Elevation Café is a well-loved Motueka café with 15 years of history, now run by new owners Chinh and Huy, whose shared love of food, people and community led them to take over the business. All food is sourced locally, served fresh and bursting with flavour, from locally caught fish and daily-changing fresh salads to in-house baking straight from the oven.
Chinh grew up in Vietnam before moving into hospitality and later studying horticulture and floristry in Nelson, shaping the café's warm, plant-focused atmosphere. Huy, raised in a family rich with cooking traditions, honed his craft at an Asian restaurant in Nelson before taking on Elevation Café with his best friend Chinh. While continuing the café's much-loved Kiwi menu from the previous owners, Huy has introduced homemade Vietnamese specialties to the Motueka community, including Pho, spring rolls, Bun Cha Ha Noi and Banh Xeo.
Trained baristas serve Caffe L'affare espresso coffee alongside a wide range of teas, matcha lattes and smoothies, and free off-street parking is available behind the café for customers.
Elevation Café is a well-loved fixture in Motueka, with 15 years of history and a strong reputation for quality coffee and local food. It's now run by new owners Chinh and Huy, whose shared love of food, people and community brought them together to take on the café.
Chinh grew up in Vietnam, starting her career as a high school chemistry teacher before discovering a passion for hospitality and running a café in her home town. She moved to New Zealand in 2016 and studied horticulture and floristry in Nelson, a background that now shapes Elevation Café's warm, plant-focused atmosphere. Huy was raised in a family rich with cooking traditions and spent years honing his craft at an Asian restaurant in Nelson before taking on Elevation Café Motueka with his best friend Chinh.
While Huy has proudly continued the café's much-loved Kiwi menu from the previous owners — think bacon and eggs, waffles, pizza, beer battered fish and chips, burgers and steak — his long-held dream has been to bring Vietnamese dishes to the Motueka community. The café now serves homemade specialties including Pho, crispy spring rolls, Bun Cha Ha Noi (a Hanoi-style grilled pork noodle bowl), and Banh Xeo, the famous savoury Vietnamese pancake.
All food at Elevation Café is sourced locally wherever possible, served fresh and bursting with flavour, from locally caught fish to daily-changing fresh salads. The cabinet is baked fresh on the premises every day, with Devonshire tea, scones, cheese rolls, cheesecakes and a variety of cakes and savouries.
Trained baristas serve Caffe L'affare espresso coffee, alongside a wide range of tea flavours, matcha lattes, iced matcha, and smoothies made on site.
Elevation Café also hosts parties, gatherings and celebrations, and offers free off-street parking behind the café for customers.
Elevation Café is open 7 days a week from 8am to 4pm, with dinner service added Wednesday to Saturday from 5pm to 9pm. It's located at 218 High Street, Motueka, and can be reached by phone or email for reservations and enquiries.