The food was appalling. Bland and unappealing. Katy's felafel were raw in the middle when served up and the second lot although warm in the middle were like horse chaff. Maybe the chef should visit a decent kebab joint to find out what the product should be like. <br/>My chicken burger was ok except it came with cheese when none was mentioned on the menu. <br/>The food was all under seasoned and to make mattered worse the salt shaker didn't work too well<br/>The best part of the meal was the drinks out of the cooler

My favourite brunch cafe!! Food here is amazing, if it's good food you want then this is your cafe!!<br/>Service is not the best (I have been here over 30 times) I have never encountered 'rude' service just bizarre stuff i.e. food coming out for the table at complete different times so not sure if it's the waitress or chef to blame but again it's worth the wait!!!

Looking at all these reviews, it's the same situation - Customer Service<br/><br/>I do admit, it's always busy, they have a great lunch menu, average breakfast, good coffee but very very poor Customer Service. I have experienced this while having lunch with my mum and sister. One in particular, the skinny, tall lady was very rude, she dumped our food on our table and stormed off. She then began to discuss with the other staff, complaining about customers. Sorry lady, but your job description is Customer Service, not Dr Phils P.A. We were then told (by the couple next to us having coffee) the skinny coffee girl is a member of the family that owns the Cafe. Now, I know why there are still bad reviews today! Terrible service, average food, good coffee.

My wife and I had the BLAT for lunch and were both very happy with the quality and quantity of food. Service was friendly, fast and accomodating. Menu range was good. Atmosphere was good. I had a flat white and my wife had a frappe. Coffee was superb! Overall a very good experience and a cafe we would definitely recommend and return to.

Reading the other reviews makes it seem like a lot of the reviewers are just miserable sad people, I am a chef and the food quality is incredible here, great sized meals, lovely taste and look. Me and my wife have been here approx 7 times since we found it last year and every time we go to the mount we dine here as well as dining here with other people we go to the mount with. We have never had one poor attitude from the staff even when the cafe was packed full, longest wait was 35mins and that was understandable, the food has always been top and I would recommend this to anyone that asks! I think some of these people are just the kind of people who seek out problems and exaggerate them, I have experienced them before as well, everyone come to this cafe it is the best at the mount!

Visited Gusto over the weekend. There was a car show on and street blocked off. The cafe was really busy and we had trouble getting a table, but the staff were lovely and a huge help. Which is rare in busy places. Meals took a while to come, but when they did I was impressed! Great coffee, and awesome atmosphere. I'll be back! Thanks.

Gone to the dogs - save your money!<br/>Mount local here, accidentally branching out from my regular. Ordered eggs bene with a side of avocado. Took far too long to bring food out, coffee was weak, eggs were hard, they forgot the avocado and when they brought it was an 8th of an avocado. My friend asked for sauce and they said we would have to pay extra. Needless to say GUSTO is blacklisted.

Poor service, time delay was unacceptable and when dining with my husband meals did not come out at the same time even though ordered together. Meals were sub-standard and not cafe quality, would be something you could easily make at home. Will not be back or recomending this place to anyone.

Went to Gusto today for brunch and waited over 40mins for our order, in the end I went in and asked how much longer it would be, the girl behind the counter went to find out and came back telling me it would be soon-ish, after another wait we decided this wasn't good enough, it wasn't like the place was busy at all it was 2pm, so went back in and asked them what was happening and the woman behind the coffee machine got all mouthy saying that there is other people apart from us and they have all waited, which took me back and I just said that I felt they had forgotten our order and that it wasn't good enough and that I wanted my money back, so we got our money back, less the coffee and smoothy we had drank 45 min.s ago, then a lady who had been watching from her table what had unfolded got up and had a go at the woman behind the coffee machine saying her treatment of me was disgusting and that she to had been waiting over 40 min.s for her order and she to wanted her money back. Someone might like to tell the other young school girl who was rolling her eyes and making faces when I was complaining that this isn't good customer service. We then left and walked up to another cafe and had the best brunch ever and it came out after 10 mins, oh and they were busy. I would avoid this place the staff are so useless and need a lesson in customer service. :(

What a terrible experience. I work at the Mount and thought I would change from my regular cafe - What a bad idea. When we had our meals bought out I told them that, that was not what I ordered. The waiter went to check and came back and told me that was what I was charged for!!!. I said it definately was not what I ordered. He went and got the so called manager who came and told me that they could make me the pasta but it would be 10 mins. I explained that I only had 10mins left of my lunch break - her reaction was "well do you want the pasta, or do you want the hash browns (which is what they orignally bought me), No apologies or anything. I asked how about I have my money back, so she went and got it and slapped it down on the table, with glares from the staff behind the counter. Consequently we left the meal that was right, and left. We will not be going back!!!

Wow, some of these reviews make me laugh!! I've been a regular at Gusto for a few years now and never had a bad experience!! Coffees are amazing!! And such an awesome menu, soo many options. And they have a huge selection of gluten free food! Staff are lovely and I'll keep coming back! :)

Good food and better coffee than other places. Was new to the area so began the daily coffee visit and taking a work team for lunch. Had become regular enough that they knew my order. After a month or so was given a coffee card, where I asked for a couple of extra stamps as I had been buying coffees daily, and bringing teams from work etc. Was told not unless I could produce a receipt for each coffee. Produced three previous Gusto receipts. They were examined and I was informed they did not include any coffees so I was "outta luck".<br/><br/>Bad. bad. bad customer service. Have not been back, and have taken our business to Back Porch Cafe.

Teasonably priced to visit for breakfast or lunch. Can be very busy especially over Xmas period and expect quite a wait for meals. . But good choice of items on menu. And reasonably priced. Pity the last time we ate there, had a rude waiter who reached right over and in front of me twice while I was eating. No excuse me or whatsoever. Not Impressed!!

Worst service we have had in years. We used to be regular customers of Gusto's, but we were served uncooked chicken of which I quietly asked for it to be taken away. No apology was given, I decided not to re order as only had a limited time for lunch, so I sat while hubby ate his. An offer of another coffee or a muffin would have been a nice gesture but not to happen. When we asked to speak to the duty manager upon leaving we were told that he wasn't in at all that day. (Isn't he meant to be if they are licensed)? WE told them that we thought the service was poor and we were told to "Grow UP" and leave the premises. Bad, bad bad. I still welcome a phone call from the manager.

Have stopped here a couple of times lately for coffee and cake, it's got a cool wide frontage right on the street front but pity thats where it all stops, the staff i could only describe verging on nastie and the coffee lukewarm. I won't be back unless I have to which is shame as its a good spot for street dining

The food was lukewarm and not very appealingly presented but the service was appalling. A shockingly long wait for our order and without even a gleb of an apology. I don't expect it, but for waiting over 45 minutes for eggs and bacon "sorry" is a reasonable expectation. Do these people even realise they are in a service industry? I am guessing NOT. Won't be back and wouldn't recommend in any shape or form--much better alternatives nearby.

Wow. I wish I'd read the reviews of this place before going. We had a very similar experience as others, with respect to the unbelievably poor service. We visited on the morning of August 7 for brunch. We didn't order anything complicated (bacon and eggs for me/creamed mushrooms on toast for my partner). After 45 minutes of waiting for our food, and after seeing two couples who ordered after us get their more complicated meals before us, I went to the counter to query the wait. I got a dismissive, "It's coming." No apology. No explanation. Nothing. And when it did arrive about 5 minutes later, it wasn't what I ordered. They offered to recook it, but seriously, after waiting 45 minutes the first time around, I didn't have any more time to wait. <br/>The food was cold, nothing special, and my partner's 'creamed' mushrooms appeared to completely lack cream. <br/><br/>When I asked if there was a comment card, someone I could speak to, etc., all I got was a coffee loyalty card. Um, no. Won't be back. Ever. <br/><br/>All in all, the food was only average, the prices quite expensive, and the service appalling. I got a better meal and better service from the local version of Mr Bun. That's really saying something.

For many years I have been a regular at Gusto, eating there on a weekly basis with friends, work colleagues etc. I have religiously ordered the grilled chicken breast &amp; has never disappointed me, however recently the staff &amp; service has. One more recent visit I had taken a party of around 6 to lunch &amp; spent well over $150. We had ordered large coffees and received regular, I brought this to the 'new' English girls attention &amp; asked for it to be sorted then she proceeded to snap atl me saying I had only paid for regular size &amp; that Id need to pay the difference after admitting it was her fault &amp; giving me an 'I'm better than you' attitude. I was blown away by this girls lack of professionalism and have received the same bad attitude from her at each visit after. <br/>I no longer am a regular at Gusto purely due to this girl. She has put me right off &amp; Iv only been back once in the past 7 months. <br/>Very sad to see a lot of empty seats nowadays at Gusto. I would love to visit weekly again but would rather take my money where I get friendly service.

Love this place, loads of Gluten free options! And best coffee in the Mount. Huge range of food and very reasonably priced. I'll be back :)

I've been coming to Gusto for the last 5 years. Its great to have a cafe in the Mount with such reasonable prices and consistently great service, food and coffee. Thanks and keep up the good work!

I would really love to like Gusto, as it's in such a great location and gets wonderful sun in the morning! Unfortunately, I can't seem to get a good hot coffee, no matter how many times I go back! Staff clothing choices are quite unique - Lots of potential, and a nice menu, but just a bit of work left to do! Nevertheless, I'll keep coming back just for your Early Bird Special of bacon, eggs, toast, and coffee for $9.50. Brilliant :)

had the misfortune to dine at Gustos at the mount last Wednesday, had read previous reviews but friends had picked it as was close to ones workplace for her lunch hour. <br/>Served at counter and was fine, coffee nothing special and food okay but could have been hotter, I had already decided not to spend too much money here based on reviews i read earlier in day.<br/>Icing on cake was when young waitress, busty girl with short shorts,(maybe they should all wear same uniform and try to at least look professional) was clearing a table on edge of kerbside (we were seated half in half out of restaurant) turned around and not looking where she was going (is busy walkway as is main shopping area in mount) smacked into a elderly lady and screamed JESUS WATCH OUT!!! .. says it all, needless to say for a piece of cake afterwards we went to Cafe 88, further down the road ..where the professionalism of their staff and the high standard of their food and presentation was well worth the 5 min walk away from such a dispecable excuse for a cafe. as a hospitality professional myself I can see no excuse for behaviour like this and wonder why this girl is even in the service industy as she obvously hasnt grasped what it means to be a waiter, Absolutely Disgraceful!!! if only the owners knew who was representing them. also not a good look for employess to be sitting outside smoking whilst diners are still in the cafe...BASIC BASIC STUFF what a shame!!!will never ever go back there !! hospitality is still such a young industry in NZ and is largely underpaid and is seen as an in between industry for uni students etc .. with 10 years in the industry and working as a chef who has no control over how the service staff work in order to make the whole experience a pleasureable one sometimes I wonder why I bother???

We were on holiday and popped in for lunch. The food was ok, but nothing special, and took quite a while. <br/>The girl behind the counter we thought was rather rude, interesting as I see a number of other similar comments. The next day we went to Volantis which was across the road, which was outstanding - pleasant lovely staff, and beautiful meals.

I have been to Gusto Cafe several times over the past year, however I will never go there again. I’ve had enough of the unfriendly and unpleasant attitude of the staff, particularly the young women at the front counter who take your order. Their attitude borders on rudeness.

I also work in the area and find that the service, whilst not unpleasant certainly isnt friendly. No smiles, no pleasantries.<br/><br/>The last time i went there i ordered the bacon and eggs but without the bacon as i don't eat pork. Immediately after i mentioned no bacon please the girl quickly retorted that the price is the same. I mean, surely they could have offered another egg in place of the bacon but no, nothing but a quick snap. No wonder i dont go there often.

Went there for brunch one day, and ordered the toasted Bagel with cream cheese. There could have been more choices to go with the bagel (for example egg, or salmon, etc) because it was quite plain, but nice. Great service and atmosphere.

We often visit the Mount for holidays and weekends. Gusto used to be one of our top places for eating out when there, but when we went recently the standard had slipped. Coffee was good, but the food was OK (we all had a hash stack), unfortunately the hash browns were greasy, the bacon fatty, and the toast more like bread. Also, the lady serving at the counter was not very friendly or welcoming.<br/>Hopefully the cafe gets back to it's old self soon!