Hunua Falls Cafe and Bar sits on Hunua Road in Hunua, running as both a cafe and a bar — and taking its name from the falls it shares the area with. The team's philosophy is stated plainly on the door: your health is your wealth, so the menu leans on fresh, whole foods, and a cup of gourmet coffee shared with a friend is happiness tasted and time well spent.
In practice that means a wide-ranging menu: weekend breakfast with eggs benedict, smashed avocado and acai bowls; house-made pizzas including a tandoori chicken chef's special; generous beef, lamb and tandoori chicken burgers; hearty lunch and dinner plates like beer-battered fish and chips and sirloin steak; plus bar snacks and a dedicated kids' menu. The coffee programme covers all the classics alongside dirty chai, turmeric lattes and more, with teas, ice blends, milkshakes, juices and soft drinks rounding things out.
As the 'bar' half of the name suggests, there are taps too — Carlsberg, a guest beer and the house Hunua Golden Lager, all by the pint or jug. Doors are closed Monday and Tuesday, with dinner service from late afternoon midweek and long weekend hours; group bookings can be arranged by email or phone.
Hunua Falls Cafe and Bar sits on Hunua Road in Hunua, a countryside spot that runs as both a cafe and a bar — and takes its name from the falls it shares the area with. Its philosophy is stated plainly: your health is your wealth, so the kitchen leans on fresh, whole foods, and a cup of gourmet coffee shared with a friend is happiness tasted and time well spent. In practice that means a menu that can carry you from a flat white in the morning to pizza, a burger or a pint in the evening.
Coffee is the backbone here. The espresso list covers all the classics — Americano, long black, cappuccino, latte, flat white, piccolo, mocha and macchiato — alongside a few quirkier pours like the dirty chai, the turmeric latte and a spiced chai latte, with hot chocolate for anyone skipping caffeine. Extras are kept simple: an extra shot, extra milk, dairy-free milk, or a pump of caramel, hazelnut or vanilla syrup.
Not a coffee drinker? There's a proper tea list — English breakfast, Earl Grey, peppermint, sencha, masala chai and chamomile — plus ice-blended coffees and chocolates, thick milkshakes in chocolate, vanilla, caramel, banana and strawberry, juices and the usual fizzy options.
Breakfast is a weekend affair, served Saturdays and Sundays. Eggs come on toasted ciabatta with grilled tomato, or as eggs benedict — ciabatta, wilted spinach and hollandaise, with mushroom, bacon or salmon available as additions. Smashed avocado on toast arrives with poached eggs and tomatoes, while the big breakfast piles eggs cooked your way with streaky bacon, sausage, mushrooms, baked beans and a hash brown. Lighter eaters have the house-made granola bowl with fruit yoghurt and fresh fruit, or an acai bowl topped with banana, seasonal fruits and chia seeds.
The pizza lineup runs from the familiar — Hawaiian and pepperoni — to a classic margherita with fresh mozzarella, basil and house-made sauce, a garden pizza with roasted beetroot, goat cheese, red onion, rocket and walnut, and the chef's special: a tandoori chicken pizza with red onion, capsicum and cilantro.
Burgers are built generously. The beef burger stacks its patty with fried egg, bacon, pickles, onion rings, tomato jam and Swiss cheese; the lamb burger pairs a prime lamb patty with cos lettuce, basil pesto and cream cheese; the tandoori chicken burger comes with mint yoghurt, cucumber, lettuce, tomato and onion, plus a side of fries.
At lunch and dinner the plates get heartier: beer-battered fish and chips with house fries, garden salad and tartar sauce; southern-style fried chicken with Asian salad and jalapeño mayo; sirloin steak cooked to your liking with eggs and peppercorn sauce; and a spiced Moroccan chicken salad with pita bread, aioli and balsamic. Bar snacks — house fries, loaded wedges, garlic cob loaf, buffalo wings and shoestring fries — fill the gaps in between.
True to its name, the bar pours as well as the kitchen cooks. Three taps are listed: Carlsberg, a featured guest beer and the house pour, Hunua Golden Lager — all available by the pint or jug.
Kids get their own menu of shoestring fries, egg on toast, chicken and chips and fish and chips, and groups can arrange a booking ahead of time by emailing admin@hunuacafe.co.nz or calling +64 9 217 4898.
Timing matters. The cafe is closed Monday and Tuesday; Wednesday and Thursday it runs 4pm to 8pm, Friday starts at 3pm, and the weekend is the long haul — 10am to 8pm on Saturday and 10am to 7pm on Sunday. That makes Saturday and Sunday the days for a full visit: brunch at ten, pizza at one, a lager in the afternoon.
Whether you're a Hunua local or just passing through the area, the formula is the same: fresh, whole food done plainly and well, serious coffee, and a bar that earns its half of the name. Come hungry on the weekend — the brunch menu is worth planning a trip around.