The Grille Café

About The Grille Café

The Grille Cafe is Invercargill's take on an American diner, located at 491 Tay Street as part of Bill Richardson Transport World. It serves an all-day breakfast and lunch menu featuring pancakes, breakfast plates, burgers and loaded fries, in a welcoming museum cafe setting with quality coffee and a genuine diner atmosphere.

The menu leans fully into its diner theming, with playfully named dishes like The Founding Father's Burger, Trump Tower BBQ Burger and Drunken Honolulu sitting alongside a Grand Slam Breakfast, a seafood chowder called Captain's Catch, and a dedicated kids menu called Lil' Nippers. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and dairy free options are marked across several dishes.

Guests have praised the wonderful staff, family atmosphere, great food and fantastic coffee. The Grille also runs an on-site catering team offering Southland-inspired cuisine with an elevated twist for events at Transport World, from canapés to a la carte dining.

The Grille Cafe: Invercargill's American Diner Inside Transport World

At 491 Tay Street, as part of Bill Richardson Transport World, The Grille Cafe brings Invercargill its own fresh take on American diner classics. It's a museum cafe with a genuine diner atmosphere, serving an all-day breakfast and lunch menu alongside quality coffee.

An All-Day Diner Menu

The Grille's menu runs the full diner spectrum. All-day breakfast options include a Grand Slam Breakfast loaded with eggs, potato rosti, roasted tomato, mushrooms, bacon and sausages, alongside a Back to Basics Vege Breakfast and a simple Good ol' Granola. The Sunny Side Up section covers dishes like Smashville Tennessee Potatoes topped with a poached egg and hollandaise, and The Grille's Legendary Eggs Bene, while a waffle or pancake stack lets guests pick their own base and topping, from buttermilk fried chicken with chilli maple through to a Biscoff spread with banana and whipped cream.

Playfully Named Burgers and Diner Classics

The House Burgers section leans into its diner personality with names like The Founding Father's Burger, Trump Tower BBQ Burger, and Drunken Honolulu, built on combinations of beef patties, buttermilk fried chicken, bacon jam and bourbon BBQ sauce, all served with fries. There's a classic Diner Dog too, The Hound Dog, alongside Fully Loaded Fries options including Disco Fries topped with gravy and Pigtastic Fries loaded with slow cooked pulled pork.

Pride of The Grille

Beyond the classic diner fare, the Pride of The Grille section showcases some of the kitchen's more distinctive dishes: a Captain's Catch Seafood Chowder built on hoki, smoked fish, mussels, prawns and salmon, a Crispy Crunch Chicken Salad with corn-chip-crusted fried chicken and black bean and corn salsa, a Heavy Chevy Mac & Cheese finished with a crispy bacon panko crust, and Cluckin Good Tacos filled with the same corn-chip fried chicken.

Kids Menu and Family Atmosphere

Families are well catered for with the Lil' Nippers kids menu, offering options like Percy's Picnic Platter, a Mini Grand Slam Breakfast, and Stack 'em Up Pancakes with bacon and banana. Guest reviews consistently mention the wonderful staff and great family atmosphere, alongside praise for the food, service and coffee.

Catering With Southland Flair

Beyond the day-to-day cafe, The Grille's on-site team also provides catering for events at Transport World, drawing on the best of Southland produce — from venison to Bluff oysters — and presenting classic dishes with an elevated twist, spanning canapés through to a la carte dining for functions, conferences and celebrations.

Visiting The Grille Cafe

The Grille Cafe is open daily from 8am to 4pm, with the kitchen closing at 3pm. Public holiday hours are handled on a case-by-case basis, so it's worth checking social media or Google for up-to-date details around those times. Reservations can be made online with 48 hours' notice, or by calling ahead for more flexibility. Whether it's a full Grand Slam Breakfast, a loaded burger, or the seafood chowder, The Grille Cafe combines its diner theming with genuinely Southland-inspired food in one of Invercargill's more distinctive dining settings.

Signature items

• Grand Slam Breakfast
• Captain's Catch Seafood Chowder
• The Founding Father's Burger
• Crispy Crunch Chicken Salad
• Cluckin Good Tacos
• Pigtastic Fries

Menu

Extras

• Eggs Your Way — Extra side
• Breakfast Sausages (4) — Served with relish
• Bacon (3) — Extra side
• Potato Rosti (2) — Served with relish
• Basket of Fries — Extra side
• Toasted Ciabatta — Extra side
• Hollandaise — Extra sauce
• Aioli / Chipotle Mayo — Extra sauce
• Battered Onion Rings — Extra side

Diner Dogs

• The Hound Dog — Grilled frank in a toasted torpedo roll with American cheddar, shredded cheese blend, beer braised onions, pickles, ketchup and yellow mustard, served with fries

House Burgers

• The Founding Father's Burger — Double cheese, beef patty, American cheddar, Swiss cheese, beer braised onions, lettuce, pickles, mustard, ketchup, aioli, served with fries
• Peggy's Pick Loaded Pork — Pork belly strips, streaky bacon, bacon jam, bourbon BBQ sauce, American cheddar, lettuce, apple mayo, served with fries
• The Retro Rooster — Crispy buttermilk marinated chicken strips, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, ranch, served with fries
• Trump Tower BBQ Burger — Beef patty, American cheddar, streaky bacon, bacon jam, bourbon BBQ sauce, lettuce, aioli, served with fries
• Saucy Bird — Buttermilk fried chicken, chipotle mayo, lettuce, jalapenos, American cheddar, sour cream, served with fries
• Drunken Honolulu — Buttermilk fried chicken, malibu pineapple relish, bacon, lettuce, tomato, American cheddar, ranch, served with fries

Sunny Side Up

• Smashville Tennessee Potatoes — Fried smashed potatoes with caramelised onions, baby spinach and cheese, topped with a poached egg and hollandaise; corned beef or slow cooked pulled pork can be added
• The Grille's Legendary Eggs Bene — Poached eggs, baby spinach, potato rosti and hollandaise; bacon, maple smoked salmon or mushrooms can be added
• Diner Double, Eggs on Toast — Toasted ciabatta, The Grille relish, two free range eggs cooked your way
• Field of 'Shrooms Toast — Creamy mushrooms, braised onion, cashew nuts, baby spinach, ciabatta

All Day Breakfast

• Grand Slam Breakfast — Eggs your way, potato rosti, roasted tomato, mushrooms, streaky bacon, sausages, ciabatta, The Grille relish
• Back to Basics Vege Breakfast — Eggs your way, potato rosti, roasted tomato, baby spinach, mushrooms, fried smashed potatoes, braised onion, ciabatta, The Grille relish
• Good ol' Granola — Toasted muesli, fresh fruit, berry compote, greek yoghurt, milk

Fully Loaded Fries

• Disco Fries — Fries with cheddar, mozzarella and gravy
• Salty Sprinkles — Cheddar, mozzarella, bacon, aioli
• Pigtastic Fries — Fries with cheddar, mozzarella, slow cooked pulled pork, sour cream and chipotle mayo

Pride Of The Grille

• Captain's Catch Seafood Chowder — Hoki, smoked fish, mussels, prawns, salmon, toasted ciabatta
• Crispy Crunch Chicken Salad — Fried chicken dusted in corn chip and Mexican seasoning, seasonal salad fillers, shredded cheese blend, corn chips, ranch dressing, sour cream, black bean and corn salsa
• Heavy Chevy Mac & Cheese — Macaroni pasta, cheese sauce, mozzarella, crispy bacon panko crust
• Cluckin Good Tacos — Two soft shell tacos with lettuce, cheese, fried chicken dusted in corn chip and Mexican seasoning, chipotle mayo, black bean and corn salsa, served with fries

Lil' Nippers (Kids Menu)

• Percy's Picnic Platter — Cheese roll, lolly cake, fruit, cheese, crackers, raisins
• Mini Grand Slam Breakfast — Sausages, bacon, fried egg, toast, tomato sauce
• The Crowd Pleaser — Chicken nuggets, fish bites, fries, tomato sauce
• Lil' Yankee Bites — Chicken nuggets, fish bites, mini hotdog, fries, tomato sauce
• Stack 'em Up Pancakes — Pancakes, bacon, banana, maple syrup
• Mini Diner Dog — Frankfurter, toasted bread roll, cheese, ketchup, fries

Waffles Or Pancake Stack

• Buttermilk Fried Chicken Topping — Buttermilk fried chicken, chipotle mayo, chilli maple
• Streaky Bacon & Banana Topping — Streaky bacon, banana, maple syrup
• Seasonal Fruit Topping — Seasonal fruit, berry compote, maple syrup, whipped cream
• Biscoff Topping — Biscoff spread, banana, whipped cream, biscoff crumb, maple syrup

Frequently asked questions

What are The Grille Cafe's opening hours?

Open daily from 8am to 4pm, with the kitchen closing at 3pm. Public holiday hours vary and are posted on social media.

Do I need a reservation?

Bookings can be made online with 48 hours' notice, or you can call ahead for more flexibility.

Is there a kids menu?

Yes, the Lil' Nippers menu includes options like a picnic platter, mini breakfast, and pancakes.

Does The Grille cater to dietary requirements?

Yes, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and dairy free options (or option variants) are marked across the menu.

Is The Grille Cafe part of a museum?

Yes, it's located within Bill Richardson Transport World.

Does The Grille offer catering for events?

Yes, the on-site team provides catering for events at Transport World, from canapés to a la carte dining.

Tips

• {"body":"Reserve online with 48 hours' notice, or call ahead for more flexibility.","title":"Book ahead"}
• {"body":"A full plate of eggs, bacon, sausages, rosti and more.","title":"Try the Grand Slam Breakfast"}
• {"body":"The Grille regularly posts daily specials and offers on its social pages.","title":"Check Instagram for daily specials"}
• {"body":"The Lil' Nippers menu has several options for younger diners.","title":"Bring the kids"}

Good to know

• {"family":"Kids menu (Lil' Nippers) available","dietary":"Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and dairy free options marked on the menu"}