Mealmates Cafe is a friendly Kiwi cafe on Clarkin Road in Fairfield, Hamilton, serving generous all-day breakfasts, brunch plates, burgers and proper cafe coffee from 8:30am to 3:30pm, seven days a week. It's the kind of neighbourhood spot where the menu covers everyone: big cooked breakfasts for slow mornings, quick open sammies for lunch, value burger-and-fries combos, a dedicated kids menu and a long list of sides so you can build your plate exactly how you like it.
The kitchen leans into classic cafe favourites done well. Eggs Benedict sits at the top of the bestsellers, alongside a hearty Big Breakfast loaded with bacon, kransky sausage, eggs and baked beans. Omelettes, corn fritters, pancakes and French toast cover the sweeter and lighter ends of the menu, while the lifestyle dining section offers soups, salads and nachos for something more wholesome. Many dishes carry gluten-free and vegetarian tags, and gluten-free toast and bases are available across the menu.
Coffee is taken seriously here, with a full espresso lineup from short blacks to caramel macchiato, plus frappes, smoothies, milkshakes, thickshakes and a shelf of teas and hot chocolates. Ordering is easy too: the whole menu is available online for pickup, with secure payments by card or PayPal, making Mealmates a convenient stop for a takeaway coffee, a family brunch or a weekend feed.
On Clarkin Road in Hamilton's Fairfield neighbourhood, Mealmates Cafe does what a good Kiwi cafe should: big plates, honest food and coffee served all day. Doors open at 8:30am and the kitchen keeps going until 3:30pm, seven days a week, so whether you're an early riser after a cooked breakfast or a lunchtime caller after a burger, the full menu is on the table whenever you arrive.
The cafe describes its style simply as Kiwi cafe cuisine, and the menu backs that up. Everything is available for pickup through the cafe's online ordering site, with secure payments, which makes it an easy stop for a takeaway flat white on the way to work or a pre-ordered family feed on the weekend.
Breakfast is the heart of the menu, and it's there from open to close. The flagship is the Eggs Benedict, a consistent top seller, built on an english muffin with soft poached eggs, fresh spinach and a proper hollandaise. Just behind it sits the Big Breakfast, the full works: streaky bacon, eggs, grained toast, roast tomato, kransky sausage, baked beans and butter.
Lighter appetites are covered too. Eggs Lover pairs two eggs with roast tomato and grains toast, while the omelette section ranges from a classic mushroom, tomato and spinach omelette to the Southern Ocean Smoked Salmon Omelette with red onion, rocket and feta. The bacon and corn fritters, served with avocado, sour cream and sweet chili sauce, are a solid middle ground, and the creamy mushroom on toast with egg is a favourite among vegetarians.
Sweet tooths get their own section: a pancake stack with seasonal fruit, berry sauce, maple syrup and cream; French toast with streaky bacon and banana; and a mixed nut and toasted muesli bowl with natural yoghurt and berry compote. Helpfully, many dishes across the menu carry gluten-free and vegetarian tags, and gluten-free toast and bases are available throughout.
Come midday, the menu shifts towards open sammies and burgers. All three open sammies, the B.L.T, the chermoula chicken and the scotch beef steak, come served on toast with salad and aioli. The burger lineup is a value-combo affair: every burger arrives with fries and salad. The Fishermen Catch stacks crumbed fish with tartare sauce and gherkin, the Cranberry Chicken Delight pairs grilled tenderloins with avocado and camembert, and the Mealmates Steak Supreme is the house namesake, built on scotch fillet steak with caramelised onion and camembert.
There's a lifestyle dining section for lighter lunches, including a soup of the day with homemade butter bread, fresh salads and a plate of nachos with homemade beef mince and red kidney beans. The deep-fried list handles the cravings, from bacon cheese wedges to bowls of fries, wedges and curly fries, plus a fish and fries combo with salad and tartare.
Families are clearly part of the plan. A dedicated kids menu covers chicken nuggets and chips, fish and chips, a ham and cheese burger, and pancakes with maple syrup, and the long side-order list means picky eaters can add exactly what they like, from a single egg to a hash brown or smoked salmon.
The drinks list runs deep. The espresso machine covers short blacks, long blacks, flat whites, lattes, cappuccinos, mochas and macchiato, with caramel and white chocolate variations for those who like it sweeter. Cold options include frappes, smoothies, milkshakes, thickshakes and a dairy-free ice crush, while tea drinkers can choose from classic, herbal, fruit and green teas, or a chai latte. An affogato, ice cream with a shot of espresso, is the perfect bridge between the two.
Mealmates Cafe keeps visiting simple. The online menu at the cafe's website handles pickup orders with Visa, Mastercard and PayPal accepted, and the doors are open from 8:30am to 3:30pm every day of the week. Whether it's a benedict and a cappuccino, a steak burger with the family, or just a smoothie on the run, this Fairfield cafe has a plate for most appetites, most days of the week.