Pinot Junction Lakeside Cafe is a cosy waterfront café and wine store set in the historic Murrells Cottage in Cromwell's Heritage Precinct. It serves fully cooked brunch and lunch, fantastic coffee, delicious homemade baking, and a curated selection of local Central Otago wines, with cosy indoor seating in winter and sunny lakeside seating in summer.
The café was opened in 2022 by Kate and Matt Barnett, transforming a former Italian café into a Central Otago wine store and eatery. Kate grew up around hospitality and the Central Otago wine industry, and Pinot Junction reflects that background, focusing on wine and produce from the region, with cabinet food and platters full of locally sourced goods — including baker Wendy's famous cinnamon scrolls. The café's logo features six dots representing Central Otago's six wine sub-regions: Wanaka, Cromwell, Bendigo, Bannockburn, Alexandra and Gibbston.
Beyond the café, Pinot Junction offers Cellar Services to help guests curate a selection of Central Otago wines for their own cellar, and its 25-30 seat restaurant, commercial kitchen and fully licensed bar are available for venue hire on any night of the week from 6pm, suited to birthdays, showcases, small weddings or family gatherings.
Pinot Junction Lakeside Cafe sits inside the historic Murrells Cottage, in the heart of Cromwell's Heritage Precinct, where the town's original main street once ran before being flooded following the construction of the Clyde Dam in 1990. Some of the precinct's buildings, dating back to the 1860s goldrush, were saved or rebuilt on higher ground — and it's this setting that gives Pinot Junction its sense of place, cosy and warm in winter, with sunny lakeside seating in summer.
The café is the creation of Kate and Matt Barnett, who leased Murrells Cottage in November 2022, transforming what had been an Italian café into a Central Otago wine store and eatery. Kate's connection to hospitality and wine runs deep — raised in her family's City Hotel in Dunedin, with her father having founded Felton Road Wines, she brought years of Central Otago wine industry experience to the idea, reportedly born from a 3am "brain burst" that led her to wake her husband and announce she was opening a wine store.
Pinot Junction serves fully cooked brunch and lunch alongside fantastic coffee and homemade baking, most notably baker Wendy's famous cinnamon scrolls. Customers have singled out the seafood chowder, beef burger, breakfast burrito and cauliflower rosti stack as standout dishes, alongside cabinet food, platters and café-style pizzas built around locally sourced produce.
True to its name, Pinot Junction is as much a wine store as a café. Its logo features six coloured dots representing the six distinct sub-regions of Central Otago wine country — Wanaka, Cromwell, Bendigo, Bannockburn, Alexandra and Gibbston — each with its own terroir and character. For guests wanting to build their own collection, Cellar Services offers guidance on curating a selection of Central Otago wines, ideal for anyone starting from an empty cellar or simply wanting to explore the region's range.
Beyond its daily café service, Pinot Junction's 25 to 30 seat restaurant, commercial kitchen and fully licensed bar are available for venue hire on any night of the week from 6pm. A set venue hire fee applies, and while in-house catering is available, private chefs are also welcome to prepare a meal from the kitchen — a flexible option for milestone birthdays, product showcases, small weddings or family gatherings.
Pinot Junction is open seven days a week from 9am to 3pm, though hours may vary between summer and winter — guests are encouraged to follow the café on social media for seasonal updates. No reservations are required; it's walk-ins only. The café is located at 71 Melmore Terrace, Cromwell, and can be reached by phone or email for enquiries, including venue hire bookings.