CBD Eatery sits on Queen Street in the heart of Blenheim, Marlborough, and has earned a place among the town's top cafes. It's a main street spot that opens early, greets you with friendly service first thing in the morning, and offers both a well-stocked cabinet and a full sit-down menu. The kitchen's promise is simple: homemade food made from local ingredients, carefully prepared — a welcoming experience for couples, families and food lovers alike.
The menu is extensive, running from breakfast through lunch: a big breakfast locals swear by, eggs benedict with bacon, a BLT with egg, chicken bao buns and a seafood chowder that reviewers call the best you'll ever eat. The cabinet adds pork and fennel sausage rolls, really delicious toasties, delightful cheese scones and a wide variety of baked goods, all backed by great coffee and a diverse drink selection.
Dietary needs are well looked after, with a vast range of gluten free options and a separate gluten free cabinet that is safe for coeliacs. Beyond the cafe there's a function room seating 22, catering for everything from staff lunches to weddings, and a wider 'foodie family' of sibling brands — Pinkalicious Desserts, Harvest Meals and CBD Pantry. Locally made sauces and relishes are on hand to take home.
CBD Eatery occupies a prime spot on Queen Street, the main street running through central Blenheim, and it has grown into one of the town's most talked-about cafes. Reviewers consistently place it among Blenheim's top cafes, praising a gourmet food selection, a diverse drink menu and staff who greet you warmly even at the earliest hours. It's the sort of place that opens early, keeps the cabinet well stocked, and treats a first-thing coffee run with the same care as a long, lazy brunch.
The kitchen's guiding idea is stated plainly: homemade food from local ingredients, carefully prepared. That translates into a two-pronged offering. There's a cabinet brimming with ready-to-go food — baked goods, pre-prepared dishes, gourmet rolls and sweet things — and a sit-down menu that stretches from breakfast through lunch. Visitors describe the menu as quite extensive, and the interior is roomy enough to comfortably host big groups, which makes it an easy pick for catch-ups, work lunches and family outings.
Certain dishes have taken on a life of their own in the reviews. The seafood chowder is the headline act, with devotees calling it the best you will ever eat. The big breakfast has its own chorus, hailed as the best in Blenheim. Eggs benedict with bacon arrives with a playful syrup swirl around the plate — a flourish that has sparked friendly debate among benedict traditionalists.
From the cabinet, the pork and fennel sausage roll served with relish earns regular shout-outs, as do the toasties, the cheese scones ('delightful and tasty', one regular insists) and the coffee, praised across the board. At lunch there's a BLT with egg and chicken bao buns that one visitor singled out as tasty, alongside a wide variety of pre-prepared food and baked goods.
CBD Eatery takes dietary needs seriously. The menu carries a vast range of gluten free options, and — unusually for a cafe — there is a separate gluten free cabinet dedicated entirely to coeliac-safe food. Reviewers note that the kitchen caters to many other dietary needs as well, so mixed-diet groups can order together without anyone missing out.
There's a bigger operation behind the counter. A function room seats 22 comfortably and can be booked for all kinds of occasions. The catering arm handles everything from staff lunches — one client thanked Tania and the team for a spread that was 'very well received by the whole team' — through to weddings, with a dedicated enquiry path for couples planning their day. A same-day rescue mission for a stranded customer on 'the busiest Monday' has become the stuff of local legend, with one reviewer thanking the team for going above and beyond when no one else could.
The cafe also sits at the heart of a wider 'foodie family' that includes Pinkalicious Desserts, Harvest Meals and the CBD Pantry, and one regular mentions a further outlet at the library — handy if you're closer to there than the main street. In-store, you can pick up locally made sauces and relishes to take a little of the flavour home.
CBD Eatery is at 41 Queen Street, Blenheim 7201. Bookings can be made on 03 577 7300, and catering enquiries go through on 027 482 2665. Come early for the pick of the cabinet, stay for the chowder, and leave room for a cheese scone — you'll be in good company among the Blenheim locals who keep coming back.