Entice Cafe is a sunny, popular, child-friendly cafe on the corner of Bruce and Dixon Streets in Masterton, right beside the Aratoi Museum and QEII Park. Open from 8am to 3pm, seven days a week, it serves a delicious selection of sweet and savoury cafe food under its tagline: making life delicious.
Breakfast runs all day, built on Wairarapa free-range eggs and local produce where possible — from eggs benedict and a Turkish breakfast flatbread to waffles, avo smash and a dedicated vegan breakfast. Lunch kicks in from 11am with plates like chicken katsu, pork belly and kimchi fried rice and a Zany Zeus halloumi stack. Supreme coffee, T Leaf teas, smoothies, thickshakes and a fully licensed Joiy wine and beer list cover every drink order.
Entice is also a serious catering operation, delivering morning and afternoon teas, finger food lunches, canapes and celebrations of every size across the Wairarapa and the lower North Island — with platters ready to serve and at least 48 hours' notice.
Corner Bruce and Dixon Streets, right beside the Aratoi Museum and QEII Park, Entice Cafe works to a simple promise — making life delicious. It is a sunny, popular and genuinely child-friendly cafe serving sweet and savoury cafe food from 8am to 3pm, seven days a week. Behind the scenes it is also the kitchen of one of the Wairarapa's busiest catering operations, responsible for countless morning teas, finger food lunches, canape hours and celebrations across the region and the lower North Island.
Breakfast is the headline act, and it is served all day. The kitchen uses Wairarapa free-range eggs and local produce wherever possible, and the menu leans into that. There is a poached pear porridge topped with freeze-dried raspberries, granola and quince honey that happens to be vegan; eggs benedict, florentine and royale for the hollandaise loyalists; and a Turkish breakfast flatbread loaded with spiced chorizo, roasted pepper and tomato ragout, poached eggs and crispy chilli oil. Waffles come two ways — with bacon, banana and maple mascarpone, or crowned with buttermilk fried chicken. The full Entice breakfast covers eggs, bacon, sausage, hash brown, mushrooms and more, while the vegan version swaps in falafel, avocado and cashew cheese. The avo smash, on an open toasted bagel with olive oil whipped feta, pickled onions and poached eggs, is a perennial favourite.
From 11am the lunch menu takes over, with plates that have real substance: chicken katsu with buttermilk fried chicken over rice, edamame, cabbage and kimchi; pork belly and kimchi fried rice topped with a fried egg; a Philly steak sandwich on toasted sourdough with caramelised onions, tasty cheese and jalapenos; and a Zany Zeus halloumi stack piled high with bacon, rocket, avocado and tomato. For something lighter, the house-cured salmon gravlax sits on a hashbrown smash with dill sour cream, pickled radish and a soft poached egg, and there is always a soup of the day with grilled sourdough. Wedges and shoestring fries round things out for the table.
Coffee matters here. Entice pours Supreme coffee, a roaster that has been driving up quality and espresso standards since the early days of the kiwi cafe industry, and locals agree — one reviewer calls it hands down the best coffee in town. Beyond flat whites and long blacks there are T Leaf teas, matcha lattes and a lemon, honey and ginger brew, plus soy, almond, oat and coconut milks. The smoothie list runs from the Energizer — peanut butter, cacao, banana and dates — to a bright green blend of spinach, kale, mint and avocado, and there are milkshakes, thickshakes, iced coffees and classic spiders for the young at heart. Entice is also a fully licensed venue, pouring a selection of Joiy wines, seltzers and beers.
Catering is the other half of the Entice story. The team caters throughout the Wairarapa and anywhere in the lower North Island, with menus for morning and afternoon tea, finger food lunches, canapes, large celebrations and small gatherings — including weddings and functions. The finger food list reads like a party in itself: ciabatta roll halves with smoked chicken, brie and kimchi; salmon and dill filo tarts; kumara, almond and chickpea falafels with yoghurt sauce; petite croissants; sliders; and whole sandwiches. Food arrives delivered on platters, ready to serve. Numbers and food choices need to be confirmed at least 48 hours ahead, and while last-minute changes can usually be accommodated, the kitchen asks that you keep them to a minimum.
Come hungry and come early — this is a popular spot, and food service wraps up at 3pm. A dedicated kids menu and a relaxed, child-friendly room make it an easy call for families, and being next door to the Aratoi Museum and QEII Park means lunch can turn into a proper day out. Note that the cafe closes on selected public holidays, so it pays to check before a long weekend. Questions about the cafe, catering, functions or weddings can go to the team by phone or email.