Pokeno Bacon Cafè

About Pokeno Bacon Cafè

Located on State Highway 1 in Mercer, New Zealand, Pokeno Bacon Cafè is a beloved stop for travellers heading between Auckland, Hamilton and Rotorua. Family-owned since 1978, it has built a loyal following thanks to its delicious bacon and hearty offerings. Unusually for a café, it is part of a butchery that cures its own meat, and that quality shows: diners rave about bacon that is fresh, flavourful, and neither too salty nor too greasy.

The menu specialises in toasties and burgers with bacon as the star, alongside a full line-up of breakfast and brunch plates — from the mighty Monster Meal and Deluxe Breakfast to bacon and eggs with creamy mushrooms, eggs benedict and sweet pancakes. Lunch brings Kiwi burgers, nachos, mac & cheese and curries, all served in generous portions at reasonable prices, so you won't leave hungry.

The atmosphere is casual and welcoming, with ample seating, table service and a clean, peaceful setting inside a larger complex that also houses a gift shop, toilets and a petrol station — a genuinely convenient pit stop. Visitors consistently highlight the friendly, quick service and the staff's willingness to accommodate special requests, making this a warm, family-friendly place for a classic, satisfying brunch or a restorative break on the road.

Pokeno Bacon Cafè: A Mercer Roadside Institution Curing Its Own Bacon Since 1978

On a busy stretch of State Highway 1 at Mercer, along the well-travelled corridor between Auckland, Hamilton and Rotorua, the Pokeno Bacon Cafè has been feeding New Zealand's road-trippers since 1978. Family-owned and operated for more than four decades, it has grown from a humble roadside stop into something of a destination in its own right — a place travellers plan their journey around, and one they detour back to when the craving strikes.

A Butcher's Bacon, Served in a Café

The secret to the café's following is no secret at all: the bacon. Pokeno Bacon Cafè isn't just a café that buys bacon in — it's part of a butchery operation that cures its own meat, and that difference comes through in every rasher. Diners regularly single out the bacon as perfectly cooked, neither too salty nor too greasy, fresh and full of flavour in a way that keeps people coming back. It stars across the menu, most famously in the café's toasties and burgers, and in the beloved bacon and eggs — served with bright yellow yolks and the café's creamy mushrooms, with staff only too happy to bring extra relish on request.

The menu itself is a hearty celebration of café classics. At the top sits the Monster Meal, the ultimate indulgence for big appetites, while the Deluxe Breakfast balances eggs, bacon and all the essentials just right. Build You Own lets you compose a plate exactly to your taste, and Eggs Your Way keeps it simple. There's Eggs Benedict and sweet pancakes for the brunch-minded, French toast to pair with a coffee, and sides from garlic bread and hash browns to extra rashers of that house-cured bacon.

Beyond Breakfast

Bacon may be the headline, but it isn't the whole show. The sandwich board runs from the Kiwi bacon buttie and bacon-and-egg toasties to the B.L.T and B.L.A.T, while burger fans can choose between the classic bacon burger, Kiwi burgers and a Mexican corn burger. One recent diner's smash burger with kumara and potato fries drew an 'absolutely delicious' verdict. Comfort plates like mac & cheese, loaded wedges, nachos and Mexican corn fritters cover the lunch crowd, and when the mood turns savoury there are curries too — butter chicken, chicken curry, and mutton and lamb curry. A full espresso line-up runs from flat whites to mochas, with a great tea selection alongside, and younger travellers get their own menu of kid-sized favourites.

The Pit-Stop Experience

The café sits within a larger complex on State Highway 1 that also houses a gift shop, toilets and a petrol station — a genuinely convenient one-stop break. The setting is casual and welcoming: ample seating and table service inside, outdoor seating for fine days, and plenty of free parking out front, with wheelchair-accessible parking, restroom and seating for those who need it. Dogs are allowed outside, so four-legged road-trip companions aren't left out. Reviewers describe a clean, peaceful environment and friendly, quick service that holds up even when the café is busy — one pair of customers marvelled at just two staff members handling a full house on their own. It's a spot that works equally well for solo diners with a laptop, families with high chairs, groups of friends and tourists ticking off the Auckland–Hamilton run.

Portions are generous and prices reasonable, so nobody leaves hungry. Doors open at 7am every day of the week, running until 4pm Monday to Thursday and Sunday, with a later 5pm close on Fridays and Saturdays. Dine in, grab takeout for the road or arrange delivery; debit cards, credit cards and NFC mobile payments are all accepted, and reservations can be made.

One practical note that catches first-timers out: despite the name, the café is in Mercer, not Pokeno township — that's where the related butcher shop trades. Set your GPS for State Highway 1, Mercer, and look for the small complex. Do that, and you'll understand why generations of travellers have made this unassuming café a fixture of the drive: honest food, cured on-site, served with genuine warmth since 1978.

Signature items

• The Monster Meal
• Bacon & Eggs
• Bacon & Egg Toastie
• Bacon Buttie
• Smash Burger
• Deluxe Breakfast

Menu

Meals

• The Monster Meal — The café's ultimate feast, combining a variety of hearty components for big appetites.
• Deluxe Breakfast — A balanced full breakfast with eggs, bacon and all the essentials, served just right.
• Bacon & Eggs — Crispy house-cured bacon with perfectly cooked eggs — a house favourite.
• Treat — A hearty café plate generous enough to feel like a proper reward.
• Build You Own — Choose your components and build a breakfast exactly the way you like it.
• Sausage Egg & Chips — Sausages with eggs and a side of chips.
• Bacon & Mushroom Meal — House-cured bacon paired with the café's creamy mushrooms.
• Eggs Your Way — Eggs cooked however you like them — simple and satisfying.
• Mac & Cheese — A comforting classic of pasta in cheesy sauce.
• Loaded Wedges — Wedges piled with toppings for a filling plate.
• Eggs Benedict — The brunch classic, café-style.
• Pancakes - Sweet — Sweet pancakes for those who like breakfast on the sweeter side.

Sides

• Fries - Small — Crispy fries, small serving — an ideal accompaniment to any dish.
• Fries - Large — A larger serve of fries, crispy outside and soft inside.
• Garlic Bread — A menu standout with rich, buttery garlic flavour.
• Curly Fries — A twistier take on the classic fry.
• Corn Nuggets — Golden bite-sized corn pieces, fried.
• Slice Of Toast — A simple slice of toast.
• Baked Beans — A classic side of baked beans.
• Mushrooms — A side of the café's mushrooms.
• Hash Brown — A golden hash brown on the side.
• Rasher Of Bacon — An extra rasher of the house-cured bacon the café is known for.
• Sausage — An extra sausage on the side.
• Onions — A side of onions.
• Egg — An extra egg, cooked to order.

Curries

• Butter Chicken — A warming butter chicken for those after something heartier.
• Chicken Curry — Chicken curry, a savoury option beyond the breakfast board.
• Mutton And Lamb Curry — A hearty mutton and lamb curry.

Kids Meals

• Toasted Cheese Sandwich Plus Fries — A kid-sized toasted cheese sandwich with fries.
• Scrambled Eggs On Toast — Soft scrambled eggs on toast, sized for little ones.
• Sausages, Eggs And Chips — A kid's plate of sausages, eggs and chips.
• Wedges And Bacon — Wedges with bacon for younger diners.
• Macaroni — Simple macaroni for kids.

Coffee & Drinks

• Espresso — A straight espresso shot.
• Macchiato — Espresso marked with a dash of milk.
• Long Black — The classic Kiwi long black.
• Piccolo Latte — A small, milky latte.
• Americano — Espresso lengthened with hot water.
• Flat White — The quintessential New Zealand flat white.
• Latte — A smooth, milky latte.
• Cappuccino — Frothy, comforting cappuccino.
• Mocha — Where chocolate meets coffee.
• Fluffies — Frothy milk for the kids, a Kiwi café tradition.
• Hot Chocolate — A rich hot chocolate.
• Speciality Frappé — An icy blended speciality frappé.
• Fruit Frappé — A fruity blended frappé, chilled and refreshing.
• Chilled Juice — Cold juice, straight from the chiller.

Breakfast & Lunch

• Big Breakfast — A filling mix of all the breakfast favourites on one plate.
• All Day Breakfast — The full breakfast, whenever the craving hits.
• French Toast — A sweet, delightful plate that pairs well with a hot coffee.
• Eggs Your Way — Eggs cooked to your preference.
• Bacon & Eggs — The timeless choice — crispy house-cured bacon with eggs done right.
• Creamy Mushrooms — The creamy mushrooms reviewers rave about, on their own.
• Bagels — Bagels, filled café-style.
• Hotcake/Waffles — Hotcakes or waffles for sweet-toothed breakfasters.
• Omelette — An omelette made to order.
• Veggie Nachos — Nachos loaded the meat-free way.
• Kiwi Burgers — A burger done the classic Kiwi way.
• Mexican Corn Fritters — Corn fritters with a Mexican twist.
• Nachos — Classic nachos for sharing or solo.
• B.L.T — Bacon, lettuce and tomato — the house-cured bacon shines.
• Mexican Corn Burger — A burger with Mexican corn flavours.

Sandwiches & Rolls

• Bacon Buttie — The beloved Kiwi bacon sandwich, simple and deeply satisfying.
• Bacon And Egg Toasted Sandwich — House-cured bacon and egg pressed into a hot toastie.
• Bacon And Egg And Cheese Toasted Sandwich — The classic toastie with cheese melted in.
• B.L.T — Bacon, lettuce and tomato on toast.
• B.L.A.T — The BLT with avocado added.
• Ham, Egg Toasted Sandwich — Ham and egg in a hot toasted sandwich.
• Ham, Egg And Cheese Toasted Sandwich — Ham, egg and cheese toasted together.
• Pork — A pork option from the sandwich and roll board.
• Bacon Burger — A burger built around the house-cured bacon.
• Bacon Burger And Fries — The bacon burger served with a side of fries.
• Fries — A side of fries.
• Wedges — A side of wedges.
• Garlic Bread — A side of buttery garlic bread.
• Toasted Cheese Sandwich & Fries — A toasted cheese sandwich served with fries.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pokeno Bacon Cafè known for?

Its house-cured bacon — the café is part of a butchery that cures its own meat, and the bacon stars in its toasties, burgers and big breakfast plates.

Where exactly is the café?

On State Highway 1 in Mercer 2474, New Zealand — a convenient stop between Auckland, Hamilton and Rotorua. Despite the name, it's in Mercer, not Pokeno township, within a complex that also includes a gift shop and petrol station.

What are the opening hours?

Open daily from 7:00am. Closing is 4:00pm Monday to Thursday and Sunday, with a later 5:00pm close on Friday and Saturday.

Is it suitable for families?

Yes — it's family-friendly, with high chairs, a kids' menu and fluffies for little ones.

Can I get takeaway or delivery?

Yes, the café offers dine-in, takeout and delivery, plus outdoor seating.

What payment methods are accepted?

Debit cards, credit cards and NFC mobile payments. Reservations are also accepted.

Are dogs allowed?

Dogs are allowed outside, and there is outdoor seating for fine days.

Tips

• {"body":"Despite the name, the café sits on State Highway 1 in Mercer — the related butcher shop is in Pokeno. Reviewers note the café is part of a small complex, so don't be caught out when navigating.","title":"Look for Mercer, not Pokeno"}
• {"body":"The building also houses a gift shop, toilets and a petrol station, so you can refuel the car and yourself in a single stop between Auckland, Hamilton and Rotorua.","title":"One-stop road-trip break"}
• {"body":"Staff happily accommodate special requests — diners mention being brought extra relish with their breakfast.","title":"Ask for extras"}
• {"body":"Travelling with a dog? It's allowed outside, and there's outdoor seating for fine days.","title":"Dogs welcome outside"}
• {"body":"The café opens at 7am daily and closes at 4pm most days, but stays open until 5pm on Friday and Saturday — handy for a later lunch.","title":"Weekends run later"}

Good to know

• {"family":"Family-friendly with high chairs and a kids' menu; good for groups and kids","parking":"Free parking lot and free street parking; paid parking also available on site","payments":"Debit cards, credit cards and NFC mobile payments; reservations accepted","accessibility":"Wheelchair-accessible parking, restroom and seating; dogs allowed outside"}