Review Shine Cafe - Wellington

Nice little tucked away Cafe, on the side street opposite Queensgate. Was rather busy, but enough room for a sitting for 3. Reasonable prices & numerous array of meals & snacks to choose from. Fast service through ordering & receiving meals too. Would look to have a cuppa, next time I'm in. 👍

Shine cafe is absolutely superb - 10/10!! The staff were all incredibly lovely, friendly, and helpful. The food was divine, and was delivered very fast. One of the Hutt's best kept secrets - it has an unassuming demeanor from the street, but I was delightfully surprised with the quality and range of the fare on offer. I got the smashed avocado which was absolutely perfect. Highly recommended, I will definitely be coming back!

Enjoyed my cooked breakfast, eggs with the lot. Cost of food gone up, so consider as a treat & best not to compare to photos taken 5 years ago. Great warm friendly staff. Will visit again.

Shine Cafe in Lower Hutt is lovely, friendly local cafe which evokes a community and food diversity friendly ambiance. Staff is super engaging and warm and the espresso is exceptional. We were lucky to enjoy their date and savory scones with butter. The cabinets are full with various food items to cater to an array of food sensitivities including dairy free, gluten free or vegan. The cafe is very impressive and highly recommended!

A fantastic Cafe with fantastic food, great coffee, helpful staff, and of course sunshine. Came here for a solo lunch and was greated with warm smiles, sunshine, and a selection of wonderful food. Wanted to try it all but settled with a salmon bagel, Louise cake, and a great flat white. The bagel is the softest in town, with a generous helping of wonderfully smoked salmon and capers. The Louise cake was wonderfully light, with great raspberry jam centre. The coffee is probably the best in the Hutt, so you need to at least try it. All in all this is a lovely place to escape the chaos outside.

Lovely food, coffee and service ! Thanks team - my second visit here and will be back - quality food, freshly made is always appreciated

Great food and coffee! Staff very friendly and nice

Love love this place! Lovely lady served us, we really wanted to tip but unfourtnately we had no cash at the time. The food was Ātaahua! The smoothies were really yum and thick! A lot of places don't have thick smoothies! Will be one of my favourite breakfast places in Lower Hutt!

Very friendly waitress, good food and good price. We paid 20 dollars for the food that you can see in the pictures. Happy with this new discovery :)

One of the best cafe in Lowerhutt. First of all the staff are awesome. The food was value worth. We had breakfast, hot choclate, dream slice

Nothing better than than grabbing a quick coffee and snack and finding a little sauce too ! Love your work

The waiters at Shine are the best and make the whole experience. The food is awesome and the coffee is always good too.

Foodvwas pretty good. Keto omelet was nice but a little pricey @ $28. Quick service and nice food

Absolutely enjoyed the food & service, definitely coming back

Coffee and cheese scone $10.50. Not cheap anymore. Definitely a once in a blue moon luxury for the poor these days. Not Shines issue, they were fine and shiny as always. Great service.

Really friendly staff who looked after me well. A blimmin good milkshake served in a really cool glass as well. I think the last said her name was Sue and she looked after me well. Much appreciated

A quick stop for coffee. Cabinet food looked good with GF options. Didn't have time to check out the menu. Will be back soon to check it out.

Great service very quick excellent food and coffee

Came here today around 10:45am. Loved the food and the presentation was lovely. The atmosphere wasn’t extremely nice. A lot of people were looking at us which made us uncomfortable. The person next to us ordered the same thing (Eggs with the Lot) has gotten the creamy portobello mushroom and beans while we had just gotten a toasted mushroom. If they ran out with the creamy mushroom and beans it would have been fine but they didn’t communicate this with us. So I give this cafe a 2 star. :/

A delightful little cafe I must say, however the coffees are not quite as excellent as they were when the English fellow with a beard worked there, though still very good.

I always make an effort to stop by here for brekkie if I am in the area.  One of the best Eggs Benny I have ever had.  Nice friendly staff, great service in a clean and comfortable establishment.  Good parking which can be a rarity in the Lower Hutt CBD as well.

Best coffee in Lower Hutt. Always greeted with a friendly smile and lots of yummy colourful counter food. The date scones are delicious but we personally found the cheese scones to be a bit bland!

Not often do I dish out a 5, but with service this good and food this fresh and clean, I would be lying with less than a 5. I have an egg allergy and both gluten and dairy intolerances...this was not a problem. The server who turned out to be the owner even took a couple of minutes to sit and go through the menu, make suggestions and basically ended up saying whatever I decided, she was confident they could deliver. Brilliant. Around the table we ended up with the big breakfast, blat, 2 x pancakes, a little cabinet food and coffees (menu food had modifications). Food was good and as requested, quick and felt like a clean, healthy eat. Service was good and prices were not through the roof either.<br/><br/>Well done guys!

Called in for a quick bite and coffee late morning. To tell the truth, I hadn't been to Shine for some months because I thought it had gone a little downhill since the change in ownership a couple of years ago. This morning I ordered a large flat white and eggs with creamy mushrooms on the side. The coffee was fine. The food, however, was very disappointing. The poached eggs were deformed looking and hard-boiled and the mushrooms were not great. Frankly, the cafe needs a new cook. The food in the cabinet looked fine.  Will probably leave it a couple of years before going back

Good food, nice staff and enjoyable atmosphere and bright sunny frontage. Slight issue with them not asking whether the cabinet food (salmon bagel) should be heated or not, they automatically heat all food however this was not made clear and we were expecting it to be cold. The staff were quick to rectify with no fuss and with a smile on their face. Price we paid was good, $20 for a bagel and baguette, however the prices for the cabinet food were not displayed anywhere.. had we been aware of the decent prices prior to choosing we may have purchased something extra instead of prepping ourselves for a potential high cost.

Have been here a long time ago and food and coffee was great. I go passed regularly and see it full to the brim so it's obviously still very good! Bonus is they're awesome for supporting local schools and making and giving out lunches-just Awesome! Keep up the good work.

Absolutely love Shine Café! It has a lovely vibe to sit and have a coffee. Owner Sue was so welcoming and even though I can be a tricky customer with my dietary requirements, she managed to have something delicious whipped for me and I left feeling totally stoked. Coffee is on point too 👌🏼

A little local cafe that I love. My partner and I have been going to this cafe practically every weekends for the past 2-3 yrs. We love the great service and the food. They use free range eggs and bacon. And bacon is really good. Love the coffee too. I highly recommend this place.

We went for my husbands birthday treat and it was amazing! $21 seems alot for the shine special breakfast but everything on that plate is top quality and I would definitely pay it again! The mushrooms especially are to die for. We also got the Kaitaia Fire - again what beautiful fresh ingredients and so beautifully put together. Coffees were amazing. Staff incredibly friendly. Would definitely recommend

Really really nice. Looks very people running the place. Super friendly. Great food good service. Nice atmosphere. Happy to go back next time I'm in the Hutt.

Went with a friend on her recommendation. Lovely food, well-explained (enjoyed the Ploughman's vegetarian platter). Super friendly but professional staff. Good coffee. A really welcoming atmosphere. definitely a place to revisit.

I've been here a number of times. The food is ok'ish: It's better than your average run of the mill cafe in Lower Hutt, but it's not fantastic. It definitely doesn't warrant the mid to upper price range of the meal. The issue here is the real lack of completion within central lower hutt. <br/><br/>Another issue is the service. I've been here 4 times and every time they cannot seem to manage to serve the meals at the same time as the other people on your table. Right now, I'm waiting for a meal I ordered with my girlfriend, she's finished her breakfast and im still waiting. All I ordered was a toasted sandwich. This is entry level shit and something this place cannot seem to understand.

Awesome, delicious place! Friendly service and fantastic hot drinks! I would recommend this place. I went here today for my Dads birthday! I had a regular Mocha and an Egg and Bacon Finelle? Wow they were beautiful

The barista was wonderful and the coffee was the best I have had in the Wellington region We love seeking out the best cafes in the region the food and coffee was wonderful thank you

Great service, however we were served our ice chocolates in a plastic 'take away' cup because they ran out of glasses. $7 for a plastic cup full of milk with a bit of chocolate sauce and a chocolate fish wasn't very good for the price. Our pancakes were undercooked and bacon burnt. But the staff made it a nice place to eat lunch at.

Getting an A+ today thanks to always good Spanish style eggs and new moo juice menu! And I'm not taking anything off the the smoker at 'for dogs' good outside table :)

Short version... Disappointing! <br/><br/>I have been "choosing alternate venues" since my last visit to Shine (also disappointing), but a friend suggested it for lunch so there we were. <br/><br/>The staff were quite professional, but one again the chef wasn't -- at least that is my opinion of the poached eggs (being cooked solid and all).<br/><br/>And then there is the awesome coffee machine, which is so noisy that the close half of the café stops talking while it is on, as it drowns everything else out -- including a passing ambulance even! <br/>

Fabulous new owners and so welcoming! Just loooove this place. It's always buzzing but you still get treated well. Best coffee around, great healthy options too. Had the mushrooms and bacon on toast, and already want more! Will be back asap

They have unveiled a new summer menu today and the weather was great so decided to have an day out in the Hutt. Place was busy - good sign, you worry about places which are not. Noise didn't bother me as I tend not to worry about anything else when I'm hungry. Tim who won Masterchef 2015 was in mingling with customers, a really nice guy and a fantastic family business. Had the chicken and asparagus risotto $12.50 was tasty and filling. Topped off with an awesome brownie. My friend had the Kaitaia Fire. Got a free sample of infused sparkling water - better than those nasty fizzy drinks. I have read other reviews, If you have issues then send them a private message on their FB page, they don't know what they don't know. Very happy, so friendly, will definitely go back again.

Cool small cafe<br/>Been here once. I was in hurry but feeling a coffee urgently. Just pop into Shine had a cup of latte. Very nice coffee. Good temperature, good coffee bean, good barista with handling milk very well. Also has a lovely leaf pattern. <br/>Had a peek at the kitchen. All staff uniformed properly and hygienic condition is food no matter equipments or surfaces of working benches. And it was at busy time. <br/>Looked at cabinet. The choice was variety. I was even took photos. <br/>I must come back to try their food.

I went to shine today for lunch with my wife we both ordered the big breakfast it arrived cold we sent it back it came back again the eggs were broken and looked like it was thrown back on the grill to reheat and half the original portions were missing . No apology from waitress they couldn't give a stuff . So we got our money back. They obviously don't care as the place was not full so not as if they were run off their feet. Certainly would not recommend to anyone.

Went for breakfast this morning at Shine with my wife. Have been for coffee previously and had a bowl of porridge on occasion. Today my wife chose a toasted sandwich with a tomato and ham filling. The sandwich that arrived was a veritable king of sandwiches, toasted slices of Pandoro ciabatta with plentiful slices of fresh tomato and several slices of ham off the bone. Fantastic!<br/>I ordered the creamy mushrooms and bacon. This too was excellent.<br/><br/>I like Shine, the only negative is I find the so called long black rather short. My wife loved the place, but thought the bathroom was cramped and let the place down.<br/>Incidentally porridge was not available today. Shame!<br/><br/>UPDATE: Saturday November  8, 2014<br/><br/>Went back again to Shine for breakfast. I am afraid that this time the offering was not quite so good as on prior occasions. Perhaps it is a quirk of mine, but when I order poached eggs I like the yolks to be somewhat runnier than these were, though the colour and taste were good. In addition I thought the bacon was over cooked in places. Again I am not sure about their long blacks. A bit bitter. The ciabatta toast was really good.<br/><br/>UPDATED 15 Feb 2015<br/>I went for a late breakfast a couple of days ago and had an excellent dish of creamy mushrooms with bacon on ciabatta toast. Great toast and mushrooms, still have reservations over their long black. Bacon was good.<br/><br/>UPDATED October 2015<br/><br/>My wife and I went the other Sunday for late breakfast. Unfortunately not the Shine experience of prior visits. Cafe was very noisy, probably due to a family group and the cafe's unfortunate lack of sound absorbing decor.<br/>Food was satisfactory, though not quite as good as on earlier visits. Worst thing was that the 'waitperson' delivering my wife's coffee spilt coffee in saucer as she set the cup down and neither apologised, nor made any attempt to mop up the spilt liquid nor to offer a replacement. Not a good look.

I've been a few times - the hollandaise sauce they put on all things that requires it tastes very processed. The teapots are small so you need an extra jug of hot water to get at least 2 decent cups. Not likely to go back.

This cafe always looks busy so a friend and I gave it a go one day. Coffee was fine but the salmon bagel was a regret! This place is overpriced and the queue was all over the place.

We visit Shine Cafe almost every weekend and the food and coffee are always up to a high standard! The staff are always pleasant as are the new owners - very friendly and welcoming. Love the new décor too. Keep up the good work Shine.

Great location. Usually the food and servie has been brilliant - but aas changed hands recently? Some work required on the menu front. Eggs bene with spinach arrived with possibly half a supermarket packet of spinach - and old very stringy spinach at that.

We have been going to Shine for years and we love it each time! Greatest coffee by barista Sam and fantastic food by the kitchen staff, no matter if it's breakfast or lunch or just a slice - everything tastes superb, so much better than in a number of other cafes around town.

$68 for breakfast for two is pretty steep for the CBD, let alone Lower Hutt. For that price, it needs to be pretty awesome but what we got was on the lower end of mediocre. My husband ordered the big breakfast (with a side of black pudding). His fried eggs were overcooked, the hash browns soggy and undercooked, and they totally forgot his bacon. I had the creamy mushrooms on toast which I found to be barely edible. The "creamy" equated a gravy which wasn't cooked out and still tasted primarily of flour. Two large lattes rounded out the bill. They were drinkable, but on par with Starbucks and not what you expect from a proper cafe. All in all a very disappointing experience and I can't say we'll ever be back.

This place is amazing. Love the coffee, the food &amp; the people.<br/><br/>Honestly, Kirsty makes the best coffee in town &amp; the toasted sandwiches are a favourite.<br/><br/>Would go here for breakfast, morning tea, lunch &amp; afternoon tea everyday if I could.

I was recommended to go there by friends lovely food but I didn't get very good service the lady behind the counter totally forgot my order. I had to ask about it a couple of times, and they weren't busy at all!!!

Great Coffee, friendly staff. The best date scones!<br/>Anna

I went here for the first time today as a friend had told me about it. While the food was lovely (ham and vege soup) I was astounded at the prices! $12 for macaroni cheese! NO WAY! Sadly I won't be going back as those sort of prices are way out of my budget.

Shine is a fantastic cafe, I'm there nearly every day they're open. It's way more than the great food and excellent coffee.<br/>Shine is like a family, you get treated special, and get to catch up with others who are also regulars. The best cafe experience in Wellington, for sure.

Just want to say: I look so forward to having my usual breakkie at Shine Cafe whether its a saturday or sunday or could be both days "if i could" the food is deliciously made, its our number 1 breakkie place...Keep up the good work.....

Stopped in here last Sunday for brunch and absolutely loved the setting and atmosphere, and all the pics of NZ people &amp; memobilia..<br/>Really good tasty coffee &amp; agree with others, we love the phrases that come with them!<br/>Service was very attentive, friendly &amp; warming. Nothing was too hard, very accomodating.<br/>Agree there were amazing slices and counter food was excellent..<br/>Hubby got big brekkie, which we felt wasnt that huge or anything homemade considering the price.(But hey, he used to BIG brekkies!) <br/>I had the seafood chowder, which was absolutely the best I've ever tasted! I could've easily eaten other bowl (or two) of it!<br/>Would go back to take a mate for a coffee &amp; chat! :)

I popped in here last Sat and WOW I was impressed.choose a lovely decadant Choclolate Fudge Brownie from the cabinet and it was superb!! limps of chocloate in it plus a really decent chocolately after tasete left in the mouth. Coffee was great.. The couplle at the opposite table were enjoying their breakfasts...looked like corn fritters and a big cooked bacon and eggs with all the trimmings breakfast....huge portions....

I have been to Shine on a number of occasions and I really like it, it is cute and quirky. It is really hard to create a successful cafe where an unsuccessful one has gone before. There have been several very average cafes on that site previously, and these guys have done a remarkable job. <br/>I love the cool quotes you get with your coffee, and there is enough interesting things to look at on the walls to keep you busy for ages. The food is pretty standard cafe fare and nice enough.<br/>The only reason they don't get 5*'s from me is that I have found the staff can be a bit brisk some times, and its a pet peeve. If you are in the service industry - be of service, and be happy!

I am so pleased to have 'discovered' Shine this weekend. This is truly a home-style cafe with warm, friendly and efficient service. My eggs Benedict was superb and we were pleased to find that my friend's pancakes had banana and bacon in between each layer - yum! The selection of counter food looked incredibly enticing, and if we weren't already full from brunch then we would have gladly indulged. We will definitely be back.

Absolutely Brilliant, Best Hot Chocolate I've ever tasted! The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. The staff are actually human, and treat you like one. <br/>Oh, and it's the best dang food in New Zealand!<br/>Anyway, I'll be coming back for more!!<br/>Thanks

Friendly and helpful staff, and mix of cabinet and classic brunch food makes Shine a delightful place to enjoy on a sunny day. I enjoy the decorations around the cafe too.