Upside Down Eatery is a boutique eatery on Fantham Street in the heart of Hawera, Taranaki, built on the belief that everyday meals should feel a little bit special. Established in 2019, it offers fresh ingredients, exceptional coffee and warm hospitality, served at an unhurried pace.
The menu is honest and seasonal, working with growers and producers who share the eatery's values of small suppliers, thoughtful farming and produce picked at its peak. Generous plant-based, gluten-free and dairy-free options are woven throughout, alongside breakfast and lunch served daily and dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings.
The room itself is designed for lingering - warm timber, olive velvet and brass light create a calm, quietly elegant space, whether you're in for coffee, staying for lunch, or returning for dinner. Every guest is greeted by name if known, or by first impressions if not.
On Fantham Street in Hawera, Taranaki, Upside Down Eatery has built its reputation on a simple belief: that everyday meals should feel a little bit special. Since opening in 2019, it's become the corner of town where time slows on purpose.
The eatery works with growers and producers who share its values - small suppliers, thoughtful farming, and produce picked at its peak. The menu is honest and seasonal, with generous plant-based, gluten-free and dairy-free options woven throughout, reflecting a belief that healthy food should also be beautiful food.
Breakfast and lunch are served daily, cooked to order and generously portioned. Breakfast options range from the Waffle Daddy - a waffle topped with maple syrup, chilli flakes, whipped cream and a house made chicken breast patty - to an Eggs Bennie with poached eggs, hollandaise and a choice of bacon or salmon, and Corn Fritters served with smashed avocado and a poached egg.
Lunch leans into heartier plates, including a Fantham Beef Burger built on a house made beef pattie, a Korean Chicken Burger with house made Korean sauce and slaw, and Steak and Chips featuring sirloin with mushroom sauce. A Tagliatelle Pasta Chicken and beer-battered Fish and Chips round out the savoury options, with a dedicated Kids Menu covering fish and chips, chicken tenders, hotdogs, waffles and French toast.
Unlike the daily breakfast and lunch service, dinner is reserved for Friday and Saturday evenings, running from 5pm to 8:30pm. It's part of what makes Upside Down feel like a boutique room rather than an everyday cafe - a place to come for coffee, stay for lunch, and return for a proper evening meal on the weekend.
The space itself is warm timber, olive velvet and brass light - calm and quietly elegant, designed to encourage guests to slow down. Service matters here too: every guest is greeted by name if known, and by first impressions if not, part of the boutique feel the eatery has built since opening.
Beyond regular service, Upside Down also hosts evenings worth remembering - long-table dinners, seasonal tasting menus and private hire - for anyone looking to mark an occasion with something a little different.
Upside Down Eatery is open Monday, Wednesday and Sunday for breakfast and lunch, Thursday through Sunday from 8:30am, and closed on Tuesdays. Dinner runs Friday and Saturday evenings only. Located at 54 Fantham Street in Hawera, reservations can be made online and are usually confirmed by email within the hour.