📍 1084 Makara Road, Mākara Beach, Wellington
📍 Address: 1084 Makara Road, Mākara Beach, Wellington 6972, New Zealand
📞 Phone: +64 27 635 6661
So it was quite fantastic. You are greeted by some good snapper at the door. It would be nice for a minute but I never thought I would do it for more than five fish a second.
Loved this place (so many other patrons knew the staff, who made time to chat, it didn’t compromise serving us newbies). So friendly and, wow, an amazing location. Food was good, too. Definitely will eat there again, ext time we are in the area (given the variety of walks to do in the area, that will be one day soon).
Makara Beach Cafe (Wharekai) is a special place. It’s in one of the wildest parts of New Zealand. The cafe is open Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays (subject to management’s discretion) from 11am till 5pm (again… it can change!!). It’s actually a really hard place to run a cafe because of its location. You either drive through Takarau Gorge (a narrow, winding road through an active fault from Johnsonville), or Makara Road via Karori (more friendly for inexperienced drivers). While only 15-20 minutes from the city, it is considered remote. There is very little infrastructure out there. No town water services exist, there is a public toilet block with 2 loos and a change room. They are connected to a septic system and there is no drinkable public water supply (byo or buy one at the cafe). Everyone working here is a local resident. The current proprietors have dedicated their lives to serving their community. They are the local posties, working 7 days a week…. Ronnie and Mark decided to take up the lease of the cafe post-covid. There is nothing else anywhere nearby. The nearby Makara Beach walkway is the busiest public recreational walking track in the whole Wellington Region! Ronnie, once the catering manager with Cook Strait ferries, brings her epic culinary skills to creating and cooking everything on the menu personally, in a very small kitchen. She batters the fish as ordered, making some of the freshest and most delicious fish and chips you will ever have. Her Lasagne is legendary, Toasties are a very popular mainstay (if you are Coeliac, you can even have a Gluten Free toastie!!!). The Big Beefy Burger is always a winner after doing an epic walk to the gun emplacements. I personally can’t get enough of the Bacon and Egg Butties! Ronnie has an extensive menu, catering for all tastes and levels of hunger, including those of our most precious Tamariki (children). The cafe’s busy-ness is directly linked to weather conditions and time of the year. On a sunny day with little wind, you can guarantee the Makara Beach area will be very busy. It is advisable to take this into consideration when trying to park, use the bathrooms and the cafe. Obviously, you may need to wait for services.. including the toilets!!! Perhaps consider whether you should visit the area on such days if you are likely to be frustrated by waiting in queues. The services here are provided by Wellington Council. It is almost impossible to consistently predict the numbers of visitors to the area and visitors need to plan accordingly. This can result in the cafe being closed with little warning if the weather is terrible. There is very little shelter outside the cafe. During summer’s hot days please ensure you have sufficient water, sun cream, hats and shelters. Also respect the residents and the animals (including the recently released Kiwi) who reside there. Park in allocated spaces along Makara Road or in the carpark behind the toilets. Don’t block driveways or the boat ramp access or park on septic tanks and planted areas. Don’t use people’s homes as a urinal and please dispose of your rubbish in the bins provided. Ronnie, Mark and staff do everything they can to make the best food and drinks, and provide the best experience possible for visitors. Their hearts are in everything they do, stop by for a chat and say hi!
Rainy days at he beach are the best! We stopped at Makara Beach Cafe for lunch.Not only did we enjoyed the delicious fish and chips,but we had a beautiful view! The staff are all so lovely,friendly and welcoming and the service super fast. The atmosphere is cozy,makes you feel right at home . Strongly recommend Makara Beach Café to locals and tourists when visiting Wellington. We had the fish,salad and chips for $24 and my little one got the Bacon and Egg burger for $12 and a scoop of yummy ice cream for $4. They also have a indoor play corner for the kids.
It's like stepping back in time. Good old fashioned relaxed beachy Cafe, just like they used to be. We had the chicken burger and was delicious! Husband had the mussell fritters and they were good too. Great coffee! The staff and owners are welcoming, friendly and relaxed. And yummy ice creams to walk on the beach with.
The experience we had didn’t take in the full cafe but I’ll tell you that when we were ordering fish and chips to takeaway, the menu looked fantastic, the atmosphere was lovely, the staff welcoming and attentive and customers leaving were being very complimentary. For us, we ended up with the perfect windy Mākara beach experience - a howling northerly, a moody sea and a feed in the car watching the water. We had battered fish and sausages which were both delicious with a crunchy, light batter and the fish seemed incredibly fresh and nice and firm. A side of perfectly cooked chips and a few cans of fizzy complemented this perfectly. Please understand that as of writing this, it’s the best battered fish I’ve ever eaten. Worth the drive, worth braving the wind and a great afternoon.
A cosy, comfortable cafe you can bring your friends, family or partners to. There are lights, seat pillows and a couple of blankets for a nice romantic or cosy breakfast/lunch/dinner, sitting amongst heaters. There is even a ping pong table where you can play. The food and coffee was delicious. Staff were welcoming and friendly. Definitely recommend
Makara Beach WhareKai is located at 1084 Makara Road, Mākara Beach, Wellington 6972, New Zealand
You can contact Makara Beach WhareKai at +64 27 635 6661
You can find directions to Makara Beach WhareKai by following this map link
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