Rhubarb sits at the top of the hill in Roslyn, Dunedin, and has been doing things 'a little bit different' for over 17 years. Everything on the menu is made fresh on the premises every day, whether you are after a superb cup of coffee, a homestyle cooked breakfast, a mouth-watering lunch, divine treats or a glass of the perfect wine. The kitchen keeps cooking until 3pm daily, and you simply order at the counter.
Breakfast runs from coconut and cranberry bircher muesli to avocado toast with dukkah and free range eggs on grain or ciabatta. Come lunchtime, the cabinet fills with fresh salads of the day, alongside a rotating soup of the day from the specials' board, gluten-free frittata and the free range chicken bap. The cheese muffins are, by their own cheerful admission, world famous. The cafe also marks the community calendar, from ANZAC day flags to gingerbread people.
Rhubarb takes bookings, welcomes walk-ins, is good for children, and offers takeaway and catering. Alongside the menu, they sell a selection of the products stocked in the cafe — including the teas and hot chocolate they pour in-house — plus unique and hard-to-find gift items. Open Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 4:30pm; closed weekends and on certain public holidays.
Perched at the top of the hill in Roslyn, RHUBARB has been part of Dunedin's café scene for more than 17 years, with a promise that covers all the bases: a superb cup of coffee, a homestyle cooked breakfast, a mouth-watering lunch, divine treats or a glass of the perfect wine — 'you need go no further than the top of the hill.' The tagline says it all: this place is 'a little bit different', a neighbourhood café where everything on the menu is made fresh on the premises, every day.
Whether you want a flat white and a cheese muffin, a leisurely weekday breakfast or a light lunch from the cabinet, RHUBARB keeps things homely and honest. Tea gets its own moment here too, and if you fall for something in the café, there's a good chance you can take a version of it home.
Breakfast covers the classics with a few distinctive touches. The coconut & cranberry bircher muesli (GF) arrives with seeds, apple, natural yogurt, nut crumble and fresh fruit. There's toast with the café's own house-made raspberry jam, avocado toast with crushed avocado, tomato and dukkah, and free range eggs — poached, scrambled or fried — with grain or ciabatta toast. Bacon, extra eggs and extra toast are on hand for heartier appetites.
Lunch runs until 3pm. The cabinet holds fresh salads of the day, in small or large sizes, for eating in or takeaway, with free range chicken or hot smoked salmon available as an add-on. A soup of the day is posted on the specials board and served with toast, while the frittata — bacon or vegetarian, and gluten free — comes with relish and salad greens. The chicken bap stacks free range chicken, cos, tomato, brie, aioli and pesto into one sandwich.
Then there are the treats, which deserve their billing. RHUBARB's cheese muffins are described on its own site as 'world famous', gingerbread people make seasonal appearances, and on ANZAC Day the café has flown the flags. Menu items are labelled (V) vegan, (GF) gluten free, (DF) dairy free and (WF) wheat free where they apply, and gluten-free toast is available for a dollar extra — so mixed groups of eaters are easy to cater for.
Ordering is at the counter, café-style, and the mood is relaxed and unpretentious. Walk-ins are welcome, bookings are taken, children are explicitly catered for, and takeaway and catering are offered for those eating elsewhere. It's the kind of room that works equally well for a solo coffee, a family breakfast or a casual lunch.
There's a retail side as well. RHUBARB sells a selection of the products it stocks in the café — so if you need a hot chocolate fix at home, you're covered — alongside unique and hard-to-find gift items. It makes the café a handy stop for presents with a bit of character.
RHUBARB is at 297 Highgate, Roslyn, Dunedin 9010, and is open Monday to Friday from 7:00 am to 4:30 pm. It's closed on weekends, and also closes on January 1st and 2nd, Good Friday, and December 25th and 26th. Call 03 477 2555 for bookings or catering, and follow RHUBARB on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter (@RHUBARBNZ) to keep up with cabinet specials and community happenings.
Seventeen years in, RHUBARB is still doing exactly what it set out to do: serving homestyle food, good coffee and a warm welcome — a little bit different, at the top of the hill.